I must have recommended this to you at least ten times over 4 years differing chemistry lets you print different metals too and a syringe and makes for an off the shelf print head for this process Literally been saying this since your first metal rocket project :)
From a fellow engineer, I can tell you how hard it is just to get one of those ideas to work! This is Tony Stark level genius. Absolutely crazy how much innovation there is in this one video.
i was thinking the same thing, this is stuff colleges and high schools should be studying in their innovation classes (I'm showing this tomorrow to my class)
constraint forces adaptation if you want to do new things you invariably end up doing something new or different to build the tool that allows the new thing hit constraint/solve/repeat there needs to be a tool change or integrate yet more functionality into the single head because to replicate itself it also has to be able to perform removal and assembly of parts
Mmm its a novel idea but more of a reapplication of existing technologies with massive limitations. I very much doubt you’re a real engineer if you’re referring to something as “tony stark” genius. Electroplating has big flaws. It doesn’t really hold its strength well unless melted and then if that is the case it warps and loses its original dimensions which is very important for manufacturing. Also copper is less strong or very similar in toughness and rigidity compared to other already available filaments. While you could try it with steel or titanium they don’t really plate very well because they are far less conductive and form oxide layers ect. If you are an engineer stay in your lane little bro.
no it isn't. the uses for this are few and far between and you clearly don't understand electroplating and how that isn't like making something out of metal.
@suodrazah6015 Thank you. It's obviously not a perfect system, but the idea is golden. To be able to create a part with both metal and plastic in 1 process is awesome. Now us the community shall improve on this wonderful idea.
Good job! As a retired jeweler, I'd suggest ending your copper tube with a felt or maybe closed cell foam rubber tip like we use in pen plating. It would require less solution at the point of contact, give you finer control and you wouldn't have to raise the copper pipe higher than your regular print tip, but you would have to replace it more often. Also, you could make a similar output fluid pump using an aquarium air pump, tubing and valves if you wanted to used ready made off the shelf components. I understand your goal of making it yourself though.
Don't get me wrong the metal printing is extremely cool, but the way you solved the tool swithing problem at 4:10 was honestly so cool to me. True out of the box problem solving!
Also eliminating the tube in the pump. I'm always trying to figure out ways to do similar things so that it's easy to replicate without special materials. Nice work!
One thing I think you should keep in mind is that not everything has to be 3D printed. As long as you can print the machine that can make the non-printed parts, as well as print the whatever is needed for assembly (such as a robotic arm) then you'll be able to complete your goal. After all, your goal isn't just to create a self-replicating 3D printer, but rather a printer that can be used to to start from scratch. There's nothing saying that you can't 3D print non-3D printing machines to help your 3D printing machines.
You don't even need a conductive build surface, you can just run a wire to the conductive raft itself. In fact, you don't need a raft either, just a tongue of conductive filament on first layer or a test point somewhere on the model that you'll hook up before the plating step.
you could use shot peening or sandblasting to make the plate rougher. You'll get a nice and even surface and different roughnesses depending on what you shoot at it
I was SO excited watching this video. So many innovative ideas. “Keep up the great work” is not nearly as enthusiastic as I am to see what you'll show for the next developments. Love it!
You are an actual goddamn space wizard. Your combination of talent and sheer unbridled passion is something I wish I had even a tenth of. Keep going, what you're doing is legitimately amazing
For the pump you should look into printing polypropylene, it is semi flexible and is very good for things like living hinges. It is also resistant to most chemicals.
Prusa should hire u as a consultant for new ideas. Man I love your inventions and takes on 3d printing. Next we need a 3d printed robot which harvests material and produces filament for the „mother“ printer
Original content is so rare in the 3d printing world! This is awesome. Great work. Really really really great work! We are actually several steps closer to download a car :D
Amazing work! This is so so cool. For the conductive build surface issue, why not print a conductive raft/skirt that links all the parts to a single connection? That way you can still print on the PEI surface
Has anyone just tried various metal foils/coatings as a build plate? I haven't had a reason to go down this road before but something tells me there's a simple solution right in front of us.
In the industry this is done with a pcb of grids of exposed contacts, and acts like an lcd in a resin printer, the contacts only go on for a short amount of time but you can more or less control where the metal gets deposited
this gives me an idea, with different chemicals it would be possible to create a semiconductor on the surface and layer it making a diode or maybe even a high power transistor
Incredible. I am excited for the future of 3D printing. If you want to have peristaltic flow without back flow or a second peristaltic stage, you can also put more rollers into a single stage. I normally put 8 rollers into my 3D printed peristaltic pumps.
This is honestly brilliant in so many ways!!! The timing of this video is also insane, I was just recently trying to design a compliant push latch mechanism and wasn't able to do it. I've searched a LOT and could not find one, you might just be one of the first ones to do it!!! This mechanism could be extremely useful for doing even cheaper versions of the BL touch or the servo probe. You would only require a norma limit switch and the probe would deploy using the printer itself! No need for a servo or solenoid. Genius!!! I love this channel!
I think the easiest solution would be to use a conductive adhesive on the build plate prior to printing. Printing on a metal screen might give good results, but then the screen would be consumable and likely more of a pain to setup and remove after. It's hard to balance good adhesion / conduction with easy removal haha. An easy idea to try would be printing your first layer with small pilot holes, then plate the holes directly to the build plate, that should ensure good conductivity with the part, and if the holes are sized right shouldnt be too hard to pull off either.
An easy way to print on a metal screen is to use an aluminium fly screen mesh. But once it is part of the print, it may be a pain to remove. You probably will lose the first 1mm of the print.
This is just, wow. Absolutely amazing, such a simple and intuitive concept, yet the smartest thing ive seen in ages. I have no clue how i wasnt subscribed before, but i definitely am now. Excited to try this on my ender 5 plus, ive been wanting to make PCBs at home for a bit now and this will finally make that possible!
It looks like loctite makes an electically conductive epoxy... i know that people have had sucess with printing on garolite, which is just fiberglass and epoxy, so if you spread it thin and evenly on the build surface it may work...
