Body / Glass: 3 D printing

[mmagic]

A Board member suggested he needed the trim piece at the base of a Speedster Halo and mentioned the idea of 3-D printing.

My pieces are off the car and I found an on line, no cost 3-D scan program so I gave it a try. I set the part on a turn table, rotated it and took 20 shots from one angle another 20 from another angle.
1) The instructions said no shiny but I ignored it and the image was a blob.
2) Sprayed the part with satin black and did second try and it kind of worked. I just couldn't edit the background from the part.
3) Third try I used a green screen background and got the blog again.

I'll keep trying. Once I succeed in capturing the 3-D image, I'll price production on various materials to see if it is reasonable on a base that may be chromed.

[hausdok]

How big is it?

Got 20 folks in your chapter? Get each to pony up $80 and your chapter can go down to Radio Shack and purchase your own 3D printer for $1599.99 to duplicate small hard-to-find parts.

http://www.radioshack.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=23414706&sr=1&origkw=3D%20Printer

Make your own pieces or patterns and then take those to a casting fabricator or plater.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/29/3d-printer-guide/

http://www.3dsystems.com/3d-printers/professional/projet-3500-cpx

http://www.3dsystems.com/3d-printers/professional/overview

[plum55]

I have since found the transition pieces but I think the whole idea is worth pursuing. Surely there are countless small hard to find parts that could be made this way on a small or even individual order basis if someone mastered the process. And who better than Merlin the Magician!!!!

[mmagic]

Thanks for the confidence.. At the moment the process is intriguing but making it work is escaping me. Back to the campaign and the Speedster.

[52 Ragtop]

We stopped in the "Microsoft Store" i Indianapolis last week, (didn't know they existed) <G> They have a 3-D printer set upon display, IF one had the proper program, I wonder if a Microsoft store, would do that? They guy showed me a part about as big as a controller for a play station, said the cost was about .25 cents.

Jim

[Corley]

Looks like Frys has a 3D printer for $799... http://www.frys.com/product/7725148?...Fc5hfgod9mkAOA

[nvonada]

At work we prototype parts on a 3D printer and one of my co-workers actually purchased one. They can be a huge time and money saver but don't expect miracles. The 3d model not only has to be the right shape but you have to get it oriented so the printer can actually build it. Nothing like having your part tip over halfway through. The parts are usually ABS plastic (other materials are available but the selection varies by printer) so they are rigid but somewhat brittle. Finally for low-cost 3d printers the surface finish is usually pretty rough. You can clearly see the layers of material. If you need a part smooth or a perfect shape you have to make it a little over-size and sand it down. Still for many prototypes we get the parts turned around in less than 2 days. For a metal fabrication shop we have to allow 2-4 weeks. So if you can live with the limitations it is worth it.

This technology reminds me of the old dot-matrix printers. They work but are not ideal. But in a few years watch out!

Nathan

[TXmark]

there are plenty of production parts already being printed, but I'm sure the printers cost more than $799

[hausdok]

Yeah,

The $799 printer has severe limitations but for a few thousand one can purchase a wax pattern printer that builds a perfect wax pattern that can be used for casting. In 1973 I worked for a foundry for a few months and I used to marvel at the intricate patterns their shop of pattern makers produced. The thing is it could take weeks for them to produce on intricate pattern out of wood and a wax casting can be created with one of these printers in an hour. How cool is that?

[Ed Gray]

Is there some respected book, magazine, or website that would be a good place to study up on 3D printing? Is there a commonly used operating environment where 'plug-in' programs could be used? It seems like there are many competing programs and printers. I don't live and work in Silicon Valley anymore, so I can't run down to Fry's and search though their materials and parts bins, and at their great prices.

I would be interested in programs that would run in a Microsoft operating system environment. The application would be duplicating parts that don't have to take heavy loads, but need to look great, such as door handles, knobs, etc.

[Jeff T.]

Take a look at Make magazine's website. They have a number of articles on 3d printers and I believe they print a guide to 3d printers

http://makezine.com/

They even have links showing how to build machine tools using scrap items

Jeff T.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Plastic schmastic....
I'm going right to titanium...

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/techtransfer/technology/MSC-23518-1_EBF3_prt.htm

[Ed Gray]

I saw the info on Make. There are also articles on Jay Leno's approach, which cost nearly $20,000. There are some UPS stores that are experimenting with printers that are probably better than most hobbyists would have. It looks to me like $3000 is about the cheapest to get into this (OK scanner and printer), but there are many incompatible standards. It seems like we are in an era almost ready to get the cost down, and common industry standards written such that this will get practical for the rest of us, but we aren't there yet.

[Ed Gray]

I don't think most of the printers would work very long in anything but a 'clean room' environment, which leaves out my garage and basement (and maybe even my home office as we have pet dogs). I feel that the MakerBot products look like real products, as opposed to something from a grad school lab, but I don't think their software is open standard. If I'm in New York sometime, I'll stop by one of their stores, but I would prefer something that runs under Windows.

In any early adopter environment, as a customer, rather than an investor, you have to be careful that the actual business plan isn't getting rich from an IPO rather than starting up and running a company that will have legs and be there down the road.

[curtis t]

I was in a big car show in sacramento ca last weekend & talked to a guy at the stude section I'm looking for the sphere thingy that goes in the top chrome piece that goes on the front fenders on my 55 pres 4 dr sedan don't know if its glass or plastic He said tap plastics can make one. for me that's the way to go. I,ll find out today