For the particle filter, you might use a vortex style particle gatherer like a coffee roaster uses to catch the chaff in order to improve the foam filter’s functional life.
There's also the option of something like a car muffler, a sort of labyrinthine expansion chamber of sorts, just prior to the air flow hitting the filter to disrupt the airflow and allow debris to fall out of it.
An oil filter (in this case is used to filter particles while recycling the argon gas) such as "Mann HU..." is used in some Laser Powder Bed Fusion systems. It should be changed every certain amount of time
@Sam Mead the fine-sized byproducts of the sintering process are readily flammable? edit: anecdotal/conversational question: do you think there is a real risk of fire within the current printed enclosure for the foam filter? also, cyclone was definitely the word I was trying to think of lol
You will get much better performance with a set of galvos and 1 laser. Even the cheapest galvos can hit 15k points per second and cost $65 on AliExpress. You can then also keep the laser stationary, and use an F-theta lens ($100-200 for a 300mm focus area) to focus the laser across the whole build area. A 10W laser will also give double the power while decreasing the cost.
I actually have a pair of the galvos you're referencing. Unfortunately I don't think the mirrors are good for anything beyond laser light shows. What laser are you referencing and where do you get the figure that it'll be twice as powerful as what I currently have?
assuming a 50% efficiency (though it's probably more 70%), and that the nubm38 is rated for input and not output power, that's 74W/2 which is 37W, so a 10W laser won't be better, unless you're talking about the output of a single diode in the group, which would indeed be less than 10W. given the weight of these diodes, making them mobile is probably the best, you can also get away with just a stock pc cooler for the higher end chips, those can handle 100W. though water cooling is probably preferable since you're probably using a heated enclosure if you're sintering metal, but that still is not really hard to move. also with a mobile laser you just need a single lens, which reduces the cost quite a bit. something that may be doable is a high speed carriage and having the lens on a magnetic platform (similar to what optical drives use) to compensate for vibration.
@@metalmatters Galvos are just the mirror units the laser can be anything you add to it. That is how high end metal laser printers work. They are also used for laser cutters, engraving, marking, and other things. The increased power comes from the fact that right now your output is split into many beams while the galvo is used to steer a single beam. That output rating of your laser is for the entire array, meaning each beam is only a fraction. Did you do zero research before starting this project? It seems that looking into how other laser systems work would be the first step.
@@excitedbox5705 from the video it seems that the multiple beams are focused on a single point so the total energy per area should be the sum of all the beams. Unless the galvo is too small, to my knowledge the beams would be reflected parallel, and a lens can focus them.
Looking at so many problems you had with the bed and moving the two pistons, if I ever decide to try something similar, my first trip would be to the scrapyard to buy some small two cylinder engine;) And I'd keep the crankshaft, too, so I could use a single motor with proper reduction to get a perfectly synchronized material/object movements...
Having you thought about using your setup for binder jetting? You can get much better resolution that way instead of using lasers. Only downside is sintering after the print is finished.
I have briefly but have always found LPBF more attractive as it is a relatively consolidated process. I think finding/developing a suitable binder is the other challenge. It seems to be the 'secret sauce' behind most private ventures.
automatic sprayder, heat raw materiel closed box with gas, replace some components to resist the heat, if you can heat raw you can feed more ans upgrader surface finish, nice project , and i think can review the play with the piston support and slim layer, for the piston need better, if you need idea just ask ;)
Instead of trying to blow argon over the bed and disturbing the powder, why not just seal your enclosure and fill it with argon at the start? Argon is heavier than air, so you'd just need a hole at the top to let the air out while the argon goes in. Then you don't have to worry about messing with the powder. The enclosure would need to be sealed, but it's not going to be pressurized with argon so it should be fair easy to do a good enough job. It would also save you on parts.
either pre-cut lithography masks or one-at-a-time uv-cured, either as a secondary support material with two-material disperse, like MgO with higher temp
Please speak in the next one, I think that'll come across better, please keep it up though, I think the 3D printing community does want a cheap metal 3d printer and this series might blow up a bit if its fully functional and produces a nice enough metal print
@@metalmatters i build myself a heavy duty FDM Printer with JMC 180W Servo motors, 25mm Linearrails, Ballscrews (not from China), 80mm Aluminum Profil and Mosquito Magnum Hotend, BMG Dual Drive Extruder… So the FDM Category is successfully finished for me, next one should be an SLS Printer 😅 and i need your Videos and experience to do less mistakes possible
Hi, fantastic work, If i would have time i would doing this in a other way, pump out the entire air and then pumping in argon. In a chamber you could have the possibility to warmin up the powder. I can not find the second video?
