G
Guest
Guest
Has anyone looked into having plastic parts "remade" with the 3D printing technology?
-
Required reading for all forum users!!!
Welcome!
Register to access the full functionality of the GSResources forum. Until you register and activate your account you will not have full forum access, nor will you be able to post or reply to messages.A note to new registrants...
All new forum registrations must be activated via email before you have full access to the forum.A Special Note about Email accounts!
DO NOT SIGN UP USING hotmail, outlook, gmx, sbcglobal, att, bellsouth or email.com. They delete our forum signup emails.A note to old forum members...
I receive numerous requests from people who can no longer log in because their accounts were deleted. As mentioned in the forum FAQ, user accounts are deleted if you haven't logged in for the past 6 months. If you can't log in, then create a new forum account. If you don't get an error message, then check your email account for an activation message. If you get a message stating that the email address is already in use, then your account still exists so follow the instructions in the forum FAQ for resetting your password.Have you forgotten your password or have a new email address? Then read the forum FAQ for details on how to reset it.
Any email requests for "can't log in anymore" problems or "lost my password" problems will be deleted. Read the forum FAQ and follow the instructions there - that's what we have one for...
-
Returning Visitors
If you are a returning visitor who never received your confirmation email, then odds are your email provider is blockinig emails from our server. The only thing that can be done to get around this is you will have to try creating another forum account using an email address from another domain.
If you are a returning visitor to the forum and can't log in using your old forum name and password but used to be able to then chances are your account is deleted. Purges of the databases are done regularly. You will have to create a new forum account and you should be all set.
Stratasys is right in my back yard.
http://www.stratasys.com/
If I could stop wasting
my time on GSRs I have a seat waiting for me at solid works school. I could then draw my broken side panels and have them printed 
.
http://www.stratasys.com/
If I could stop wasting
my time on GSRs I have a seat waiting for me at solid works school. I could then draw my broken side panels and have them printed .
Dogma
Forum Sage
It would be awfully expensive, unless you happen to have access to the equipment to do it yourself. First, you'd need an accurate scan of the part. Then you'd need access to a machine large enough to make it. Not cheap. Next up is the material. Machines that are going to work in ABS (or any other plastic tough enough) will produce a finish that isn't good enough to paint. So you'll need to do some finishing work.
DIY on hobby grade machinery (RepRap) will require designing and building a machine yourself. My Prusa Mendel might be big enough to do one of the smaller side covers, but there will be serious warping because I don't have a heated chamber to allow the part to cool all at once. The printed part won't be quite as strong as the injection molded part either.
If you have access to a 3 axis CNC mill, you could make molds from a scan and build your own injection molding rig. That might get you there faster and cheaper. A service like ProtoMold could do the whole molded part from a model, but that would be thousands again. You'd need a couple dozen people after the same part to make that worthwhile.
Cheapest might be having a service bureau print something from a scanned model, but that's still going to run into hundreds of dollars, and you'll have a lot of finishing work to do still.
I recommend saving a search on eBay so you get an email when relevant parts come available. Sometimes NOS turns up, or a good or good enough used part. 3D printing just worn't beat it yet. Not for cost, anyway.
Within the next couple years I intend to build a printer capable of doing such parts. Reproductions and custom variants sounds like fun. There's never enough time to get around to it though.
DIY on hobby grade machinery (RepRap) will require designing and building a machine yourself. My Prusa Mendel might be big enough to do one of the smaller side covers, but there will be serious warping because I don't have a heated chamber to allow the part to cool all at once. The printed part won't be quite as strong as the injection molded part either.
If you have access to a 3 axis CNC mill, you could make molds from a scan and build your own injection molding rig. That might get you there faster and cheaper. A service like ProtoMold could do the whole molded part from a model, but that would be thousands again. You'd need a couple dozen people after the same part to make that worthwhile.
Cheapest might be having a service bureau print something from a scanned model, but that's still going to run into hundreds of dollars, and you'll have a lot of finishing work to do still.
I recommend saving a search on eBay so you get an email when relevant parts come available. Sometimes NOS turns up, or a good or good enough used part. 3D printing just worn't beat it yet. Not for cost, anyway.
Within the next couple years I intend to build a printer capable of doing such parts. Reproductions and custom variants sounds like fun. There's never enough time to get around to it though.
Last edited:
G
Guest
Guest
Appreciate the input. I knew a little about it but your description filled in a lot of the blanks
S
SqDancerLynn1
Guest
It will happen some day.. After all they made a gun with one. It didn't last !
W
wkmpt
Guest
I think the 3d printing idea is really cool, I think that the tech is almost to the point that it can reach people's dreams/expectations.
In regards to side covers, if one has access to a 3 axis CNC, why not be done with the plastic all together and make some side covers out of aluminum or similar? Much more durable than the originals, I'd think...
In regards to side covers, if one has access to a 3 axis CNC, why not be done with the plastic all together and make some side covers out of aluminum or similar? Much more durable than the originals, I'd think...
Dogma
Forum Sage
I think metal side covers are too likely to keep a dent. I was thinking about this, and with access to a 3 axis mill, you could make molds for a very tough poured polyurethane part. Or, if you can borrow (or piece together) a good original, pour master molds for making several PU copies. Alter the molds a bit to make reinforcements in weak areas.
You could do it much easier with some casting resin and a vac former. There is not a lot of detail in a side cover so a ABS vac formed part would look very original. Tabs could be made and glued on.
N
nikosg
Guest
Guys. There are easier ways to do things.
For short batch runs you can just make a soft mold - using silicone and your "part" whether it be 3d printed or not. Hell, you could make it out of bronze in the end if you wanted to. But there are no issues casting plastic or metals into a soft mold.
CNCing side covers is just a ridiculous waste of materials.
There are plenty of ways that 3D printing can enable you to make good parts, you just need to know a bit about other industrial/model making processes in order to capitalise.
Plenty of people make soft molds and "pour" there plastic - which results in a much stronger part than a 3d printer can produce.
For short batch runs you can just make a soft mold - using silicone and your "part" whether it be 3d printed or not. Hell, you could make it out of bronze in the end if you wanted to. But there are no issues casting plastic or metals into a soft mold.
CNCing side covers is just a ridiculous waste of materials.
There are plenty of ways that 3D printing can enable you to make good parts, you just need to know a bit about other industrial/model making processes in order to capitalise.
Plenty of people make soft molds and "pour" there plastic - which results in a much stronger part than a 3d printer can produce.
J
Joe Garfield
Guest
The technology is there, it's just not widespread yet. There are little (plastic) 3D printers used to make parts in the field for defense vehicles/equipment. I was asking someone at work about when they thought we would have plastic printers with fiber inlays - which I found out people are already experimenting with. You won't likely see that next to a home computer for a little while, but the technology is growing quickly.
