3D printing for old heaps - yaaay!
Discussion
My apologies if this has been done to death before. I just wanted to celebrate the advent of 3D printing for solving some "hard to find that bit" problems with old heaps. My mechanic has taken to 3D technology with enthusiasm and is fabricating all sorts of obscure bits and bobs. Recent wins include a wiper stalk and a window winder gear. Quicker and cheaper than combing eBay and/or paying what may be ransom prices to specialist hoarders/suppliers.
I think that I'll ask him to 3D print me a 1930s Bugatti or something.
I think that I'll ask him to 3D print me a 1930s Bugatti or something.
Glad you've brought this up BV, it's got me thinking about to how to finish off some of the 'faux posh / bespoke' interior bits on my wee Cooper S. I recently bought a genuine '60s roof console from a mate who hoards period goodies, I want to bring it up to scratch with some trim parts, edging, switchgear surrounds etc, rather than use modern items...
I had no idea you could make door and window seals on a 3D printer until I read about it in a restoration article a few weeks ago!
I had no idea you could make door and window seals on a 3D printer until I read about it in a restoration article a few weeks ago!
Rubber parts are a bit tricky, here's a 3D printed fuel cap holder that worked: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1dCwD1ZFXE
And a less successful 3D printed fanbelt
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD1J54ccrR0
I made some missing black plastic levers for some vintage hifi that turned out well after a lot of sanding, so I guess that would also work well for missing switch gear on a classic car.
And a less successful 3D printed fanbelt
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD1J54ccrR0I made some missing black plastic levers for some vintage hifi that turned out well after a lot of sanding, so I guess that would also work well for missing switch gear on a classic car.
Edited by mr_fibuli on Thursday 19th October 13:02
Breadvan72 said:
Do you want my bloke's details? I am not sure of the limits of the tech as to materials and so on, b ut the dude has a very can do attitude.
Limits of materials: the stronger 3D printing materials are often prone to structural failure when exposed to UV (like, sunlight).TBH for a lot of older car bits, laser sintering (which is a different additive manufacturing process, based on selective heating of powdered metal) is probably more appropriate - but it's also more expensive and less ubiquitous as a consequence. You'd still not manufacture something like an upright from it, but brackets and hinges, or other non-critical bits, sure.
3-D printing - It’s going to become much more common place…
The skill is getting the part that’s broken (if it is) and modelling it in such a way, that it can be 3-D printed and still have some performance of the standard material/product.
Normal 3-D printed plastics have about 10% of the strength of the original. You can get plastics with 65% of the strength, but they are twice as much.
The normal ABS plastics have a temperature range only up to 70 degC which is nowhere near enough for most applications on a car.
The PLA type plastics aren’t very good in moisture, as it dissolves them.
As above, some of the darker colours suffer from UV attack.
SLS – selective laser sintering is amazing, as you can print metals, stainless steel, Inconel etc.… it’s awesome - but then again, so is the price.
Rubber is an interesting one… as Boeing has some flight certified 3-D printed rubber seals on one of their aircraft. The great beauty of that is - if it breaks, download a model and print off a new one.
Now the big boys have entered the game, Polaroid, HP, GE etc.… I think we will see some real progress on the materials.
The skill is getting the part that’s broken (if it is) and modelling it in such a way, that it can be 3-D printed and still have some performance of the standard material/product.
Normal 3-D printed plastics have about 10% of the strength of the original. You can get plastics with 65% of the strength, but they are twice as much.
The normal ABS plastics have a temperature range only up to 70 degC which is nowhere near enough for most applications on a car.
The PLA type plastics aren’t very good in moisture, as it dissolves them.
As above, some of the darker colours suffer from UV attack.
SLS – selective laser sintering is amazing, as you can print metals, stainless steel, Inconel etc.… it’s awesome - but then again, so is the price.
Rubber is an interesting one… as Boeing has some flight certified 3-D printed rubber seals on one of their aircraft. The great beauty of that is - if it breaks, download a model and print off a new one.
Now the big boys have entered the game, Polaroid, HP, GE etc.… I think we will see some real progress on the materials.
