Richard71 Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 I heard on the radio today that Porsche intend to start using the 3D Printing method to manufacture parts for their older cars where the parts are now unobtanium..........now there's a though??? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 Hi Richard, we have had a look at the 3D printing and it may do certain jobs. The other way is to reverse engineer items having optically scanned the information into a computer in the first place. The machine shop engineering is basically easy stuff. Getting the drawings etc is the clever stuff. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
boogie Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 I've modelled up the plastic piece at the end of a tr6 trip reset that holds it in place on the speedo. It's a bit more "industrial" than the original when printed and not as durable as the original part. I was intending to print them off to allow repairs but I'm not confident in enough in the quality. That's about as far as I've gone with 3d modelling Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ed_h Posted February 16, 2018 Report Share Posted February 16, 2018 It's not a stock replacement part, but I printed the protective cap for my positive battery terminal. It is printed from a soft, pliable urethane filament. There are also a few other printed odds and ends on the car. Ed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
timhum Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 Try looking at the Shapeways website. There is info there to take you through the process, different materials and their printing service. I've used them for O gauge model railway parts and they produce a good product. The real skill is producing the 3D drawing for them. Tim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie D Posted February 17, 2018 Report Share Posted February 17, 2018 Hello All,A quicker and cheaper alternative to 3D printing for some items is casting in polyurethane resin.I make vac-formed moulds for a chocolate company and use cast polyurethane resin as the former.To make a battery terminal cover, similar to Ed’s you would first make a “Master” out of, say MDF. Seal it and polish it.You then cover this in silicone rubber.When that is set you use it as a mould for the polyurethane.A simple 50/50 mix, pour it in and pop it out the next day.The first time I used it I was surprised.It’s “Real” plastic! You can use the mould dozens of times, maybe hundreds if you are careful.Whenever I’ve seen 3D printed items they never seem to have a perfect surface finish. I’ve heard that there are ways to achieve this, but it adds time to the process for every item made.With casting, the surface finish depends on the original master. If that is perfect, then every casting that comes out will be perfect.If you have an item already made that you want to copy, then you just use that as the master.Charlie D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.