3D Printing

[LGB-Sid]

Hi Guys
I have been 3D printing now for about 10 years now and have been printing materials for outdoor use in g scale for the last 5 years or so, I trialed sleepers and building my own track with some success a friend of mine has taken this to the next step and has built a complete railway, the test section i started with has been outside for 4 years now in the direct sunlight through Australian summers with no structural deterioration only some mild discoloration on the white sleepers, the plastic used is ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) Take into account that the UV here is considerably higher than in the northern hemisphere it would be fair to say that printed ABS is up to the job. I will try to post pictures later.
Alan

Hi Alan thanks for the answer have you ever tried ASA filament ? it says it prints like ABS but is UV resistance. the more I think about it in my case what I want to make most things will be painted so probably could use ABS , decided to bite the bullet and buy a printer as Amazon had the one I was after on a flash sale and SWMBO agreed but I have just bought here a new mountain bike

 

[ebay mike]

Mmmm - I wonder if they will have them over here. I have seen them online at Rapid - I suppose you just need a steady hand!

If you want on Mick, let me know and I'll try and pick one up for you.

 

[trammayo]

If you want on Mick, let me know and I'll try and pick one up for you.

Thanks for the kind offer - I'll let you know!

 

[PhilP]

My guess...
The '3D pen' (sic) is OK for Hippies to produce flowers for their hair..

Other than that, it will be like trying to produce a model using a glue-gun!

(OK, a little unfair, but you get the drift?)

 

[trammayo]

My guess...
The '3D pen' (sic) is OK for Hippies to produce flowers for their hair..

Other than that, it will be like trying to produce a model using a glue-gun!

(OK, a little unfair, but you get the drift?)

The only 'flour power' for me is Yorkshire Puds or Scones! As you are probably right I'll have to forego EbayMike's kind offer. Incidentally, I have thought of using the glue gun for making things - just need to make some moulds first! I have different coloured glue sticks in stock

 

[PhilP]

The only 'flour power' for me is Yorkshire Puds or Scones! As you are probably right I'll have to forego EbayMike's kind offer. Incidentally, I have thought of using the glue gun for making things - just need to make some moulds first! I have different coloured glue sticks in stock

By definition...

Wouldn't they stick in the moulds???????????

 

[ebay mike]

The only 'flour power' for me is Yorkshire Puds or Scones! As you are probably right I'll have to forego EbayMike's kind offer. Incidentally, I have thought of using the glue gun for making things - just need to make some moulds first! I have different coloured glue sticks in stock

I think I'll invest in one anyway just to see what it's limitations are. It might save me carving small bits out of a lump of plasticard. I fancied trying to make CIWL crests for some of my coaches. Like you Mick, I've also got a stock of coloured glue sticks (came from LIDL earlier this year) so there's another potential project for me.

 

[trammayo]

I think I'll invest in one anyway just to see what it's limitations are. It might save me carving small bits out of a lump of plasticard. I fancied trying to make CIWL crests for some of my coaches. Like you Mick, I've also got a stock of coloured glue sticks (came from LIDL earlier this year) so there's another potential project for me.

I wondered, apart from each layer of heated filament sticking together, if it would stick to glass. If you could print a design on paper, then overlay it with a pane of glass, you would have all the guidelines needed if it would lift off the glass once cool. Just a thought.

I got my coloured glue sticks from Lidl too!

 

[korm kormsen]

many printers have their "print beds" made of glass. one has to aply glue, so that the first layer of the print sticks to the glass.

 

[ebay mike]

Well, I've been to LIDL and bought my pen. Contents of the box are pen, stand, USB power cord & mains plug, 3 coils of 1.5mm filament (red, yellow, blue), 3 templates to copy from, transparent drawing mat (thin flexible plastic), instruction manual. Don't have time for a play at the moment. Photo below for your information. If it's as easy as it looks then it should be a doddle to lay the mat over a photo or drawing and do the biz. We'll see!!!!!

 

[Northsider]

I have done simple injection moulding with a glue gun. Using silicon spray as a release agent on the mould helps the finished part to release. A colleague bought a 3D print pen a few years ago, and I'm afraid it was a novelty: the finished products looked like a cross between doodling and etch-a-sketch. The Up Box visible in Alan's photos costs about £1800; we've just got one at work. A lovely piece of kit, but I don't think I could justify the expense for modelling. Not that I haven't had a bit of 'me time' on the company one

 

[PhilP]

Probably about what I would expect for a 'top of range' hobby machine atm...
Technobots are pushing one, a little less money, 300mm cube (approx.) modelling area and twin heads..

I probably do not have the time to invest at the moment.. Guessing the learning curve might be a bit steep?

