From: Ernie (ernestly_at_addr.com)
Date: 02/14/03
Message-ID: <3E4D3A27.9090105@addr.com> Date: Fri, 14 Feb 2003 12:49:11 -0600 From: Ernie <ernestly_at_addr.com> Subject: Re: Play - Dome?
+ all those colors are really trippy.
I see at Post Office thinner version of this material, looks like 1/16"
thick.
from http://www.thomasregister.com newsletter:
Printing in 3-D
Imagine being able to produce an accurate physical model of your product
design in less than an hour. With today's 3-D printers, prototype
production is as easy as printing out a document. These 3-D machines
take CAD and other digital data and "print" out a physical prototype so
3-D CAD users can see their design's actual appearance instead of its
screen representation. Among the many objects these printers can produce
are mobile phones, engine manifolds and cameras.
The process is affordable as well. For example, a mobile phone design
prototype can be churned out by these machines in less than an hour for
under $10. In addition, by providing appearance prototypes to design
engineers early in the product development cycle, they allow for more
feedback and evaluation. The industries expected to benefit from this
technology are wide-ranging - from automotive and architectural to the
medical field. Firms such as Sony, Fisher-Price, Lockheed Martin,
Adidas, Ford, Clorox and Disney are already utilizing this technology.
Massachusetts-based ZCorp. offers a line of 3-D printers starting at
$33,500, with higher-end machines capable of full-color production.
Their machines use an ink jet printer head to apply a binder solution
onto a plaster-based powder to make product models. The company also
provides numerous post-processing solutions that can give prototypes
specific material properties. In other words, depending on your
specification, your product can be made to feel like rubber or plastic
or even plated in chrome. ZCorp.'s printers can also be used to produce
patterns for casting and mold-making applications that make metal and
urethane parts.
Another 3-D printer manufacturer is Minnesota-based Stratasys, Inc.
Earlier this year, the company unveiled a new 3-D printer called
Dimension with a list price of $29,900. This machine builds prototypes
from ABS plastic. It's a desktop system that can be connected to a
network, allowing for greater communication between product design team
members. "Previously, 3-D printing systems couldn't produce models that
could be functionally tested," says Mary Stanley, product manager. "This
machine will change the course of modeling globally. The number of users
who can afford to build functional models in-house has just increased
exponentially."
Source: Design Engineering, "Affordable 3-D Printing," September, 2002.
Free CD wow. http://www.thomasregister.com/af/cadtitles03/
The Butterfly wrote:
>In article <000c01c2923b$969b96a0$0100a8c0_at_indnpls1.in.home.com> you write:
>
>
>>-=-=-=-=-=-
>>
>>well, I should have probably prefaced this with a little more info. I'm
>>not looking for a kit, or professionally designed plans, just ideas. I
>>plan to build this from scraps and closeouts, as my total budget is
>>probably under $500, spread out over 9 months of little purchases...
>>what kind of dome would a kid like? and please don't try to sell me
>>something
>>
>>
>>
> Depending on how long you want it for (3-5 years? 10? 20?), a
>corrugated plastic dome like the disaster shelter we talk about incessantly
>here might do the trick, and could easily be affixed to a raised platform
>over a sandbox like you mentioned. Some ideas/photos at:
>http://reality.sculptors.com/~salsbury/domeparty.html
> More details available for the asking. :-)
>
>Pat
>
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