Requests for 3D Printers

[Jnewboy]

Can we get a permanent post to post ideas on of stuff we would want made by our members like Grunt and Jay that do the great work with the 3D printers??

Well this is my first request!





I would love a welding tank for tank repairs

[B17Fortress]

After much consideration, I have reached a conclusion.




<---- in 1/6

Hopefully he is simple enough to make one of these days!

And, if I dare make another wish, a 1/6 PKM.

[maritime96]

Speaking of 3D printing what ever happened to Grunt's Schwimwagen?

[smittyrob64]

Good Idea. And I would like a set of welding tanks as well but in 1/16 for my FAMO.
I have been working on a few 3d items to print. A 1/16 early ausf E/F turret mantlet for my 1/16 panzer III, and a 1/18 panzerwerfer 42. I made an early panzer III cupola and printed it at shapeways and it turned out perfectly.

[kduck]

...And, if I dare make another wish, a 1/6 PKM...

There is a 1:6 resin PKM available already. Scroll down to post #5. There are links to pictures there:
http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/forum/c ... -want.html

If I remember correctly they cost about $50. I don't have one of those PKM's (I have a friend that bought a lot of 1/6 21C prototype PKM's on eBay and he's been kind enough to cast a copy for me) but they get positive reviews over at OSW. There are no PKM's listed at the moment on eBay but check this seller as he lists them occasionally:
http://myworld.ebay.com/davinator65?_tr ... 7675.l2559

If you're interested in other 1:6 Russian weaponry there are resin RPD's and RPK's available on eBay. They are made and sold by a former 21C sculptor. I have one of the RPK's and it's excellent. Check his listings on eBay. He currently has both available.:
http://myworld.ebay.com/mudhens66?_trks ... 7675.l2559

[tmanthegreat]

I would like to see parts that I could use to convert that 21c gray R/C Panzer IV from a Panzer IV D/H hybrid into something more resembling a proper Panzer IV D tank. A conversion kit. Parts like appropriate cupola, two-piece commander hatch, turret side hatches, the little view-port pieces, and a correct exhaust muffler.

[flyboy_fx]

So where can I get these 3D programs? In college right now and they don't seem to have anything for 3D design. -_- I will look again though.

[Jay]

Sketchup 3d is free to download for home use. Also found these ones:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/25-free-3d ... -not-miss/

Plenty to play around with, but i would try Google's Sketchup first.

[flyboy_fx]

Nice! Thanks! I never knew of those! Can you have shapeways print something from google sketchup?

[Jnewboy]

Sketchup 3d is free to download for home use. Also found these ones:

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/25-free-3d ... -not-miss/

Plenty to play around with, but i would try Google's Sketchup first.

I need education on this also! can you walk me (us) through the steps Jay. Say I want that welding tank or whatever part it is, what is the process to get it from an idea to a company like Shapeways making it?

[pickelhaube]

This would be easy to make from scratch .

Just tubes and a little bit of bar stock for the dolly.

[normandy]

How about some 1:18 Panzer crews....not necessarily these but...

[Threetoughtrucks]

I have a "mechanics set" from GMP called "1/18 Garage Accessories Kit" which includes a welder and a arc welder and much more.

OK, it is modern but how much have welders changed since WW2? Nicely detailed metal set.

I don't remember what I paid for it, but I got it on eBay.

TTT

[Jnewboy]

Thanks guys but that was just an example. There are hundreds of items I would love to have and Im sure others would also but I cant or dont have time to carve by hand or build from scratch. So how is it done?

[flyboy_fx]

Do not think that 3D work is easy. The little bit I dabbled with it is time consuming! I have a friend into 3D model making (Not scale stuff), and he'll spend LOADS of time into making a model.

[Threetoughtrucks]

My latest purchase was a M3A4 Infantry Hand Cart that was created by a 3D printer in 1/6 and the cart is suburb. Detail is excellent, even the tiny ID plate on the side is as much detail as anyone would want.

http://www.sixtharmygroup.com/forums/ge ... -cart.html

The creator painted it all and provided ropes and a canvas cover.

3D is the future.

TTT

[normandy]

TTT, what was the cost for the hand cart?
I'm sure it looks good painted........it looks damn good in clear plastic.

[Threetoughtrucks]

The hand cart cost was $125 + a few bucks shipping. Was arrived all set to display. I'll post a pic later today, I'm sure you will agree, after you see it, that it is a very reasonable price and a great example of what 3D can do for items with limited demand.

Mrs. TTT even got involved by digging up a few pics of Marlene Detrick on a USO tour dressed in fatigues clowning around with one of these carts. She wants me to display them together.

Sorry if some of youse guys don't know who Marlene Detrick is...... That's what Google is for...

