We all do crazy things for a better deal on good equipment. While that usually refers to bargain bin hunting and discount vouchers, a 25 year old Indian engineer has taken it up a notch. Research engineer Jaspreet Singh made his very own 3D printer, building complex parts in the CT University workshop. The resulting printer could sell for under $450, while similar machines cost roughly $6,000 in India.
What’s most surprising is that the printer is an industrial class precision machine. It uses FDM and operates with CAD software as one would expect. By all means, the printer serves every basic function one would need while being cheaper and incredibly precise. So far, Sing has used it to make phone covers, mugs and toys but he has larger ambitions for it.
“3D printers have numerous applications in industrial , medical, architecture and a number of other domains. It is environment-friendly and leads to safe manufacturing process.” He further added, “In the field of medicine, this economical printer can be used for creating prosthetic limbs and customized casts for bone fracture and joint replacement parts.” Singh said.
Creating an Industrial Printer
Singh built the printer using materials and parts from the University. This included linear bearings, linear slides and other smaller components. The printer can process a surprising amount of materials aside from just PLA and ABS. It can also process PC, Wood filament, Bronze composite, Copper composites, Iron composites and wax.
“In collaboration with doctors we are researching to develop a 3D printer capable of printing living body organs. We have printers with print capability of 300mm x 300mm x300mm and resolution of upto 10 micron layer (height).” Singh added.
CT University, as one can imagine, is very proud to have these new programs on board. Their Research and Innovation Centre for Excellence (RICE) even provides incubation services for start-ups. Asian countries, especially India and China, often compete in the sciences by offering science systems at economical rates.
Featured image retrieved from CT Group Website.
