Using a sophisticated 3-D direct metal printing process, artists are able to produce fully functional metalwork projects from CAD drawings in matter of days, instead of weeks or months. Each piece is built in layers from metal powder, allowing creative input in the development of extremely complex geometric shapes, patterns and products that would be impossible to duplicate with traditional machining methods.
While their metal-printing process is similar to more common 3D additive printing techniques, there are some differences. It’s a powder technique, in which a thin layer of powdered metal is spread over the build chamber’s floor. Then binder is printed onto the powdered metal using a typical inkjet approach. Layers are added continuously until the printing process is completed. After removing the printed object from a deep pile of powdered metal, it’s placed in a sintering chamber where the binder burns out and the remaining metal powder melts into the final solidified object.
ProMetal’s consumer site, metaltec, also offers an image gallery of the amazing object’s they’ve created and apparently offer for sale.
