Questions for anyone running a 3D printer. What modeling software seems to be the most intuitive? Can multiple voids within a solid be modeled and printed? What would be the dimmension of a cube if the entire spool of ABS was used in its creation? How much does that spool cost? How long would it take to consume the entire spool? Has anyone done strength testing of oprinted parts? How thin can a sheet be printed? Do lots and lots of questions bother you?
The search function is your friend! Lots of questions and most of the answers are: it depends. I use Sketchup a LOT, it's pretty intuitive, but does have its limits. Blender is another free program that is better for organic shapes and compound curves, but it has a steeper learning curve. Multiple voids? Depends on what shape and where int he solid, etc. Examples would be good for getting a better answer. Dimensions of the cube? I'll let you do the math. The spools I use have about 330m of 1.75mm dia filament on them, and cost between 35 and 50 bucks depending on a number of things. Additionally, One very rarely prints an object absolutely solid. It wastes material, takes forever to print, and it weighs a lot more than it needs to. Most of the stuff I print is 30-40% solid, the slicer program lays down a pattern inside the shell that fills it to the specified percentage. People who've handled 30% solid objects generally remark that it feels like it's solid. Strength testing in what manner? I've shot up a test piece with BB cannons, it did pretty well, a few dimples here and there except for one 3mm thick piece that was an exposed wall. The range from barrel to plastic was between 6 and 12 inches. If you look in the forums for the tag [3DP] (short for 3D Printing) in the titles and read through my posts, there's a good bit of information on the process, and will save me from having to type it over Tomorrow in my HMS Malaya build log, there will be pictures (in the evening) of about half of my superstructure mounted on the ship. It's all printed in grey ABS. Some of the threads have pics of pumps, gearboxes, etc that I've printed.
Excellent, thank you. I know I've sinned by ignoring the search, and I beg forgiveness. But I had a motive other than laziness. Thank you. I'll dig up the other research based on your suggestions. The mass printing question was purely an expense query. Volume of material vs cost etc.. As for multiple voids, I was thinking along the lines of a block with internal curved passages along one plane, and tow or three cylidrical passages along another. I don'tsee how any complexity would be an issue since machining in the traditional sense is absent. Volume. .793cm Did it a few times, I think I got it right, but that seems like a lot. Thank you for the info...
Most of the cost of the stuff I print is based on machine time, not on the actual amount of plastic, which is not very expensive. As an example, the full superstructure set for HMS Malaya (QE class) represents (once I'm done) about 100 hours of CAD time and more than 60 hours of printing parts. What price would you put on that? The actual plastic filament to make it is about $20-30 worth. But when someone asks what I'd want for a set and I say '$150', they generally say 'oh, okay,' and aren't interested any further. And I'm happy because I have a nice superstructure and I'm able to print one for my friend and shop buddy Brian for his QE. But really, the cost of such a set printed by Shapeways would be easily 3 times that. On the flip side of the coin, I sell 1-unit pumps for $15 plus the cost of the motor (or $15 without a motor), which is considerably cheaper than other peoples pumps. I can do that because it didn't take long to design, and I can print 4 at a time without any drama at all. I load up my file before I leave for work, and tell it to print. When I get home, the printer is done and my pumps are sitting there waiting for post-processing (adding brass outlet tube to the pump, and chemically welding the brass collar into the impeller).
I read a few threads covering hull printing, and that looks like a bear. I'm partial to laser cut hulls, but I started in the stone age when a scroll saw, a drill and blades were my shipyard tool shack. I'd like to see how precise a 3D printer could get and if a printed barrel bend would be too irregular inside to get a good gas seal. Never played with one. Looks to be the answer to some gun design issues, but - not sure Id want to pursue that just to see it fail to meet specs. I saw some pics of things built that had no lines or errors in the surface. Get me wondering what machine did the work.
It's like anything. How much money can you throw at it? For 600-1000 bucks, you get lines. For the fully-assembled machines around 2500-5000, you get lines.
You can use acetone to make smooth finish for your 3d printed part. https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/makerbot/88K-B-rTdAo http://hackaday.com/2013/03/23/smoothing-3d-prints-with-acetone-vapor/ http://hackaday.com/2013/02/26/giving-3d-printed-parts-a-shiny-smooth-finish/ BTW. Use with care...
I've covered it in one of my previous posts, I use it LOTS. Acetone is also how you weld the pieces together. Kind of crucial to using printed ABS for boat parts like pump impellers and props. Having a best friend that gets acetone in 50 gallon containers is a plus
Acetone worked well for welding together the break in the camera mount Kotori and I had on our plane (it had a close encounter with a fence last friday when the battery ran low). I can still see the fracture line, but it held together very well when we put the part to the test again. My Spitfire shot down Kotori's E-Flite Apprentice camera plane, and they both survived the 30ft drop quite well. No damage to the camera mount at all. In fact, the only reason the Spitfire broke a prop was because it was tangled in the Apprentice's landing gear.
