3D printing SLM (Metal) SS316L?

[bestvaping]

I ask myself whether this material would be usable in the vaporizer manufacturing? Much cheaper than machining at the CNC, But I don't know if that is clean? Does anyone have experience here in 3D metal printing?

https://3d.jlcpcb.com/help/article/202-316L-Stainless-Steel

 

[Radwin Bodnic]

As long as it's only printing 316L stainless steel with zero additive it should be fine.
Although some people would prefer 304L.

This printer have to run pretty hot to process 316L SS...

 

[Axel_420]

The MAKO cooling stem for Dynavap made by PHASE3 is 3D metal printed. I haven't tried it yet.

PHASE3 MAKO Cooling Stem for Dynavap

Howdy FC friends and family! Introducing MAKO, the new budget friendly cooling stem by PHASE3! Designed to accommodate your favorite Dynavap tips, and with zero moving parts or instruction manuals necessary, MAKO features a plurality of internal cooling fins to produce an extremely high surface...

fuckcombustion.com

 

[Delta3DStudios]

So there are multiple different metal 3D printing technolgies on the market.

The SLM 3D printer you linked to uses a high powered beam to melt the material. It is an insanely precise machine and capable of printing surgical grade stainless steel as well as titanium. HOWEVER the machine is insanely expensive to operate. The cost per item is crazy. Back about nine years ago I was quoted roughly $150 to 3D print one of my Scoop-n-pokes on their SLM 3D printer.

Instead I used a different metal 3D printing technology which was much more affordable at the time - that printer used a binding jet to print 420-alloy powdered metal using a binding agent and then annealed in a kiln before buffing off the carbon. Unfortunately manufacturing costs doubled due to Trumps' Steel Tariff (this raw powdered material is only sourced from one supplier in the world for the 3D printing manufacturer). The costs doubled yet again in the summer of 2022 due to inflation. Additionally, 420-alloy while heat-safe and safe to handle, is not what I'd personally use in the vapor path. So by this point the material is no longer cost-effective for any of my manufacturing needs.

Recently I have also begun experimenting with a new alternative 3D printer using a medical grade 316L stainless steel (the same printer used by PHASE3). I've designed a TinyMight FinTwist mouthpiece, a 55mm TinyMight Cooling Stem, and a 14mm E-Nano WPA. The material has a matte finish, but the print quality is superb and still relatively affordable.

I'd absolutely LOVE to design some of my own vaporizers (both electric and butane powered), however I can't/wont due to liability and legal reasons. So instead I'm more interested in mods for existing vaporizers - I myself have considered an alternative design for a Dynavap Cooling Stem which I look forward to introducing to the market in the future but haven't gotten around to designing anything yet.

 

[Farid]

I ask myself whether this material would be usable in the vaporizer manufacturing? Much cheaper than machining at the CNC,

I think this is only true for complex geometry, which may not be possible to make with CNC mfg anyway. Generally printing is a slower process, and the equipment is expensive. The issue with complex geometry for our application is it can be very difficult to clean.

Could be useful for some really intricate heater parts on convection vapes though.

 

[bestvaping]

Thank you for all this information!

I found this while looking for a manufacturer of stainless steel machining, and this seems to me to be an interesting alternative.

Today in China, it doesn't seem as expensive as it used to be, it all depends, of course, on the complexity of the parts to be produced (of course, you'll have to decide whether manufacturing in china is right for you).

I didn't know your site at all @Delta3DStudios wow ... it's great what you're doing!

In fact I'd also like to create some accessories for existing vaporizers, I'm still working on a mod to isolate the SSSV air path and I need stainless steel parts but I can't find an affordable manufacturer (for very few parts, at least for R&D). Costs are too high for me in CNC machining, or I haven't yet found the right manufacturer.

I'm also working on mods for sticky bricks and other interesting things. But as i have no experience with woodworking or CNC machining, i'm also looking for a manufacturer .. since I'm in Europe, I think I'd ask Dynabox, Retrosteam or Dreamwood.

I love designing things on CAO computers, but I have no experience in manual manufacturing.

We look forward to the widespread deployment of this technology, so it's really interesting!

 

[Delta3DStudios]

Thank you for all this information!

I found this while looking for a manufacturer of stainless steel machining, and this seems to me to be an interesting alternative.

Today in China, it doesn't seem as expensive as it used to be, it all depends, of course, on the complexity of the parts to be produced (of course, you'll have to decide whether manufacturing in china is right for you).

I didn't know your site at all @Delta3DStudios wow ... it's great what you're doing!

In fact I'd also like to create some accessories for existing vaporizers, I'm still working on a mod to isolate the SSSV air path and I need stainless steel parts but I can't find an affordable manufacturer (for very few parts, at least for R&D). Costs are too high for me in CNC machining, or I haven't yet found the right manufacturer.

I'm also working on mods for sticky bricks and other interesting things. But as i have no experience with woodworking or CNC machining, i'm also looking for a manufacturer .. since I'm in Europe, I think I'd ask Dynabox, Retrosteam or Dreamwood.

I love designing things on CAO computers, but I have no experience in manual manufacturing.

We look forward to the widespread deployment of this technology, so it's really interesting!

Lol yeah, I focus on manufacturing everything I design inside America. I have partnered with various metal 3D printing and machining companies. One of my machine shop partners uses a CNC lathe to make gunsmith parts (plus something for a new Jacuzzi filter cleaning powertool attachment I recently released under my new Home & Office brand). And I have an old school machine shop (still does everything by hand) that works in the aerospace and space industry (the old machine shop guy was showing me parts he was modifying for BlueOrigin and Boeing for their space programs).

These days you can design anything you want, the question is how much do you want to pay to manufacture it. Hell I've even 3D printed custom scoop-n-tamp tools made out of pure gold (not gold plated like I sell on the site).

Really you can make anything out of pretty much any material (except borosilicate glass currently). A few years ago, Adam Savage (from Mythbusters fame) even worked with a university to 3D print a full size iron-man body suit out of TITANIUM!! The whole suit was literally bulletproof and light enough to wear. Of course I don't want to imagine the cost to print one for personal use haha - it'd probably be cheaper to just by your own titanium 3D printer at that point.

Thanks for checking out the site! Purely a labor of love over the past decade - I used to spend a lot more time on FC, but D3DS kept me too busy

By all means, feel free to reach out and send me a PM - I've done a lot of manufacturing over the years and can give you some honest feedback on pricing involved depending on volume (from prototypes to mass production)

 

[SixStringToker]

These days you can design anything you want, the question is how much do you want to pay to manufacture it.

That's why I went the route of getting a small metal lathe for my kitchen table. Too dang expensive to prototype parts through a machine shop! I can get away with it since I'm manufacturing for a single customer... ME! But yea, that shit is PRICEY!

 

[Delta3DStudios]

That's why I went the route of getting a small metal lathe for my kitchen table. Too dang expensive to prototype parts through a machine shop! I can get away with it since I'm manufacturing for a single customer... ME! But yea, that shit is PRICEY!

TOTALLY get that hahaha. My goal is to expand my shop so have space for a small mill as well as industrial grade nylon & metal 3D printers to reduce manufacturing costs.

I'm also currently planning to acquire a Shapr Origin which is essentially a handheld CNC router that takes up very little space in the workshop. Then I'll be able to make large scale items out of wood for things like large multi-layered illuminated signs, artistic furniture, etc.

There's a lot of fun technology out there if you have the space (and money) for it!