Thing of the Week: A New 3D Printer Design!

Digital fabrication is getting cheaper from all sides, and Thingiverse now includes design specs for a powder deposition system, pioneered by researchers at the University of Washington!  Like the RepRap, this is a work-in-progress, but the basic technology of using inkjet-inspired systems to glue-sinter powder is super-promising, especially in the realm of getting high-resolution, support-material-required models to print well.

Users who don’t need the robustness of a thermoplastic-printed model, and who need a dpi in the hundreds are better off using a powder-sinter method like this one.  Given that the UW has already invented an open-source powder-and-glue pair for printing ceramics, the future of open 3D printing standards is really, really bright!