Lockheed Martin files patent for a synthetic diamond 3D printer

3D Printing Industry ^ | August 19, 2016 | Katie Armstrong

[nicepaco]

Cool

What would you make? Bearings?

[imardmd1]

I can see how it would be quite valuable in fabricating multilayer ceramic capacitors of very precise size, capacirance, and attachment. In fact, why not create the whole multilayer microcircuit in situ within the fins of a cooling system?

[imardmd1]

Dang! Correction:

capacitance

[oblomov]

How is it diamond if it consists of “a pre-ceramic polymer” and “nanoparticle filler”, instead of carbon?

[jjotto]

Plain reading would seem to indicate that the polymer and filter are the way in which carbon atoms are manipulated to form diamond.

[Larry Lucido]

Good. I’ll finally be able to afford to replace the needle in my stereo turntable.

[Fai Mao]

“What would you make? Bearings?”

Maybe bearings but bearing and matching surfaces would cool too.

[DocRock]

Bookmark

[Ken H]

Won’t 3D printing eventually eliminate the need for global trade? Then what happens?

[BeauBo]

“Won’t 3D printing eventually eliminate the need for global trade? Then what happens?”

Cost of goods goes down.
Standard of living goes up.
Some people and companies will need to find new work.

But 3D printing probably won’t effect the economics of all products the same. Some things won’t be suited to it. Small plastic replacement parts might be different from large specialty steel structural members for skyscrapers. Agricultural products, pharmaceuticals, raw materials and oil would still be shipped around.

[sten]

“this could be great news for jewelry makers.”

if you can make diamonds, why would anyone pay a premium for them?

[equaviator]

“Synthetic” is how the author describes the nature of the diamonds produced by the process.

[jjotto]

Synthetic diamonds already cost less to manufacture than real ones cost, but the difficulty of working with diamond at the detail level probably puts a high floor on their cost for something like jewelry.

[Hardastarboard]

Bullets. But they’d be kinda hard on the barrel.

[PIF]

Diamond cows or diamond heat shields or diamond shielded space ships

[SauronOfMordor]

Diamond has very high thermal conductivity. It could be used as substrate for electronic chips to allow them to operate at higher power levels.

[SauronOfMordor]

Put a diamond penetrator on the tip of a regular copper/lead hollow point bullet. Wont damage the barrel.

[Do the math]

Cutting tools.

[Moltke]

If I understood this correctly, it does not print diamond material. It prints a preform that can later be turned into synth diamond by the usual processes. But that wouldn’t make such a catchy headline, eh?