Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 5:02 am Posts: 789 Location: Sydney - Parramatta
The end caps for the posts going up into the scupper holes on my wheels fell out awhile ago. Recently I purchased a 3D printer so I though I'd make some new ones. Fit like a dream and help to safely guide the wheels into the scupper holes. I printed them in orange so I can see them down though the holes when fitting.
I've gooped these ones in and made them a slight interference fit too. They are made using ABS plastic. I'm sure there are more things I can use the 3D printer for on the kayak...
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 5:02 am Posts: 789 Location: Sydney - Parramatta
That could be destructive if successful. She’d most likely want to sell all my toys and want to buy boring stuff like furniture and have me remove the oil stains off the driveway…
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2010 7:53 am Posts: 254 Location: Palm City, Florida
Holy Smokes.
When I initially saw the title to this post: "3-D Printing Spare Parts" I said to myself, "What da @&%$*?... That's got to be some kind of mistake". So I passed it over,.... but then curiosity got the better of me.
That's incredible! I never knew machines like this even existed, or were available at this level (boy do I feel old . ) But you got one to "play with" - how did you do that? - how much was it?
Hummm... If my kids got me one for my Birthday they'd never have to worry about what kind of present to get for Dear-Ole-Dad ever again..., I'd be doing them a favor . Oh boy, I could get in to some serious "kayak parts" trouble with one of these bad boys in my shop!
Cowsgomoo, do you want to move to Palm City Florida? Do you like oranges? We have some lovely beaches here and the weather and sailing is great year round . By the way... He dosen't know it yet but my neighbors house is for sale .
_________________ Sun E Sailor Ezra Appel Palm City, Florida 2010 Tandem Island
Joined: Mon May 04, 2009 5:02 am Posts: 789 Location: Sydney - Parramatta
The "home" end of the 3D printer market has 2 general types. The DIY/open source type and the "off the shelf" type. I've selected an off-the-shelf UP! Plus printer. This type was reviewed in Silicon Chip magazine - http://www.siliconchip.com.au/cms/A_112546/article.html
The price has since plummeted from that quoted in the article. I paid under $1900 for mine. The advantage of the off the shelf types is that they are ready to go pretty much out of the box, whereas the DIY jobbies can take significant time to assemble and tune for quality printing. A guy at work is building one and I've printed him all the plastic parts which are available for download from the internet.
They are really most useful for rapid prototyping rather than final product. However depending on the final use you can make final products successfully. Not sure I'd use it for making rudder pins. Hobie put a lot of effort into getting the material right for the job and I'd rather trust their pins than untested printed ones. I'd certainly give noncritical items a go though.
The ABS plastic comes as filament on spools and is available in a range of colours. It's supposed to be relatively UV stable. You can also use PLA plastic which is a renewable resource from maize or corn starch. It dissolves in water however so may not really work well on a kayak...
See here for a 3D printed ball bearing (skip middle part of video)-
Custom objects need to be designed in a 3D CAD package of some type. Google Sketchup is a free one that will work. The file needs to be saved as an STL file for import into the UP! printer software. Learning the CAD software can be a significant learning curve if you want to make your own stuff.
Last thing worth mentioning is that larger objects printed in high quality can take a while to print. Longest print I've done was 10 hours for custom extension tube for an optical gizmo a guy at work was building. Think he's looking at getting his own printer now....
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:57 am Posts: 61 Location: Fairfax, CA USA
There is also a program available from Autodesk ( full disclosure I work for 'em), called 123D Catch, that allows you to take photos of an object then it creates a 3d model file from it. I've been playing with it and it does work, but takes some fiddling.
Joined: Tue May 27, 2003 12:44 pm Posts: 7865 Location: Oceanside, California
3D printers have changed the course of Hobie Cat for sure... certainly allowed for throttle up! We have a couple and they are awesome for prototypes. The plastic is not strong, so things like rudder pins or parts requiring specific flex or strength are not possible. You can use them for fit and function and sometimes in real use, but they break easier than a properly injected nylon-fiber reinforced part.
_________________ Matt Miller Director of Parts and Accessory Sales Hobie Cat USA
Joined: Fri May 08, 2009 5:06 am Posts: 1298 Location: Lake Macquarie NSW AUSTRALIA
Our works have just developed and commissioned a Titanium 3D printer. I have to get some parts manufactured within the next month so I'll let you all know the specs and take some shots of the results. We currently have the 3D plastic machine and the thought process in design is completely different. Some shapes that weren't possible using conventional machining processes are now a reality. ie: I'm currently working on an injector that has a 1mm round hole opening up into a 3.5mm x 2mm slot with fillets and then back into a 1.5mm round hole. Try knock'n that up on the lathe.
It's all pretty exciting.
_________________
Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.
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