Just completed and battled a fully 3D printed Algerie. The ship was printed in Carbon Fiber infused PETG on a Prusa MK3S. The hull was printed in 7 pieces then screwed together with the bottom fiberglassed.
Bravo! Really nice job. How do you like the carbon filled PETG? Did it wear your nozzle? What brand? Again... Really great Jeff
I was very happy with how she handled and held up to battle damage. I had a few minor issues (this was the first time on the water) unrelated to being 3D printed, that were quick fixes. I'm going to add a few shots of damage at the end.
I carbon influse PETG I use is from Atomic. If you print with carbon you need to get a hardened nozzle. Matterhackers is a great place for 3D supplies. I've been printing with a hardened nozzle (about $20) for over 6 months. It's my goto filament for most printing, Very strong, but retains the flexibility of PETG. What I like best is that it doesn't seem to be as sticky as most PETG. This makes removing any supports much easier and cleaner. It also shows detail very well and held up to BB's, which was my main concern.
The filament I use is about $50 a roll and it takes 3 to 4 rolls to print both the hull and superstructure. Thats with a clean print the first time! I think this was about version 50! The advantages to doing it this way is being able to prototype different ideas. I like being able to incorporate the deck as an integral piece of the hull. The first version, I tried to design the deck to snap in. That did NOT work! The next version I didn't design in enough cross pieces. The good part was I only needed to replace certain sections, not reprint the entire hull. I also found that printing the superstructure in layers made for a much cleaner print. I was also able to model the engines, batteries, air bottle and shafts and incorporate their fittings and supports into the hull design. Being able to see exactly how these would sit in the hull was a huge advantage. In short, for most people the fiberglass hull is going to be cheaper and easier. To be honest, I'm not the best modeler and this fit my skills much better!
This is similar to what I am working on, though I intend to print the ribs as individual pieces to reduce the risk of failure and fit them to a subdeck with an additional deck on top. It is great to be able to directly model things that you know will fit together and have everything planned out.
Dang-it Andrew! I had just finished my Algerie hull and was getting ready to fit it out. SCRAP can't have two Algeries on the water. I'll have to finish off my Dido or something.
I like the closeup. Very interesting. It's tempting to try this at some point, but it'll have to wait until after I get through my backlog of old ships that need new superstructures.
I'm happy to share! There are a lot of files and unfortunately not well organized or named, other than for my reference. I'll work on getting them organized. In the meantime I can send them to you if you want to forward me your email.
