3d printing?

[D2W]

Dave said some of the models will be printed in 3d. I know what 3d printing is, but I would like to know more about it. What is the maximum size a typical 3d printer is capable of? What's the cost? Finally what is the turnaround time once you have the cad model done? I think this is an incredible way to get a realistic scale view of a project.

[Gummy]

Hi Dave,

There are several companies in the 3D printing business that either build 3D printing machines (such as Z-Corp, I think the average cost for these machines are $10,000) or can build your 3D model and ship it to you (i.e. Sculpteo). I believe that 3D printing is the next wave of manufacturing items (check out this youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw), you can print items with functional gears with no need for assembly.

I'm not sure what the specific costs are; however, 3D printing has come such a long way that any individual can purchase a fully-functional 3D printing machine kit, assemble it and start printing from their home computer any 3D model they come up with. How big of a model you want will be dependent on the size of your 3D printer. I think the average printing time is around 4-6 hours depending on the size of the your model. However, there are also many different types of 3D printing (from powder substrate or gel-like substance) available that can be used which will require different printing times.

Hope it helps.

[olpro]

The trouble with 3D printing is the size capability. For larger objects, it is better to go with NC milling, although that can be expensive because of the capital costs of the equipment required. The FFR 1/4 scales that are being "printed" are having to be done in sections and assembled. You can find people to NC mill boat plugs over 50 feet. Both technologies have been around for a while and both require finishing work to get to a usable plug. The best NC milling method uses a foam base, cut to maybe 10mm undersized, followed by a Ren type modeling paste for the final milled surface. The Ren paste is strong and finishes beautifully but is extremely expensive.
Another issue with printing is that the material is fragile, good enough to cast for tooling but not much more.
Of course, FFR has talked about milling the final plugs using scanned data from the 1/4 scale clays. This may not be as cheap or foolproof as they might hope. I suspect the costs will be higher than anticipated and the surfaces from the RISD clays will be marginal when seen full scale.

[kach22i]

I posted this in the Custom body - methods and means thread.


I'm not sure if I've posted this one already, some nice work going on.

carben-model-1-24th-scale-model-3d-computer
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/carben-model-1-24th-scale-model-3d-computer-11969.html

Also just keep clicking "NEXT" on this link (from the thread above), pretty cool.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v724/NeilBlanchard/CarBEN%20EV%20Concept/?action=view¤t=Screenshot2011-08-30at83721AM.png

From that thread.......................................
http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/carben-model-1-24th-scale-model-3d-computer-11969-30.html


You should try going the SketchUp route, maybe? It is free and works with the PhlatPrinter III; which is about $1,300.

Until I clear out my garage (and do some repair work on the doors) I am working on my screen porch. :)

[riptide motorsport]

INteresting stuff, very neat!

[Idesign]

One more issue with 3D printing is the resolution. Most machines layer the material at a given thickness. Very few machines give you a good surface finish and the ones that do at a reasonable cost are restricted to smalller models. You can prime and paint out the surface but this will wash out some finer details. I was quoted over $400 to do a 1:24 scale of one of the better resolution models.

[ScoobySnack818]

Mechanical Engineer and plastic part designer here. At my company we make injection-molded plastic parts of various sizes & shapes, for the agriculture industry. I design parts in Pro/Engineer 3D CAD, write CNC tool paths on our 4-Axis Mill, and cut out contoured shapes from giant hunks of whatever- foam, resin, extruded polymer, you name it. You can get an excellent surface finish with small tools and close-spacing tool paths, but it takes time. We get some parts 3D printed or SLA'd (Stereolithography) as well. The build layers have a tolerance of plus or minus 0.002" but sometimes that is still not enough and it creates a "stepped" apperance and feel on contoured surfaces. In addition the material is rather brittle, and the size of your part is limited by the machine build area, or the "Vat" of liquid that the laser (laser sintering) can burn one layer at time and build up, hence the "chunk" method described earlier.

So all in all, this 1/4" scale modeling (using cheap, enthusiastic student labor- reminds me of my FSAE days), then 3D scanning to get a cad model of the surfaces, then 5-axis milling, then finishing the surface of the plug for making molds is probably the best way to bring these parts to production. What I like about Dave's choice to go with the RISD modeling first, is that you get the "human touch" quotient, and the ability to see a "real" prototype with your own eyes. I attribute it to when I order an SLA of a part to hold it in my hand before commiting to a multi-cavity $100K injection mold tool.

Keep it up FFR!

-JP