It would be awesome to sell one of these as mostly 3D printed plastic, and have the customer slowly replace parts they print themselves Also, did you know that a hydrogen atmosphere can actually reduce oxides back to their pure metal form? I bet that laser could reduce oxide powders in such an atmosphere
@@metalmatters Okay, because if we can get a scenario similar to the EOS M100, that's literally the next closest equivalent. Just signed up for the forum btw!
You're going to house the entire printer in a gas chamber or just the bed? That's going to be quite the challenge either way, since you have to pump out all the air first, before introducing the argon, right?
I'm not an expert in this Field(so it could be wrong) however, Argon is so heavy, that there is no need. At the end of the Vid. I think in the Black box was actually filled with argon already.
Just the bed, 30 liters approximately. The plan is to purge the chamber until the air is displaced as argon is denser than air. I have a vacuum pump which I can fall back on but would much rather avoid it entirely.
This is amazing. I have a question, is the metallic powder magnetic? What if you use a magnet as the base to print on, or attached to, would it result in denser layers?
Thanks Matt. I have actually managed to print some metal with a sub 100W power level and what I estimate to be a 200um focal point based on track width - although slowly and with a lot of saturation. What material/s were you printing with when you experienced metal fires?
@@metalmatters yeah I guess it depends what density/quality of print you're aiming for. If you want good and dense parts you'll need the kind of power density I mentioned. Pretty much any metal condensate poses a fire hazard because of the size of the sub-micron particles and the oxides that form on them. I've had stainless condensate catch fire before simply because it had latent heat from the build and was exposed to oxygen. You just need to handle the filter very carefully.
@@metalmatters Aluminum is the most reactive of all the metals, it is a real danger in this situation because it will be vaporized. Titanium is also extremely reactive, though not as bad as Aluminum.
@@joshua43214 This is actually part of the reason why I have avoided Aluminium. It also has a few properties which make it harder to process also. I will avoid reactive metals until the system is more robust.
@@metalmatters Okay, perfect. There's several applications that I wish to do with something like this because it's the only thing holding the general consumer back, now. FDM is great but having the ability to print legitimately durable materials is key.
@@picklerick9578 resin can get pretty good results. You can use high temp resin (300C) with oven enamel (250C), and you'll have a pretty durable item for outside use. For gears and similar structural stuff, resins and resins with carbon fiber and/or kevlar inlays can be fairly durable. Metal is rarely an absolute requirement. You also can use bushings/inserts where needed.
@@satibel Hi, Which printer would you recommend for that high temperature resin? Please forgive my ignorance of the subject but what do you mean by "oven enamel"?
@Giovany Fernández any decent uv resin printer, if you don't need a large volume, the mars 2 and the Creality LD-002H are pretty good I've heard. they'll set you back about 200-250 euros, add reusable gloves for 10, and a decent mask for 30. then a 1 hour 300C resistant resin is fairly expensive (like 50-100 eur per liter.) oven enamel is a low temperature enamel that needs around 250-300C note that you can just use a (decorative) shell of high temp resin with an enamel coating for parts exposed to rough conditions. for parts which just need uv resistance, you can use regular paints. enamels are a bit more resistant to temperature and abrasion. if you look at resins, you can often mix them to your liking, so if you need a bit more elasticity you can mix a bit of high elasticity resin. the main durability problem is uv and temperature, both are resolved with an enamel coated ht resin, but if you can compromise (for example regular resin will only start to deform at around 70c) or you only use the part inside an enclosure you don't need that. another compromise you can do is accept the limited lifespan of the part and just replace it every few months/years. of course if you want really high strength and temperature designs metal may be the only thing, but you can also print a clamshell that presses resin-soaked carbon fiber sheets, which you can then drill and ream (you can already put holes in the mold to facilitate drilling).
