Thread: 3d printing.
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Old 09-24-13 | 02:14 PM
  #43  
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rpenmanparker
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Originally Posted by banerjek
We should be using 3D printing for everything. Need a new tire or tube? Just print one. New chain or cables? Ditto. Want a cassette made from a single piece but are too cheap to buy Red? No problemo. About to go on a ride and discovered you're out of gel? Just print a few packets (the printed ones would probably taste better too). And what better way to upgrade your shifters than to just print the ones you want?

Just imagine the possibilities...
Actually I agree with you, but of all the silly things you mentioned, the one-piece "Red" cassette has some potential. Metal printing is done (one way) by laying down a layer of the metal dust and then "printing on it with a laser to fuse the dust. Then the next thin layer of dust is laid down and so on. Cassettes aren't critical parts regarding safety, and they don't require a tremendous amount of strength, just lots of abrasion resistance. A printed cassette could work, at least for a little while. I will say this: it wouldn't surprise me to learn that SRAM printed steel prototypes of the Power Dome cassette to see how it looked and worked before actually cutting any. Brilliant idea!
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