The Future: Custom Decals..or Custom Everything?
Discussion
The number of requests on how to make custom decals and things on modelling forums got me thinking about how modelling might be in for a fundamental change...and possibly very soon. In fact, it´s already happening; I´ve used high resolution metallic RP parts designed and printed myself in the recent past.
I reckon that in a few years time we won´t just be making our own custom decals, we´ll be making our own custom kits. A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to see some plastic model parts that had been 3D printed to incredible resolution - easily a match for the current injection moulding process. The machine was very, very expensive, but that will change. As the cost of these machines comes down so that more people can afford them at home, and the resolution of the parts becomes even higher, things are going to get very exciting for modellers, and very difficult for model manufacturers.
Just imagine being able to select a CAD kit of an aircraft or car (or anything) from a website, download it, and 3d print it on your desktop 3D printer. Open sourcing would mean you might not even have to pay for it. If you like painting rather than building, then print it pre-assembled. If you like building rather than painting, print the parts pre-coloured. You could even experiment with schemes and weathering on a graphics program before applying to the CAD model surfaces and committing to print.
There won´t be any anticipation of new variants or marks of things, because you´ll be able to make them yourself, assuming nobody else in the world hasn´t already done it. You could even make your own unique CAD model with as much detail as you can stand. Who knows, one day you might be able to scan an entire aircraft with your ´phone, then go home and print it to any scale you want.
How about sections through models in any plane or curved surface? Even engines could be sectioned to reveal the internal workings.
I wonder when there will be a competition class at model shows named "Digital RP Models"? I bet eventually there will be a niche class called "injection moulded models"
As a modeller, having seen what I´ve seen recently in terms of rapid prototyping, I´m really excited. If I were a kit manufacturer (or any manufacturer of cheap plastic things for that matter) I´d be absolutely terrified. Remember Kodak?
I reckon that in a few years time we won´t just be making our own custom decals, we´ll be making our own custom kits. A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to see some plastic model parts that had been 3D printed to incredible resolution - easily a match for the current injection moulding process. The machine was very, very expensive, but that will change. As the cost of these machines comes down so that more people can afford them at home, and the resolution of the parts becomes even higher, things are going to get very exciting for modellers, and very difficult for model manufacturers.
Just imagine being able to select a CAD kit of an aircraft or car (or anything) from a website, download it, and 3d print it on your desktop 3D printer. Open sourcing would mean you might not even have to pay for it. If you like painting rather than building, then print it pre-assembled. If you like building rather than painting, print the parts pre-coloured. You could even experiment with schemes and weathering on a graphics program before applying to the CAD model surfaces and committing to print.
There won´t be any anticipation of new variants or marks of things, because you´ll be able to make them yourself, assuming nobody else in the world hasn´t already done it. You could even make your own unique CAD model with as much detail as you can stand. Who knows, one day you might be able to scan an entire aircraft with your ´phone, then go home and print it to any scale you want.
How about sections through models in any plane or curved surface? Even engines could be sectioned to reveal the internal workings.
I wonder when there will be a competition class at model shows named "Digital RP Models"? I bet eventually there will be a niche class called "injection moulded models"
As a modeller, having seen what I´ve seen recently in terms of rapid prototyping, I´m really excited. If I were a kit manufacturer (or any manufacturer of cheap plastic things for that matter) I´d be absolutely terrified. Remember Kodak?
I think custom decal printing on a small scale (note model scale) basis will die as there is no new technology on the market or on the horizon that can do the magic thing, natively print white. The existing technology is dying, the printers are not produced anymore and everything is being expended.
However, yes, I absolutely agree that the future is very very exciting with RP. There are even apps now that you can use on a normal smart phone to create a 3D map of an object to get printed. The future's bright, as they say,
However, yes, I absolutely agree that the future is very very exciting with RP. There are even apps now that you can use on a normal smart phone to create a 3D map of an object to get printed. The future's bright, as they say,
I agree the future will be even more exciting than now
(remember this is me, come back after thirty years to a very changed modelling landscape)
But there is inkjet decal printing even now with white ink, maybe even metallics too
I have seen and handled many of Paul Parkes's decal sheets he says he uses inkjets with a privately developed white cartridge for his custom sheets
The scope is still tremendous for future advances for us to share in, if that becomes widely available. Kind of holy grail stuff for decals.
(I can see me on that small competition table, "old fashioned injection kits - modified"...)
(remember this is me, come back after thirty years to a very changed modelling landscape)
But there is inkjet decal printing even now with white ink, maybe even metallics too
I have seen and handled many of Paul Parkes's decal sheets he says he uses inkjets with a privately developed white cartridge for his custom sheets
The scope is still tremendous for future advances for us to share in, if that becomes widely available. Kind of holy grail stuff for decals.
