I want one.
oops dropped the link : http://widgets.nbc.com/o/47f1317f105123ad/49930a9fc57c735f/47fe70d4555df05a/9b5b999b/-cpid/ba4377d3bfd6c
WOW! is right! You have to watch this video if you’ve ever had a problem finding a part for car, boat, anything.
It is on Jay Leno’s Garage and it shows a 3-D scanner that measures any part and a “printer” that makes a perfect plastic model of same part. The model can then lead to a perfect metal part for installation in the vehicle.
Very Cool. Scudder, thanks for posting!
I have a friend who works for a company that makes these rapid modelers. And he modeled up a working scale model of the gears for a Ford differential.
The really neat thing is that these machines not only produce a part pattern but that the part functions i.e. the diff model in Tester’s email is not just a solid piece of plastic but actually works like the original - all produced in 1 pass.
How cool is that ?
What’s really cool is, they have now come with a proccess where they can rapid model with metal. Anything from steel to titanium. Model up the part and bolt it on!
Tester
Think about the future mall kiosk car dealership. You can look at the car on a computer screen and decide what you want, then go to the Orange Julius stand while you wait for your new car to print!
1930 Duesenberg Legrande Torpedo Phaeton please in black - and make it snappy, I’ve got a dinner date tonight…
I thought the title of your post was over the top, but after reading this, I say DOUBLE WOW!!!
I showed this to my Brother-in-law (retired chryco exex). They had something similar when he retired about 20 years ago…BUT it was for very very simple parts…and SOLID parts only. You could make a model of a fender or a bolt…NOTHING this complicated…This is REAL COOL. I’d LOVE to spend a month in Jays garage.