If you're using ABS plastic, you can clean up your prints with acetone vapor polishing. Not sure how well it would work with PLA, though:
http://www.trenchphysics.com/?p=41
http://www.trenchphysics.com/?p=41
making parts 3D printing
- Thread starter jvandyke
- Start date
jvandyke
True Classic
emblem
I did an emblem delete, filled in indent, didn't top coat well enough as plastidip failed there, blistered, peeled a bit, sticky taped an repro Bertone emblem over the bad spot, it flew off on the highway a couple days ago so, I printed my own version! Gunna paint it with something metallic, probably a bronze finish will look killer on my matte black car.
I did an emblem delete, filled in indent, didn't top coat well enough as plastidip failed there, blistered, peeled a bit, sticky taped an repro Bertone emblem over the bad spot, it flew off on the highway a couple days ago so, I printed my own version! Gunna paint it with something metallic, probably a bronze finish will look killer on my matte black car.
Paul Valente
Automotive Engineer
Latch
I modeled this little gas door catch in Unigraphics NX8.0 and printed it on a Makerbot in ABS. I'll post a screen shot of the model if I think about it. Really sort of tricky to create the 3D surface. I used the "swept along a guide command" and then extruded the "Z" logo from that surface to an offset surface. the Makerbot even printed the threaded post on the back of it pretty successfully.
Where it all falls down is the surface finish. It ain't no SLA model that's for sure. I have to look into the acetone polishing trick and see if I can wipe out the layering without destroying the finer features like the fine-pitch thread. If that can be addressed, there are all sorts of applications for a car hobbyist.
Acetone video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcXLJRIKGuQ"]So Make It - Acetone Vapour Smoothing of ABS 3D Printed Parts, at UK Southampton's Makerspace - YouTube[/ame]
Zagato fuel door latch after sanding and painting.
I modeled this little gas door catch in Unigraphics NX8.0 and printed it on a Makerbot in ABS. I'll post a screen shot of the model if I think about it. Really sort of tricky to create the 3D surface. I used the "swept along a guide command" and then extruded the "Z" logo from that surface to an offset surface. the Makerbot even printed the threaded post on the back of it pretty successfully.
Where it all falls down is the surface finish. It ain't no SLA model that's for sure. I have to look into the acetone polishing trick and see if I can wipe out the layering without destroying the finer features like the fine-pitch thread. If that can be addressed, there are all sorts of applications for a car hobbyist.
Acetone video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcXLJRIKGuQ"]So Make It - Acetone Vapour Smoothing of ABS 3D Printed Parts, at UK Southampton's Makerspace - YouTube[/ame]
Zagato fuel door latch after sanding and painting.
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Paul Valente
Automotive Engineer
Unigraphics screen shots
Printed the threads and everything.
latch2 by paul355355, on Flickr
latch by paul355355, on Flickr
Printed the threads and everything.
latch2 by paul355355, on Flickr
latch by paul355355, on Flickr
I watched the video
Interesting and a bit scary. Watch as we create a small fuel vapor bomb here on our workbench.
This new 3D printing technology is pretty cool. We had some type of solid modeling product at McDonnell-Douglas many years ago, but I think it cost ONE BILLION DOLLARS and definitely would not fit into a home.
Interesting and a bit scary. Watch as we create a small fuel vapor bomb here on our workbench.
This new 3D printing technology is pretty cool. We had some type of solid modeling product at McDonnell-Douglas many years ago, but I think it cost ONE BILLION DOLLARS and definitely would not fit into a home.
Paul Valente
Automotive Engineer
I know!
It seems like a bad idea, right? I have already had cancer once so I'm not sure I want to heat up a big ole jar of acetone to extract the vapors from it to smooth out my widget :confuse2:
If you are printing something that has a flat side, the side against the bed plate comes out pretty good and the ABS sands fairly well. Haven't used the PLA. I tried to get some parts to print in nylon but it doesn't work that well. Wraps horribly and is really flimsy.
I should have a sort of speaker grill printed out for my Zagato tomorrow. It will cover the factory location where the surface mount 3-1/2" Blaupunkts are suppose to go. Acoustically and conveniently located under the armrest in the back seat and pointed directly at the side of the seat cushion. I'll post pictures if it turns out good.
Sort of a hijack but....
