Great! Good to see things are still moving along even if there is not a huge amount of progress. I took a look at the wiki, are you guys still planning on going with a borosilicate glass tube for the outside of the vacuum chamber? If so, have you sourced a tube yet? I've been talking to glass vendors through alibaba (and some locally) to try and get a borosilicate glass tube 400mm OD x 1000mm mby wogglestick - MetalicaRap
That's awesome you have experience with UHV stuff! Can you say what you were working on? Or is it classified?by wogglestick - MetalicaRap
QuoteFRC Really awesome discussion. Pyrotronics do you think you could build or buy an electron gun system for less than the cost of building or buying a 200w laser? I know SEMs can easily run into the 100k plus range and simply assumed that an electron gun system would register a significant cost as well The cost for the beam really isn't in the actual electron gun itself. It's in the ancillby wogglestick - MetalicaRap
Again, totally believe you. I feel like you're not understanding what I'm saying to you. I understand your math and the physics behind it. I understand you can melt metal with an insanely small spot size, nobody is saying it can't be done. But I really think you're down-playing the importance of print times. Sure, a 10 micron spot might make melting a little quicker due to higher power density, bby wogglestick - MetalicaRap
I'm "so focused on 200W" because that's the absolute minimum I think would be needed to get useful print times. A regular CO2 laser with a 60W tube will barely cut plywood. Now, I understand it's all about focusing the beam enough to get a really small spot size, but let's be realistic, how long does it take to melt a 1cm x 1cm area of metal powder with a 20W laser? A ridiculous amount of time,by wogglestick - MetalicaRap
Quotepyrotronics I'm pretty sure that SLS patent has expired late last year. Also remember that the E-beam is the cost of the vacuum chamber + pump + power supply. The laser cost would be 200W laser + optics + galvo's + power supply + inert gas chamber. I would love to use a laser, if we found a dirt cheap way to make a 200 W fiber laser? Good to know, thanks! I don't get your second point...by wogglestick - MetalicaRap
QuoteVDX ... there are some powders with a metal core and a thin coating of plastic or glass. The SLS process will only melt the coating, the parts will be later sintered/remelted in an oven with some shrinkage. Other common metal fabbing methodes are SLS with wax- or plastic powder and then "lost-cast"-moulding with embedding the parts in sand and pouring molten metal into them ... Thanks forby wogglestick - MetalicaRap
In answer to your question, nobody knows if anything on the wiki will work. Until the guys on the metalicarap team actually build the power supply they've designed, and make an electron beam using it, I'd forget about this project. If you have any electrical engineering expertise, the wiki might be a good place to start. Honestly though, I'd not expect this team or specific project to produce aby wogglestick - MetalicaRap
Did you make the order yet? I'm interested in maybe 6 or 7 of them if you are ordering over 50. Thanksby wogglestick - Stepper Motors, Servo Motors, DC Motors
Quoterapatan hi Yes based around 5166965 cut on 2 C cores as in wiki kind regards MetalicaRap team Thanks for the short reply. since you missed the most important question the last time, I will re-ask and keep this short and concise. Do you have a finished design/schematic/circuit diagram of the power supply yet? Thanksby wogglestick - MetalicaRap
So, how's things with the design of the power supply? I see a lot of really interesting and detailed information on the wiki, but no actual design... Is it sorted out? You said that the design circuit in the paper you point to in the wiki contains two dummy capacitors and dummy inductors. are there any circuit diagrams or illustrations of how the non-dummy versions would work? Thanks guysby wogglestick - MetalicaRap