TTT

[[CAT]CplSlade]

They'll probably have better luck googling Dietrich, though.

[Threetoughtrucks]

Cart made by 3D printer...



Only problem for the bolt counters is the thickness of the tow ropes, it may be a little thick.

Tow ropes go on front or rear and the hand bar can be moved to the front of the cart for towing behind a Jeep. All perfect as far as I'm concerned.

Sorry for the crappy pic, I'll do better.

TTT

[normandy]

Nice looking piece and $125 is a fair price for it's size.

[Jay]

I need education on this also! can you walk me (us) through the steps Jay. Say I want that welding tank or whatever part it is, what is the process to get it from an idea to a company like Shapeways making it?

Sorry, but it's mostly up to you buddy! First you'll need to pick a programme that you like the look off (read reviews, watch youtube videos etc), and then you'll need to just start learning the ropes. I use a programme called "Solidworks", so i'm not sure how Sketchup is presented but i'm sure there will be tutorials on using it.
My initial advice (for what it's worth) would be to choose a "solid modelling" programme, because these in my opinion are more suited to rapid prototyping and printing.
Then it's just a matter of inputing the dimensions/measurements into the programme. either manually, or by "tracing" over blueprints just like smittyrob64 has done in his pictures.
The other thing to watch for is to make sure the cad programme you choose, can produce the type of files the 3d printer can read. Basically, when you model up your item in 3d (virtual realty) you then save the file as a STL file (for example). This is just a type of 3d file (much like tiff, jpeg, gif, png are all types of picture/grapihc files). The 3d printer can then take that file and use it to print an actual 3d part (again, much like you can send a jpeg file to a printer, and it will spit out a picture on actual paper).
If you have specific questions I can try and answer them but yeah, get ready to put your head down and just start learning. Put it this way, I've been using Solidworks for over 10 years and i'm still learning new things!

[Jnewboy]

I need education on this also! can you walk me (us) through the steps Jay. Say I want that welding tank or whatever part it is, what is the process to get it from an idea to a company like Shapeways making it?

Sorry, but it's mostly up to you buddy! First you'll need to pick a programme that you like the look off (read reviews, watch youtube videos etc), and then you'll need to just start learning the ropes. I use a programme called "Solidworks", so i'm not sure how Sketchup is presented but i'm sure there will be tutorials on using it.
My initial advice (for what it's worth) would be to choose a "solid modelling" programme, because these in my opinion are more suited to rapid prototyping and printing.
Then it's just a matter of inputing the dimensions/measurements into the programme. either manually, or by "tracing" over blueprints just like smittyrob64 has done in his pictures.
The other thing to watch for is to make sure the cad programme you choose, can produce the type of files the 3d printer can read. Basically, when you model up your item in 3d (virtual realty) you then save the file as a STL file (for example). This is just a type of 3d file (much like tiff, jpeg, gif, png are all types of picture/grapihc files). The 3d printer can then take that file and use it to print an actual 3d part (again, much like you can send a jpeg file to a printer, and it will spit out a picture on actual paper).
If you have specific questions I can try and answer them but yeah, get ready to put your head down and just start learning. Put it this way, I've been using Solidworks for over 10 years and i'm still learning new things!

Thanks Jay that was exactly the info I needed! This next year I may get into it!

Grunt has told me before that he has to pay allot for prototypes to be made and just parts of his big stuff is so much money its sorta crazy not to just print one perfect one and then make molds of it and copy it in resin for a fraction of the price of printing another.

So my question is are there materials that are out there that are cheaper that can be used then the stuff on shapeways?

[Jay]

Resin would be cheaper and yes, I have thought about using Shapeways to produce a mold that i could then reuse.
The main difference is that to make something from a mold requires the mold to be taken apart after wards. So you have to think carefully about part lines, over hanging details etc.
The advantage of 3D printing is that you can have overhangs, negative details, even hollow parts all within the same part. So you could actually print a complete engine as a single part (as opposed to say a 1/24 scale car engine which would be at least two parts for the engine block alone).
So yeah, there are alot of different materials and processes which would be cheaper (but require work in other ways).
The reason i like 3d printing, is that
A: I'm slightly handy with a computer anyway.
B: Because you're using a computer, you can get details near perfect and to the mm (or a hundredth of an inch) and you more or less know that that's exactly how the finished item will come out.
C: As a seller, it's advantageous to farm out the manufacturing to a company in the States. Even if i did produce resin models, it would then cost to ship them across the world. Where as with Shapeways you guys are just paying for shipping across the country, and any updates or changes can be quickly sent through in a computer file.
Like Pickle said, if you are just wanting a model for yourself, and it's simple stock tube stuff then it is way cheaper to hammer it out yourself (you could even do a multimedia kit using stock tube for the large stuff, and just the detail parts using 3D printing.).