While "FDM" or "FFF" 3d printing (the kind most people think of when they think 3d printing) is most common, there are tons of others. SLS can produce impossibly complex "solid" metal objects, SLA can use resins that have very unique properties (some extremely hard, others nearly perfectly transparent, etc...).
Even if you don't leave the FDM style of 3d printing, there are tons of different techniques and plastics or plastic-hybrids that you can use. Often they can even be used on hobbyist level machines. Different kinds of plastics including Nylon and Polycarbonate, carbon-fiber infused filaments that have incredible tensile strength, even some metal-powder infused plastics which are designed to print, and then "bake" to harden them.
It's a pretty awesome field with a lot of variation in what is possible even at the hobbyist level.
Just looking at the video, it looks like they are using fairly "traditional" FDM 3d printing, but most likely with some unique filaments/plastics. If I had to take a complete shot in the dark at what they are using, i'd guess PEEK. It's a bitch and a half to print with using hobbyist devices (it needs a pretty high temperature and the ambient air needs to be kept quite hot to avoid warping), but it's extremely strong and very consistent.
What made you put "solid" in quotes when referring to metal objects? I ask because i was looking at Markforged's "Metal X" printer and thought the final products looked fantastic!
I haven't done any SLS printing myself, but from what I hear the final products are kind of "porous" in a way.
There's the metal bound in plastic that you print, and during the sintering process it removes the plastic, but it can't get all of it out. The parts end up being either slightly porous or still having the binding plastic in it.
I hear they are still extremely solid for most use cases, but technically they aren't completely solid metal.
What you are describing here sounds more like binder jetting than SLS.
Sintering often stuggles with porosity, even using traditional bulk techniques. There is space between powder particles, and some of it likely survives.
It seems like a super interesting field. The fact that it all gets labeled under "3D printed" is confusing, granted ... also not wrong.
I was at an exhibit about the space station and they had some tools they 3D printed to make completing some tasks easier. I was thinking "No way this could this go 'outside' of the space station if it is from the same material I've gotten that warns me not to expose it to high temps or high / low humidity, it probabbly would melt / crack instantly".
PLA (the most common hobbyist plastic used) isn't all that good for functional stuff. It's extremely easy to print with, which is why it's used most commonly, but as you said it has a small temperature range where it's usable, it breaks down quickly under UV radiation, it gets pretty brittle, and it doesn't hold it's shape over repeated stress.
I don't think it would "crack instantly" or melt in space right away, but it wouldn't work long term at all.
But if you just go outside of that most basic plastic, there are tons of other options. Printing with PETG is just as simple in many cases, but it can withstand higher temperatures and is pretty easy to make watertight seals with.
ABS is a great plastic that is also easy to print with once you learn the quirks. It is used a lot in automotive stuff since it's fairly resistant to a lot of temperatures and is pretty hard.
Polycarbonate (PC) is also a great plastic to print with if you need it to withstand a lot of work and different temperatures.
All of those can be printed on hobbyist machines, and I have all of them in the room next to me. And both PLA and ABS have been used on the space station and tools that the ISS 3d printer has printed have been used in space walks!
It's pretty exciting stuff, and while what NASA is using is obviously more advanced than a $300 3d printer you can get online today, it's still using a lot of the same stuff and is pretty close to what you or I could print in our house if we wanted to.
> It's pretty exciting stuff, and while what NASA is using is obviously more advanced than a $300 3d printer you can get online today, it's still using a lot of the same stuff and is pretty close to what you or I could print in our house if we wanted to.
Everything is correct except for this statement! From the video it looks like they are using an Ultimaker for some of these parts, which means you can get similar results even on a $200 Ender-3 (my go-to recommendation).
While "FDM" or "FFF" 3d printing (the kind most people think of when they think 3d printing) is most common, there are tons of others. SLS can produce impossibly complex "solid" metal objects, SLA can use resins that have very unique properties (some extremely hard, others nearly perfectly transparent, etc...).
Even if you don't leave the FDM style of 3d printing, there are tons of different techniques and plastics or plastic-hybrids that you can use. Often they can even be used on hobbyist level machines. Different kinds of plastics including Nylon and Polycarbonate, carbon-fiber infused filaments that have incredible tensile strength, even some metal-powder infused plastics which are designed to print, and then "bake" to harden them.
It's a pretty awesome field with a lot of variation in what is possible even at the hobbyist level.
Just looking at the video, it looks like they are using fairly "traditional" FDM 3d printing, but most likely with some unique filaments/plastics. If I had to take a complete shot in the dark at what they are using, i'd guess PEEK. It's a bitch and a half to print with using hobbyist devices (it needs a pretty high temperature and the ambient air needs to be kept quite hot to avoid warping), but it's extremely strong and very consistent.