APO - 27-5-2013 at 06:25
Is there a way that you could 3D print something from Aerogel? I have an ongoing project that involves research of advanced materials and the
manufacturing, so anything is very appreciated. Also, if anyone could go in depth of the process of 3D printing metal, would be amazing aswell.
elementcollector1 - 27-5-2013 at 07:41
Not unless you had a really good version of one of those molten-metal printers (Aerogel is still SiO2 to some extent, and will probably melt at the
same temperature, if it melts at all!)
chemcam - 27-5-2013 at 09:49
There are very accurate 3d printers that work with layers of metal powder, melting it together with a laser at however many microns thick. If the
laser can melt metal powder I bet it could do aerogel layers because the melt temp, 1,200 °C, is less than iron or steel which is used often.
franklyn - 27-5-2013 at 10:33
Aerogel produced as a sheet can be cut into wafers that are sections
of the object you wish to stack them into becoming. The cutting can
be done using an abrasive slurry water jet , or just with an end mill
guided in a CNC ( computer numerical control ) milling machine. Tabs
can be added to the cross section to index the individual pieces and
bind them together with cement. After heating in a kiln to fuse the stack
into a monolithic object the finished piece can then be shorn of the tabs
and polished to remove the stair effect at the surfaces that are not
parallel with the cut edge of each section. Given the cost of this
laborious process you should consider producing the shape you want
from a single aerogel block instead. The mill will cut it out just the same.
Aerogel is made in bulk and can be produced from a mold. 3D printing
are methods for making a near net shape. Shrinkage occurs from
desiccation so there is no reason to print it. Google Sol-Gel
http://blog.makezine.com/2012/02/01/how-to-build-a-supercrit...
www.aerogel.org/?cat=10
www.aerogel.org/?cat=41
www.solgel.com/articles/June00/phalip/phalippou.htm
www.solgel.com/sgforum
A Rapid Supercritical Extraction Process for the Production of Silica Aerogels
www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/231286-q3WYKh/webviewable/...
Google " 3D printing metal "
.
APO - 28-5-2013 at 01:15
Chemcam, you're forgetting that lasers pass straight through aerogel.
chemcam - 28-5-2013 at 09:11
Read this article, it says it is possible, but, any type of melting will ruin the nano crystalline structure, unless...
ultrafast-laser-micromachining.pdf
EDIT: shot with laser, pic from article above.
[Edited on 5-28-2013 by chemcam]
APO - 29-5-2013 at 08:32
Hmm...
Morgan - 2-1-2016 at 05:56
What might the clear liquid be that forms the carbide lattice in the video?
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a18801/3d-printed-wo...