Sonke sakhe iinqaba zesanti elunxwemeni: iindonga ezinkulu, iinqaba ezinkulu, imijelo egcwele ooshaki. Ukuba ufana nam, uya kumangaliswa yindlela amanzi amancinci anamathelana ngayo—ubuncinane de kufike umkhuluwa wakho aze awaqalise ngovuyo olukhulu.
Usomashishini uDan Gelbart usebenzisa amanzi ukubopha izinto, nangona uyilo lwakhe luhlala ixesha elide kakhulu kunomboniso wolwandle ngempelaveki.
Njengomongameli kunye nomsunguli weRapidia Tech Inc., umthengisi weenkqubo zokuprinta zesinyithi ze-3D eVancouver, eBritish Columbia, naseLibertyville, e-Illinois, uGelbart uphuhlise indlela yokwenza izinto eziyinxalenye esusa amanyathelo athatha ixesha akhoyo kwiiteknoloji ezikhuphisanayo ngelixa esenza kube lula kakhulu ukususwa kwenkxaso.
Kwakhona kwenza ukudibanisa iindawo ezininzi kungabi nzima kunokuzifaka nje emanzini amancinci uze uzincamathisele—nokuba zenzelwe iindlela zemveli zokwenza izinto.
UGelbart uxoxa ngomahluko obalulekileyo phakathi kweenkqubo zakhe ezisekelwe emanzini nezo zisebenzisa iipowder zesinyithi eziqulethe i-wax engama-20% ukuya kuma-30% kunye ne-polymer (ngokomthamo). Iiprinta ze-3D zesinyithi ezineentloko ezimbini zeRapidia zenza intlama evela kumgubo wesinyithi, amanzi kunye ne-resin binder ngobuninzi obuqala kwi-0.3 ukuya kwi-0.4%.
Ngenxa yesi sizathu, ucacisile, inkqubo yokudibanisa efunekayo kwiiteknoloji ezikhuphisanayo, edla ngokuthatha iintsuku ezininzi, iyasuswa kwaye inxalenye ingathunyelwa ngqo kwi-oven yokutshiza.
Ezinye iinkqubo ikakhulu zikwishishini "lokubumba injection molding (MIM) elihlala likhona elifuna ukuba iindawo ezingafakwanga i-nonsintered zibe nemilinganiselo ephezulu ye-polymer ukuze kube lula ukukhululwa kwi-mold," utshilo uGelbart. "Nangona kunjalo, ubungakanani be-polymer obufunekayo ukubopha iindawo zokuprinta ze-3D buncinci kakhulu—isinye kwishumi sepesenti sanele kwiimeko ezininzi."
Kutheni ke usela amanzi? Njengomzekelo wethu wesandcastle osetyenziswayo ukwenza intlama (intlama yesinyithi kweli tyala), i-polymer ibamba iziqwenga kunye njengoko zomile. Isiphumo siyinxalenye enobungqingqwa kunye nobunzima betshokhwe yokuhamba ngeenyawo, enamandla ngokwaneleyo ukumelana nokulungiswa emva kokuhlanganiswa, ukulungiswa ngobunono (nangona uGelbart ecebisa ukwenziwa kokulungiswa emva kokufakelwa), ukuhlanganiswa ngamanzi nezinye iindawo ezingagqitywanga, kwaye kuthunyelwe kwi-oven.
Ukususa ukuthambisa kukwavumela ukuba kuprintwe iindawo ezinkulu nezinodonga olutyebileyo kuba xa kusetyenziswa iipowder zesinyithi ezifakwe ipolymer, ipolymer ayinakutsha ukuba iindonga zenxalenye zityebile kakhulu.
UGelbart uthe omnye umenzi wezixhobo wayefuna ubukhulu bodonga obuyi-6mm okanye ngaphantsi. “Ngoko masithi wakha inxalenye enobukhulu bemawusi yekhompyutha. Kwimeko enjalo, ingaphakathi kuya kufuneka libe mdaka okanye mhlawumbi libe luhlobo oluthile lwe-mesh. Oku kulungile kwiindlela ezininzi zokusetyenziswa, nokuba lula yeyona nto iphambili. Kodwa ukuba amandla omzimba ayimfuneko njengebholti okanye enye inxalenye enamandla aphezulu, ngoko ke [i-metal powder injection] okanye i-MIM azifanelekanga.”
Ifoto eprintiweyo entsha ibonisa izinto zangaphakathi ezintsonkothileyo ezinokwenziwa yiprinta yeRapidia.
UGelbart ukhankanya ezinye iimpawu ezininzi zeprinta. Iikhatriji ezine-metal paste zinokuzaliswa kwakhona kwaye abasebenzisi abazibuyisela kwiRapidia ukuze zizaliswe kwakhona baya kufumana amanqaku kuyo nayiphi na into engasetyenziswanga.
Kukho iintlobo ngeentlobo zezinto ezifumanekayo, kuquka intsimbi engagqwaliyo engama-316 kunye ne-17-4PH, i-INCONEL 625, i-ceramic kunye ne-zirconia, kunye ne-copper, i-tungsten carbide kunye nezinye izinto ezininzi ezisaphuhliswayo. Izinto ezixhasayo – isithako esiyimfihlo kwiiprinta ezininzi zesinyithi – zenzelwe ukuprinta izinto ezinokususwa okanye “zitshiswe” ngesandla, zivule ucango oluya ngaphakathi olungenakuphinda lusetyenziswe.
I-Rapidia ibisebenza kangangeminyaka emine kwaye, ngokuqinisekileyo, isaqala. “Le nkampani ithatha ixesha layo ukulungisa izinto,” utshilo uGelbart.
Ukuza kuthi ga ngoku, yena neqela lakhe basebenzise iinkqubo ezintlanu, kuquka enye kwiSelkirk Technology Access Center (STAC) eBritish Columbia. Umphandi uJason Taylor ebesebenzisa lo matshini ukusukela ekupheleni kukaJanuwari kwaye ubone iingenelo ezininzi kuneeprinta ezininzi ze-STAC 3D ezikhoyo.
Uqaphele ukuba ukukwazi "ukuncamathisela kunye namanzi" iindawo ezikrwada ngaphambi kokuba zicocwe kunamandla amakhulu. Unolwazi nangemiba enxulumene nokususa amafutha, kuquka ukusetyenziswa kunye nokulahla iikhemikhali. Nangona izivumelwano zokungatyhilwa zimthintela uTaylor ekwabelaneni ngeenkcukacha zomsebenzi wakhe omninzi apho, iprojekthi yakhe yokuqala yovavanyo yinto uninzi lwethu olunokucinga ngayo: intonga eprintiweyo ye-3D.
“Iphume yagqibelela,” utshilo encumile. “Sigqibile ubuso, sagqobhoza imingxunya yeshaft, kwaye ndiyayisebenzisa ngoku. Sichukumisekile ngumgangatho womsebenzi owenziweyo ngenkqubo entsha. Njengakwiindawo zonke ezisinkiweyo, kukho ukuncitshiswa okuthile kunye nokungalungelelani kakuhle, kodwa umatshini wanele. Ngokuqhubekayo, singazilungisa ezi ngxaki kuyilo.
Ingxelo yoNcedo igxile ekusetyenzisweni kobuchwepheshe bokwenza izinto ezongeziweyo kwimveliso yokwenyani. Abavelisi namhlanje basebenzisa ushicilelo lwe-3D ukwenza izixhobo kunye nezinto ezisetyenziswayo, kwaye abanye basebenzisa ne-AM ukuvelisa izinto ezininzi. Amabali abo aza kuboniswa apha.