 

[Northsider]

Guessing the learning curve might be a bit steep?

The steepest part was learning how to use the CAD software; the 3D printing was pretty straightforward.

 

[musket the dog]

On the question of materials and outdoor suitability. I think most printers use ABS, ASA or Nylon (PA6) filament? I'm an automotive design engineer by trade and have designed plenty of panels and parts in those materials for outdoor exposure. ASA and PA6 are generally OK UV wise, if there's any unpainted plastic trim on your car or motorbike it will likely be a blend of ASA or PA6; bumpers, textured trims, that sort of thing. Lots of fast bikes (and some cars) running around with ABS body panels. The original plastic colour will fade but the materials themselves should be fine under a coat of paint. Especially a good automotive paint like that from Halfords.

If you know anyone in education or at uni you can get hold of a free copy of Autodesk Inventor. Lots of free materials online to learn the software and guides in the program itself. Not my favourite to use but it's very difficult to get hold of anything better without laying down some serious money. If you would like a hand with anything design wise feel free to drop me a PM

 

[LGB-Sid]

On the question of materials and outdoor suitability. I think most printers use ABS, ASA or Nylon (PA6) filament? I'm an automotive design engineer by trade and have designed plenty of panels and parts in those materials for outdoor exposure. ASA and PA6 are generally OK UV wise, if there's any unpainted plastic trim on your car or motorbike it will likely be a blend of ASA or PA6; bumpers, textured trims, that sort of thing. Lots of fast bikes (and some cars) running around with ABS body panels. The original plastic colour will fade but the materials themselves should be fine under a coat of paint. Especially a good automotive paint like that from Halfords.

If you know anyone in education or at uni you can get hold of a free copy of Autodesk Inventor. Lots of free materials online to learn the software and guides in the program itself. Not my favourite to use but it's very difficult to get hold of anything better without laying down some serious money. If you would like a hand with anything design wise feel free to drop me a PM

Thanks I decided to go with some good quality ABS to print with at the start of the week, it's taken all week to get the settings correct so it sticks to the bed / Blue painters tape without covering the bed in gunk of one sort or another. I was going to try ASA, but what I have read so far it's harder to get it to stick to the print bed , but there again reading about 3D printing on the nett you get 100's of different answers to how to get your filament to stick to the print bed so now I test print the design in PLA as it's quicker and it just sticks to the bed at low temp, then when the design has been tweaked to suit what I am after I then print in ABS.

 

[palmerston]

The steepest part was learning how to use the CAD software; the 3D printing was pretty straightforward.

I use Autodesk Fusion360. It's free. A lot of training video's on YouTube.

As soon as i have mastered 3D drawing i will start with printing and or CNC.

 

[PhilP]

I use Autodesk Fusion360. It's free. A lot of training video's on YouTube.

As soon as i have mastered 3D drawing i will start with printing and or CNC.

So how do CNC ?milling? machines compare in price?? - Is there such a thing as a 'hobby' CNC mill???

Saw some dinky little ?Proxonn? milling machines at Warley today.. On the Axminster stand.

 

[palmerston]

So how do CNC ?milling? machines compare in price?? - Is there such a thing as a 'hobby' CNC mill???

Saw some dinky little ?Proxonn? milling machines at Warley today.. On the Axminster stand.

Depends on the material, size and precision of the parts to be milled. If you want to mill a side of a long coach out of plastic then a flatbed router would be needed. If steel or ME parts then a large heavy mill is prefered.

3D printing is more straight forward. Liitle work to be done after the drawing CAD is ready. Just printing settings. As for milling you will have to set toolpaths and select tools and setting up the mill and stock material, all manually know as CAM.

 

[musket the dog]

Thanks I decided to go with some good quality ABS to print with at the start of the week, it's taken all week to get the settings correct so it sticks to the bed / Blue painters tape without covering the bed in gunk of one sort or another. I was going to try ASA, but what I have read so far it's harder to get it to stick to the print bed , but there again reading about 3D printing on the nett you get 100's of different answers to how to get your filament to stick to the print bed so now I test print the design in PLA as it's quicker and it just sticks to the bed at low temp, then when the design has been tweaked to suit what I am after I then print in ABS.

Sounds like a good plan, seen lots of different tips on how to get proper adhesion between the material and a cold print bed. I suspect it's one of those problems that only really solved in the long run by trying several ideas until you find one that works. Would the blue painters tape just be the single sided masking stuff? I've used double sided sticky tape before but it's a nightmare to clean off of the print bed afterwards.

 

[PhilP]

Printer I'm looking at has a heated bed / is enclosed, so I assume this helps??

This has set me thinking these beasts are probably quite power-hungry??