MOSCOW, September 17. /TASS/. A student from Samara University named after academician S. P. Korolev has developed a technology that makes it possible to create efficient and cheap 3D printers that print with metal. Thanks to the development, printing costs can be reduced by nine times compared to current counterparts, reports the press service of the university.
"Sergei Repin, a graduate student at Samara University, has created a technology that will make it possible to create efficient and cheap-to-use 3D printers that print with metal. The research, which has already received a Russian patent, uses a new metal melting technology. Thanks to this technology and the use of metal filament as raw material printing costs can be reduced by nine times compared to existing counterparts," the message reads.
There are lots of metal 3D printing technologies currently available. Metal powder as a raw material is most often used for such printers, from which the layers of the product are melted using a laser beam. A metal filament is also used as "ink" for a printer; a powerful electron-beam gun or laser is usually used for melting. Repin suggested induction heating as a way to melt a metal thread.
"Currently, the prototype of the print head and the experimental stand of the printer are ready, tests are underway for printing with aluminum and its alloys. In the future, it is planned to master printing with other metals," the press service quoted the author of the technologyt as saying.
The printer was named RepInHeat 3D, with the printing accuracy of 0.2-0.5 mm, and the weight of 300 kg. "This is several times less than similar printers existing on the market, they weigh from one to three tonnes. The approximate cost of development in the case of serial industrial production will be about 4.7 million rubles, which is two to three times lower than the average market price of printers of the same class ", the message reads.