3D printed titanium parts

[alaskun]

yeah it bugged me too.  I think they cut the seat/chainstays too short, or did the dropout/stay angles wrong or something, and there might not be enough tire/seatube clearance to shorten it any

[Dr. Steve Brule]

Nah, track slack innit. Less friction and stops parts wearing out as quick.

[alaskun]

http://dustinmbailey.com/littlecassini






the seatstay welds on this one look as good as the dropout welds on the last one of theirs I posted...

https://twitter.com/ideas2cycles
 Jan 20 "We made a tech demo showcasing the possibilities of binder jetting technology"

the seatstay/toptube junction really reminds me of 2004ish haro nyquists, and I know they had a race frame that was even more similar...

[alaskun]

 Van Nicholas‘ ti stem prototypes

http://www.bikerumor.com/2015/11/04/mega-roundup-2-more-weird-and-wonderful-bikes-from-europe-beyond/
http://www.gyro.fr/T_GYRO/PDF/Catalogue-Van-Nicholas-2014.pdf

[alaskun]

one of the things I've wanted to see for a while now is something that can print/deposit metal, while coloring it at the same time. eventually it should be just as controllable/detailed as anything with pixels, like high-def anodizing, better than screenprinting...

http://3dprintingindustry.com/2016/01/12/metal-3d-printing-why-you-might-move-to-taiwan-part-6/

January 12, 2016

...ITRI has also developed a monitoring process for what they hope will one day lead to active feedback during the printing process. Currently, manufacturers of just about every metal printing system (potentially excluding the MetalFAB1 from Additive Industries, but we’ll see) are only building towards a closed-loop for quality control, implementing sensors and software to tightly regulate the print process, but still relying heavily on trial and error. So, while ensuring that the printed part matches the specifications of the designed model is possible, it often involves adjusting the printing parameters over and over until repeatability is achieved.

ITRI is also working on its Optical Engine for Material Grain Microstructure-Controlling AM Technology and developing hardware and software for controlling the microstructure of printed parts, so as to manipulate the physical properties at different points throughout a component. Dr. Ji-Bin Horng, Senior Principal Engineer of the Laser and Additive Manufacturing Technology Center, explains, “We are studying the use of laser for micromaterial processing for possible applications in various industries. For instance, we can imprint in such a way as to generate heterogeneous microstructures. Take an aluminum part, for example. We can change the material properties, so that, near the center, we can enhance the hardness of the part. And, along the perimeter, we can enhance its ductility against high temperature fatigue. For this technology, this year, we were among the 19 finalists of the 2015 R&D 100 award for process/prototyping.”

In a separate machine, the team was able to implement the femtosecond laser technology for a variety of surface finishing techniques that were truly impressive. Dr. Horng holds up a business card holder with colored details on its face.


 “We used a femtosecond and nanosecond laser on this substrate to generate many different colors,” he says. “Then, we use a 3D printer to generate these 3D characters. We use the microstructure to cause different patterns of diffraction, controlling how it diffracts the light, to create different colors. We can use our lasers to create different surface finishing to generate many different colors.”

When I asked if this same laser technology could be used to remove prints from their substrates, as well as clean prints as a part of post-processing, he responded with a confident “Yes,” adding, “We can even use our laser technology to polish parts.” He was quick to point out that this was an entirely separate machine from the 3D printers they’d made, but Tzong-Ming Wu believed that it was feasible to combine the two technologies, some day, so that the printer could create a layer, then polish that layer, and so on, to create an even more accurate form of hybrid manufacturing...

http://www.medicalplasticsnews.com/downloads/89/download/Fraunhofer%20Laser%20Polishing640x480.jpg?cb=6126ddc97cfccadbc40cc1134acf283d
http://www.medicalplasticsnews.com/technology/fraunhofer-ilt-perfects-fast-laser-polishing-of-titanium-implants/

...laser polishing is 30 to 40 times faster than manual polishing...

...Unlike in conventional processes, the edges are not rounded off when polished with lasers, thus guaranteeing a high geometrical accuracy of the component. Another advantage of laser polishing lies in its far cleaner and more environmentally friendly process. In contrast to manual polishing, no polishing or abrasive materials are used, leaving no chemical residues...

not theirs, but related;



I've seen better ones but I don't feel like finding them.

