The 3D printing thread

[ahebron]

That is a shame as it is not that hard to use.
I am no computer whizz or youngster.
I bought an Ender 3 which is a very competent cheap printer that with operator learning can do first class prints.
Most of the stuff I print is from Thingiverse or such like but as can be seen I do dabble with designing simple bits and bobs.
It is good for the brain to learn new tasks and yes it can be incredibly frustrating but the only costs are the printer and consumables. 
 

[BPT]

The Ender 3 is a very good machine, only limit is it's smaller size but most of the parts we need for these cars are small parts that our usual suppliers may not invest in. Having a CAD system may be the hold up but there are free programs available. Don't need to be a whiz kid to use them. Usually there are a few engineering types in the various clubs, then a few with printers. Get teamed up and then make rare parts as they present themselves. The possibilities are huge.

BPT

[ahebron]

I need 16 x 628097 which are the springs that help keep tension on the GT6 Mk3, Spitfire Mk4/1500 and late TR6 hubcaps.
I bought the hub caps to go on the Mk4 Spitfire wheels I might put on my Vitesse 6.
But as I have a 3D printer I thought maybe I can print them using TPU.
As I have no springs I have no idea of the spring rate or any dimensions except the inner diameter which is on the hubcap.
So I am asking if anyone with one of these cars could give me the dimensions oa length, od and id and if possible the spring rate. No matter what I will still have to print several different versions of infill and wall thickness to work out a 'spring rate'
Or I could just order them but thats no fun.

[Peter Truman]

I brought similar small springs from our local spring making supplier here in Braeside Melbourne, I brought 20 cost was about $30,

We just looked thro his stock for a similar dia's, length & stiffness, they work.

I didn't like the depth of the hubcaps so I shortened them which provided a larger dia at the top so I could fit the standard Triumph World wheel embellishers.

[ahebron]

Looks good Peter. I have some original Globes somewhere still wrapped in tissue type paper.
Melbourne has the population figures of the whole of NZ and as I an at the wrong end of the island to Auckland a shop that has bins of springs in it to fit a Triumph is not that easy to find. 
But I dont have any to even go looking for similar ones to match.

[Peter Truman]

Think I’ve got some of the springs left I’ll dig them out go down to his factory and see if he can give me their specification as a reference!

[ahebron]

Thanks Peter.
Even just the physical dimensions would be a great help.
3D printer is out of action at present as today I broke the probe for the BL Touch (automatic bed leveller).
I know I can use it without it but its no rush
I have ordered 5 out of Auckland so they will be here next week.
I was about to print a disc lock holder for my BMW motorbike when I knocked the probe and it snapped, it had been damaged previously when the print head crashed into the bed so it was not unexpected but unfortunately I didn't get parts sorted.

[Peter Truman]

For what it's worth I think the original springs were, o.75in long, consisting of 5 turns of 0.035 dia wire, with a coiled ID of 0.335in, and OD of 0.410in. I have 2 spares.

My replacement springs are, 0.77in long, 6 turns of 0.031in dia wire, with an coiled ID of 0.301in and OD of 0.37in. They have to be reverse screwed/pushed onto the plastic pegs with a bit more force than the originals, but they stay there & don't fall off! I have a spares stock of 8.

It's a Triumph you always need spares!

The OD's are harder to measure hence a little variance to the ID plus 2* wire thickness.

 

[ahebron]

 

[BPT]

Recent info in the 3D-ALL3DP newsletter, even the 7 grand scanners aren't accurate enough for close tolerance models. I make parts that have internal structure, even a slot in the bottom of a part will not show up with a scanner as it only sees surfaces the camera can see. So for objects like shown in the video, it does give a decent representation. You still need a program like Fusion 360 of other mesh mixer to turn an object into an STL file. I may be old fashion but I personally like reverse engineering the part to get all the details and to close tolerance.

 

BPT

[PeteH]

A Very intriguing thread.

Curious, I just looked up the cost of the Ender 3. Current about £185 on Amazon?. I supect though that that is not the ultimate cost?. With Software cost`s on top and Materials.? A Decent CAD package currently is not cheap. I have an old copy of "autocad" (10+ years now?), which get`s ocassional use and that cost me £80 back when, which my Grandson got more use out of than me, when he was studying engineering at College. Overall I can see the attraction, But the ultimate cost per item, unless one was to have intent to manufacture, could be unsustainable?.

Pete

 

[ahebron]

There are no software costs I am aware of.
I use Cura as a slicer, this is free.
I use Fusion 360, this again is free version.
Yes you pay for filament but 1kg of PETG or PLA is not that expensive and goes a long way.
The added costs come when you start to modify it but the it is like a car in that you modify it to improve it to a point you are happy.
A lot of the mods you print from Thingiverse
The basic Ender 3 is a very competent machine and out of the box with a bit of fiddling to set it up it can print as well as the high end machines.

Photo of my Ender 3 in the housing I built doing a 3 day print

[BPT]

I agree with Ahebron, the ender 3 is a very capable machine. Materials are not too expensive but material type is critical if you are going to make parts for our classic cars that have a function. PLA is OK for prototyping but can't stand much of any stress or heat. There are materials like ASA, nylon and polycarbonate that are excellent for vehicle use. There are a number of slicers that are very good and free. Simplify 3D is very good but way over priced and you don't really need it. I use 5 different slicers. There are also quite a few free engineering programs and Fusion 360 is one of best "free" versions but the free version has limitations. If you are going to use online sites like Thingiverse, you'll be making "trinkets" and fun things but not too many practical objects. I use my printers (5) for making parts for my two classic Triumphs that our usual vendors no longer make. All 5 of my printers were all paid for by selling these parts. My son has 8 printers and all were paid for selling specialty objects he created. So if you can find a "niche" market, there is money to be made. Printing is not a fast process but well worth the effort if you create useable objects. There isn't a day that at least 2 of my printers are constantly running as I create new parts for the Triumph community.

BPT

[ahebron]

This is a link to my latest Triumph based 3D print.
I have attached the file here for others to copy if they wish, no guarantee it will work for you.
If you want to print one for a 7 inch headlight then just scale it up in you slicer software

 

Headlight aligner v2.stl

[BPT]

Nice work, 3D printing works very well for making special fixtures to hold parts for machining also. Very commonly used in manufacturing to fixture special parts. 

 

BPT