(I can see me on that small competition table, "old fashioned injection kits - modified"...)
Nothing beats vinyl printed decals though from my experience. I've tried various inkjet printer papers and found the results to be acceptable but not comparable to the real thing. I am struggling with software though, does anyone know if I can get Adobe InDesign on the sly? It seems a bit steep for something I need to use for 2 basic functions for all of a couple of hours!
As for 3D printing, I think it's really coming along quickly. There's folk out there designing their own models and getting them printed by the likes of Shapeways. The possibilities are endless, but material and production costs are currently a bit too high for it to be commercially viable, especially on a small scale for unique parts.
As for 3D printing, I think it's really coming along quickly. There's folk out there designing their own models and getting them printed by the likes of Shapeways. The possibilities are endless, but material and production costs are currently a bit too high for it to be commercially viable, especially on a small scale for unique parts.
C.A.R. said:
Nothing beats vinyl printed decals though from my experience. I've tried various inkjet printer papers and found the results to be acceptable but not comparable to the real thing. I am struggling with software though, does anyone know if I can get Adobe InDesign on the sly? It seems a bit steep for something I need to use for 2 basic functions for all of a couple of hours!
Very much depends on the application. Vinyl decals would be no use at all certianly on Dr_Gn's models or the 1:43 scale models I build.Have a look at Photoline if you wish a cheaper graphics application, very reasonable price.
dr_gn said:
Just imagine being able to select a CAD kit of an aircraft or car (or anything) from a website..
Well, dubious as it is, the first downloadable handgun is already in production:http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/155084-the-libe...
So I guess anything's possible..
It will always come down to cost.
Injection moulding is a simple, cheap, quick method of producing lots of the same thing.
If the capital/tooling/labour cost to 3D print get to the same level and a printer is capable of producing at the same speed as an injection moulding machine then kit manufacturers may move across.
Actually, speed of production may be the major issue. Even large automotive mouldings can be spat out at several a minute, I suspect 3D printing of a whole kit would take significantly longer than moulding.
It is only "rapid" prototyping compared to the traditional methods of soft tools etc.
Injection moulding is a simple, cheap, quick method of producing lots of the same thing.
If the capital/tooling/labour cost to 3D print get to the same level and a printer is capable of producing at the same speed as an injection moulding machine then kit manufacturers may move across.
Actually, speed of production may be the major issue. Even large automotive mouldings can be spat out at several a minute, I suspect 3D printing of a whole kit would take significantly longer than moulding.
It is only "rapid" prototyping compared to the traditional methods of soft tools etc.
Jader1973 said:
It will always come down to cost.
Injection moulding is a simple, cheap, quick method of producing lots of the same thing.
If the capital/tooling/labour cost to 3D print get to the same level and a printer is capable of producing at the same speed as an injection moulding machine then kit manufacturers may move across.
Actually, speed of production may be the major issue. Even large automotive mouldings can be spat out at several a minute, I suspect 3D printing of a whole kit would take significantly longer than moulding.
It is only "rapid" prototyping compared to the traditional methods of soft tools etc.
I think it´s the fact you´re printing exactly what you want, when you want is the key. Open sourcing means that pretty much any variant of any obscure subject will be available, or of course you can modify or CAD from scratch. Obviously some CAD will be better than others, and who knows, one day Tamiya may be purely a CAD file provider? Plus you´re not paying for plastic to throw away (sprues) or packaging. Desktop 3d printers are already here, once the resolution improves (as it is doing almost monthly) and the economies of scale of a large manufacturer kick in, everyone who wants one will have a 3D printer.Injection moulding is a simple, cheap, quick method of producing lots of the same thing.
If the capital/tooling/labour cost to 3D print get to the same level and a printer is capable of producing at the same speed as an injection moulding machine then kit manufacturers may move across.
Actually, speed of production may be the major issue. Even large automotive mouldings can be spat out at several a minute, I suspect 3D printing of a whole kit would take significantly longer than moulding.
It is only "rapid" prototyping compared to the traditional methods of soft tools etc.
I´m excited about applying new skills to an old hobby. I can imagine spending hours and hours on CAD, adding and refining details of the interior of a model, then printing it out in sectioned form so that all the detail is visible...Model competitions will be won and lost not on whether one aircraft engine has ignition wires, but on how many electrodes the spark plug has. Can´t wait!
C.A.R. said:
does anyone know if I can get Adobe InDesign on the sly? It seems a bit steep for something I need to use for 2 basic functions for all of a couple of hours!
