3D printed Ti bike frame anyone?

bowtajzane

bowtajzane

Likes Dirt
looks like some kind of black magic or voodoo to me ,
I remember when steel was high tech :laugh:
there was a thread on here or Mtb where someone
was printing cable guides, for small scale parts it's
great idea, imagine being able to make your own parts,
obviously the price of the printer and what ever media
you use will determine if it's, viable/cost effective, the
same for large scale mass produced items
 
D

dontfeelcold

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A big plus of doing it that way is that they can control the finish and shape of the internal walls easily as they can the exteriors walls. Very exciting. :)
 
Andrei

Andrei

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Didn't Empire have a cast aluminium Dh frame a while back? I wonder when will see nanotechnology applied to bikes?
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H

houli77

Likes Dirt
I'd wager the 3d printing thing will, in a few years, be how all hi tech parts are made..

and imagine when the tech trickles down to a consumer level..

it'll get to the point where u can buy online or hit up piratebay and download the latest 3d spec for say a pair of pedals or replacement parts and print them at home yourself.

just need the printed material to have a strength, weight and cost comparable to alloys and carbon and it's game on..
 
Reubs

Reubs

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Charge bikes had a video of this process making the dropout of one of their cross bikes a year or more back. Interesting for sure but I have to wonder about the potential for cracking in between built up layers of a material. They'll have to send me one to test!
 
ajay

ajay

^Once punched Jeff Kennett. Don't pick an e-fight
houli77 said:
just need the printed material to have a strength, weight and cost comparable to alloys and carbon and it's game on..
Click to expand...
That's a really big part of it. For plastic components or other bits and pieces where inherent strength of the material isn't important, its already game on. As for other components that are made from (for example) case hardening steel, there are some much bigger hurdles. There some metallic composites being used though and its quite exciting what will come of it, or more importantly, when.

Additive manufacturing by definition is a much smarter way to do things:) Go science!
 
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