3 ms·

"Strong as steel". I strongly doubt.

• ohwp 14y ago
  To take some doubt away: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607141644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120607141644.ht...
  • rorrr 14y ago
    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.
    • graeham 14y ago
      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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styrene
      • Ntrails 14y ago
        So treading on the car in bare feet is definitely a no-no, but that doesn't particularly support the stronger than steel claim.
      • DucktourDreams 14y ago
        From that same page: >ABS plastic is damaged by sunlight. This caused one of the most widespread and expensive automobile recalls in US history.
      • rorrr 14y ago
        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_plastics.htm http://www.machinist-materials.com/comparison_table_for_plas...
        • graeham 14y ago
          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.
• mtomis 14y ago
  Speaking of plastic cars here is some history: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duroplast http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duroplast