Solved my conundrum with 3-D printers

I have been following 3-D printing for a number of years. I did the same thing with laser cutters and ended up buying one. But I tried to learn the software need for good 3-D parts and I too decided I was too old/lazy to learn another new software....I'll limit myself to 2-d laser!!! 

Can't wait to see what you guys do!

The creator of the makerbot was a keynote speaker at a conference I was at, it was pretty cool.  You might want to check out the companion 3d scanner as an add on birthday present.  It would let you copy small 3d objects.  There is also a solid community of people who share their projects, it would surprise me if there wasn't a bunch of scale train stuff available.

 

Have to be careful about IP law though.  Have fun 

 

 

 

Now you can make O scale plastic guns.

Lee

 

Can I be your son too. 

 

James

Sneaky!  Figured out how to get your own personal trainer developed....I assume this is close by so you'll have easy access?  Let us know what magic you pull out of this

top hat in the future...

I have had a Makerbot for some time now. I have the early CupCake CNC and thinking about upgrade to the Pre-built MB-2. The price is high.

 

EBay has several 2-color  Chinese Copycat MB-2s for half the MB price.

 

I'd like to have a TRAINPARTS site for train-related items that are needed in quantity like fireplugs, or windows, doors, pipe fitings, signal lamps, custom fencing, street light housings, plastic gears, well just about any of the castings made in resin or metal.

I think this is an item that I wouldn't want the Chinese copy for!  I suspect that software and parts support might be very important in the future, and not having access to either would be a series issue for something that costs $2K at a starting point!

 

Ditto Lee, I will figure it out and can you imagine the business you could create?

 

Ordinarily I would agree as to a Chinese knockoff but that would be wrong.
The MakerBot concept is make all designs public in order to encourage outside modification and improvement.
Thus No Patents!

Most of the components actually come from China. So the $650 Chinese built model has all the features of the MakerBot $3000 model making the decision quite tasty.

How about parts and software support?

 

You use the same software as the MakerBot does. And like I said the main parts are identical to the MakerBot down to the dual color print-head and the heated repetitive build base.

 

I literally constructed my first MakerBot from assembly designs on-line. The parts were laser-cut from on-line templates. I upgraded my initial one with new parts from several other sources than MakerBot.

 

My only issue with the MB cupcake is that the print-head is not fine enough for the detail I was looking for; the new one is several orders of magnitude finer. So the detailing is not an issue.

 

I can see this forum will have a 3D printer category in time to come. All serious modelers will have them.

This is my son's day off.  He came over and picked it up at lunch and has the thing in his workshop now and is spending the afternoon setting it up.  I was surprised how much he knows about them.  Apparently right now there are more than a few bugs, several different types and standards, and a lot of confusion as to what software will work best with what system, etc. He already knows a few upgraded "print heads" and all he wants to buy, etc.  I think it will take him only a month or so to get it worked well.

 

I agree there will be a 3-D printer forum category here someday - certainly there will need to be soon - and also a monstrous public forum file of data sets people can post for this and that part or model ("Print your own whiskey barrels, complete with labels.", "Here is a replacement railing bracket for a postwar XXX loco.", etc.).

 

Still, I want one and am excited that down the road my son will know which I should buy and how to teach me.  And the first thing I would make if I had it up and running today: Columbo.  Everyone panned the Colombo figure I put on my layout two weeks ago - not his classic pose.  And they were right - a guy in a raincoat just isn't Columbo unless he is in that pose.  You have no idea how much time I have put into cutting and repositioning arms, filling in and sanding, etc., to get that: left hand crossed over his midsection holding that cigar low, right elbow resting on hisleft wrist as his right had scratches his lowered forehead below that big mop of hair, with the crumpled raincoat open at the knees, as he says, - "But sir, there's just one thing that puzzles me . . . "  Hours of work - and he's not done yet.  In the future, I just scan a few photos, reposition some pointers, and bang, print him up, ready to paint.

Lee

 

With this new generation of MakerBots you should be able to come up with a convincing two-color version of Colombo with an unlit cigar and notepad. And then be able to replicate him for all your family and friends.

My son just purchased one that is being built locally, about $1100 for the printer. He is already using a 3D printer at school and winning competitions at the state level as a senior in High School

 

I am hoping to have him design and build items for me soon.

A good bit of that already exists: http://www.shapeways.com/

Lee, your words about learning new technology sounds as if I wrote it.

 

But, I can't wait to see what you come up with for your layout. I think we old dogs are ok with learning new things as long as it has to do with things that are fun.

I have used a 3d printer made by bits from bytes. I use Solidworks to create the model, imported it into the printer using Axon 2, and of course used the printer to make the object. I have to say, sometimes the part is not very stable, and it takes a long time to make some items. Of course, the plastic filler can be tricky to remove. Overall soon I see the technology becoming very influential.

There is now a 3D printer available for $499, ready to ship. Look Here

Newer models go for up to $999 with larger build area and other improvements.

I plan on getting one. Since I model in solidworks for work and have a home copy, I'll be all set.

Limitations, Gen 2 Base Model:

6"cube working area. Upgrades are heated platform (+$100) and enclosed Version (incl heat base, +$200).

Yes, the resolution on this one is lower then the >$1200 models: + or - .005" from commanded spot.

Actual head movement is .1mm but the material blobs a bit.

I can work with that.

Also this one uses ABS, not the apparently preferred PLA, For less than half the cost, I'll go there.

 

You might all want to check this link: Shapeways makes lots of 3D printed train stuff, most in very small scale but I'm sure they can scale up for a price.

 

Edit: noted models vary in price, features &  options, Corrected link to go directly to Seller.

Russell

 

The heated base prevents warping of larger objects and allows better adhesion to the base on smaller objects; and the repetitive-conveyer belt base allows for multiple prints without stopping to reset.

 

 

Hello all, 

 

Thought I'd chime in with my experiences in printing a 3D O scale car from Shapeways.

 

This is a CTA rapid transit car, so the length is about 12" or 48 scale feet. The size is still too large to do in a complete shell, so I'm currently printing the ends and sides. I'll eventually make resin molds and cast copies.

 

Progress and photos of the results can be found on my blog:

 

http://ctalayout.blogspot.com/

 

Thanks!

 

CTA Fan / Terry

Alan;

I had not seen the conveyor belt, good idea but does it interfere with the heated base a bit?

Russell

 

the conveyor belt is built into the heated base and runs over the top; so you actually build on the belt.

 

As you know, after you have the object described in say (Freeware) 3dtin.com, Tinkercad.com, Sketchup, OpenSCAD, Wings3D, Scupltris, Autodesk 123D, or (if you want to pay use) Rhino, LightWave, Cinema4D, Autocad, Inventor, Maya, 3DS Max, Mudbox, Creo, Modo, ZBrush, Mathematica, and SolidWorks.... TO CREATE an .STL then you use Skeinforge  to read the .STL as the primary slicer in ReplicatorG to tell the MakerBot where it's to put the print-head and apply hot plastic.

 

So Skeinforge does all the real work deciding where to put the print-head to optimize the printing so that the layers do not cool to subsequent layers for your object.

 

Because of all that, if you are replicating let's say a fire-hydrant and need 50 of them; without the conveyor you would need to reset the program 50 times. With the conveyor it creates each hydrant and then slides the object off the belt and automatically resets itself 49 more times.

 

I wonder if you can make the missing coupler part that would allow operation of the Legacy (K-Line) two truck shay on 031?

 

If you can you might be able to get your investment back in short order.