@@metalmatters Have you considered using fiber optics, this way you would not have to have the laser diodes, cooling & collector lens in the head? you could form a coherent beam before it enters the fiber, and then just have a focusing lens at the end point. Seems there are optical fibers that can carry a lot of power.
@@Nobody-Nowhere Yep, I've had a look at them but the prices are unattractive, several times that of the price point I'm trying to keep to (at 50w +). They still require water cooling and most come terminated with a collimator, still needing a focus lens / f theta lens. I'm confident I will be able to build a complete 140w+ system (laser + scanner) for less than 800 usd.
For the particle filter, you might use a vortex style particle gatherer like a coffee roaster uses to catch the chaff in order to improve the foam filter’s functional life.
There's also the option of something like a car muffler, a sort of labyrinthine expansion chamber of sorts, just prior to the air flow hitting the filter to disrupt the airflow and allow debris to fall out of it.
An oil filter (in this case is used to filter particles while recycling the argon gas) such as "Mann HU..." is used in some Laser Powder Bed Fusion systems. It should be changed every certain amount of time
@Sam Mead the fine-sized byproducts of the sintering process are readily flammable?
edit: anecdotal/conversational question: do you think there is a real risk of fire within the current printed enclosure for the foam filter?
also, cyclone was definitely the word I was trying to think of lol
Exactly a process I was starting to work toward. Watching now.
You will get much better performance with a set of galvos and 1 laser. Even the cheapest galvos can hit 15k points per second and cost $65 on AliExpress. You can then also keep the laser stationary, and use an F-theta lens ($100-200 for a 300mm focus area) to focus the laser across the whole build area. A 10W laser will also give double the power while decreasing the cost.
I actually have a pair of the galvos you're referencing. Unfortunately I don't think the mirrors are good for anything beyond laser light shows. What laser are you referencing and where do you get the figure that it'll be twice as powerful as what I currently have?
assuming a 50% efficiency (though it's probably more 70%), and that the nubm38 is rated for input and not output power, that's 74W/2 which is 37W, so a 10W laser won't be better, unless you're talking about the output of a single diode in the group, which would indeed be less than 10W.
given the weight of these diodes, making them mobile is probably the best, you can also get away with just a stock pc cooler for the higher end chips, those can handle 100W.
though water cooling is probably preferable since you're probably using a heated enclosure if you're sintering metal, but that still is not really hard to move.
also with a mobile laser you just need a single lens, which reduces the cost quite a bit.
something that may be doable is a high speed carriage and having the lens on a magnetic platform (similar to what optical drives use) to compensate for vibration.
@@satibel It has multiple beams though a galvo is a single beam.
@@metalmatters Galvos are just the mirror units the laser can be anything you add to it. That is how high end metal laser printers work. They are also used for laser cutters, engraving, marking, and other things. The increased power comes from the fact that right now your output is split into many beams while the galvo is used to steer a single beam. That output rating of your laser is for the entire array, meaning each beam is only a fraction. Did you do zero research before starting this project? It seems that looking into how other laser systems work would be the first step.
@@excitedbox5705 from the video it seems that the multiple beams are focused on a single point so the total energy per area should be the sum of all the beams.
Unless the galvo is too small, to my knowledge the beams would be reflected parallel, and a lens can focus them.
You're doing a damn fine thing here. A true gentleman and scholar.
I eagerly await your next update
Looking at so many problems you had with the bed and moving the two pistons, if I ever decide to try something similar, my first trip would be to the scrapyard to buy some small two cylinder engine;) And I'd keep the crankshaft, too, so I could use a single motor with proper reduction to get a perfectly synchronized material/object movements...
Wow. If this works, it might actually change the additive manufacturing industry.
maybe for hobbyists, but the industry already is well on its way for additive metal
Thanks for the update. Hopefully, some of us can follow in your footsteps to, "affordable metal 3d printing superiority!"
all the luck on your endeavors, for 1,5k metal printer is unreal.
The duct movement is really sexy :D
Woah nice work! glad I'm early to see how it all ends up.
