3D Metal Printing

Thank you smc.collins. I will admit I got very side tracked with other things and had pretty much put this on the side burner.
But since I have spent the last few months printing parts for an rc airplane and building a mostly printed almost completed
cnc hot wire foam cutter running on GRBL and a ramps 1.4 board (for now ). I will be looking into sls4all

Off topic:
How is the healing going?
What rc airplane?
Gathered plenty of RC stuff so made 2 of quadcopters, need to build some VTOL hybrid for long distance...
On topic:
Someone here has build a jet metal printer, the one with print head similar to ink jet printers, could not find it.
And with the avalanche of new IR/UV laser combos for hobby use, what are the chances of such laser working for this?

I am about as healed as I am going get..As far as R/C stuff goes, I am building my own version or the Slow Ultra Stick. I will have
to take some pics of it's current state. As it sits right now I don't have a main wing built for it yet but as soon as I have the cnc foam
cutter finished and setup, I will. I am basically building it as a trainer / FPV type craft. Unfortunately it's well past the 250 gram don't
have to register it limit. so I do have to go through extra grief to make it all legal to fly. ( Thanks FAA  ) That said I did get in a
flying club so I don't have to worry about remote I.D.

As far as lasers are concerned it would probably have more to do with wattage output and wave length. For plastic powder 50 watts
should be sufficient. For metal though under 500 watts is probably too weak to effectively work. At that point a fiber laser is the best
bet.
 That said a jet type of printer sounds interesting

original slow ultra stick
 

my version
 
 

So for the time being I have shelved this idea. It turns out to be vastly more complex then
I had envisioned. The problems I had come across ,
1 Having to purge the inner chamber of all Oxygen while doing the job,
2 Making sure the components where sealed against dust and make sure no risk
of spark,
3 Metal dust inhalation hazard when the machine would be opened back to the atmosphere,
4 Post process handling of said metal dust still in the part.
5 Cost of consumables ( inert gas, powdered metals, filters, ECT)
And lastly not enough demand for that process for the amount of hassle it implied.
Oh well. It was an interesting idea.

I would not be sure if you can "open the machine back to atmosphere", some of the powders must probably be handled under inertgas at all times, because they will oxydise in air. (fire hazard and degradation in quality) If I just look at my copper bar stock in the workshop. Shiny on Sunday black on Monday.

Not to mention that machines that use large amounts of technical gases, can make the air unbreathable in case of a gas leak.
Rooms must be monitored for safe O2 contents at all times. People suddenly drop dead on the floor, odorless and colourless gas. (Ar, CO2, CO, N2)
So the machine does not only have to be leak poof to keep air out it also has to be leak proof to keep dust and "not Oxygens" inside.

Powder will always be more expensive than bar stock, due to higher energy consumption of the process and more involved health and fire risk during shipping.

3d metal printing will stay, high price, low volume, specialized items. I do not see it coming for "the makerspace" or in the garage.

Greetings Timo