DMG MORI has succeeded in building one of the most amazing rapid prototyping machines that any maker will have the pleasure of admiring. This machine is effectively a 3D metal-printer with a built in automatic 5-axis CNC lathe/milling machine.
Shown here in concept drawings, the slick looking industrial machine efficiently houses everything you need to make your polished metal part in a single session.
The first process in building this part is building it up using a powerful laser and a metal substrate:
Notice that when the laser has finished bonding the metal the resulting finish is rough and imperfect almost appearing like a casting.
Once a section of metal layers is completed, the laser print head is automatically put to the side and the subtractive CNC mill is activated.
Any holes and drilled/tapped and rough surfaces are cleaned up to a polish.
The finalized part shown here is nothing short of a miracle.
While this industrial machine is going to be cost prohibitive for the average maker at home, hopefully it’s a sign that the technology is here and is only a matter of time until it shows up in the consumer market or DIY solutions become available as high powered lasers become cheaper.
We hope you have as much fun we did watching this part materialize in the video below!