I love your excitement for the subject matter. I'm dubious about most claims of practical DIY metal -printing and self replicating equipment, but you bring me hope
I've been working on the same thing for two years, except working fully in-liquid, and using copper powder in the liquid to "dope"/speed up deposition. Really cool project, motivating me a lot to get my own moving forward...
You and your ideas blow my mind. You make amazing solutions targeted at the masses with fleshed out projects and you do it if your free time. I'm so glad you got sponsored, you deserve it and I'm glad it's not a mobile game.
I LOVE how all the 3d printing people are uniting behind the most outlandish ideas just because we are excited for what might be possible in our hobby! This is what I wish for on youtube: genious ideas, people having fun and coming together. And what you create is batshit crazy in the best way possible, I am all here for it!
You just got a new follower and discord member. This is the first video I watched from you and I loved the tech and your enthusiasm, it just got a big smile on my face watching this. Please continue gifting us with this creativity, you're brilliant!
so, I have a similar idea, although it was for etching metal, but it works for this as well. If you combine your deposition tube with a suction tube, you can "close the loop" and pull used excess fluid back into a reservoir that can then "refresh" the solution with buffer tanks, stock copper metal, deionized water and electrolytes. This would allow it all to be contained in a single machine. In addition, you could do the reverse and use an EDM power supply and probe to etch/blast away the metal where you don't want it, and now you have an additive and subtractive 3D printer. Just watch out, or you'll have the Knights of the Holy Grail, knocking down your door, looking for a cup.
Mr. you are gold. I’m happy to have found you before the other millions of people do. Gives me that special feeling inside. Kind of like this video. Well done sir, thank you for sharing this, million dollar genius of yours for the price of a click!
Another common electroplating method is to use a metal brush and electrolyte and that way you can essentially brush on the electroplating where you want it, it is similar to this method but the brush probably has a greater surface area. Maybe switching out your large rod for thinner wires would have some benefit.
Man you're kind of underselling yourself and your skills. I opened this video expecting to get my mind blown, but the damn printed pump alone left me speechless. I'd have loved a full video about it alone! You're a genius and a fantastic builder, and I hope the best for you!
Congrats, I was experimenting with this in uni, but you got it out first. Mine uses electroplating to create solid metal parts, so it's a bit different to what yours does. It uses ions suspended in an electrolyte jet.
Make the machine create a raft that is normal plastic, conductive on top, and then part printed on that. You'll get bed adhesion, full conductive contact, and it's separable after with ease.
Wow you are easily one of my top favorite creators. Your ideas always blow me away and your passion is so inspiring and uplifting. This project is so crazy awesome and i cant wait to see your next iterations! This truly is the start. There have been so many people combining the power of 3D printing and other sciences/fields in the last few years whuch has really started a new manufacturing revolution where we can make things even smaller, lighter, more complex, smarter, simpler, stronger, more convenient, etc. Its truly amazing and i cant wait to see where things go from here!
This is an idea I had for a long time and wondered why it hasn't been done before. It seemed like a very simple idea that should have been not *too* difficult to implement. You got there before I got the money and motivation to try it myself.
This was amazing! Thank you for all you do, and thank you for condensing it into bite-size videos for those of us who live busy lives and can't swallow a 30 minute video.
For now you can find a 3d printer for less than 90€ and it never need to be the last one at 1000€ go ahead, try it play with it, it's cheap fun and you will learn a lot
I recently came upon your channel. Some of the things and ideas you show are absolutely amazing. No doubt that you will run into problem after problem. When that happens, grab a beer or go for a walk. The break from your work will really help. Just have the perseverance to keep on going. Please post more ! Thank you for sharing.
Few years ago, I also thought about concept to use galvanising in order to print metal parts. This involved to fill the whole layer with insulation where you don't want metal to build up, and leave the parts where you want metal exposed. This would in theory allow to make a fully metal part, with few limitations and very slowly. And also needed an idea to easily remove all the insulation somehow. And actually your approach is genius. Of course with right materials you can print both conductor and insulator, and also a limiting cup to hold the electrolyte only where needed. The process itself needs some thoughts and adjustments of course, but the concept is very promising, best of luck! By the way, with similar process you can deposit not only copper, but also nickel, iron, zinc, chrome, silver, gold, titanium and a lot more. Each metal requires a special blend of electrolyte and a specific parameters of current, voltage and time. And in galvanisation you are not dissolving the anode, but rather use a solution where needed metal is already dissolved in a good concentration. I suggest you research about galvanisation and try to deposit other metals, should be a great step forward. Also that way you can even create a system where you have an non-reactive anode and just different blends of electrolyte, and you can choose which metal to deposit depending on what you fill the cup with. Also, about problem with print sticking to metal. If the plastic is gripping okay on the surfaces that you electroplated, why not to try electroplate the bed itself on where you are planning to print? Also a better idea right away. Try to tape the buildplate with either copper or aluminium tape, and then galvanise it's surface a bit. You can even lay something under the edges of the tape to create a bowl shape that will hold electrolyte easier. You can even print the bowl perimeter on a pei sheet, and than tape it over and clamp the tape with alligator clip or something. And after printing just remove the tape from the bed and cut away accessives from the print
The most common type of galvanising is just dipping metal parts into molten metal, that isn’t easily applicable to 3D printing. Electroplating can already be used with a lot of metals. I really don’t see the benefit of trying to go down the galvanising route. In terms of the print sticking, we don’t actually know that the print stuck to the electroplated material, it was printing on plastic too. Plastic does not like to stick to metal, at all really, so even copper or aluminium tape won’t do much and coating it won’t help much either. There is a reason that bare metal isn’t used for build plates. There are also much easier ways to get it to work than using a conductive build surface anyway.
@@conorstewart2214 apologies on my side, I just got a bit confused, because turn's out in my language the electroplating process is literally called "galvanisation", and that what I basically remember from the university that is called that way. And when I tried to search about galvanisation in English it turns out to be the whole different process, with a lot of steps and dipping in molten metal, that is really not suitable here. My point on the other hand is that electroplating can be done with a bunch of different metals, but not it the way of dissolving the anode and transfering it to a part, but either on using a special electrolyte solution that already has desired metal in it and not reactive anode
These parts aren't really metal. Getting a gun still requires that you get some hydraulic tubing ang some springs. For what printing guns was originally supposed to be about, this situation is actually fine. We really do need to start calling them fabricable guns or something though as in inb4 to every redditor who goes YoO CaN't PrInT a GuN, tHe bOlT aNd BaRreL aRe sTiLL sTeEL as if that changes the fact that any bad guy can just get one while lawful people are forced to self-handicap.