[alaskun]

been finding lots of stem stuff lately... when are we going to start seeing pedals?


http://consult3d.com/blog

[metalbmxer]

cool stuff that last post. who is making Ti pedal spindles? I'd like some!

[LeonLikesToRock]

Were they the Blue6 samples from a (fair) few years back?

[alaskun]

they were bunnyhop/big james' from the blue6 website.  if it's not still up you could probably find them archived




also, polished herpes

Robotic welding arm used to 3D print a stainless steel bike
http://www.gizmag.com/stainless-steel-3d-printed-arc-bicycle/41649/

    February 3, 2016

...Its frame was built in several main sections, which were then welded to one another by hand.

Called the Arc Bicycle, the finished product is claimed to weigh about as much as a traditional steel-framed bike, and is fully capable of being ridden on rough cobblestone streets.

"It was important for us to design a functional object that people use everyday," says team member Stef de Groot. "Being students in the Netherlands, a bicycle naturally came to mind. A bicycle frame is a good test for the technology because of the complex forces involved."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa4m9JwGzlA

Arc Bicycle | 3D-Printing stainless steel
Published on Feb 3, 2016
A student team from TU Delft in the Netherlands designed and produced a fully functional 3D printed stainless steel bicycle. The students achieved the goal of their three-month project by printing the frame with the help of MX3D in Amsterdam. The Arc Bicycle is the first ever 3D printed metal bicycle to be produced using a welding process.

and

[alaskun]

3D-printed titanium offers new possibilities for bike builders
    February 26, 2016
http://www.gizmag.com/bastion-cycles-3d-printed-titanium-bike/42066/









LOTS of info and detailed pictures/testing http://pencerw.com/feed





I took care of a macaw like this for a few years, and giving him a ti beak just seems terrifying

[alaskun]

Not titanium, but 3D printed, and really cool. http://hackaday.com/2016/01/11/3d-printed-tourbillon-clock/ shows a 3d printed Tourbillon Clock, I found it really impressive

here's a partially-ti one for only $143,000
http://quillandpad.com/2016/02/29/prediction-comes-true-panerai-lo-scienziato-luminor-1950-tourbillon-gmt-titanium-with-dmls-3d-printed-titanium-case/
http://www.panerai.com/en-us/collections/special-editions/2016/lo-scienziato---luminor-1950-tourbillon-gmt-titanio---47mm_pam00578.html



Gorgeous new Moots Vamoots Disc RSL road bike with 3D printed titanium dropouts & more!
http://www.bikerumor.com/2016/02/26/nahbs-2016-gorgeous-new-moots-vamoots-disc-rsl-road-bike-with-3d-printed-titanium-dropouts/

February 26, 2016



...The new Vamoots Disc RSL borrows the front end of the rim brake model and adds an entirely new rear end with 3D printed dropouts. The parts, which have been in development since May 2015, are being made by I2M in the UK. It uses the flat mount disc brake standard with 142×12 thru axles. What’s striking is how smooth the design is.



While the main frame is internally butted 3/2.5 titanium, the dropouts are 6/4 powder. Why make them this way? Because, Moots says, it would take so long to machine a piece to their specs, it would be more expensive. The 3D printed parts are also lighter, and it gives them this smooth, sculpted aesthetic you’ couldn’t get from traditional metalworking.



An almost final version is shown here, and they expect to start shipping the bikes by June 2016.



The printing also allows them to easily create channels for Di2 wiring. The lower half’s end has a male design that inserts into the chainstay.



The upper side has a rounded profile that lets them attach the seat tube at varying angles depending on frame size. They’ll make two different size dropouts to cover the full range of frame sizes...

Winter Training Bike
http://www.2016.handmadebicycleshow.com/exhibitors/exhibitor-bike/2016/02/01/winter-training-bike-metier-velo/
http://www.métier-vélo.com/blog

2/29/2016
 
The Métier Vélo Winter Training Bike is a disc brake road bicycle with clearance for 33mm tubular tires.  The relatively short 420mm chainstay, 73˚ seat and head tube angles, and stiff tubes provide a responsive ride.  Seventy millimeters of bottom bracket drop and 48mm of fork rake give a stability on long, rough descents.  Cosmetics are printed directly into the lugs or bonded to the frame. The Black-Ti finish of marine vanish and wax protects the carbon composite from UV and  is easily refreshed. Displayed at NAHBS 2016!

