Using Google SketchUp and printapart.com

[Chuck Doan]

Cool! I hope they work out. I think you will find that composite parts will work best for now. Maybe someday the printing will improve (affordably).

Dallas, as Marc stated, there is no conventional tooling path. I have oriented parts any ol which way. I have also done some with holes inside the parts. Pretty neat!

[marc_reusser]

Cool! I hope they work out

Regardless, it will have been a fun experiment, and something I have been wanting to do/learn for a long time now....so really a big thanks to you for blazing the way, and to Fred, for finally motivating me to get off my butt and doing it.

The really great part of this experience, is that if it works, it will transfer over and be wholely applicable to, and useful in,  my work.


Chuck:

On your parts, what was the thinnest wall thickness and smallest surface detail/relief dimensions that you did?

Marc

[marc_reusser]

Will you be using the tank as a master for a casting?
-Mj

No, I really just want to see if I can use them as kit parts to build the tanks. I actually just bought all the resin, mold, and other casting supplies about three months ago, to cast the eventual legs for the TACO project.....but now with the PAP option, depending on the quality, I may just design and draw all the leg parts and have them printed (leaving a .030+ hollow inside them to insert a brass stiffener rod).

I am really curios to see the surface and printing quality of theses parts, and how hard any clean-up/sanding is....from looking at Chuck's it seems minimal.....and even if there is some inevitable texture, it might be perfectly fine for certain types of parts like rusty pressed irin sleepers, or cast iron pieces.

Without yet seeing the printed results, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the process and application and things that this could possibly do, beyond just the actual useable PAP part....even if just the basic non-detailed forms were printed , and small things like rivets, latches, NBW's etc. were added manually later.....things like the aforementioned resin casting master, or as a "positive form" for vaccuum forming styrene, or for making complex assembly or drilling jigs, etc. Not as an end all, or only way to go, but as another tool for those that are less "machinist inclined/capable", or for things that you may need a lot of, and drawing one 3D object and copy/pasting a bunch then printing, would be quicker/easier.

Also once one has developed a library of these parts, it would be easy to modify and adapt them as and when needed. Heck, imagine, you could just contact the person with the parts library and ask them to assemble parts A,B,C., on a sprue, make the STL file, and then send it to you so you could then have them printed yourself.

....anyway...the mind races with possibilities.  At the moment the one that I am really the most interested in is the pressed metal sleepers. If these work, I they will be something really unique, and look better than any out there (if there are any other than the solid KB scale ones)...not only that it's then possible to make any of the dozen or so typical sleeper patterns.

Marc

[lab-dad]

well if you still want one in aluminum I would be happy to turn one, just need the dimensions.......
-Mj

[marc_reusser]

Brian Krueger from the MIG forum dropped me a note this morning with a link to the data-sheet for the printer that PAP aparently uses http://www.3dsystems.com/products/multijet/invisionHR/datasheets.asp, it lists the resolution as 656 x 656 x 800 dpi.

It seems that Brian does have opportunity to deal with SW & 3D printing in his real work, so I am hopefull he will participate in the discussion and provide some more info based on his insights and experiences.


Marc

[marc_reusser]

Somewhere in one of the SU threads here one of the members posted some info on the 3D-Printing Technology show coming up in Santa Clara.....I swear I saw the post this am, but now it seems to be gone....anyhow, I wanted to thank him for the offer of sending him a file to be tested there, and was also curious as to his involvement in/with 3D printing technology.


Marc

[Chuck Doan]

Spencer sent that info-one message in my thread and also in Hauk's new thread.

The thinnest wall was about .018. The smallest features were probably in the meter insert. Id have to revisit the model to remember the sizes.

[marc_reusser]

Thanks Chuck.


Interestingly I also just got an email from PAP with a FedEx tracking number noting that the part had shipped today....so I should hopefully have it in a few days. Damn good turn-around considering I uploaded the file to them on the 17th....and chose the slowest print method.


Marc

[Fred H.]

Okay... Had some more time to work on the reefer ladders in the last couple of days. I went back and followed Marc's SBS, on making the ladder rungs so as to make sure I understood what he'd done. I will lay up some of these on sprues in the next couple of days and send them off to PAP. As you can see, I've created two variants, one with bolts/nuts holding the bottom step to the uprights. I went ahead and created another variant with just holes clear through so that I can add some miniature hardware if the first variant comes out to coarse. Will give you an additional status report when I've created and checked the STL file.

-- Fred H.

[lab-dad]

FWIW,
I hate cast on hardware. Usually the hardware is of a different material than what it is attached to anyway so it is a different color/finish/texture/weathers differently. The holes would make adding hardware easy.

-Marty

[Chuck Doan]

For reference, the series of raised things on either side of the center hole are .005 x .005 x .03 wide. The grommet holes at the outer edges are .015 dia. x .005 high.
The center raised diameter is .235

Those are the smallest features I have tried so far.

[TRAINS1941]

And not a bad job on the penny either

Jerry

[Chuck Doan]

You may laugh...it could be done!

[eTraxx]

Okay... Had some more time to work on the reefer ladders in the last couple of days. I went back and followed Marc's SBS, on making the ladder rungs so as to make sure I understood what he'd done. I will lay up some of these on sprues in the next couple of days and send them off to PAP. As you can see, I've created two variants, one with bolts/nuts holding the bottom step to the uprights. I went ahead and created another variant with just holes clear through so that I can add some miniature hardware if the first variant comes out to coarse. Will give you an additional status report when I've created and checked the STL file.

-- Fred H.

Fred .. just a minor thing .. when I put several bolts/nuts on something in Sketchup .. I will rotate the individual nuts/bolt heads so the faces aren't all aligned

[eTraxx]

I was looking though the info on the MakerBot DIY 3D Printer and specifically their CupCake CNC (about $1k). They have a link to using Google Sketchup to create 3D models for fabrication. Might be useful for you guys.