I got a crazy idea while watching this video. It's possible to make velcro with really thin nitinol wire. It could be made to automatically release or fasten. Maybe it gets us one step closer to power laces. We're overdue for that.
From excited to clickbait in about 30 seconds :( Shame as it is still cool, useful electrically but not mechanically. Which is what we really need. Custom DIY PCB can be done a number of ways already, I just mill them on my CNC machine, waaaay quicker and easier than this method. Hell, you could zip tie a dremel to a 3d printer and call it done. But milling complex shapes in aluminium or even steel, that is a different level entirely, and what we really need.
Subbed! Way to think outside the box! Home metal 3D printing is the holy grail of the DIY hobbyist. I've been tracking different attempts at solutions, fusing metal powder and/or sintering seemed to be the only solutions (albeit super expensive/impractical for home use). If this can prove to make useable metal parts, with low difficulty/cost of entry on the setup, then this may be THE home solution for metal printing.
my actual electro-plating machine for bike parts cost around $500, he has made a 3d printer that electroplates and compared it with electro-fab / laser hardware that for sure costs 100s of K. This doesnt stack up, and, EP is very slow and requires constant refresh of the electrolite AND power. Imagine a machine that can make a diamond by laying down 7 trillion back and forwards with a pencil. Ironically, he has taken the very slow FDM printer and used it for something slower, electroplating. It's the 70k comments around us here that all think this is edison level genius. it's not, if it was, it would have been done in secret, under patent application, and, he would be the dutch elon musk. Do we now think if modern day manufacture could solve all it's problems with this, freely available youtube method, that the worlds factories, which we know run on getting the best quality for the best price woulndt have copied it. His 3d printed engine a few years ago was good, until he turned it into a battle between his model and 3dbenchy, infering that the industry standard of using the 3dbenchy model to check out a new printer or filament was no longer fit for purpose and his, more clever model, was the new way. When you do somehing clever and follow it with by deriding (clips of 3d benchy being stalked by his 3d printed engine with horror music) a loved and well used artifact out there you make someone write this a few years later. Now you're selling snake oil and pretending you can print metal for 100 bucks, it's not possible. The trick with being smart is not beng an ....
Finally, youtube starts recommending me useful 3d printing videos, not just desktop trinkets. Thank you, keep up the good work. I believe you're on the right road with these projects.
Let's be honest here. Your ideas of grandeur are the farthest thing from what anyone with a 3d printer shares. The process you've created here is amazing. Your videos are overdone with explanations and opinions.
These ideas are so genius and I love your concept about “Robots building Robots” to fully make ourselves free to be creative as we so please. Keep this work up, they are an inspiration to myself and many in the IEEE club at Uni.
@@smorrow my actual electro-plating machine for bike parts cost around $500, he has made a 3d printer that electroplates and compared it with electro-fab / laser hardware that for sure costs 100s of K. This doesnt stack up, and, EP is very slow and requires constant refresh of the electrolite AND power. Imagine a machine that can make a diamond by laying down 7 trillion back and forwards with a pencil. Ironically, he has taken the very slow FDM printer and used it for something slower, electroplating. It's the 70k comments around us here that all think this is edison level genius. it's not, if it was, it would have been done in secret, under patent application, and, he would be the dutch elon musk. Do we now think if modern day manufacture could solve all it's problems with this, freely available youtube method, that the worlds factories, which we know run on getting the best quality for the best price woulndt have copied it. His 3d printed engine a few years ago was good, until he turned it into a battle between his model and 3dbenchy, infering that the industry standard of using the 3dbenchy model to check out a new printer or filament was no longer fit for purpose and his, more clever model, was the new way. When you do somehing clever and follow it with by deriding (clips of 3d benchy being stalked by his 3d printed engine with horror music) a loved and well used artifact out there you make someone write this a few years later. Now you're selling snake oil and pretending you can print metal for 100 bucks, it's not possible. The trick with being smart is not beng an ....
I have build one similar to that about a year ago. But really like your solution as well. Though, my problems were the dendrite growth and current densities. I mean, the problems which were not allowing to start printing any large details. Idea of printers being able to print themselves is indeed cool. I've been thinking of this for a while. Btw, I think I found a solution for both of these problems, currently working on it
I love your work around for the pump. However, if you feel the need to go back to a single pump with the silicone tube, you can do that. I recently saw an ad for silicone filament for 3d printers. Might be worth checking out.
Ah, this is amazing. I have tinkered with the idea of doing this the other way around in the past - I wanted to create a CNC machine that moves an electrode to remove material from a metal piece via ECM, but I never got it to work properly (mainly because I wasn't capable of inventing a method of effectively removing the corroded parts from the work piece). It never occurred to me that you can also do the very same thing bottom-up instead of top-down!
You could use 2 pipes one next to the other or one inside the other to make the fluid circulate continuously. The 2 wont erode at the same rate so reversing the flow now and then would be necessary. With good calibration, it might be possible to add a wick to get crazy good accuracy
From an engineering student interested in additive manufacturing and electroplating, this video really blew my mind. I worked on a 3d printed peristolic pump before and I never even thought to print the whole thing. That alone is truly incredible. I can't wait to see future videos especially with funny tomato man. +1 subscriber for you!!
Have you thought about recycling failed prints? That whole self replication thing would probably be a lot easier if you could afford to fail prints and try again with the same filament. Maybe a centrifuge or magnet to pull the copper out of the plastic?
With your setup, would it be possible to print an induction coil on the bed, and use that to pick up current from a primary coil mounted on the underside of the bed? I guess the secondary coil could just be part of the print to avoid support and rafts?