Frame features 3D-printed 6/4 titanium lugs ...

^ looks like the harpoon/noodle chute on a cone snail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wihKnARrAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjHMGSI_h0Q

[alaskun]

Laser-etched bicycle frames repel water and mud
https://www.eta.co.uk/2015/01/27/laser-etched-bicycle-frames-repel-water-mud/
http://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/superhydrophobic-metals-85592/
27th January 2015

Surface patterning by laser interference processing
http://www.iws.fraunhofer.de/en/business_fields/ablation_cutting/surface_functionalization/equipment.html
http://www.intechopen.com/books/implant-dentistry-a-rapidly-evolving-practice/factors-affecting-the-success-of-dental-implants


Laser processing creates 'super-hydrophobic' metals
26 Jan 2015
http://optics.org/news/6/1/33
Laser-etched metal 'bounces' water  21 January 2015 
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-30915266


World's smallest 3D printed Matterhorn reveals practical uses of nanoscale 3D printing
Feb. 15, 2016
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20160215-worlds-smallest-3d-printed-matterhorn-reveals-practical-uses-of-nanoscale-3d-printing.html

The objective of the research was not merely to show off how small a mountain could be 3D printed, but to demonstrate that these nanoscale 3D printed objects can in fact in mass-produced. This is an important finding, as large numbers of microscopic 3D structures—which, when found in nature, often exhibit special properties—could be used to improve industrial machine manufacturing.

Each 3D printed Matterhorn model is only around seven hundredths of a millimeter, making its height less than the thickness of a sheet of paper. Image via PSI.

For instance, Helmut Schift, leader of the research project at PSI, provides the example of a snake. “Many species of snakes are able to glide over sand without significantly wearing down their skin,” he explained. This is because the snake’s skin is covered in scales and ridges measuring just a few thousandths of a millimeter high. These 3D structures reduce friction in one direction, protecting the snake even if it is traversing rugged ground.

“One could imagine furnishing machine parts that are exposed to powerful stresses through friction with a similarly structured surface,” continued Schift. Covering a machine part—or perhaps even a vehicle, or body armor—in nanoscale 3D printed structures would thereby minimize its wear and tear and extend its lifespan.

Colorless ink produces multiple colors when printed
February 16, 2016
http://www.gizmag.com/colorless-ink/41865/

An image of a squirrel, printed on a thin film using the new ink

While most of us may not give much thought to the dyes used in color inks, they are in fact often quite toxic. That's why scientists at Russia's ITMO University have developed a more eco-friendly alternative – a non-toxic ink that produces different colors by altering the nanostructure of the material to which it's applied.

Such "nanostructure inks" work in a manner similar to certain surfaces found in nature, including butterfly wings – they reflect light in such a way that the light frequencies interfere with one another, causing the surface to appear to be a given color.

compare that stuff to how easy it is/literally any basic description of how to anodize titanium/how it's just perceived coloring...




Laser shock peening improves fatigue and durability of aircraft structures
05/22/2015
http://www.industrial-lasers.com/articles/2015/05/laser-shock-peening-improves-fatigue-and-durability-of-aircraft-structures.html
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/aerospace/news/new-technique-paves-the-way-for-3d-printed-aircraft-wings/1016759.article




remember primo sprockets marketed as stronger/longer-wearing for having a shot-peened finish?  what if you could shot peen every layer?  what if you could shot peen and color each layer?

also

Belgian artist Frederik De Wilde has worked with Melotte, a Belgian 3D printing company and NASA to 3D print a titanium sculpture, coated with graphene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WX4ldIj1JNI
Jan.14, 2014

In collaboration with the Rice University, Texas De Wilde made a substance that absorbs nearly all light that falls onto the material. He made a piece of art called 'Hostage' that is 144 times blacker than black.

During his research, De Wilde contacted the U.S. space agency NASA. Unexpectedly, he was given accesses to the laboratories of NASA, where he works with Melotte, the 3D printing company located in Zonhoven. This time his work went further with the 3D printed sculpture 'M1ne #1', with NASA and Melotte's technology involved. The 'M1ne #1' is based on geological data from Limburg. Melotte Zonhoven translated 2D plans of the mine to a complex, print-ready 3D model, and then printed it out in titanium. It was coated in a specific way with carbon nanotubes consisting of graphene using NASA's technology.

