Affordable 3D Printer

[GAJouette]

  Very interesting this 3-D printing process. It sounds as if nearly any item can be printed for our use. I wonder though how durable the printed part would be, could it actually stand up to handling and or use?
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[Chris Johnson]

Chris let us know how they look in the flesh. I noticed in the product notes the rod size is mfged 'oversized" but by how much is the question. Are they substantially better than kit parts? I will assume so. Sure beats folding up 2D p/e or scratching though.

Steve

Will do Steve. I'm taking a flyer on this order as I'm hoping that the rods don't look out of scale and they're at least as hardy as plastic injection ones. Making these guards out of brass rod drives me batty and I'm never happy with the result.

Cheers,

Chris

[uncletony]

  Very interesting this 3-D printing process. It sounds as if nearly any item can be printed for our use. I wonder though how durable the printed part would be, could it actually stand up to handling and or use?
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

It depends on the particular process and material being employed. There are SLA plastics that are essentially the equivalent of what we are used to from resin aftermarket, there are SLS materials that are extremely tough like ABS; there are metal sintering processes too that make quite tough parts (see the gaspatch turnbuckles)

The full color processes currently tend to be quite delicate -- the stuff is almost like crystallized sugar -- but can produce some fairly amazing stuff.

[GAJouette]

  Bo,
Thanks for the information my friend I very much appreciate it. I'm wondering if this new 3D printing process might become the next vacuform craze like in the 80's. Sure has possilblity to produce all sorts of models.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[ALBATROS1234]

thats how i'm thinkin greg. print out say a 1/32 dolphin fuselage in a left and right half, then vac-u-form it. just that would be a time saver than whitling it out of balsa ala woodman.

[GAJouette]

  Scott,
I suppose you could print a hollow fuselage in halves or whole ifyou wanted. Time will tell, but I believe this could be a real boon to modelers.
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette

[Captain Slower]

Take your WNW German propeller, make a 3D scan of it and slice it into 7 horizonal pieces, which match the laminations.  Paint 3 light, 4 dark, assemble, varnish and decal....

[wunwinglow]

I've been lucky enough to work with these technologies for over a decade, and have seen the prices fall, and some of the technologies improve. The recent boom in affordable hobby devices is interesting, but if I was spending my own money, I'd still buy a cnc milling set up. The RP solutions are still very crude in terms of surface quality in comparison with injection moulded parts, and depending on the technique, there are questions over strength, warpage, paint and glue compatability and much more. Give it another 5 years, then maybe the hobby priced devices will do something actually useful. Until then, be prepared to have to do a lot of surface finishing. With a cnc milling set up, you have a much wider choice of materials, far better accuracy and surface quality, just as good repeatability and more.

Of course, both will require a lot of effort to learn how to use them effectively, and if you want to design your own parts, you will need to get good with you favourite cad software. And your research efforts will need to be top notch too. The old adage 'rubbish in, rubbish out' is just as valid as it ever was!

If you want to try these technologies, there are dozens of bureaux where you can up load a file and get it built, before you spend a fortune on a machine that might not do what you hoped it would.

Just my own opinion of course, but one based on 12 Years of actually using these technologies, rather than just reading brochures an journalists puff sheets.....

Tim

ps the gaspatch turnbuckles are very neat, very strong, most impressed with them. but then, they have been built on a £100k plus machine.....

[uncletony]

ps the gaspatch turnbuckles are very neat, very strong, most impressed with them. but then, they have been built on a £100k plus machine.....

Yes, of course, nor was I suggesting otherwise. What is semi-revolutionary is the accessibility of these technologies to cottage industries ... like suppliers of fine-scale metal turnbuckles for WWI plastic modelers... This is here today, and it did not require a $100k+ equipment investment on the part of the vendor.

[Chris Johnson]

Chris let us know how they look in the flesh. I noticed in the product notes the rod size is mfged 'oversized" but by how much is the question. Are they substantially better than kit parts? I will assume so. Sure beats folding up 2D p/e or scratching though.

I received my Shapeway 3D printed 1/35 scale Sherman periscope guards in the mail today. Shapeway is located in Queens N.Y. and prints the parts on demand. I ordered them on 27Jan13 so the turn around here to Ontario, Canada was quite good. They came via UPS packed in a stout cardboard box, well protected by bubble wrap.



These parts are quite small at 11 mm in length and as you see below, are delicate too. The rods measure 0.60 mm in diameter with my digital caliper and to my eye, are not oversized at all.







They're also quite robust too. I gently sliced one guard from the backing sheet with a sharp #11 scalpel blade. They don't flex when pressure is applied, so it's a bit disconcerting when each leg pops free, but there was no damage incurred during the process.

I paid $20.00 delivered to my door for this package of 50 guards which will last me for a long time. In my opinion, they're superior to plastic, resin or PE examples I've used over the years.

This 3D process should have widespread application in aircraft modelling too. If Shapeways has made it economically feasible for an AFV modeller with some CAD talent to offer aftermarket parts, I hope that some enterprising aircraft modeller will also take the bull by the horns and look into Shapeway too.

Cheers,

Chris

P.S. I have absolutely no affiliation with Shapeway.

[pepperman42]

Chris thanks for the update. They do look very good and $20 all up is very good for that many. Im not complaining but if the GP turnbuckles were that price for that many I would order a lot more all at once. I know the turnbuckles are metal but the way you describe removing the guards from the backer sheet it appears these are pretty robust too.Thanks again

Steve 

[GAJouette]

  Chris,
WOW those periscope guards look great my old friend. Are they near scale tubing in size? I wonder if Shapeway can print up a pair of new kneecaps?
Highest Regards,
Gregory Jouette