25 replies to this topic

[lewBlew]

I'm not really au fait with manufacturing but how hard would it be to get something fairly simple like these plastic belt parks re-manufactured, now that there's 3D printing and so on? They go on the rear seat belts to tidy up the loose belt but the originals have disintegrated and any replacements I find also break quickly because of the age and fragility of the plastic... Just a shame to have a 99.9% complete and standard mini and not have these.

 

I would be interested in getting some re-made using slightly thicker plastic and with a slit in the middle bar so they could be slid on the belt where the originals were. Anyone in the know? Mini Spares are you listening to this originality geek?

 

[dklawson]

3D printed parts will prove to be expensive unless you know someone who can run them at work where they already have the capacity.  They will also have to have the capability to 3D scan the part to make a model or they will have to draw up the part in CAD.  It is all possible but not necessarily cheap.

 

The other thing that is not often mentioned with 3D printing is that the printer will have some native resolution.  Layers are put down somewhere close to 0.003" to 0.005" thick.  This means the part will have a stair-stepped surface which you will have to "sand away" to make the smooth part you are looking at.  Again, it is all possible but not necessarily as quick or pristine as just pushing a button.

[Alex_B]

Entirely possible to print and if you know someone who can print it would cost pennies. With regard to resolution you can't get the same finish as an injection moulded part such as the item pictured. The closest you could get would be good but not perfect, you can if printed in ABS use acetone vapour which melts the surface slightly and smooths it out nicely, I cannot comment on how easy it is as I am yet to try it! 

As an idea on resolution heres a couple of parts I have printed. 






Sorry about the over load on pictures but it gives you an idea on how the resolution varies and how good it is. 

[megamini_jb]

That miniature wheel is awesome! Could you make a ATS classic one I could buy?

[Alex_B]

That miniature wheel is awesome! Could you make a ATS classic one I could buy?

Aha thanks, I couldn't resist! If I had a wheel available to measure up and model theoretically yes, but currently I haven't found the time to open up my laptop, been too busy recently with the day job. I may be thinking about doing some bits and bobs over the winter before next years racing season starts and thus my free time disappears.

Sorry about going off topic! 

[lewBlew]

Entirely possible to print and if you know someone who can print it would cost pennies. With regard to resolution you can't get the same finish as an injection moulded part such as the item pictured. The closest you could get would be good but not perfect, you can if printed in ABS use acetone vapour which melts the surface slightly and smooths it out nicely, I cannot comment on how easy it is as I am yet to try it! 

As an idea on resolution heres a couple of parts I have printed. 






Sorry about the over load on pictures but it gives you an idea on how the resolution varies and how good it is. 

 

Thanks for the info. I guess the problem is that no, I don't know anyone who could print it. It's amazing that in this day and age making such small things is still out of reach of the normal person! 

[Alex_B]

Have a google, theres lots of 3d printing forums and communities, as I mentioned above I am currently a bit busy with work commitments to offer any assistance but I'm sure you could find someone to help :)  

[Globule]

 

Thanks for the info. I guess the problem is that no, I don't know anyone who could print it. It's amazing that in this day and age making such small things is still out of reach of the normal person! 

 

 

There are plenty of online companies that will print it for you if you can send them the CAD drawing, and you can choose the best material yourself for the application. Even if you aren't familiar with CAD, that is a pretty simple shape to start learning with. 

[fenghuang]

https://www.3dhubs.com

[lewBlew]

How on earth do I create a CAD drawing though? Haha my artistic skills are negligible.

[dklawson]

Using the limited number of freeware programs out there... creating your own CAD file is not going to be easy.  That's why I mentioned working with someone who already has 3D scanning or 3D CAD capability.  

 

Note that the first step for using a service like that posted in Fenghuang's post is to create an "STL" file.  That is sort of a common standard export file for most CAD packages to send to 3D printers.

 

Don't get me wrong... 3D printing is a great thing and we use it some at work.  However, it is not necessarily cheap.

[fenghuang]

How on earth do I create a CAD drawing though? Haha my artistic skills are negligible.

http://www.sketchup.com

You'll probably need a plugin (software add on) called a slicer, though I think some 3D print hub members accept Sketchup files.
Usually I'd say Google is your friend, but YouTube is pretty good for getting started on this.

It's not difficult and it's not necessarily expensive.

Edited by fenghuang, 04 November 2015 - 03:52 PM.

[racingenglishcars]

How on earth do I create a CAD drawing though? Haha my artistic skills are negligible.

If you send me a detailed set of dimensions I'm sure I could draw it up and print it here at the office. Then see how it goes! I just did this by guessing at dimensions. But then I don't know about any functionality built into the device.

 Beltpark.png   208.63K   29 downloads

Edited by racingenglishcars, 04 November 2015 - 05:48 PM.

[lewBlew]

 

How on earth do I create a CAD drawing though? Haha my artistic skills are negligible.

If you send me a detailed set of dimensions I'm sure I could draw it up and print it here at the office. Then see how it goes!

 

 

That would be amazing. Where are you based? I could send you the actual item if you wanted! The back is slightly more complicated because it is designed to hold the end of the seatbelt in place and let it go when pressed. It's all plastic, no springs or anything.

[racingenglishcars]

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