The sculpture is an example of optical illusion: it is a 3D structure but you have the illusion of 2D because there is no reflection. It is so deep black that it seems that you are looking into a black hole...

^invisible spaceships

[alaskun]

I wonder if these ti welds look better because of the material/printing method, or if it's really just because of the person welding it?





NAHBS 2016: 3D printing hits its stride
http://cyclingtips.com/2016/03/nahbs-2016-3d-printing-hits-its-stride/

March 18, 2016

Once solely the stuff of dreams, prototypes, and engineering experiments, metal 3D printing is finally starting to trickle into bicycles that people can actually buy. Moots and Reynolds both previewed 3D-printed dropouts at this year’s North American Handmade Bicycle Show, while two builders — Bastion Cycles and Métier Vélo — have based their entire frame designs around the technology. What once was the stuff of science-fiction movies is quickly becoming reality, and an entire new world of possibilities has opened.
Fully custom geometry from Bastion Cycles and Métier Vélo

It still isn’t practical to build complete frames on a 3D printer. The printers are too small, for one, and there’s no advantage to using the technology for simple tubular structures that are better served by more conventional manufacturing methods. However, that hasn’t stopped Bastion Cycles and Métier Vélo from using 3D printing’s advantages where they make the most sense: at the joints.

Both companies are taking a similar approach, using 3D-printed 6/4 titanium lugs bonded to pre-formed carbon fibre tubes. The benefits are the same from either outfit: the possibility of fully custom geometry with no additional tooling costs, along with the ability to create structures that otherwise wouldn’t be possible (or practical) through forging, casting, or machining.

“Performance-wise, [3D printing] enables us to really manipulate not only the external shape of the titanium. to get stiffness and strength into it, but on the inside, we’re able to manipulate the structure with things like lattice work and ribs and variable wall thicknesses. to put the strength where we need it,” Bastion Cycles co-founder and managing director Ben Schultz told CyclingTips. “This means we can achieve the weight and stiffness and strength of a carbon bike, but using titanium, which, when we use it selectively at the nodes, actually creates a better ride comfort than if it were carbon fibre.”

Indeed, Bastion Cycles’ single initial model — a disc-brake equipped road bike — could easily pass for a moulded carbon composite frame, had the company chosen to cover the structure in paint. The printed titanium lugs are artfully sculpted with character lines rarely seen in metal frames, and with a surface finish that’s remarkably smooth for a printed part. Those lugs are then bonded to filament-wound carbon fibre tubes.

Métier Vélo, on the other hand, still highlights the lugs’ 3D-printed origins, but with shapes more reminiscent of classic steel, with scalloped and pointed sleeves as well as the company’s stylised fleur-de-lis logo integrated right into the surface of each lug. While the adjoining tubes are still carbon fibre, Métier Vélo founder Jamie White has opted for roll-wrapped tubes from Rock West Composites, located nearby in South Jordan, Utah.

“[3D printing] is total design freedom,” White told CyclingTips. “This kind of approach is ideal for small custom builders because it costs the same to do one bike as ten bikes. There’s no real economy of scale.”

“One thing I’m offering is free repair or replacement,” he added. “If anything happens to the frame, I just want people to bring them back. [Repairs are] pretty easy to do. If there’s a dinged carbon tube, I can just replace the tube and if there’s any titanium damage, I can just reprint the parts. It’s a nice way to build a bike from a repair and durability perspective.”

White takes a consciously conservative approach to his frame design, using lugs that he considers “overbuilt” by supplier GPI Prototype & Manufacturing Services, with wall thicknesses ranging from 0.75mm to 1.5mm depending on location. Likewise, whereas many carbon fibre frames have paper-thin tubes you can literally squeeze between your fingers, the tubes White sources from Rock West measure a stout 1.3mm. Even the bond surface areas are three to four times what White considers to be necessary for the applied loads.

“There’s about 400-600g of titanium, and the rest is carbon,” he said. “The software package I use has some finite element analysis in it. All of the lugs are way overbuilt. That’s one of the things I consulted with GPI about. The modelling I’ve done shows that the carbon tubes will break before the bonds or lugs give out.”

