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Re:Desktop Metal gets $115M in funding to deliver metal 3D p... by Animats on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @07:07PM (#14800748)
That's what I was wondering. Shapeways makes metal parts by a similar process as a service. See their 2009 video.[1] There's a mini-industry making metal jewelry that way.

I notice that Desktop Metal doesn't show their oven in the video. That's the big, expensive, somewhat hazardous unit. "Easily swappable aluminum gas canisters ... safe to use on the shop floor" says the data sheet.[2]

Wazer, the low-end water jet cutter that's still stuck at "pre-order", has a similar problem. They're trying to make a somewhat messy industrial process less messy. There's some hand-waving involved. You end up with a sludge that's a mixture of water, shattered garnet, and whatever you're cutting. They gloss over what you have to do to dispose of that.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9VOwqtOglg [2] https://desktopmetal.s3.amazonaws.com/Studio-office_friendly...

Re:Desktop Metal gets $115M in funding to deliver metal 3D p... by ortusdux on Tuesday July 18, 2017 @07:41PM (#14800979)
I was pricing out metal casting after I watched this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-FHY5FNsWc

12 minutes uncut. They go from printed model to working cast piece.

All new, Kaya Cast vac chamber they use is $1k, the Paragon kiln is $800, and the Electro-melt furnace is $350. Add in safety gear and incidentals and you are looking at 3-4 thousand dollars to go from a 3d print to a cast metal piece. Heck, depending on the complexity, the vac may be optional.

Re:Desktop Metal gets $115M in funding to deliver metal 3D p... by Animats on Wednesday July 19, 2017 @02:38AM (#14802377)
Hot metal casting on a small scale isn't complicated or expensive, just messy. Desktop Metal is trying to do this in an office environment. Because nobody has a shop any more.

(The "maker movement" may have run its course. TechShop seems to be in financial trouble.[1])

[1] https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=177391