[Healeys] Amazing technology

[William Atterbury]

Yes, great technology.  We have one of the FDM (fused deposition modeling)
machines. 

But one wonders, why did they go to all the trouble of laser scanning the part
and creating a plastic rendition when they could have simply used the old part
as a pattern to sand cast the new part?

If they really wanted to show off, they would have fabricated a new part from
the CAD data using an SLS process (selective laser sintering - Wiki it). 
Think of a similar process to FDM, but uses powdered metal that is fused
together in layers using a laser.  Strong enough for gears or tooling, and
certainly much stronger than a cast iron D valve.

Bill Atterbury
'62 BT7

>Message: 12
>Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:48:37 -0500
>From: "John Sims" <ahbn6 at verizon.net>
>Subject: [Healeys] FW: Amazing technology
>To: "'Healey Mail List'" <healeys at autox.team.net>
>Message-ID: <013c01c9937b$13d02b80$3b708280$@net>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>This is absolutely astonishing! The first part is a short commercial but
>watch the whole clip. You will be amazed - especially restorers who can not
>find a good part from the usual suspects.
>
>http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=944641
>
>Thanks to Don Hambrick for forwarding it to me.
>
>John Sims, BN6
>Aberdeen, NJ

>www.healey6.com
>------------------------------