Always enjoy those insights on solving a problem by sidestepping the initial problem: don't immerse a part in water immerse water on the part. Like like a movie like jurassic park getting dna no from dinosarus bones but from mosquitos , or how to measure a particles position without changing it's speed you don't measure it directly but measure the things around it that are already interacting with it.
Absolutely brilliant! The pump is amazing, especially the idea of stacking two modules. As you want to avoid non-printable parts, how about a printed extrusion module which could make (endless) lines, belts, tubes, hoses etc.?
There are kids paint brushes which are squeezed to shift paint from inside the handle onto the brush (squeeze and brush). Taking that principle, you could replace the copper tube with a a copper fibre brush that is fed through a tube that gets wetted by the electrolyte solution to reduce the bubble of solution needed. As the brush gets eroded by the process you feed more down, it'll also be more compliant and mechanically forgiving on the part being plated. The challenge would instead be to prevent drips.
I used to print on a garolite sheet with copper coating, born for pcb manufacturing. I saw the tip from another channel and it worked fine with proper bed heating, it should offer both adhesion and plenty of conductivity.
There is SO much creativity and engineering skills on display here. I thought I knew 3d printing, but then ideas like this make me feel limited by my own brain again, haha. Out of the box thinking, bravo!!
This is truly innovative! But the thing I like the most is the cost barrier being so low, no $20K printer or 7kg of carbon fibre or cnc milled parts , just intelligence, persistence and effort! Absolutely stunning
Just found your channel through this video. Just wow, I am so pumped to watch more of your content! I dont have space for a 3D printer at the moment, you can bet I’ll be in the first round of buyers if you make a consumer version of this!
When I first heard of the self-replicating printer I thought the idea of fully printing a 3d printer with all metal parts is completely crazy. But I'm very impressed by the iterations. This could actually work
Love the Klilsphilip soundtrack in the background. I love the idea and honestly, not having to sell your own house to electroplate your stuff is a huge W
Folks, just apply a thin layer of sugar water with a scotch-bright sponge until the build plate looks dull or cloudy for adhesion to the build plate. I use sugar water all of the time to print ASA or ABS filament onto my Ender 3 Pro build plate. I just preheat the build plate to 70°C and apply the sugar water evenly, which creates a thin, sticky layer on top of the build plate. When ready to print ASA filament the built plate preset temperature should be 90°C to 110°C. NO 3D PRINTER ENCLOSURE NEEDED ....Use one tablespoon of sugar then add two tablespoons of water into a cup then pour a few drops onto the build plate preheated at 70°C then apply evenly on top of the area of the build plate where you plan to print... Trust me, it will stick no problem. The funny thing is, with the application of sugar water on the build plate prior to printing, I do not have to enclose my printer because the ASA filament sticks like glue despite changes in temperature within my home, even with AC on. Once I am done with the print, I just use a wet rag to wipe off the sugar residue from the build plate until it's all clean. It's funny how something we readily use in our daily lives at home can solve a common problem. Save your money with "NO NEED FOR AQUA NET" or any adhesion products.
How has no one commented on the cat yet? It's the best part
No.
Well now I need a cat printer
yes it wouldn't have been possible without the cathode :)
subbed just for the cat@@Eduardo_Espinoza
@thesenuts603
*Y E S*
Please don't be afraid to upload longer videos. You are doing great work!
For real. I'll watch them when I sleep. He can get that sweet sweet premium money.
@3:30 - BRILLIANT using the pipe as the anode! 😮
Please break down all of these parts into separate videos! The 3D printed pump, the ion fan, everything. Thanks! Subscribed and alerted 🫡
I normally watch 20min+ videos
Yo for real! I like the videos man. Keep them coming lol 👍🏻
I’m winning the Ion Thrust War ! Prepare yourselves!
Oh fffffffff.... We are screwed. 😂
Competition breeds innovation, get at it! 😁
Yay! Colab time!
I trust in your ability
I must have recommended this to you at least ten times over 4 years differing chemistry lets you print different metals too and a syringe and makes for an off the shelf print head for this process Literally been saying this since your first metal rocket project :)
From a fellow engineer, I can tell you how hard it is just to get one of those ideas to work! This is Tony Stark level genius. Absolutely crazy how much innovation there is in this one video.
i was thinking the same thing, this is stuff colleges and high schools should be studying in their innovation classes (I'm showing this tomorrow to my class)
constraint forces adaptation
if you want to do new things
you invariably end up doing something new or different to build the tool that allows the new thing
hit constraint/solve/repeat
there needs to be a tool change or integrate yet more functionality into the single head because to replicate itself it also has to be able to perform removal and assembly of parts
honestly I did not expect this much. Great stuff! Def subscribed in hopes our friend will change the planet
Mmm its a novel idea but more of a reapplication of existing technologies with massive limitations. I very much doubt you’re a real engineer if you’re referring to something as “tony stark” genius. Electroplating has big flaws. It doesn’t really hold its strength well unless melted and then if that is the case it warps and loses its original dimensions which is very important for manufacturing. Also copper is less strong or very similar in toughness and rigidity compared to other already available filaments. While you could try it with steel or titanium they don’t really plate very well because they are far less conductive and form oxide layers ect. If you are an engineer stay in your lane little bro.
Yeah you must be a terrible engineer if you think this is super amazing... it is good and a fun little thing but nothing groundbreaking.
I'm an engineer and design everything from phones to car antenna. I use 3d printers a lot and all I can say is wow...well bloody done!
This idea is going to bring home manufacturing to another level.
no it isn't. the uses for this are few and far between and you clearly don't understand electroplating and how that isn't like making something out of metal.
@@thomgizziz yeah, why even do anything ever at all hey? This would be immensely useful in PCB manufacturing, self replication, etc.
@@thomgizziz de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanoplastik
@suodrazah6015 Thank you. It's obviously not a perfect system, but the idea is golden. To be able to create a part with both metal and plastic in 1 process is awesome. Now us the community shall improve on this wonderful idea.
@@thomgizziz You sound like all the stagnated garbage vomiting professor types although you are kind of right
Good job! As a retired jeweler, I'd suggest ending your copper tube with a felt or maybe closed cell foam rubber tip like we use in pen plating. It would require less solution at the point of contact, give you finer control and you wouldn't have to raise the copper pipe higher than your regular print tip, but you would have to replace it more often.