GE has been investing heavily in basically printing metal parts with "laser beams" (had to match your Austin Powers reference Jim). They call it additive manufacturing. One of the neat things about it is you can print things that are unmanufacturable by conventional methods. Think about what sort of design implications that has!
http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/513716/additive-manufacturing/
It seems like a bad idea, right? I have already had cancer once so I'm not sure I want to heat up a big ole jar of acetone to extract the vapors from it to smooth out my widget :confuse2:
If you are printing something that has a flat side, the side against the bed plate comes out pretty good and the ABS sands fairly well. Haven't used the PLA. I tried to get some parts to print in nylon but it doesn't work that well. Wraps horribly and is really flimsy.
I should have a sort of speaker grill printed out for my Zagato tomorrow. It will cover the factory location where the surface mount 3-1/2" Blaupunkts are suppose to go. Acoustically and conveniently located under the armrest in the back seat and pointed directly at the side of the seat cushion. I'll post pictures if it turns out good.
Sort of a hijack but....
GE has been investing heavily in basically printing metal parts with "laser beams" (had to match your Austin Powers reference Jim). They call it additive manufacturing. One of the neat things about it is you can print things that are unmanufacturable by conventional methods. Think about what sort of design implications that has!
http://www.technologyreview.com/featuredstory/513716/additive-manufacturing/
Jeff Stich
True Classic
Yup!
Parts of the SuperDraco rocket engines on the new SpaceX Dragon V2 transporter are made using 3D printing, just to show how far this technology is going.
http://3dprint.com/4740/spacex-dragon-2-3d-print/
Parts of the SuperDraco rocket engines on the new SpaceX Dragon V2 transporter are made using 3D printing, just to show how far this technology is going.
http://3dprint.com/4740/spacex-dragon-2-3d-print/
bikesandcars
True Classic
If I know GE they will make it unavailable by conventional methods too...unless you show up with a truck load of cash
Paul Valente
Automotive Engineer
GE demo part
Printed metal orb from GE
Printed metal orb from GE
Paul Valente
Automotive Engineer
Speaker grille
This car is not going to be original at all so it will have 5 1/4" speakers in the sides and the little openings for the Blaupunkt surface mount speakers under the armrest will be unused.
The Blaupunkt speaker looks okay but it will look silly with the completely different looking Boston 5 1/4 just inches above it.
So here is the first protoype of the cover for where the Blaupunkt went. Not sure I like the Zagato "Z" or not and I may make it a screw on instead of a snap on design.
This car is not going to be original at all so it will have 5 1/4" speakers in the sides and the little openings for the Blaupunkt surface mount speakers under the armrest will be unused.
The Blaupunkt speaker looks okay but it will look silly with the completely different looking Boston 5 1/4 just inches above it.
So here is the first protoype of the cover for where the Blaupunkt went. Not sure I like the Zagato "Z" or not and I may make it a screw on instead of a snap on design.
jvandyke
True Classic
Custom speaker grills, great idea. Well done. I like the Z. The possibilities just keep multiplying. I successfully jailbroke my printer last night, freeing it from the rather crappy proprietary software and filament cartridges. Still haven't printed anything with it in this state as i have a ton of recalibration to do but I'm getting there. Good news is total control over all the various parameters involved AND (more importantly) can use any filament I want, so better quality at vastly cheaper prices. Good stuff! Very fun. Now I can crank out more parts, better, cheaper.
Maybe we should put a section on the wiki of all the Fiat related parts we model.
Maybe we should put a section on the wiki of all the Fiat related parts we model.
Jeff, I see you getting better at this
You'll be our 3D printing expert, I can already see it.
I'm very envious of your skills so far. I'm thinking about getting into this too.
Looks a bit pricey for the printer I want though.
We have 3D printing with Unigraphics where I work, and I'm getting very interested.
You'll be our 3D printing expert, I can already see it.
I'm very envious of your skills so far. I'm thinking about getting into this too.
Looks a bit pricey for the printer I want though.