White has some destructive testing planned for later this year that will likely allow him to pare his frames down a bit, but even then, he doesn’t plan on ever catering to weight weenies.

“Because I use more more titanium and carbon than is minimally necessary, my frames probably won’t ever be much below 1,100g or so,” he said. “There’s about 400-600g of titanium, and the rest is carbon. My goal is to make tough, durable, and repairable frames that perform well. If someone wants a 550g climbing frame, I am not their builder.”

Based in Melbourne, Australia, Bastion Cycles is being far more aggressive in what it can produce, using lugs with walls as thin as 0.5mm while also incorporating ribs, cross-members, and lattice-like internal structures that it says adds measurable strength and stiffness. Claimed frame weights are impressively light, right around 1kg, a substantial 200g lighter than Métier Vélo’s. However, Bastion is more comfortable flirting a little closer with the edge of reliability thanks to a full battery of in-house ASTM durability testing, a distinct rarity amongst the hand-built crowd.

Bastion Cycles is also highlighting the capabilities of its flexible manufacturing techniques with an extremely clever online configuration tool that lets potential buyers customise their frame’s geometry and build kit as well as its ride quality, stiffness, and projected tire clearances — all with an instant estimate of the final frame and complete bike weights. The online tool also generates a nifty graphic that visually compares the current selection with other well-known industry benchmarks.

In either case, riding on the cutting edge of bicycle frame manufacturing technology won’t come cheap. Métier Vélo is currently selling its frames for a whopping US$8,500 with a Chris King bottom bracket and headset; Bastion Cycles’ frame is a comparative bargain at AU$7,500 including a Whisky No.9 carbon fibre fork, headset, and bottom bracket.

3D-printed dropouts from Moots and Reynolds

Moots and Reynolds also showed off 3D-printed bits at NAHBS, and while neither project is quite as ambitious as what Bastion or Métier Vélo showed off, you’re far more likely to see one of these out in the wild. Both are being printed by i2M in Birmingham, UK.

Moots is using the technology for flat-mount, thru-axle rear dropouts on its latest disc brake-equipped road, gravel, and cyclocross frames. According to company president Butch Boucher, the 3D-printed dropouts allow for internal structures that wouldn’t otherwise be possible using more conventional manufacturing techniques, and should make for more consistent final products.

“The thing that we were really challenged by, looking at flat mount, was that it would be asymmetric in terms of where the welding goes on the chainstay,” said Moots president Butch Boucher. “All titanium expands and contracts when you weld it, and it also contracts more than it expands, so it’s going to move if you’re asymmetrically doing something. So here we have an opportunity to symmetrically weld — we can maintain alignment through the whole process so much better.”

“The consistency of the product is our biggest goal,” Boucher continued. “We make quite a few frames a year relative to everyone [at NAHBS]. When you’re doing onesies, you can kind of manipulate things and deal with them one at a time, [but] we need to have a consistent product from start to finish. It’s like a chef in a big, good restaurant. He’s got a crew on the line that he knows is going to create a consistent product. Part of that is what the recipe is, part of it is the ingredients, and part of it is the skill set of his crew. To have it be the same every time is the biggest challenge we face.”

Similarly, Reynolds is also using 3D metal printing to produce flat mount-compatible rear dropouts, although in this case they’ll be offered in both 6/4 titanium and steel — in both thru-axle and quick-release wheel interfaces — and they will be available to any frame builder who is interested in using them. According to Reynolds, its new 3D-printed dropouts will offer strength comparable a 2D-forged part along with drop-in compatibility with existing frame building fixtures.

Reynolds hopes to have them available to builders as soon as April or May, at a cost of around US$180-200 per pair.

Moots isn’t offering its dropouts to other companies, but Boucher says that while they’re not exactly inexpensive to make, they likely won’t add much — if any — cost to end consumers.

“If it’s not net zero, it may cost us just a little bit more. It’s not cheap but it saves us multiple steps.”

[Dr. Steve Brule]

That Moots is heavenly.

[MEAT]

Seen this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRU6h46eAmg

I kind of struggle to see how a phone screen can fling out enough light to cure resin quickly and accurately enough, when our little sla machine uses some sort of death laser and still takes a while... Cool if it does work though.