3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production

Re:3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production by rorrr on Wednesday February 27, 2013 @08:22AM (#5292175)

I don't doubt there are all kinds of new materials out there stronger than steel, but the article clearly states that he uses "ABS plastic via Fused Deposition Modeling", which is a different material and a different process.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production by graeham on Wednesday February 27, 2013 @08:33AM (#5292227)

ABS plastic is a very common hard plastic. Its the stuff used in Lego bricks [1], for instance.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styrene

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production by Ntrails on Wednesday February 27, 2013 @08:41AM (#5292268)

So treading on the car in bare feet is definitely a no-no, but that doesn't particularly support the stronger than steel claim.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production by rorrr on Wednesday February 27, 2013 @10:03AM (#5292651)

ABS is not even close to steel, especially good steel.

                               | ABS   | Steel
    ---------------------------+-------+------------------
    Compressive strength (PSI) | 6,750 | 16,000 - 70,000
    Tensile Strength (PSI)     | 6,500 | 36,000 - 115,000 (for stress-proof steel)

http://www.machinist-materials.com/comparison_table_for_plas...

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production by graeham on Wednesday February 27, 2013 @10:25AM (#5292766)

I believe that there are UV-resistant (sunlight) treatments for ABS. Many polymers (plastics) are vulnerable to UV light, but are still used in outdoor environments without major ill effects.

And yes, my earlier implication was that it is less strong than steel. A strength-strength comparison is probably not fair here as ABS would be considerably lighter. Even still, steel would be approximately 10X the strength, with about 7-8X the density. A further issue is that 3D printed ABS would not be as strong as bulk-material ABS, although I am told this is improving.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:3D Printed Car Is Nearing Production by DucktourDreams on Wednesday February 27, 2013 @09:55AM (#5292610)

From that same page: >ABS plastic is damaged by sunlight. This caused one of the most widespread and expensive automobile recalls in US history.

[ Parent | on HN ]