3D Printing 205 Parts

[ALEX 98 1 Cars]

Anyone considered this?

I use Solidworks and Inventor for a living, So the modeling of most parts isn't really a problem for me.

The only reason I haven't modeled anything is the same reason A car mechanic still has that unfished E-type Jag in his garage. I come home from work and the last thing I want to do is more work.

 

I'm looking into getting some stiffening plates for my CTi made as in this topic:

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=145896&hl=

After consdering my options, laser cutting and metal forming, making a mould to make them out of glassfibre (or carbon fibre even). I thought of 3d printing them.

I've never looked into it much, but I've seen clips on You Tube, you can even send off cad files to get things printed at reasonable rates but wondered if it's possible make these?

Anyone seen or used a 3d printer, seems like it could be a solution for most NFP parts from what I've seen.

 

 

 

[dcc 855]

My dad does work for a company called print it 3d. Its amazing what they do!

[gavbrum 18 1 Cars]

Ive used 3d printers at uni. Amazing but pricey. Prints lots of layers of plastic to build up the finished model. My engineering project model was 6inch x 6inch x 4inch and was £65 cost price to make. Would have been well over £100 if the uni were doing out sourcing work. Its only really good for testing prototypes, not for finished metal products. Thats my understanding anyway. Although there may be machines out there that can do more sophisticated stuff. But I'd imagine cost would be the major stumbling block.

 

It would be interesting to hear from anyone on here with any real experience. It's certainly the future.

[ALEX 98 1 Cars]

Just been looking a little more into it.

The Telegraph has an interesting view on it. Looking at the comments bellow, I don't think it's a popular opinion.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/willardfoxton2/100008357/stop-talking-rubbish-about-3d-printing/

 

The plates I need might be tricky and expensive to make.

Could be ideal for small items though.

I might model up a plastic wing mirror spacer I need that clips to inside the cavity of the door.

These are always broken and impossible to find intact now.

Edited January 29, 2013 by ALEX

[johnnyboy666 195 1 Cars]

Not sure what the finnished surface is like with this sort of thing, but I've always invisaged it as a possibility for making moulds for carbon fibre and grp parts, that way the cost of printing would be offset a little easier perhaps.

Or maybe that would defeat the object of the whole exercise?

 

Does the price change much with different finish quality? Just wondering if it might be cheaper to print of a rough part then do the finishing by hand.

[kee 22]

i've spent a lot of time working with 3D printed parts over the last few months. In my case I used a method called Fusion Deposition Modelling or FDM.

they are crap, they are very fragile and the various layers of plastic almost act like a hinge. Surface finish is poor.

 

There are methods of improving the surface finish and strength which I have looked into however by the time i got round to this I had already taken delivery of proper injection moulded parts.

 

They would be ok to use as a tool for making GRP stuff but otherwise wouldn't be very good. Anything load bearing or used in a repetitive mechanism would break in no time. The idea behind it is quick turnaround, no setup costs and a temporary use until proper parts can be used.

 

I used a company called 3D creation labs and they have been very good. If you want to export a .stl file (sterolithography - another form of 3D printing) from inventor then check the unit of measure in the export options, it is automatically set to cm when I expect your inventor will be set to mm, obviously this makes the part you've exporting 10 times smaller

 

any questions on it let me know i'll try answer it. I can probably get some pictures up aswell if required.

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Hi there Kee,

I am looking into replicating the OEM rubber mud flaps. One sub-project is the GTi badge fitted to this item. Made of plastic, coloured raised lettering. Would 3D printing be a viable solution either for the final item or perhaps as a pattern for a production mould.

regards

Dave

 

[Simes 248 2 Cars]

I've not used them but I've seen the one on "Jay Leno's garage" channel on You tube. It seems with one of these and a CNC in your workshop you make anything!

Make it up in plastic and then use it as the mould.

However they also use what's come out of the printer directly, check out the air box they've made for this:

 

[kee 22]

Hi there Kee,

I am looking into replicating the OEM rubber mud flaps. One sub-project is the GTi badge fitted to this item. Made of plastic, coloured raised lettering. Would 3D printing be a viable solution either for the final item or perhaps as a pattern for a production mould.

regards

Dave

 

Hi Dave,

I wouldn't use the actual 3D part as part of the mudflap, it would be very expensive.

 

It may be easier and cheaper to have one cnc'd in wood and use that to make some plastic parts. I don't know what this badge looks like, could it be vacuum formed?

