Posted on 04/01/2014 7:36:24 AM PDT by null and void
A kayak has been 3D-printed. Taking on a similarly colorful appearance to the storybook character Elmer the Elephant, this kayak’s pieces were 3D-printed then assembled. Jim Smith from Grass Roots Engineering has been actualizing, developing, and modifying the design of his large 3D printer since 2008. As an engineer at 3D Systems, Smith was inspired to print out this kayak with a similar design based from Bryan Hansel’s Siskiwit Bay kayak.
The panels for the kayak were printed from the custom build large scale 3D printer that Smith built himself. When the kayak parts started being created, they were heated in a high temperature building chamber between 149degrees-158degrees F that could produce ABS plastic parts without any mid-process warping or cracking occurring. Each 3D-printed layer measured 0.65 mm. It took Smith nearly 42 days to print 28 ABS plastic sectors for the kayak. The 3D-printed pieces were then assembled the 3D-printed parts with machine screws and used brass-threaded inserts with a bit of silicone caulk.
The finished product is 16ft. 8in. long, and weighs 58 lbs. 
Story via Grass Roots Engineering
Some day her prints will come, and so will my printer…
3-D Printer Ping!
Pretty cool. But at what cost? I think this is better suited to making molds than production.
About $1,500 in raw materials cost (at retail) and 42 weeks of printing. Plus whatever he spent on the screws, silicone, the custom printer and ‘lectricity.
Dunno. It took us less than a decade to put a man on the Moon and return him safely to Earth...
I can imagine 3-d printers as big as a house that can print all sorts of large scale items as one piece. They could create embedded nooks and crannies for strength or other purposes that would be impossible with any kind of normal manufactuaring technique.
Give it another 20 years.
More like 20 hours...
I believe that large scale portable 3D printers have been used to make concrete buildings. They just spray the concrete in layers to build up the structure, same as with the tabletop printers.
There is an old cartoon about the 1939 that predicted just that. It was hilarious. It built each house in about 30 seconds. :-D
I vaguely recall a nozzle that squirted out a giant drop that hit the ground bounced, quivered and snapped into the shape of a bungalow.
It was a house shaped mold that had two big arms. They would pour a bunch of stuff in a hole in the top, the whole thing would shake vigorously and the arms would lift up the mold to exponse a nice little bungalow complete with lawn and picket fence. Then it moved to one side to make the next one.
The 1939 worlds fair is my favorite. I used to have an “ephemeral films” laserdisc that included a lot of the films from the fair and about it.
Folks that like to print unusual things and carry them by kayak, be aware this boat looks susceptible to boating accidents.
He could have had one rotomolded for a fraction of the cost in 20 minutes, but of course that wouldn’t feed the 3D printer bulldog
Yep. Not the right tool for this job.
Are you familiar with research being done to infuse metals into plastics for 3D printing which then subjects the object to a form of radiation which hardens the object to near true solely metallic form? When the new energy sources are unveiled and oil/gas/coal are no longer the primary fuel for transportation and electrical production, the petroleum industry will be switched to produce nearly all the building materials for construction and 3D printing will be the preferred manufacturing technique, IMHO.
No. Source please? Sounds interesting and a lot simpler than laser fusion of metallic powder.
As to where the petroleum industry will go? It will follow the money. If alternative fuels reduce the price of “gasoline” or its equivalent, they’ll shift production to plastics, paving, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, pigments and other profitable products...
English muffins? Seriesly?
Mmmm. Toasted just right with fresh butter and jam.
I saw my first 3D printer at microcenter last week. They had it out as a demo on the floor.
SO AMAZING!
Null and Void please put me on your ping list.
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