A Cheap and Intriguing Way to 3D Print Metal

The first person to develop a viable and affordable metal 3D printing process will become very rich, because that is something that everyone wants. Many people have tried using a variety of different techniques, but nothing ever seems to pan out. The latest of those “big if true” developments is this method for 3D printing metal via friction welding.

Friction welding is a process for joining two pieces of material by pushing them together and moving them to create immense heat through friction. Because it doesn’t require filler or electric current, it can be more desirable than traditional welding methods in some scenarios. In this case, the benefit is the potential for low-cost metal 3D printing.

It works by spinning a wheel very close to the printer’s bed. Metal wire then feeds into the tiny gap between the wheel and the bed, which is too narrow for the wire to fit through. The wire jams up in that space and the spinning wheel creates a ton of friction, welding the wire to the material beneath. Repeat that process on the next layer up and it will, in theory, weld onto itself and build up a 3D part.

This is very affordable and can be done on a modified Creality Ender 3. The wire-feed mechanism works a lot like the extruders that 3D printers already use and the many different motors are suitable for spinning the friction wheel. Here, that wheel is a simple slitting saw.

But while the initial demonstrations and testing do show some promise, this “Rotoforge” concept isn’t anywhere close to being ready for consumers or even dedicated enthusiasts. It can kind of build up layers of metal, but not with enough accuracy to create any kind of recognizable shape.

Still, it is great to see people trying new ideas and I’m interested in watching the concept progress.