39 replies to this topic

[animale]

Has some very interesting opportunities, like you say of someone could invest it Amy be cost effect for them to produce certain parts this way.....wondering an anti-rust material/compound could be inserted in the build phase also. Start small, door furniture, filler caps, bumpers etc then doors, body panels, etc. very interesting.

[animale]

http://www.shapeways.com/

Check it out.
Upload 3d image and the make it.

Customised gear knob anyone?

[paul_s]

You can get "home" 3D printers for under £1k, but I think the quality's a bit dubious.. Most of the materials are some kind of plastic I think.

There's a good TED talk on it here: http://www.ted.com/t...d_printing.html
I've seen a few videos that 'print' metal parts, but I've no idea how strong they'd actually be.

A gear knob might be as far as I'm willing to test it for the time being!

[Black.Ghost]

If anything produced was adequately tested to beyond reasonable levels of stress that you would expect in use, and survived, I would have no problem with it.

For example, it could see the end of ball joints randomly breaking on people.

[tiger99]

The process will never be used to make ball joints. In any case, do you know of even one that did not fail due to incorrect shimming? Almost always, they are set up too tight, and fatigue failure is guaranteed. Making ball joints does not require anything like a 3D printer, only a "screw machine" lathe (a sort of mechanically configured precursor to an NC machine), or a proper NC lathe and a fairly simple program. With a very good tool, you will get a better finish off the lathe than the junk suppliers are getting after grinding. You could even run a few off by hand, if you have a simple radius turning attachment, and you could grind them to a high finish with a tool and cutter grinder. All the sort of stuff that you can read about in magazines like "Model Engineer's Workshop". The hard part is picking the correct material (maybe someone knows the correct grade of steel?) and applying the appropriate heat treatment to harden them after machining, without causing them to become brittle.

But returning to what 3D printers can do, they are only useful for very small quantities of parts, as they are of necessity slow. But if you need a one-off plastic bit like maybe a gear for your odometer, or a moulded body for an odd type of electrical connector, they may well be the best way forward. Never for structural parts, but maybe a metal printing process would just about manage some carburettor parts or something like that. I see them as being of most use to owners of very rare cars, where there are no other ways of replacing broken parts. Any Mini part will be needed in quantities well above the viable economic limit for printing.

And yes, you can build yourself a working 3D printer for well under £1000, which will be able to print the plastic parts to build more printers.

[stretch tech]

we use a 3d rapid prototyping printer at sixth form, it uses ABS plastic to build up prototypes for our product design course work. although ABS is a strong, tough, chemical resistant polymer (plastic) it still has a low melting point (as it is a thermo plastic) and can there fore never be used to make performance engine parts that are exposed to constant heat, although it can't be used for parts that under go large amounts of stress and strain, it could be used for interior trim (the dash panels in mini's are made from ABS any way, i think) and exterior parts (grilles, bumpers, light cases, body kits, wipers, wing mirrors, etc) it could also be used to make some engine bay accessories as long as they don't get too warm

in theory it is a good idea but the small model of an MP3 player i made in class cost around £200 in material and took 22 hours to make

Rhys

[Black.Ghost]

The process will never be used to make ball joints. In any case, do you know of even one that did not fail due to incorrect shimming? Almost always, they are set up too tight, and fatigue failure is guaranteed. Making ball joints does not require anything like a 3D printer, only a "screw machine" lathe (a sort of mechanically configured precursor to an NC machine), or a proper NC lathe and a fairly simple program. With a very good tool, you will get a better finish off the lathe than the junk suppliers are getting after grinding. You could even run a few off by hand, if you have a simple radius turning attachment, and you could grind them to a high finish with a tool and cutter grinder. All the sort of stuff that you can read about in magazines like "Model Engineer's Workshop". The hard part is picking the correct material (maybe someone knows the correct grade of steel?) and applying the appropriate heat treatment to harden them after machining, without causing them to become brittle.

But returning to what 3D printers can do, they are only useful for very small quantities of parts, as they are of necessity slow. But if you need a one-off plastic bit like maybe a gear for your odometer, or a moulded body for an odd type of electrical connector, they may well be the best way forward. Never for structural parts, but maybe a metal printing process would just about manage some carburettor parts or something like that. I see them as being of most use to owners of very rare cars, where there are no other ways of replacing broken parts. Any Mini part will be needed in quantities well above the viable economic limit for printing.

And yes, you can build yourself a working 3D printer for well under £1000, which will be able to print the plastic parts to build more printers.

I have no engineering qualifications. It was more a possible suggestion than anything else. If it can't be done so be it. But think how far technology has progressed over the last 30 years. At that rte we could be anywhere in another 30.

[CHUNKY365]

Would it not be more feasible to produce an item using the 3D printer, then using the 'printed' item as a mould.

This way all manner of cast items could be reproduced surely?

[JakeJakeJake]

I would love to see cylinder heads made this way. Designed in CAD, simulated, optimized and all that, then manufactured. Should help with costs seeing as more and more is done by the machine rather than people.

Also The pirate bay has a new section called Physibles, which are 3D of models of things meant for 3D printing. http://thepiratebay.se/blog/203

[MiNi_BoRe]

The process will never be used to make ball joints. In any case, do you know of even one that did not fail due to incorrect shimming? Almost always, they are set up too tight, and fatigue failure is guaranteed. Making ball joints does not require anything like a 3D printer, only a "screw machine" lathe (a sort of mechanically configured precursor to an NC machine), or a proper NC lathe and a fairly simple program. With a very good tool, you will get a better finish off the lathe than the junk suppliers are getting after grinding. You could even run a few off by hand, if you have a simple radius turning attachment, and you could grind them to a high finish with a tool and cutter grinder. All the sort of stuff that you can read about in magazines like "Model Engineer's Workshop". The hard part is picking the correct material (maybe someone knows the correct grade of steel?) and applying the appropriate heat treatment to harden them after machining, without causing them to become brittle.

But returning to what 3D printers can do, they are only useful for very small quantities of parts, as they are of necessity slow. But if you need a one-off plastic bit like maybe a gear for your odometer, or a moulded body for an odd type of electrical connector, they may well be the best way forward. Never for structural parts, but maybe a metal printing process would just about manage some carburettor parts or something like that. I see them as being of most use to owners of very rare cars, where there are no other ways of replacing broken parts. Any Mini part will be needed in quantities well above the viable economic limit for printing.

And yes, you can build yourself a working 3D printer for well under £1000, which will be able to print the plastic parts to build more printers.

agreed entirley.... we have one at uni and its alright for protoypes but thats about it....

[nev_payne]

agreed entirley.... we have one at uni and its alright for protoypes but thats about it....

Bear in mind thats a lower budget machine for literally that -prototyping, scaled up and more precise machines available, given there's about a half dozen different methods to laying down the material used.

[pickmeup]

my mate told me about this thread, i reverse engineered a cooper s caliper by scanning it and making it from titanium, will dig out the photos and show you, a very good weight saving was made :)

SLS or additive layer manufacturing isnt as quick as you would think but the process to scan or create apart then use it as a mould is very effective.

[pickmeup]

[Artful Dodger]

you remember you said if i wanted any mini bits let you know? yeah 2 of these please 8)haha thats awsome!


anyways, back on subject, i think i remeber reading in Race tech magasine that aston martin used the 3D printer to make a prototype of their lemans engine, or at least one of their race car engines

[Wise Old Elf]

http://www.maplin.co...an-k8200-783902

 

 

Maplins are selling 3D printers now for £699.99