Also, you could make a similar output fluid pump using an aquarium air pump, tubing and valves if you wanted to used ready made off the shelf components. I understand your goal of making it yourself though.
Steel wool? Stainless steel wool… 😅 but yeah great idea
Don't get me wrong the metal printing is extremely cool, but the way you solved the tool swithing problem at 4:10 was honestly so cool to me. True out of the box problem solving!
Also eliminating the tube in the pump. I'm always trying to figure out ways to do similar things so that it's easy to replicate without special materials. Nice work!
One thing I think you should keep in mind is that not everything has to be 3D printed. As long as you can print the machine that can make the non-printed parts, as well as print the whatever is needed for assembly (such as a robotic arm) then you'll be able to complete your goal. After all, your goal isn't just to create a self-replicating 3D printer, but rather a printer that can be used to to start from scratch. There's nothing saying that you can't 3D print non-3D printing machines to help your 3D printing machines.
Excellent work. One idea for electrical conduction on the build surface. Print with a raft made out of the conductive filament.
You don't even need a conductive build surface, you can just run a wire to the conductive raft itself. In fact, you don't need a raft either, just a tongue of conductive filament on first layer or a test point somewhere on the model that you'll hook up before the plating step.
yeah true! or even print conductive filament over thin wires on a build tack surface ! soi long as thinner than first layer height should be fine
Seriously impressive as always - looking forward to the longer video
@@TheLaXandroI think the problem with that is that then you have to manually do something, which is difficult to automate
Amazing job 👏👏
you could use shot peening or sandblasting to make the plate rougher. You'll get a nice and even surface and different roughnesses depending on what you shoot at it
I was SO excited watching this video. So many innovative ideas. “Keep up the great work” is not nearly as enthusiastic as I am to see what you'll show for the next developments. Love it!
You are an actual goddamn space wizard. Your combination of talent and sheer unbridled passion is something I wish I had even a tenth of. Keep going, what you're doing is legitimately amazing
For the pump you should look into printing polypropylene, it is semi flexible and is very good for things like living hinges. It is also resistant to most chemicals.
Prusa should hire u as a consultant for new ideas. Man I love your inventions and takes on 3d printing. Next we need a 3d printed robot which harvests material and produces filament for the „mother“ printer
Original content is so rare in the 3d printing world! This is awesome. Great work. Really really really great work! We are actually several steps closer to download a car :D
You wouldnt download a 3d printer...
@@ZT_1234You wouldn't steal your gradmas wallet
@@ZT_1234 the point is being able to buy the printer that then can download the car and print it....
Super impressive work! Keep it up!
Amazing work! This is so so cool.
For the conductive build surface issue, why not print a conductive raft/skirt that links all the parts to a single connection? That way you can still print on the PEI surface
That's a good idea, I wonder if it would cause issues for removing the build
Community power: activate!
You could also use an ITO layer on top of the build plate!
Has anyone just tried various metal foils/coatings as a build plate? I haven't had a reason to go down this road before but something tells me there's a simple solution right in front of us.
or get a sacrificial nozzle and etch out a brass plate lol
Dude!!! I don't even care if it works it just looks so friggin' cool!
In the industry this is done with a pcb of grids of exposed contacts, and acts like an lcd in a resin printer, the contacts only go on for a short amount of time but you can more or less control where the metal gets deposited
Nobody:
SunShine in 10 years:
How to make industrial revolution with 1000$
this gives me an idea, with different chemicals it would be possible to create a semiconductor on the surface and layer it making a diode or maybe even a high power transistor
Incredible. I am excited for the future of 3D printing. If you want to have peristaltic flow without back flow or a second peristaltic stage, you can also put more rollers into a single stage. I normally put 8 rollers into my 3D printed peristaltic pumps.
This is honestly brilliant in so many ways!!! The timing of this video is also insane, I was just recently trying to design a compliant push latch mechanism and wasn't able to do it. I've searched a LOT and could not find one, you might just be one of the first ones to do it!!! This mechanism could be extremely useful for doing even cheaper versions of the BL touch or the servo probe. You would only require a norma limit switch and the probe would deploy using the printer itself! No need for a servo or solenoid. Genius!!! I love this channel!
I think the easiest solution would be to use a conductive adhesive on the build plate prior to printing. Printing on a metal screen might give good results, but then the screen would be consumable and likely more of a pain to setup and remove after. It's hard to balance good adhesion / conduction with easy removal haha. An easy idea to try would be printing your first layer with small pilot holes, then plate the holes directly to the build plate, that should ensure good conductivity with the part, and if the holes are sized right shouldnt be too hard to pull off either.
An easy way to print on a metal screen is to use an aluminium fly screen mesh. But once it is part of the print, it may be a pain to remove. You probably will lose the first 1mm of the print.
@@xylosfurnitureconductive adhesive like the ones used for heatsinks seems like a better idea
This is just, wow. Absolutely amazing, such a simple and intuitive concept, yet the smartest thing ive seen in ages. I have no clue how i wasnt subscribed before, but i definitely am now. Excited to try this on my ender 5 plus, ive been wanting to make PCBs at home for a bit now and this will finally make that possible!
Oh, and for the adhesion, could one possibly thunk up an electrically conductive glue stick?
It looks like loctite makes an electically conductive epoxy... i know that people have had sucess with printing on garolite, which is just fiberglass and epoxy, so if you spread it thin and evenly on the build surface it may work...
I love your excitement for the subject matter. I'm dubious about most claims of practical DIY metal -printing and self replicating equipment, but you bring me hope
Really really genius level stuff here, and we can see it in your face and eyes, you really enjoy this! Engineers rock!
I've been working on the same thing for two years, except working fully in-liquid, and using copper powder in the liquid to "dope"/speed up deposition. Really cool project, motivating me a lot to get my own moving forward...
You and your ideas blow my mind. You make amazing solutions targeted at the masses with fleshed out projects and you do it if your free time. I'm so glad you got sponsored, you deserve it and I'm glad it's not a mobile game.
