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Apple Tests 3D Printing in Device Production
- helsinkiandrew 3y agohttps://archive.li/aj2sE https://archive.li/aj2sE
- helsinkiandrew 3y agoSo “Binder jetting” to create a shape of metal particles, sintering to melt and remove binding agent, then machining to clean up and make final shape. To my very non expert opinion is this much different from cutting from solid block, CNC, then sending off waste to be melted back into blocks?
- ragebol 3y agoVery different. From the article, the current process uses forging, which is kind of like a big stamp to smash a solid block into shape, possibly in multiple steps. Can only stamp from 2 directions, so need CNC to make holes in the sides and then still do some fine machining afterwards to get things nice and smooth. With the 3D printing process, you print sinter and go straight to the fine machining. Much less waste, tooling, transferring the pieces from machine to machine even, maybe. I'd say 3D printing takes longer overall, but I don't know exactly what they're planning and how fast either process is in this case.