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Stl-986 · 09-23-2021, 02:09 PM

They have been around for a while and there hasn't been much improvement. It is pretty stagnate. I have 3 printers myself and have worked with a 200K+ printer from a company in Germany. The past 6 years I have been doing it there hasn't been much improvement in the tech.
You can tell no matter what the material. Unless someone is going to do finishing work on a piece you will see the layers. I have printed ABS, carbon fiber, wood mixtures and there are always lines, just that simple. You can make the layers smaller/thinner but you cant make it look like injection molded parts. No way around it without doing something to it after it's printed.

Dont get me wrong, I love these things. I have printed thousands of things, including things for a 986. My point is though you can tell if something is printed. With it ever take over for replacement of other processes? No I dont think so. It will be a niche used for specific purposes but not mass production of things. The time alone to make something is the biggest hurdle.

09-23-2021, 02:09 PM	#14
Stl-986 Registered User Join Date: May 2017 Posts: 1,180	They have been around for a while and there hasn't been much improvement. It is pretty stagnate. I have 3 printers myself and have worked with a 200K+ printer from a company in Germany. The past 6 years I have been doing it there hasn't been much improvement in the tech. You can tell no matter what the material. Unless someone is going to do finishing work on a piece you will see the layers. I have printed ABS, carbon fiber, wood mixtures and there are always lines, just that simple. You can make the layers smaller/thinner but you cant make it look like injection molded parts. No way around it without doing something to it after it's printed. Dont get me wrong, I love these things. I have printed thousands of things, including things for a 986. My point is though you can tell if something is printed. With it ever take over for replacement of other processes? No I dont think so. It will be a niche used for specific purposes but not mass production of things. The time alone to make something is the biggest hurdle. __________________ 2000 Boxster Tiptronic 2003 Boxster 2003 996 C2 Cab 2002 996 (SOLD) 1986 944 (gone but missed)