Damn it, why didn't I think of that! Nice video man!
I LOVE how all the 3d printing people are uniting behind the most outlandish ideas just because we are excited for what might be possible in our hobby!
This is what I wish for on youtube: genious ideas, people having fun and coming together.
And what you create is batshit crazy in the best way possible, I am all here for it!
This is incredible, you've easily earned a subscriber. I cannot wait to see what you do next with these designs
You just got a new follower and discord member. This is the first video I watched from you and I loved the tech and your enthusiasm, it just got a big smile on my face watching this. Please continue gifting us with this creativity, you're brilliant!
so, I have a similar idea, although it was for etching metal, but it works for this as well. If you combine your deposition tube with a suction tube, you can "close the loop" and pull used excess fluid back into a reservoir that can then "refresh" the solution with buffer tanks, stock copper metal, deionized water and electrolytes.
This would allow it all to be contained in a single machine.
In addition, you could do the reverse and use an EDM power supply and probe to etch/blast away the metal where you don't want it, and now you have an additive and subtractive 3D printer.
Just watch out, or you'll have the Knights of the Holy Grail, knocking down your door, looking for a cup.
Buena saludos desde Argentina
You’re an absolute genius 🙏
Genius. If you do a step by step build, the whole community will watch
Mr. you are gold. I’m happy to have found you before the other millions of people do. Gives me that special feeling inside. Kind of like this video. Well done sir, thank you for sharing this, million dollar genius of yours for the price of a click!
Another common electroplating method is to use a metal brush and electrolyte and that way you can essentially brush on the electroplating where you want it, it is similar to this method but the brush probably has a greater surface area. Maybe switching out your large rod for thinner wires would have some benefit.
yeah, I imagine if you were to take some soft copper strands wire and run it through a vinyl tube you'd get better results with less electrolyte.
Man you're kind of underselling yourself and your skills. I opened this video expecting to get my mind blown, but the damn printed pump alone left me speechless. I'd have loved a full video about it alone! You're a genius and a fantastic builder, and I hope the best for you!
Wow... This opens up a world of homemade 3D-prints with built-in electronics - without having to add wires/pcb's.
Congrats, I was experimenting with this in uni, but you got it out first. Mine uses electroplating to create solid metal parts, so it's a bit different to what yours does. It uses ions suspended in an electrolyte jet.
Make the machine create a raft that is normal plastic, conductive on top, and then part printed on that.
You'll get bed adhesion, full conductive contact, and it's separable after with ease.
Skynet realised 😮
In our reality, we got the T2 alternate ending and Judgment Day never happens and SkyNet helps us build the 21st Century. You'll see.
We are not worthy of this man. What a legend. Internet historians will celebrate this release as the true start of the 3D printing revolution.
I like your vision for the future!
Came for the vid, stayed for the cat
Wow you are easily one of my top favorite creators. Your ideas always blow me away and your passion is so inspiring and uplifting. This project is so crazy awesome and i cant wait to see your next iterations! This truly is the start. There have been so many people combining the power of 3D printing and other sciences/fields in the last few years whuch has really started a new manufacturing revolution where we can make things even smaller, lighter, more complex, smarter, simpler, stronger, more convenient, etc. Its truly amazing and i cant wait to see where things go from here!
You are genius
This is an idea I had for a long time and wondered why it hasn't been done before. It seemed like a very simple idea that should have been not *too* difficult to implement. You got there before I got the money and motivation to try it myself.
This was amazing! Thank you for all you do, and thank you for condensing it into bite-size videos for those of us who live busy lives and can't swallow a 30 minute video.
The compliant switch was a stroke of genius
You dropped an Edison-level bomb of innovation on humanity.
As a fellow engineer, absolutely mindblown!!
The possibilities are endless, so excited!!
I didn't think I'd get radicalized by a 3d printing RUclips channel
This is incredible, I wish I had a printer I could do this to.
For now you can find a 3d printer for less than 90€ and it never need to be the last one at 1000€ go ahead, try it play with it, it's cheap fun and you will learn a lot
Printers are getting verry cheap, i picked up my ender 3 s1 from microcenter for only 200$
I recently came upon your channel. Some of the things and ideas you show are absolutely amazing. No doubt that you will run into problem after problem. When that happens, grab a beer or go for a walk. The break from your work will really help. Just have the perseverance to keep on going. Please post more ! Thank you for sharing.
This seems like the first step in creating hobbyist assesable, fully meatal 3d prints.
Holy shit. You are one of the most innovative and genius people I have ever had the pleasure of watching. Subscribed for sure.
Few years ago, I also thought about concept to use galvanising in order to print metal parts. This involved to fill the whole layer with insulation where you don't want metal to build up, and leave the parts where you want metal exposed. This would in theory allow to make a fully metal part, with few limitations and very slowly. And also needed an idea to easily remove all the insulation somehow.
And actually your approach is genius. Of course with right materials you can print both conductor and insulator, and also a limiting cup to hold the electrolyte only where needed.
The process itself needs some thoughts and adjustments of course, but the concept is very promising, best of luck!
By the way, with similar process you can deposit not only copper, but also nickel, iron, zinc, chrome, silver, gold, titanium and a lot more. Each metal requires a special blend of electrolyte and a specific parameters of current, voltage and time. And in galvanisation you are not dissolving the anode, but rather use a solution where needed metal is already dissolved in a good concentration. I suggest you research about galvanisation and try to deposit other metals, should be a great step forward. Also that way you can even create a system where you have an non-reactive anode and just different blends of electrolyte, and you can choose which metal to deposit depending on what you fill the cup with.
Also, about problem with print sticking to metal. If the plastic is gripping okay on the surfaces that you electroplated, why not to try electroplate the bed itself on where you are planning to print?
Also a better idea right away. Try to tape the buildplate with either copper or aluminium tape, and then galvanise it's surface a bit. You can even lay something under the edges of the tape to create a bowl shape that will hold electrolyte easier. You can even print the bowl perimeter on a pei sheet, and than tape it over and clamp the tape with alligator clip or something.