We have 3D printing with Unigraphics where I work, and I'm getting very interested.
jvandyke
True Classic
Honestly I'm teaching myself this stuff as I go and I know I'm not doing it the "right" way or the efficient way, it took me HOURS to make that thing where someone with skills could have cranked it out in minutes. I jailbroke my DaVinci printer over the last couple days too (with help from online geeks, no way I could have figured it out). So now I can use any software I want and (most importantly) and filament I want. So you can get started for $500, XYZprinting (makers of the DaVinci) are releasing a dual extruder model soon and bigger better fancier ones all the time, although they will probably find a way to prevent jailbreaking (until the geeks crack it, love those hackers). It's getting easier every day. If all else fails, someone with a "decent" printer could print off the files since that is really tricky part. Soon you'll just send the file straight over to your printer and parts will magically appear, by the time you get home from work, there it is waiting for you.
Here's what it "should" look like with logo plate installed, we'll see what reality is!
Here's what it "should" look like with logo plate installed, we'll see what reality is!
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jvandyke
True Classic
printed!
Took about 4 hours. Came out pretty good actually. Found some design flaws, cracks too easily being "forced" in. Not sure if I need to reduce some dimensions or add some reinforcement fillets. Cover stands proud of the wheel surface by a bit, so either that's okay or reduce size somewhere. I think a workable part is doable, with some more tweaking.
Found out "flipping" an object upside down isn't the same as rotating it, the parallelogram cutout came out reversed! Oh well.
Took about 4 hours. Came out pretty good actually. Found some design flaws, cracks too easily being "forced" in. Not sure if I need to reduce some dimensions or add some reinforcement fillets. Cover stands proud of the wheel surface by a bit, so either that's okay or reduce size somewhere. I think a workable part is doable, with some more tweaking.
Found out "flipping" an object upside down isn't the same as rotating it, the parallelogram cutout came out reversed! Oh well.
Black-Tooth
Tony Natoli
YOU ARE MY NEW HERO, Jeff... Good goin'!
I'll dig up some things I need made and ship them to you to make up prototypes. I figure a 48 hour turn-around to start, reducing to 24 hours over the next two weeks... and that would be shipped "Next-Day Air", before 10 am.
Pro-Bono, of course... as the experience you'll gain will be priceless!
You needn't thank me now... but I will drop some hints the closer we get to Christmas...
Your NEW best friend,
Tony
I'll dig up some things I need made and ship them to you to make up prototypes. I figure a 48 hour turn-around to start, reducing to 24 hours over the next two weeks... and that would be shipped "Next-Day Air", before 10 am.
Pro-Bono, of course... as the experience you'll gain will be priceless!
You needn't thank me now... but I will drop some hints the closer we get to Christmas...
Your NEW best friend,
Tony
Paul Valente
Automotive Engineer
Designng in plastic
Hi Jeff,
Got another grille design ready to print. I abandon the snap features on it for a few of reasons:
a) exposed screw heads seems like it was more the norm for grills like this in that era
b) I want to print this one face-up so the printer would have to build a lot of bridging to have prongs sticking out the back of it.
c) there is really a lot to getting a snap right so that it doesn't break the tabs off or is so loose it rattles around. Given the inaccuracies of the printing process and the tolerances necessary to have a good snap fit, it is not a trivial task....and I'm either lazy or figuring it out is too much like my day job. :confuse2:
But if you wanted to...there is a lot of information on designing plastic parts on the www. DuPont and Bayer come to mind. Not all of the stuff is applicable because it deals with injection molding BUT the sections on how to design snaps would seem to be valid. Probably not quiet the strength as injected parts but if nothing else it shows the common design practices and what the relevant dimensions are.
Check this link out: http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/S62.12/people/vernelle.noel/Plastic_Snap_fit_design.pdf
Hi Jeff,
Got another grille design ready to print. I abandon the snap features on it for a few of reasons:
a) exposed screw heads seems like it was more the norm for grills like this in that era
b) I want to print this one face-up so the printer would have to build a lot of bridging to have prongs sticking out the back of it.
c) there is really a lot to getting a snap right so that it doesn't break the tabs off or is so loose it rattles around. Given the inaccuracies of the printing process and the tolerances necessary to have a good snap fit, it is not a trivial task....and I'm either lazy or figuring it out is too much like my day job. :confuse2:
But if you wanted to...there is a lot of information on designing plastic parts on the www. DuPont and Bayer come to mind. Not all of the stuff is applicable because it deals with injection molding BUT the sections on how to design snaps would seem to be valid. Probably not quiet the strength as injected parts but if nothing else it shows the common design practices and what the relevant dimensions are.
Check this link out: http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/S62.12/people/vernelle.noel/Plastic_Snap_fit_design.pdf