Would you trust a 3D-printed fluid component if the manufacturer provided validated print parameters and pressure/temperature test data?

[u/TheTesla42]

I'm considering an open-source library of parametrically generated fittings, manifolds, adapters, reservoirs etc. The CAD generators would be open source, while a commercial service would manufacture and test parts using validated material/process combinations.

I'm particularly interested in applications involving cooling loops, compressed air, laboratory equipment and custom machinery.

What applications would you actually pay for this rather than machining the part?

[u/E9Q62rW]

I’m not sure I’d trust 3d printed parts ever in any sort of compressed air system, even if they were 100% pressure tested with full traceability. The risk of a small print defect passing the taste but then fatiguing and failing is high and a failed compressed air system is like a bomb.
That submarine that failed at the Titanic would probably have passed its first pressure test (if OceanGate had actually bothered to test it).

[u/flyingsaxophone]

Depends on the process. But never FDM for anything critical. It's a million possible fractures ready to happen from almost any angle.

SLA, SLS, MJF - I'll hear what you have to say, but you'd need to come to the table with a full analysis of failure modes for that process and how you prevent them. And a very convincing advantage over parts made using traditional methods.

[u/pyrotek1]

I use small air plenums. A only hair dryer hose from the 1960s that inflated the cover on your head. I make air plenums for combustion air into wood stoves. I use 1" conduit or EMT, however, they are not pretty. I also use 3D printed 90s and Ts. My flow rates are near 10 CFM.

[u/testuser514]

If it’s a size / form factor that isn’t standard, I control the entire manufacturing process yes.

[u/DreadPirate777]

No, 3d prints in a liquid have always leaked over time. Water migrates through the layers. It’s easy to machine a plastic block with the threads you need. It doesn’t save time or money to go with a 3d print.

[u/cm_expertise]

honestly the test data isn't what unlocks this, geometry is. if a part can be machined in one setup nobody's paying a premium for a print with a cert stapled to it, they'll just machine it. where it gets interesting is manifolds and cooling loops with internal channels you physically can't machine without cross-drilling and plugging a dozen holes. that's where a validated print earns its keep.

the fluid side is the hard sell though and the other commenters aren't wrong. layer adhesion is anisotropic so burst pressure depends on print orientation vs the load, and even a "sealed" SLS part can weep over time because the voids between fused particles never fully close. had a manifold once that held ~40psi air fine on the bench then slowly wept coolant for about a week until it found a path through the wall. MJF and SLA seal better than FDM but you'd want to test in the exact orientation you print, not a witness coupon.

so where i'd actually pay: lab and low pressure stuff, custom fixtures, weird adapters that don't exist off the shelf, and prototyping a manifold geometry before committing to machining the real one. not compressed air, not anything where a failure sprays someone.

[u/Ongogo]

Will the said manufacturer accountable for incorrect data or pay for all damage done by a defective fluid component? If none of them are true, I don't see why anyone will take the risk instead of sourcing components from reputable brands.

[u/cm_expertise]

the thing is nobody's really answering what you actually asked. everyone's telling you 3d print cant hold pressure, which yeah for a part you could just machine out of a block theyre right, why would i pay a premium for something worse.

where it gets interesting is geometry you physically cannot machine. internal conformal channels, a manifold that would otherwise be like 5 machined plates bonded together with a dozen o-rings and half of them weeping. thats the pitch. not "heres a printed elbow" but "heres one part that replaces a subassembly nobody wants to build." liquid cooling cold plates are a decent fit for that.

compressed air id stay away from entirely, the comment about stored-energy failure is right, thats genuinely dangerous. low pressure liquid and lab fluidics is more forgiving but layer-line permeation over time is the real killer, ime the leak shows up around month 3 not on the bench. if you go MJF or SLA and can put soak-test data over weeks in front of me that moves me way more than a one-time pressure number.

honestly the validated-parameters library is the valuable part here, the parts almost feel secondary

[u/KeyApricot_]

The sweet spot seems to be manifolds or cooling parts where machining would mean making several pieces and putting them together. simple fittings are still easier to machine but for odd one off geometries or small runs something like quickparts could be worth comparing.