And after printing just remove the tape from the bed and cut away accessives from the print
The most common type of galvanising is just dipping metal parts into molten metal, that isn’t easily applicable to 3D printing. Electroplating can already be used with a lot of metals. I really don’t see the benefit of trying to go down the galvanising route.
In terms of the print sticking, we don’t actually know that the print stuck to the electroplated material, it was printing on plastic too. Plastic does not like to stick to metal, at all really, so even copper or aluminium tape won’t do much and coating it won’t help much either. There is a reason that bare metal isn’t used for build plates. There are also much easier ways to get it to work than using a conductive build surface anyway.
@@conorstewart2214 apologies on my side, I just got a bit confused, because turn's out in my language the electroplating process is literally called "galvanisation", and that what I basically remember from the university that is called that way. And when I tried to search about galvanisation in English it turns out to be the whole different process, with a lot of steps and dipping in molten metal, that is really not suitable here.
My point on the other hand is that electroplating can be done with a bunch of different metals, but not it the way of dissolving the anode and transfering it to a part, but either on using a special electrolyte solution that already has desired metal in it and not reactive anode
This is amazing. Some genuinely revolutionary aspects to this video. Bravo.
I can finally print my homemade guns 😍😍
We been doing that for years ur just lazy
Actually a lot of people have done before with plastic
These parts aren't really metal. Getting a gun still requires that you get some hydraulic tubing ang some springs. For what printing guns was originally supposed to be about, this situation is actually fine. We really do need to start calling them fabricable guns or something though as in inb4 to every redditor who goes YoO CaN't PrInT a GuN, tHe bOlT aNd BaRreL aRe sTiLL sTeEL as if that changes the fact that any bad guy can just get one while lawful people are forced to self-handicap.
I tried telling a dummy that a gun is just a pipe and a hammer and tldr: he didn't like that.
I got a crazy idea while watching this video. It's possible to make velcro with really thin nitinol wire. It could be made to automatically release or fasten. Maybe it gets us one step closer to power laces. We're overdue for that.
Its not 3D printing metal. Its electroplating.
I would not be wrong if i say cheap tricks to get views...
From excited to clickbait in about 30 seconds :(
Shame as it is still cool, useful electrically but not mechanically. Which is what we really need. Custom DIY PCB can be done a number of ways already, I just mill them on my CNC machine, waaaay quicker and easier than this method. Hell, you could zip tie a dremel to a 3d printer and call it done. But milling complex shapes in aluminium or even steel, that is a different level entirely, and what we really need.
Yeah - his "metal 3D printing" isn't that impressive, but the problems he solved along the way are _chef's kiss_ (tool changer, print-in-place pump)
Subbed! Way to think outside the box! Home metal 3D printing is the holy grail of the DIY hobbyist. I've been tracking different attempts at solutions, fusing metal powder and/or sintering seemed to be the only solutions (albeit super expensive/impractical for home use). If this can prove to make useable metal parts, with low difficulty/cost of entry on the setup, then this may be THE home solution for metal printing.
NOT A METAL 3D-Printer AT ALL! Not particularly useful or well made either. Frankly everything this guy says is idiotic.
my actual electro-plating machine for bike parts cost around $500, he has made a 3d printer that electroplates and compared it with electro-fab / laser hardware that for sure costs 100s of K. This doesnt stack up, and, EP is very slow and requires constant refresh of the electrolite AND power. Imagine a machine that can make a diamond by laying down 7 trillion back and forwards with a pencil. Ironically, he has taken the very slow FDM printer and used it for something slower, electroplating. It's the 70k comments around us here that all think this is edison level genius. it's not, if it was, it would have been done in secret, under patent application, and, he would be the dutch elon musk. Do we now think if modern day manufacture could solve all it's problems with this, freely available youtube method, that the worlds factories, which we know run on getting the best quality for the best price woulndt have copied it. His 3d printed engine a few years ago was good, until he turned it into a battle between his model and 3dbenchy, infering that the industry standard of using the 3dbenchy model to check out a new printer or filament was no longer fit for purpose and his, more clever model, was the new way. When you do somehing clever and follow it with by deriding (clips of 3d benchy being stalked by his 3d printed engine with horror music) a loved and well used artifact out there you make someone write this a few years later. Now you're selling snake oil and pretending you can print metal for 100 bucks, it's not possible. The trick with being smart is not beng an ....
Finally, youtube starts recommending me useful 3d printing videos, not just desktop trinkets. Thank you, keep up the good work. I believe you're on the right road with these projects.
man changing tool by bumping it on the top of the printer is a super cool idea
Great video :)
Let's be honest here. Your ideas of grandeur are the farthest thing from what anyone with a 3d printer shares. The process you've created here is amazing. Your videos are overdone with explanations and opinions.
Speak for yourself. I'm trying to build a car with a desktop 3D printer.
These ideas are so genius and I love your concept about “Robots building Robots” to fully make ourselves free to be creative as we so please. Keep this work up, they are an inspiration to myself and many in the IEEE club at Uni.
So you're not actually printing metal, you're metal coating prints?
Worse, he's electroplating prints after setting the expectation for real metal printing by comparing it to $500,000 machines.
@@smorrow disgraceful 🤔
@@smorrow my actual electro-plating machine for bike parts cost around $500, he has made a 3d printer that electroplates and compared it with electro-fab / laser hardware that for sure costs 100s of K. This doesnt stack up, and, EP is very slow and requires constant refresh of the electrolite AND power. Imagine a machine that can make a diamond by laying down 7 trillion back and forwards with a pencil. Ironically, he has taken the very slow FDM printer and used it for something slower, electroplating. It's the 70k comments around us here that all think this is edison level genius. it's not, if it was, it would have been done in secret, under patent application, and, he would be the dutch elon musk. Do we now think if modern day manufacture could solve all it's problems with this, freely available youtube method, that the worlds factories, which we know run on getting the best quality for the best price woulndt have copied it. His 3d printed engine a few years ago was good, until he turned it into a battle between his model and 3dbenchy, infering that the industry standard of using the 3dbenchy model to check out a new printer or filament was no longer fit for purpose and his, more clever model, was the new way. When you do somehing clever and follow it with by deriding (clips of 3d benchy being stalked by his 3d printed engine with horror music) a loved and well used artifact out there you make someone write this a few years later. Now you're selling snake oil and pretending you can print metal for 100 bucks, it's not possible. The trick with being smart is not beng an ....