InDesign is page layout software. You are perhaps thinking of Adobe Illustrator, and there are lots of cheapo alternatives out there.Eric Mc said:
For the die-hard dedicated perfectionist modellers, then yes, this technology will become more and more important.
For the chap or child who wants to bash something together over a weekend - perhaps not.
I predict that in the not too distant future, there won't be an option of an injection moulded kit, unless it's listed as "vintage" on Ebay.For the chap or child who wants to bash something together over a weekend - perhaps not.
Eric Mc said:
I predict, in the not too distant future, you may be right.
However, you may also be wrong.
That's pretty deep However, you may also be wrong.
Predicting the future is never easy, but at least it's a bit of fun to explore the possibilities.Can't see many downsides to it all once cheap, high-resolution 3D printers become available.
Re. the complexity and detail, don't forget that, should you wish you could download an exact copy of a simple Airfix kit for a beginner (or even one with sprues if you're more experienced but old school and like the traditional process). Or you could choose one of thousands of open-source models specifically designed for beginners. The people who design kits these days may, or may not, be the best in the world, but open-sourcing means that *anyone* with an interest in kits, design and modelling can make their own interpretations of what such a kit should be.
No injection moulding flaws or limitations either, so the assembly methods and the parts themselves may look different from those of today.
And spares...you could just print them. I ended up buying a new Airfix Gladiator kit just to get a spare top wing (which Airfix said were unavailable when I e-mailed a request). Yesterday, on returning from holiday, they've sent me a new wing and are charging me for it. Great.
probedb said:
I'd imagine it'd be more likely it'd be almost like ebooks and you'd pay to download the kit which you could then print at home. After all a lot of the expense of kits is getting the licence from the actual aircraft/car/whatever manufacturers?
Yes, as I said previously, Tamiya and Airfix could well end up being purely CAD model suppliers, but only if they can offer a significant advantage over the thousands of free to download, open-source CAD kits out there, designed by individuals with a specific interest in a particular subject.I can see that using 3D printing has a benefit for detail or one-off components, but for the basic model I think the 'mass produced' kit has a fair bit of life left in it yet, for convenience if nothing else. By way of example, you can print your own books, but plenty of people still prefer to buy them all ready made up and bound.
But I'm a fan of 3D printing, and will be buying the gear shortly.
But I'm a fan of 3D printing, and will be buying the gear shortly.
Yertis said:
I can see that using 3D printing has a benefit for detail or one-off components, but for the basic model I think the 'mass produced' kit has a fair bit of life left in it yet, for convenience if nothing else. By way of example, you can print your own books, but plenty of people still prefer to buy them all ready made up and bound.
But I'm a fan of 3D printing, and will be buying the gear shortly.
Yeah I agree, years of life yet, but within 10 years I think we will be well on the way to RP models, and that will be great becasue it will open up the hobby to thousands of other people who like computer modelling, or those who don't like building and would rather paint, or vice versa.But I'm a fan of 3D printing, and will be buying the gear shortly.
If you want to see 3D printers for real i suggest going along to http://www.tctshow.com/ in a month or so. While Maplin will sell you a 3D printer for £700 (http://www.maplin.co.uk/3d-printer) i'd suggest that while it won't have injection moulding flaws it will have layer flaws. having seen your models Dr_Gn I'd suggest you'll be spending quite some time sanding these to get anything like the resolution and finish you'd want: the best printers have layer thicknesses of 30um, but they're slow and some way off the consumer level: the affordability of a part out of one of these compared to injection moulding is someway off.
Unfortunately I have in front of me a copy of the TCt magazine with an article 'capturing a point in time' i can't find an electronic copy to link but it compares the different machines and their 'off printer' finishes which you'd find interesting.
Of course what can be achieved is stunning- if you remember Skyfall the DB5 they blew up was mostly 3D printed: it just took quite a lot of finishing: http://www.voxeljet.de/en/news-and-events/news/jam...
You may be right, but it'll just change the way modellers work. If the proponents of 3d printing are to believed though we'll be downloading lego blocks to print and trainers and never going to the shops again...
Unfortunately I have in front of me a copy of the TCt magazine with an article 'capturing a point in time' i can't find an electronic copy to link but it compares the different machines and their 'off printer' finishes which you'd find interesting.
Of course what can be achieved is stunning- if you remember Skyfall the DB5 they blew up was mostly 3D printed: it just took quite a lot of finishing: http://www.voxeljet.de/en/news-and-events/news/jam...
You may be right, but it'll just change the way modellers work. If the proponents of 3d printing are to believed though we'll be downloading lego blocks to print and trainers and never going to the shops again...
Gassing Station | Scale Models | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff