Members learn about 3D printing possibilities
Supplied by Matt Hampel
May 26 2024
Carl Hampel (left) and Stuart Ratsch (right) with Stuart’s model aeroplane.
On Wednesday night the 1st of May members met at the Ebenezer Community Centre for our monthly meeting.
Mr Stuart Ratsch from YourTech Services in Tanunda generously gave of his time to be our guest speaker.
Stuart shared his wealth of knowledge about 3D printers, of which he and his team sell three different brands and in a variety of different models. These printers are commonplace in schools and are used to demonstrate the potential of 3D printing.
Of great interest was the topic of printing out of production car parts like car dashes, centre consoles and the like.
Stuart said that in the not to distant future that one could access a ‘spare parts’ website, pay for an out of production tractor part cad-design file and have its 3D printed out of stainless-steel powder.
Stuart also shared one of his great passions…Radio controlled planes! As Stuart is the president or the Barossa’s Model aeroplane club, he spoke in great depth and experience of the club and the different types of plane from a small single cylinder combustion engine up to exact replicas of commercially available aircraft costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Stuart brought along one out of his many radio-controlled jets. measuring approx. 2.5m long and 2m wide with a flying speed of 300kph, some even reaching 600kph!
Firmly attached to a steel plate, along with the Engine control unit and associated control gear, Stuart fired up a test jet engine outside in the yard…. which was truly amazing! So much noise and power from such a small little engine.
A vote of thanks was given by Committee member Carl Hampel.
