5 ms·

I have never seen a 3D printer, although I have seen a model (of a house plan) made with a 3D printer. You folks who live near civilization and 'make' communit

I have never seen a 3D printer, although I have seen a model (of a house plan) made with a 3D printer. You folks who live near civilization and 'make' communities are so lucky! :) Are there any 3D printers that integrate a milling machine? I imagine a machine that prints the model slightly oversize, milling and then perhaps finally warming the surface to polish it, all as it goes... I would love to have access to a hobby 3D printer as I have this idea that won't die about making a cylindrical version of the Enigma http://wiki.franklinheath.co.uk/index.php/Enigma/Paper_Enigma http://wiki.franklinheath.co.uk/index.php/Enigma/Paper_Enigm... with glowire or alternatively tracks for ball bearings, as a cheap present people can buy at, say, Bletchley Park gift shop. Silly thing to get fixated on.

jacquesm 10y ago
> Are there any 3D printers that integrate a milling machine? No, and there likely never will be. Why would you wait for hours to then still have to mill down your final product when all the advantages of 3D printing are then lost and all the advantages of milling are lost? The advantages of 3D printing are that as an additive process it will work in many environments where a subtractive process would not, the advantages of milling are that - as a substractive process - it can make a final result that is substantially stronger than most of the things you could do with a 3D printer and that it most likely is much faster. Re-working or finishing like that is typically reserved for casting and other cheap mass production processes.
- ansgri 10y ago
  Actually, there is: http://us.dmgmori.com/products/lasertec/lasertec-additivemanufacturing/lasertec-65-3d http://us.dmgmori.com/products/lasertec/lasertec-additiveman... "By combining both, additive manufacturing via powder nozzle and the traditional cutting method in one machine, totally new applications and geometries are possible."
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    Wow. Thank you for proving me wrong and finding that. > totally new applications and geometries are possible It'd be nice to have some concrete examples of those.
- willvarfar 10y ago
  I was thinking of smooth curves. Judging from the photos, even the expensive print has a voxelized appearance. I've certainly seen that in the one 3D print I've handled too. So my idea was to print slightly oversize, then mill and polish for perfect curves.
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    That would have to be a pretty fancy mill then. Any kind of overhang and you won't be able to re-work it without a 5 axis job. And yes, you've caught on to one of the big issues with low cost 3d printers: surface finish.
    - willvarfar 10y ago
      There may be places a milling arm can't reach, but if you can do it by hand with a Dremel, you can automate it with a gantry and motors and stuff :) Seems within the realms of hobbyist attainment. Some kind of rig that works in unison with a 3D printer...
      - jacquesm 10y ago
        Your hands have an incredible number of degrees of freedom.
  - blacksmith_tb 10y ago
    Don't people often just use acetone or another solvent to smooth the surface of chunky prints (outdoors, I hope)? How effective that would be would vary depending on the plastic, but it seems easier than milling (if not especially precise).
    - jacquesm 10y ago
      Sandpaper? File?
- funkaster 10y ago
  Not exactyly at the same time, but def in the same machine: http://stepcraft.us http://stepcraft.us
- deskamess 10y ago
  Wow... I have never thought of the process in the linguistic terms "additive" and "subtractive". That actually changes the mental model for me. I have always thought, in less abstract terms, about removing shapes (carving out) and optionally sticking external parts (bolting on) to get the desired product. The specific add and subtract "language" presents it in familiar, abstract, and, more importantly, composable model.
  - dekhn 10y ago
    See 'constructive solid geometry'.
detaro 10y ago
possible, but it probably is more a "mill with a 3D-print attachment" in terms of construction and price. A mill has to have higher stability, stronger motors, ... than a pure printer, driving the price up.
dekhn 10y ago
There are combo machines but they are almost always worse than having two machines, and then moving the part from one device tothe other. Then, machining is an issue- your CAM/slicer need to work together.

jacquesm 10y ago

> Are there any 3D printers that integrate a milling machine? No, and there likely never will be. Why would you wait for hours to then still have to mill down your final product when all the advantages of 3D printing are then lost and all the advantages of milling are lost? The advantages of 3D printing are that as an additive process it will work in many environments where a subtractive process would not, the advantages of milling are that - as a substractive process - it can make a final result that is substantially stronger than most of the things you could do with a 3D printer and that it most likely is much faster. Re-working or finishing like that is typically reserved for casting and other cheap mass production processes.

ansgri 10y ago
Actually, there is: http://us.dmgmori.com/products/lasertec/lasertec-additivemanufacturing/lasertec-65-3d http://us.dmgmori.com/products/lasertec/lasertec-additiveman... "By combining both, additive manufacturing via powder nozzle and the traditional cutting method in one machine, totally new applications and geometries are possible."
- jacquesm 10y ago
  Wow. Thank you for proving me wrong and finding that. > totally new applications and geometries are possible It'd be nice to have some concrete examples of those.
willvarfar 10y ago
I was thinking of smooth curves. Judging from the photos, even the expensive print has a voxelized appearance. I've certainly seen that in the one 3D print I've handled too. So my idea was to print slightly oversize, then mill and polish for perfect curves.
- jacquesm 10y ago
  That would have to be a pretty fancy mill then. Any kind of overhang and you won't be able to re-work it without a 5 axis job. And yes, you've caught on to one of the big issues with low cost 3d printers: surface finish.
  - willvarfar 10y ago
    There may be places a milling arm can't reach, but if you can do it by hand with a Dremel, you can automate it with a gantry and motors and stuff :) Seems within the realms of hobbyist attainment. Some kind of rig that works in unison with a 3D printer...
    - jacquesm 10y ago
      Your hands have an incredible number of degrees of freedom.
- blacksmith_tb 10y ago
  Don't people often just use acetone or another solvent to smooth the surface of chunky prints (outdoors, I hope)? How effective that would be would vary depending on the plastic, but it seems easier than milling (if not especially precise).
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    Sandpaper? File?
funkaster 10y ago
Not exactyly at the same time, but def in the same machine: http://stepcraft.us http://stepcraft.us
deskamess 10y ago
Wow... I have never thought of the process in the linguistic terms "additive" and "subtractive". That actually changes the mental model for me. I have always thought, in less abstract terms, about removing shapes (carving out) and optionally sticking external parts (bolting on) to get the desired product. The specific add and subtract "language" presents it in familiar, abstract, and, more importantly, composable model.
- dekhn 10y ago
  See 'constructive solid geometry'.

detaro 10y ago

possible, but it probably is more a "mill with a 3D-print attachment" in terms of construction and price. A mill has to have higher stability, stronger motors, ... than a pure printer, driving the price up.

dekhn 10y ago

There are combo machines but they are almost always worse than having two machines, and then moving the part from one device tothe other. Then, machining is an issue- your CAM/slicer need to work together.