 

how will you be making the rubber flaps? Have you thought about ployurethane?

[350wedge 13]

I use a 3D printer at work (amongst various other cool toys!!)

 

Ours is one of the better more useful printers, the parts that we produce can actually be used and machined rather than just having something pretty to look at. We have the ability to mix materials so that we can print things in very flexible rubber or a hard resin (and all combinations inbetween).

 

As said above it is very expensive if you print off large items. Having said that we had a bit of fun the other week and printed off a V6 engine block followed by a complete V8 twin turbo with all ancillaries and rads/intercoolers. Some of the digital material was going out of date so thought we'd use a bit up!

 

Will post up a couple of pictures tomorrow....

[Anton green 12 1 Cars]

There's a bunch of stuff regarding 3D printing on instructables.com . Also as said there are different types of printing materials available. NASA printed up some more sturdy parts fairly recently for use on a shuttle. I have heard of guys printing objects up to use to make a cast aluminium part -pretty sure there is some of that on youtube

Edited January 30, 2013 by Anton green

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

The badge is shown in this thread

 

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?showtopic=147498&hl=

 

It would form part of the proposed replica front mud flap set that I am costing at the moment.

regards

Dave

[Para 82 2 Cars]

 

Hi Dave,

I wouldn't use the actual 3D part as part of the mudflap, it would be very expensive.

 

It may be easier and cheaper to have one cnc'd in wood and use that to make some plastic parts. I don't know what this badge looks like, could it be vacuum formed?

 

how will you be making the rubber flaps? Have you thought about ployurethane?

 

You can see here how to copy a badge using the forms

 

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Hi Para,

Happy new year mate - hope you are well.

What is the casting material - I can see the mould is silicone rubber, but I thought that would have melted with hot plastic as the moulded material.

regards

Dave

 

[350wedge 13]

Right as promised here are some photos of some bits made on our 3D printer, these were done just for fun and at a fairly small scale.

 

Despite the small size you can see just how much detail is obtainable.

 

Some pics of parts on the printer in progress, some of completed parts with support material still attached and some with most of the support material removed. Some was left on the V8 to preserve some of the details. The other random part is actually a model of a hydraulic press, about 80mm tall. The V8 by the way is about 90mm long from the tip of the gearbox to the front of the intercoolers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[omega 82]

wow.......................

[350wedge 13]

wow.......................

We get that a lot when we show people what its capable of...

 

A good example is a bicycle chain thats printed in one piece, yet once you remove the support material it moves and functions exactly like a metal chain that you can buy in the shops.....

[Anton green 12 1 Cars]

Wedge, am I correct in stating that the radiator tubes etc would be hollow in the t-turbo V8 model you printed, and there will be cylinders and waterways inside the engine that we currently cannot see? Impressive stuff btw

Edited January 31, 2013 by Anton green

[dch1950 37 1 Cars]

Double Wow...

[350wedge 13]

Wedge, am I correct in stating that the radiator tubes etc would be hollow in the t-turbo V8 model you printed, and there will be cylinders and waterways inside the engine that we currently cannot see? Impressive stuff btw

In the V8 I believe most of it is solid, the block certainly is. If you are clever enough to do all the internals as well then these indeed would have been printed as the model was built up. The rocker covers were done as hollow but at that scale the material thickness was so thin it was barely 1 layer of plastic, i.e. 16 microns. If printed at larger scale obviously this thickness would be better and print properly.

[ALEX 98 1 Cars]

So how about making some 205 bits then?

Prices things are going for on ebay, it should be cost effective.

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Coin tray?

[350wedge 13]

So how about making some 205 bits then?

Prices things are going for on ebay, it should be cost effective.

I was wondering when someone would say this

 

I very much doubt it would be cost effective, even that small engine block cost about £30 to print. In years to come then maybe yes prices would be more competitive.

 

The materials we print with are based upon the research work we do and not suitable in the main for things such as car parts. Things like rubber items then yes but things like coin trays etc then no.

 

Unless someone would like to stump up a couple of grand for the correct material cannisters dont forget you have to take the cost of support material into the equation too

[ALEX 98 1 Cars]

Shame

I had my hopes up and everything..

[ALEX 98 1 Cars]

Found a service online

http://www.3dprint-uk.co.uk/3d_printing_costs.html

 

I'm going to model up the wing mirror clips and get a quote for 6.

I'll keep you posted.