It seems additive layer manufacturing comes in laser to metal format,if so, acquring just one of these machines (although I realize at a ridiculously high price) covers all the functionalities of many variations of CNC machines. (like mills, lathes, routers etc, of which I assume there are limitations on angular production)Will this not cut the learning curve and rapid prototyping time significantly?Or is there limitations in these type of rapid prototyping machines as well do you think?I just think, learning and using many different machines these days on manufacturing is quickly becoming obsolete. What do you think? Is CNC still a must?
3D printing is a great technology getting better all the time. While the 3D printer can make all of those shapes within a certain precision (they lay down thin sheets of plastic on top of each other) there are many limitations of the process, such as size, materials, precision, and manufacturing throughput that make it not the best choice in all cases. I designed a part recently out of aluminum that thermally connected a tank to a cold plate heat exchanger. It was made on a CNC mill and could not have been made with 3D printing. Because of the size of it, even if there was a material available, 3D printing would likely have been at least 10X more expensive than CNC milling was. More processes gives engineers more design freedom to come up with better stuff.
CNC is still needed for some things. If I need a part that must be made of very hard and strong alloy tool steel then you cannot make one on the 3D printer. However there are many parts that can be made on the printer instead of a CNC mill.