Having you thought about using your setup for binder jetting? You can get much better resolution that way instead of using lasers. Only downside is sintering after the print is finished.
I have briefly but have always found LPBF more attractive as it is a relatively consolidated process. I think finding/developing a suitable binder is the other challenge. It seems to be the 'secret sauce' behind most private ventures.
Invest in a lathe and cnc to make your own parts. Cnc laser cutter...depends on the part/s you need and cost.
automatic sprayder, heat raw materiel closed box with gas, replace some components to resist the heat, if you can heat raw you can feed more ans upgrader surface finish, nice project , and i think can review the play with the piston support and slim layer, for the piston need better, if you need idea just ask ;)
Amazing progress. Wish you the best!
LETSS GOOOOOOO!!!!
@@justinhughes4722 no.
Oh this is amazing! Love the progress.
"the smoke generator (i.e. vape pen)" - lmao
Instead of trying to blow argon over the bed and disturbing the powder, why not just seal your enclosure and fill it with argon at the start? Argon is heavier than air, so you'd just need a hole at the top to let the air out while the argon goes in. Then you don't have to worry about messing with the powder. The enclosure would need to be sealed, but it's not going to be pressurized with argon so it should be fair easy to do a good enough job.
It would also save you on parts.
Yeah, those vents are for removing soot/spatter. Check out the bottom of the page metalmatters.co/showthread.php?tid=8
you could have virtual lithography layers as selective burn of a complete layer at once
either pre-cut lithography masks or one-at-a-time uv-cured, either as a secondary support material with two-material disperse, like MgO with higher temp
Please speak in the next one, I think that'll come across better, please keep it up though, I think the 3D printing community does want a cheap metal 3d printer and this series might blow up a bit if its fully functional and produces a nice enough metal print
I‘m waiting for updates 😍
I'm working toward the next set of updates but parts and materials are yet to arrive so it'll be a couple weeks yet. Thanks!
@@metalmatters i cant wait 😂
@@metalmatters i build myself a heavy duty FDM Printer with JMC 180W Servo motors, 25mm Linearrails, Ballscrews (not from China), 80mm Aluminum Profil and Mosquito Magnum Hotend, BMG Dual Drive Extruder…
So the FDM Category is successfully finished for me, next one should be an SLS Printer 😅 and i need your Videos and experience to do less mistakes possible
Hi, fantastic work, If i would have time i would doing this in a other way, pump out the entire air and then pumping in argon. In a chamber you could have the possibility to warmin up the powder. I can not find the second video?
The second video is yet to happen. I have a bit more work to do..
GENIUS again!
Fantastic work!
You here? :D This guy is doing great work. I am patiently awaiting the moment, he is able to create a somewhat acceptable printing result.
@@MrKurdishFreak Hey :) Some pretty humbling smart people on YT. Also, I emailed you a video to check out. Peace
Try using an argon atmosphere
It would be awesome to sell one of these as mostly 3D printed plastic, and have the customer slowly replace parts they print themselves
Also, did you know that a hydrogen atmosphere can actually reduce oxides back to their pure metal form? I bet that laser could reduce oxide powders in such an atmosphere
YES so stoked
Nice, i wait for more ;)
i just subbed i wanna follow this project. thanks for the video
Nice work !
you could print new mounts for it out of metal…
You should pickup a strip of 2" wide slotted cable raceway. It'll make all your wiring crimes disappear!
You’re my hero
Hey one more thing. Do you think 200 watts for the laser is possible with a set up similar to this?
Yes, though I've yet to confirm it.
@@metalmatters Okay, because if we can get a scenario similar to the EOS M100, that's literally the next closest equivalent. Just signed up for the forum btw!
You're going to house the entire printer in a gas chamber or just the bed? That's going to be quite the challenge either way, since you have to pump out all the air first, before introducing the argon, right?
I'm not an expert in this Field(so it could be wrong) however, Argon is so heavy, that there is no need. At the end of the Vid. I think in the Black box was actually filled with argon already.
Just the bed, 30 liters approximately. The plan is to purge the chamber until the air is displaced as argon is denser than air. I have a vacuum pump which I can fall back on but would much rather avoid it entirely.
This is amazing. I have a question, is the metallic powder magnetic? What if you use a magnet as the base to print on, or attached to, would it result in denser layers?