Breadvan72 said:
Do you want my bloke's details? I am not sure of the limits of the tech as to materials and so on, b ut the dude has a very can do attitude.
Could be useful please. I'd more or less resigned myself to working out a one-piece window conversion or paying £2500 - £3000 for tooling for new moulds to have them made in rubber.
tty old cars, mostly mine.Breadvan72 said:
My apologies if this has been done to death before. I just wanted to celebrate the advent of 3D printing for solving some "hard to find that bit" problems with old heaps.
Yep! I replicated myself an impossible-to-source air filter by printing a frame and using the filter material from a generic cheapo one to go in it.
My friend has similarly made some bits for his cars with his printer.
I fancy trying some aluminium casting at some point, by 3D printing and then making moulds from them. Or perhaps even using the plastic item for a "lost wax" approach.
Related, for drawing stuff up, Autodesk Fusion360 is great, it's free, and you can export the files for 3D printing.
Riley Blue said:
Breadvan72 said:
Do you want my bloke's details? I am not sure of the limits of the tech as to materials and so on, b ut the dude has a very can do attitude.
Could be useful please. I'd more or less resigned myself to working out a one-piece window conversion or paying £2500 - £3000 for tooling for new moulds to have them made in rubber.
http://www.scottsoldautorubber.com.au/RILEY%201958...
(apols for thread drift)
RJ
occrj said:
Riley Blue said:
Breadvan72 said:
Do you want my bloke's details? I am not sure of the limits of the tech as to materials and so on, b ut the dude has a very can do attitude.
Could be useful please. I'd more or less resigned myself to working out a one-piece window conversion or paying £2500 - £3000 for tooling for new moulds to have them made in rubber.http://www.scottsoldautorubber.com.au/RILEY%201958...
(apols for thread drift)
RJ
My son is at Uni studying Mech Eng. They have a research project in conjunction with the Army to develop 3D printing technology to allow the Army to 3D print spares for their vehicles close to the 'front line' so as to reduce the logistics of holding large inventories of spare parts. I'm sure it won't be too long before this becomes more widely available.
This is something I'd not actually thought about before, embarrassingly.
I'm a freelance design engineer (I work with 3D CAD and make things using digital manufacture, cnc etc.) and have a lot of experience with 3D printing of various types. If you can't produce a part using FDM printing, it's likely that you'll be able to use some other (albeit more expensive) method such as SLS or SLA.
If there's anybody on here who would like some parts making up for them, I have access to a few different printers (both cheaper low-end and super-fancy high resolution expensive), please feel free to send me a message
Also, sorry for the shameless plug...
I'm a freelance design engineer (I work with 3D CAD and make things using digital manufacture, cnc etc.) and have a lot of experience with 3D printing of various types. If you can't produce a part using FDM printing, it's likely that you'll be able to use some other (albeit more expensive) method such as SLS or SLA.
If there's anybody on here who would like some parts making up for them, I have access to a few different printers (both cheaper low-end and super-fancy high resolution expensive), please feel free to send me a message
Also, sorry for the shameless plug...
samj2014 said:
This is something I'd not actually thought about before, embarrassingly.
I'm a freelance design engineer (I work with 3D CAD and make things using digital manufacture, cnc etc.) and have a lot of experience with 3D printing of various types. If you can't produce a part using FDM printing, it's likely that you'll be able to use some other (albeit more expensive) method such as SLS or SLA.
If there's anybody on here who would like some parts making up for them, I have access to a few different printers (both cheaper low-end and super-fancy high resolution expensive), please feel free to send me a message
Also, sorry for the shameless plug...
If you don't have a Youtube channel, starting one about making rare/unobtainable car parts like this would probably do well in terms of self-promotion.I'm a freelance design engineer (I work with 3D CAD and make things using digital manufacture, cnc etc.) and have a lot of experience with 3D printing of various types. If you can't produce a part using FDM printing, it's likely that you'll be able to use some other (albeit more expensive) method such as SLS or SLA.
If there's anybody on here who would like some parts making up for them, I have access to a few different printers (both cheaper low-end and super-fancy high resolution expensive), please feel free to send me a message
Also, sorry for the shameless plug...
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