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+--- Thread: Desktop 3D printers (/showthread.php?tid=5879)
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-02-2013
Nice cattle pens,
Have not had any spare time lately to do much with the design and 3D printing or even some of my other projects need to cut grass again soon as soon as we have a dry day.
Downloaded the software but have not used it yet, also need to order some more PLA filament as I am running low. Hope to have a more detailed box car design with panel lines and rivets soon.
Anyone have any idea how to render wood grain in some of these 3D drawing/CAD programs?
Re: Desktop 3D printers - hminky - 06-03-2013
The advantage of the $300 version is you can build from a plan:
![[Image: proe.jpg]](http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/virtual/image/proe.jpg)
Harold
Re: Desktop 3D printers - modelsof1900 - 06-03-2013
hminky Wrote:The advantage of the $300 version is you can build from a plan:... running and pulling a model train? How many cars?
...
Harold
But here, these are my first printed parts - pole pockets.
![[Image: polepockets.jpg]](http://us-modelsof1900.de/wp-content/gallery/verkaufen-selling/polepockets.jpg)
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-03-2013
Hello all, all done with business for the day so now to take a bit of time and see what I can and can not do with the software I downloaded. I may have to save up to get the full version later on. The finances are going toward getting some new tires on the truck and paying bills
I was thinking in limited terms as to what I can draw based on what I can print on my 3D printer then it hit me that I can draw any size I want if I use Shapeways services. Still researching what kinds of rolling stock could be printed in a kit type form as I think the fun of assembling kits has been lost due to the R-T-R (ready to run) nature of most trains anymore. So I am considering making parts for scratch builders and kits for those who like to assemble and paint up their models. Also was thinking of a specific market(S scale and S gauge) as there is a lot of room left for models of unique and also common rolling stock items that are not being produced at this time. On30, On3 and O standard may be possibilities as well.
Modelsof1900,
Do you print your own parts or use services like shapeways?
Re: Desktop 3D printers - modelsof1900 - 06-03-2013
AF359, its a Shapeways print.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-03-2013
Hminky,
I read the licensing agreement for the software which is an education/student version which may not be used to turn a profit??? May e-mail them and ask them to clarify weather or not it can be used commercially, if not the $300.00 price is kinda steep. I did not see a commercial version listed. The licensing agreement was pretty long, will reread it before e-mailing them to clarify the use of the program in a commercial capacity. It is a promising software package worth a looking into.
nkp_174 Wrote:Good to see that you're getting there!
Sorry about my lack of posting...long hours at office and a week with family/funeral.
I recommend googling pan head rivets and such...or just take a ruler to the nearest railroad siding and measure the rivets so that you can draw them accurately.
Thanks, will give that a try and see what comes of it.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-05-2013
Rev.2 of box car is almost completly drawn(the body anyways) with panel lines now to study the pan head rivet engineering chart I downloaded and add the end details.
A question about shapeways, I assume they have a much better resolution on thier machines than my MakerBot has? I ask because what looks good on the screen some times does not translate well into a 3D print.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-05-2013
Here is a progress pic of the box car redesign so far.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - nkp_174 - 06-06-2013
AF350 Wrote:A question about shapeways, I assume they have a much better resolution on thier machines than my MakerBot has? I ask because what looks good on the screen some times does not translate well into a 3D print.
It isn't just resolution, but also the rigidity of the printer structure, the calibration/alignment of the printer, etc. The resolution is better too. Essentially, what features do you give up in reducing the cost of a machine from $25,000 down to $2,500? For some modeling applications, your Makerbot is just fine, but for others, I don't think you'll be able to get as good of results as can be obtained with commercial printers. As your feel for what it can do and how best to draw objects, you'll see it translate better into prints.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-07-2013
NKP,
I have already discovered that as a means of production that the makerbot is too slow to be economicaly sustainable but it is great for prototyping and a fun "tech toy"
The door opening on the sides of car body printed realy nice but not sure if it was a fluke or if it is repeatable, as in casting overhangs pose difficulties as it it is nearly impossible to print on air
I do not have enough plastic to try another printed box car at this time
I will continue to work on the drawing untill I get more PLA for the makerbot, should the newest design print out fine I may get in contact with shape ways 8-)
Re: Desktop 3D printers - nkp_174 - 06-07-2013
Run the numbers of Shapeways vs. printing at home. I have no idea how your material costs would compare, but being able to print it overnight is WAY better than having to wait a few weeks...only to get an error that it wouldn't print
Speaking from experience...Right now, you have a tool which does the scratch building for you ;-) The National NMRA Achievement Program head dude is local guy and someone I respect quite a bit. He said that since we are designing the parts and fixing any problems, everything we design and have printed is scratchbuilt for NMRA purposes.
Also, there is one other advantage your can get from Shapeways...their FUD is printed with a wax support material. This means that you can print stuff with moving parts which are pr-assembled. I'm testing this on my passenger car truck test prints...hopefully this weekend...as I don't know if I'll be able to pull it off with such small parts as I'm going to try (brake beams).
Here's an outdated screenshot of my passenger car trucks:
![[Image: 8b631393-fad3-4a42-8227-9d66c7c2f980_zps79d20abb.jpg]](http://s305.photobucket.com/user/myork2005/media/8b631393-fad3-4a42-8227-9d66c7c2f980_zps79d20abb.jpg.html)
![[Image: end_frame_details_zps6be57adc.jpg]](http://s305.photobucket.com/user/myork2005/media/end_frame_details_zps6be57adc.jpg.html)
There are three different detail variations (stock Carter Bros plus two Oahu Railway shop versions) and there are also three different implementations of the truck I'll be test printing: Rigid sideframes, fully functioning equalizer, and sprung journal boxes with rigid equalizers.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-07-2013
$48.00 per 1Kg spool PLA plastic, will have to weigh a printed boxcar body to find the cost of material.
I am finding sneaky ways around the freebie Sketchup limitations, can not make a circle small enough to be a rivet so I hand draw a hex head which looks like a dot when zoomed out to close to actual size of model
maybe there is another way that I have not discovered yet.It will print out on the MakerBot so maybe there is a good chance it will work with shapeways set up?
Not quite done designing the boxcar but have already begun formulating ideas for a flatcar
Re: Desktop 3D printers - modelsof1900 - 06-08-2013
Michael, a great looking construction! Hope for success with printing of your trucks.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - nkp_174 - 06-09-2013
Thank you Bernd!
$48 per KG is quite a bit more expensive than resin, so I'd suggest combining the two since I know you've cast cars before.
I draw everything in 1:1 scale, and then reduce it for printing. This eliminates the minimum circle threshold as you can have small circles in Sketchup, you just can't draw them. Similarly, cutting truck springs off flat is usually much easier at 4:1 or even 10:1 scale. Sketchup is a perfectly capable engine for doing most of what you could want, it is just a matter of learning how to do it.
Re: Desktop 3D printers - AF350 - 06-09-2013
nkp_174 Wrote:Thank you Bernd!
$48 per KG is quite a bit more expensive than resin, so I'd suggest combining the two since I know you've cast cars before.
I draw everything in 1:1 scale, and then reduce it for printing. This eliminates the minimum circle threshold as you can have small circles in Sketchup, you just can't draw them. Similarly, cutting truck springs off flat is usually much easier at 4:1 or even 10:1 scale. Sketchup is a perfectly capable engine for doing most of what you could want, it is just a matter of learning how to do it.
That is good to know, will try that soon. I thought about making a master roof and casting copies, being I still not sure how to draw and print wood grain, if I do a flat may use real scale wood to make the deck with.
Thanks for the tip.