Generally, no. Most materials are non ferrous. I imagine if the powder were magnetized it would become very difficult to spread.
how are combing the beams what is that lens you have there
By means of a beam expander. I think you might be referring to the concave mirror.
YES!!!
You're going to run into challenges with the beam quality.
Thanks Matt. I have actually managed to print some metal with a sub 100W power level and what I estimate to be a 200um focal point based on track width - although slowly and with a lot of saturation. What material/s were you printing with when you experienced metal fires?
@@metalmatters yeah I guess it depends what density/quality of print you're aiming for. If you want good and dense parts you'll need the kind of power density I mentioned. Pretty much any metal condensate poses a fire hazard because of the size of the sub-micron particles and the oxides that form on them. I've had stainless condensate catch fire before simply because it had latent heat from the build and was exposed to oxygen. You just need to handle the filter very carefully.
@@metalmatters Aluminum is the most reactive of all the metals, it is a real danger in this situation because it will be vaporized. Titanium is also extremely reactive, though not as bad as Aluminum.
@@joshua43214 This is actually part of the reason why I have avoided Aluminium. It also has a few properties which make it harder to process also. I will avoid reactive metals until the system is more robust.
wow
Hey, one other question. Do you think something like this can be scaled up to do larger items?
Yep, that's the plan!
@@metalmatters Okay, perfect. There's several applications that I wish to do with something like this because it's the only thing holding the general consumer back, now. FDM is great but having the ability to print legitimately durable materials is key.
@@picklerick9578 resin can get pretty good results. You can use high temp resin (300C) with oven enamel (250C), and you'll have a pretty durable item for outside use.
For gears and similar structural stuff, resins and resins with carbon fiber and/or kevlar inlays can be fairly durable.
Metal is rarely an absolute requirement.
You also can use bushings/inserts where needed.
@@satibel Hi,
Which printer would you recommend for that high temperature resin? Please forgive my ignorance of the subject but what do you mean by "oven enamel"?
@Giovany Fernández any decent uv resin printer, if you don't need a large volume, the mars 2 and the Creality LD-002H are pretty good I've heard.
they'll set you back about 200-250 euros, add reusable gloves for 10, and a decent mask for 30.
then a 1 hour 300C resistant resin is fairly expensive (like 50-100 eur per liter.)
oven enamel is a low temperature enamel that needs around 250-300C
note that you can just use a (decorative) shell of high temp resin with an enamel coating for parts exposed to rough conditions.
for parts which just need uv resistance, you can use regular paints.
enamels are a bit more resistant to temperature and abrasion.
if you look at resins, you can often mix them to your liking, so if you need a bit more elasticity you can mix a bit of high elasticity resin.
the main durability problem is uv and temperature, both are resolved with an enamel coated ht resin, but if you can compromise (for example regular resin will only start to deform at around 70c) or you only use the part inside an enclosure you don't need that.
another compromise you can do is accept the limited lifespan of the part and just replace it every few months/years.
of course if you want really high strength and temperature designs metal may be the only thing, but you can also print a clamshell that presses resin-soaked carbon fiber sheets, which you can then drill and ream (you can already put holes in the mold to facilitate drilling).
Nice
pog!
I can't even meme in this comment section, I don't know what half the words are.
how many watts does that laser have?
72
@@metalmatters thats less than what i would have thought is needed to melt metal... really interesting project
@@Nobody-Nowhere 72w is probably on the limit given the laser spot size. I'll be combining at least two however.
@@metalmatters Have you considered using fiber optics, this way you would not have to have the laser diodes, cooling & collector lens in the head? you could form a coherent beam before it enters the fiber, and then just have a focusing lens at the end point. Seems there are optical fibers that can carry a lot of power.
@@Nobody-Nowhere Yep, I've had a look at them but the prices are unattractive, several times that of the price point I'm trying to keep to (at 50w +). They still require water cooling and most come terminated with a collimator, still needing a focus lens / f theta lens. I'm confident I will be able to build a complete 140w+ system (laser + scanner) for less than 800 usd.
Do you need any help?
I think I'm OK for now. I'll have another video out shortly.
+