Has anyone researched or used 3D printing services? Generate a 3D model (Superstructure, Turrets etc) and have someone print the 3D model in the various resins and what not they use now-adays?
not yet. been contemplating it for small parts to make molds from. biggest impedement is high cost/vol. check out ponoko. I checked out the pricing on the tiny breda twin AA guns (1$/ea) the littorio tertiary guns (17$/ea) and other parts got more expensive from there. my only concern right now is that to get down to where the cost is believable, I had to ride the minimum wall thickness value fairly closely.
Makes sense. I saw several 3D printers at Autodesk University last year..they can do some amazing things. Lets keep tabs on it and see what develops. I think there is a serious future for 3D printing. NASA for instance, LOVES the idea. Be able to fabricate ANY item when needed. Instead of having to lug up all those wrenches and stuff they "may" need. Need a certain nut, screw or wrench, print it...that sort of thing. This will change the manufacturing process in the world dramatically. CC machines were one thing, but 3D printing is a complete game changer.
Stephen has used it to print a master turret to use to make a mold, but hasn't used it for producing the actual turret itself for sale. I would think a resin superstructure would be a bit heavy, but will let others make more comments about that.
Nice - thats a great use for making master molds. Wow - never thought of that. Yea, the super might be way too large and heavy, but perhaps lighter weight material might do it, or no have the thing solid? One could always add extra strength by foaming the inside. Just brain storming. I love those turrets by the way. Could you have him check how large the Bismarck turrets are, compared to the H-39? If they are the same scale, I'll end up getting 4 plus an extra. And most of the other guns as well. The look very nice indeed...
At this weeks MWC Nats, one of the captains brought the cute little Sverige PDN to battle with. Not only was the all wood ship amazingly well constructed, but the captain had 3D printed all of it's turrets, barbettes, and a few other pieces of superstructure. The pieces look great and have survived BB hits without cracking or breaking. I'm sold on 3D printing now!
Working on the rough 3D work for my Main Gun Turrets for the H-39. Happens there is a shop that does 3D printing around the corner from my work. Here are some images: The shell is 1/8" thick - have some notches for my 1/4" steel barrels, and a ring to make it fit inside the 3" PVC pipe I'll use for the Barbett (offset for a loose fit). Working out neat - gota add the directors, ladders, and rivets too. Cant wait to see them printed... Thomas
I sure hope so. Cant wait to add the detail work. I was just thinking about the canvas covers...be kinda nice to have those. Perhaps use the brass tubing that fits over the steel barrel be not fastened onto the barrels at all, so the barrels can slide out of them. That way, the canvas covers could be part of the turret and such. Hmm...I think I need to talk to the wife. She sews... Thomas
I E-mailed www.shapeways.com about the max Print size and this is a part of the email I was sent to my reply. Our most popular material (White Strong & Flexible) will allow you to print with a maximum bounding box dimension of 650×350×550mm. Anything larger than that would have to be printed in separate files. as far as pricing I dont know didnt ask.
Yeah, that's their max size, but the cost for a plastic that will hold up to RC model use (not just combat use) is $3 or so per cubic centimeter! Wow!
I wonder what the cost would be to get the MAgazine for a big gun cannon and/or the accumulators 3D printed. I wouldn't worry about the strength and it holding up considering they already 3D printed a hand gun that worked.
Have you read this? I'd say its possible (not sure on the accumulator though), but I think you'd be better off getting cannons laser cut. Strength concerns aside, it would be more economical, and has been proven to work well. 3d printing is good for some things, (smaller things that are hard to make using more conventional methods), but not producing entire magazines. At least that's my opinion. Also, at you sure they made an entire hand gun? I've heard of components being made, but an entire gun?
They have made (and fired) a single-shot .22 cal handgun, which fired several rounds before cracking. They have also made a lower receiver for an AR15 type rifle, the most recent iteration of which fired 13 rounds before failing (cracks at the top of the part that the buttstock threads into). Printing a magazine should be no more expensive than lasercutting one, and with an acetone vapor bath, an ABS magazine should be stronger, as that addresses microfractures from the heating and cooling.
I was reviewing some software this week that converts the 3D CAD model to G-code for the printing machine to use. Although you can change the settings, in general it tries to fill all solid volumes with a truss-like support structure. This saves material and printing time, but it would be a problem for parts that are under pressure. Because the magazine is only under pressure momentarily when firing, it may work, but we would need to do some testing to ensure safety. I would never recommend printing the accumulators. Commercially available pipe is cheap, manufactured and tested to national standards, and throughly engineered to hold the design pressure.
I agree, there is no compelling reason to print the accumulators, not when pipe is so easy and cheap to come by. The software I'm using is Slic3r, and there are tricks to keep it from infilling voids. I may try after my obligated turrets and such are done, just to see if it's (relatively) easily doable. 1/8" of ABS should hold 150psig. My planned attempt at fast gun cannons will use 1/4" walls for safety margin. I will of course post test results and such on this forum.
