Not for combat, but still impressive: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6432 this could be an excellent example of how to print a small warship hull. Notice how it is broken down into sections. Someone else made some detail parts to fit this model, too. Very interesting.
RE: 3dp u-boat Can we do it??? YES, WE CAN! All the parts (scaled down to 1/144) fit on the print bed together and will take about 8 hours to print. Typ VII Unterzeebooten verra verra small. It would be close to miraculous to get one set up as a static diver, much less give it a spurt gun.
RE: 3dp u-boat New estimate: 8hrs 45min... changed the outer shell to 2mm thick, up from 1mm. Settings: Hot end 240C, printbed 110C, print speed 60mm/sec, 20% infill*, shell thickness 2mm, layer height 0.3mm (want to get done before work in the morning). (Not that anyone would be crazy enough to try it) (Because that'd be one more hull in the shop) (and that'd be wrong). *really, the only part that will get infill is the conning tower; everything else is a thin-walled structure and should be close to solid.
RE: 3dp u-boat Update: Printing. Also, forgot to mention, using a raft for adhesion, and to keep tall skinny structures from tipping over.
RE: 3dp u-boat I dunno...I'd be willing to try and get it running. RC dynamic diver would be kinda fun, and after (if!) I get that much working, then we could think about a gun....
RE: 3dp u-boat Hahaha, little man... This is MY unterzeeboot! If you wish one, we can make arrangements... If you have enough hard cider, cheerleaders, and pizza!
RE: 3dp u-boat Hmm...Woodchuck cider & pizza I can arrange. Cheerleaders....nu-uh. Not with your lawyer-type wifey around
RE: 3dp u-boat Yeah, I suspect my life expectancy would definitely go down at that point... 0445, and it's still printing, but close to being done! Very cool looking. If I'd done a thinner layer height, it'd look even better, but most of the hull will be covered in balsa and from 5 feet it'll look great This is one of the things that impresses upon me how cool 3D printers are... to quote the philosopher Han Solo... 'Y'know, Princess, some days I even surprise myself.'
RE: 3dp u-boat Pic #1 is on my Google+ feed; I can't copy and paste at work, causes a cockup in IE that hangs the whole browser. yes, even using control-C/Control-V. Fixed that for you -nick (This is Tugboat's picture)
RE: 3dp u-boat Hmm....what scale is that? Looks a bit big for 1:144. Heck, looks a bit big for 1:96. Type VIIC U-boats were tiny... OTOH, no easily referenced scale in pic..:blush:
RE: 3dp u-boat 1/144 I would guesstimate those brass strips the heated bed are composed of at 1" in width
RE: 3dp u-boat The Kapton strips are 1" wide (good eye, Nick), and the beam of a Type VII in 1/144 is 1.69" (20'4" in 1:1) and that's exactly what my model's beam comes to. I was worried about it when I saw them after waking up this morning, and I measured them. They are correct, which made me happy since it took all dang night to print... Even at the big-looking correct size, the ship is tiny. I'll try to get a pic showing what systems will go where. Stand by!
RE: 3dp u-boat Want more pics!!! Looked up the size of a VII C: 1:1 1:144 Length: 220' or 18.3 inches Beam: 20.4' or 1.69 inches Height: 31.5' or 2.625 inches (keel to top of conning tower) Draft: 15.5' or 1.29 inches hoo-boy dat's tiny!
RE: 3dp u-boat Currently sanding the crap out of the areas where the parts slot together. Seriously considering cutting off the tabs and welding it together. It's not that hard to line up correctly. *EDIT* I think that's what I'm going to do. I will leave the nose and tail assemblies off to ease putting things inside. The stern two pieces will be welded together and house the propulsion assembly. That stern section will be removable, just in case. (Ay, caramba!) Below, you can see the pieces (apart from the conning tower) being inspected by Junior Assistant Propwasher Lucky-boo. I printed at a high speed and a thick layer height which does not do any favors for detail, but I wanted to see it done before I went to work the next day. He checked them out, and then laid down on the job... another reason that he has not yet been promoted to Hull Inspector, after more than a year with BuShips.
RE: 3dp u-boat Brian K was in the shop last weekend, and saw the sub. Then, he saw the one section I'd printed in 1/96. Then, the two of us found the Surcouf and USS Argonaut plans, and realized that a 1/144 Argonaut is bigger than a 1/96 Type VII, and deemed it 'Totally Do-able'. The first two pieces will print tonight, both amidships sections, and just for giggles, they have a ballast tank printed in the lower 1/3 of the hull for static dives. The ship will be printed in 10 or 12 pieces (not counting the conning tower). The mid section and the two end sections will be held together with threaded rod or M3 hardware, haven't decided which. The files will be posted for free for others to build, in case anyone wants a fast-gun-legal submarine convoy ship*... *Argonaut (V-4) was specifically converted from a submarine minelayer to a submarine troop transport (i.e. minelaying gear permanently removed and racks for troops installed) and carried half a battalion of Marine Raiders for the Makin Island raid, and is thus legal for convoy service in Campaign. Bonus points if you cast little rafts out of silicon and have the float off when she dives!
RE: 3dp u-boat I'm looking forward to this! I am just a few hours from my first test print with my shiny new printer. For those of you who want an Axis submarine transport, there's both the Milchkuh and the I-402 (converted during construction into a submarine oil tanker). edit: check this out. Submarine-rated seals for diving planes and propshafts: http://www.sub-driver.com/accessories/couplers-bearings-seals-and-rods.html micro air pump for blowing ballast tanks: http://www.sub-driver.com/accessories/air-and-water-pumps.html a fascinating method for transfering servo motions through a watertight barrier, if you're building a non-combat model: http://www.sub-driver.com/sub-drivers/1-25-sub-driver-kit.html
RE: 3dp u-boat Here's my thought to building any RC combat sub in our scale / rules: Dynamic diver Build it so it has positive buoyancy (sitting at normal surface draft should be about right). Bow planes fixed at about 10-degrees down bubble. Stern planes fixed at about 5-degrees down. No ballast tanks or pumps required. Drive forward, sub dives. Let off throttle (or lose signal) and sub pops to surface. If a combat model, bilge pump would be allowed as well as gun. If a convoy, neither allowed but boat still would work fine. I WANT ONE!!
