Metal Makes a New Debut in 3D Printing

 
Last year we published a newsletter about the global revolution that is 3D printing. Although plastic is the most popular material utilized for 3D printing, we saw a trend that metals were growing in use within the 3D printing industry. A report on ThomasNet predicted that metal-based additive technology would be used increasingly for direct manufacture of finished parts and goods, as evidenced by Japanese multinational Mitsubishi’s announcement which introduced the use of a metal 3D printed product. Now, a year later, the 3D printing industry is abuzz after the announcement of a new major development which allows an item to be printed out of conventional filament, and then coated with metal. This comes in the form of the new Copperface kit just debuted by Robot Factory.
The Copperface kit, which was just announced a few weeks ago, allows plastic items to be metalized through a galvanic system. It has the ability to operate with a wide range of metals including copper, nickel, gold, silver, and many others. This technology could be used for a wide variety of applications, ranging from industrial use to jewelry making. The kit, which will be available for purchase sometime in September 2015, will cost approximately $500.
To read more about the Copperface kit, click here to visit the Robot Factory website.
To find out more about the 3D printing process and industry, check out our newsletter – 3D Printing – No Longer Science Fiction