I have build one similar to that about a year ago. But really like your solution as well. Though, my problems were the dendrite growth and current densities. I mean, the problems which were not allowing to start printing any large details. Idea of printers being able to print themselves is indeed cool. I've been thinking of this for a while. Btw, I think I found a solution for both of these problems, currently working on it
As soon as you went into how it works I knew this was some genius level engineering. Well done.
I love your work around for the pump. However, if you feel the need to go back to a single pump with the silicone tube, you can do that. I recently saw an ad for silicone filament for 3d printers. Might be worth checking out.
The pump design has got to be my favorite part of this all. This man is a genius.
Ah, this is amazing. I have tinkered with the idea of doing this the other way around in the past - I wanted to create a CNC machine that moves an electrode to remove material from a metal piece via ECM, but I never got it to work properly (mainly because I wasn't capable of inventing a method of effectively removing the corroded parts from the work piece). It never occurred to me that you can also do the very same thing bottom-up instead of top-down!
You could use 2 pipes one next to the other or one inside the other to make the fluid circulate continuously. The 2 wont erode at the same rate so reversing the flow now and then would be necessary.
With good calibration, it might be possible to add a wick to get crazy good accuracy
From an engineering student interested in additive manufacturing and electroplating, this video really blew my mind. I worked on a 3d printed peristolic pump before and I never even thought to print the whole thing. That alone is truly incredible. I can't wait to see future videos especially with funny tomato man. +1 subscriber for you!!
Omg I was thinking about ionic fans on a printer just yesterday. Amazing work, this is really inspriing.
Have you thought about recycling failed prints? That whole self replication thing would probably be a lot easier if you could afford to fail prints and try again with the same filament.
Maybe a centrifuge or magnet to pull the copper out of the plastic?
With your setup, would it be possible to print an induction coil on the bed, and use that to pick up current from a primary coil mounted on the underside of the bed? I guess the secondary coil could just be part of the print to avoid support and rafts?
I mean, would the conductive filament be able to work as a coil?
Always enjoy those insights on solving a problem by sidestepping the initial problem:
don't immerse a part in water immerse water on the part.
Like like a movie like jurassic park getting dna no from dinosarus bones but from mosquitos , or how to measure a particles position without changing it's speed you don't measure it directly but measure the things around it that are already interacting with it.
sunshine always delivers. my favorite engineer by far. you are a genius man.
That earned my subscription because this is awesome
Absolutely brilliant! The pump is amazing, especially the idea of stacking two modules. As you want to avoid non-printable parts, how about a printed extrusion module which could make (endless) lines, belts, tubes, hoses etc.?
There are kids paint brushes which are squeezed to shift paint from inside the handle onto the brush (squeeze and brush). Taking that principle, you could replace the copper tube with a a copper fibre brush that is fed through a tube that gets wetted by the electrolyte solution to reduce the bubble of solution needed. As the brush gets eroded by the process you feed more down, it'll also be more compliant and mechanically forgiving on the part being plated. The challenge would instead be to prevent drips.
this is literally the coolest thing i've seen. great work man.
Try sanding the metal build plate with a low grit sandpaper, helps when bonding so maybe as well for adhesion in your case
So Awesome my friend. I am a PhD chemical engineer and I think this thing is great!! I have to build one.
I used to print on a garolite sheet with copper coating, born for pcb manufacturing. I saw the tip from another channel and it worked fine with proper bed heating, it should offer both adhesion and plenty of conductivity.
awesome invention 🤩🤩 , but how did metal stack on one over another in a 3D geometry ?? any TimeLapse ?? plz make more videos on this kind of topics🙏
plz make a full tutorial on diy-metal-3d-printer and diy-pcb-3dPrinter
DUDE!! This is the stuff that wakes me up in the morning! I cannot wait to see how the community takes this idea and develops it!!
There is SO much creativity and engineering skills on display here. I thought I knew 3d printing, but then ideas like this make me feel limited by my own brain again, haha. Out of the box thinking, bravo!!
This is truly innovative! But the thing I like the most is the cost barrier being so low, no $20K printer or 7kg of carbon fibre or cnc milled parts , just intelligence, persistence and effort! Absolutely stunning
With the summoning salt music this guy is on his way to do a Von Neumann Probes any% run
Just found your channel through this video. Just wow, I am so pumped to watch more of your content! I dont have space for a 3D printer at the moment, you can bet I’ll be in the first round of buyers if you make a consumer version of this!
When I first heard of the self-replicating printer I thought the idea of fully printing a 3d printer with all metal parts is completely crazy. But I'm very impressed by the iterations. This could actually work
The most amazing engineering I've seen. Every upload is Christmas.
Love the Klilsphilip soundtrack in the background. I love the idea and honestly, not having to sell your own house to electroplate your stuff is a huge W
Folks, just apply a thin layer of sugar water with a scotch-bright sponge until the build plate looks dull or cloudy for adhesion to the build plate.
I use sugar water all of the time to print ASA or ABS filament onto my Ender 3 Pro build plate. I just preheat the build plate to 70°C and apply the sugar water evenly, which creates a thin, sticky layer on top of the build plate. When ready to print ASA filament the built plate preset temperature should be 90°C to 110°C. NO 3D PRINTER ENCLOSURE NEEDED
....Use one tablespoon of sugar then add two tablespoons of water into a cup then pour a few drops onto the build plate preheated at 70°C then apply evenly on top of the area of the build plate where you plan to print... Trust me, it will stick no problem.
The funny thing is, with the application of sugar water on the build plate prior to printing, I do not have to enclose my printer because the ASA filament sticks like glue despite changes in temperature within my home, even with AC on.
Once I am done with the print, I just use a wet rag to wipe off the sugar residue from the build plate until it's all clean. It's funny how something we readily use in our daily lives at home can solve a common problem. Save your money with "NO NEED FOR AQUA NET" or any adhesion products.