3D Printer Can Now Print Metal Car Parts Right When You’re In The Store

The 3D printing technology nowadays allows us to print almost anything we want. From concrete-made houses to cornea made from bio-ink. The 3D printer can print anything for you without any problems.

However, not every material makes it easy for the 3D printers to produce the best models. One of those materials is metal. Printers used for industrial purposes are able to perform the task, but for commercial ones, it’s still a little bit complicated and hard to complete easily, compared to printing plastic models.

The good news is Yale University’s researchers believe that it is possible to make producing metal objects easier for commercial printers. Their study is shown in the Materials Today last Tuesday.

How does it work?

The biggest obstacle when dealing with metals is that it is not easy to find or keep them at a suitable state for printing. We need to get the material soft enough to shape them as our wish, which is a lot easier to do with plastic than metal. To solve this problem, researchers started using BMGs ( Bulk Metallic Glasses).

BMG is a kind of metal which doesn’t exhibit the similar rigid structure of atoms compared to most other metal alloys. That means we can soften it without all the struggles. It is, however, still very strong and has a high level of elastic limits, corrosion resistance and last but not least, fracture toughness - which are some of the typical features of metals

In the study, Yale’s researchers concentrated on an available BMG consisting of zirconium, copper, beryllium, titanium, and nickel. Just like making 3D models from plastics, the researchers softened rods made from their BMG by putting them in a feeding system that was heated to 460°C

That process allowed them to print several different models using a strong metal.

The great news is that the researchers announce that they have succeeded in testing the system with many other types of BMGs. Their next goal is to “making the process more practical- and commercially-usable,” - said Jan Schroers - a researcher in an interview.

There are countless ways to put printers that produce metal simples into practice. Mechanics can now change the exact car part you need right at their store at any given time. Makers can print whatever they need to complete their project right at their place. In the end, this research is the beginning of a whole new era for 3D printing, from plastic to metal.