CR0SS

iTrader: (5)

+ YouTube Video

They start at $500.

I know I have always thought a slightly different designed part could be better at times. This could be an easy way to find out.

Edumakated

iTrader: (19)

I can imagine a time when a hobby shop wouldn't even have to carry a spare part if they had the specs for most of the plastic pieces for popular cars.

Break a part and the hobby shop clerk just makes you a spare one out of a block of delrin right next to the cash register. No need to carry inventory...

Mason

crushed. thought this was an adult beverage thread.

nitsuj

Agreed, why no CNC for hobby shops?

Mason

cost.

aloksatoor

iTrader: (43)

Its fine for prototyping but I doubt the material that printer uses is durable enough as compared to injection parts. A real CNC machine thats a different beast all-together.

R.Shackleford

iTrader: (4)

First off this is 3d printing. While it is actually CNC (Computer Numeric Control) it is not what is commonly referred to as CNC (Machining). The problem with 3d printing (for now) is that the way the plastic is printed causes the part to not be nearly as structurally sound as an injection molded part. Not to mention I don't think you can use frp (fiber reinforced plastic, AE graphite, Losi stiffezel ect), which is important to the integrity/flex characteristics of a lot of the molded components on our toy cars. Composite engineering is a very complex field.

CR0SS

iTrader: (5)

We do not know how strong the plastic in this process is. It could be just fine for certain parts in a car. The possibilities this could give someone are cool. I think we have all owned a car that at one point thought, if this was only built like this. Now you could easily try it and then if it works you would have the part to try and get replicated out of a stronger material if needed.

Odin544

iTrader: (93)

+1


You are right, we don't know how strong this plastic is because we can't touch it and test it. But I can tell you with 100% certainty its far inferior to injection molded plastics. This is called rapid prototyping. Its been around for a long time. It is not for making usable plastic parts. Its used for making prototype parts to check fitment. the parts are typically fairly brittle but that also depends on the way the plastic is laid down. The real issue though is it takes too long to "print" the part for it to be really usable. The plastic on the first layer is already cooling before the second layer begins to be laid. That makes it drastically weaker than an injection molded piece, even if you use the same plastic. Where as an injection molded piece, they take a bunch of molten plastic and inject it under high pressure into a mold and it can cool evenly creating a much stronger part.

This would be cool to have. But a total waste of money for someone thinking they are going to make usable rc parts with it.

TJMac

iTrader: (2)

Your statements were true 10-15 years ago, but not today. Several RP technologies produce parts that are VERY close to production quality from a structural standpoint. SLS and FDM are the closest. I currently run wing mounts on my B44.1 that were produced on a Stratasys Dimension FDM printer and they're holding up fine. I've produced the same parts on an Objet Connex 350, they also held up fine (I removed them to make master patterns for soft tooling). Another example would be the iPhone 4/4S....the stainless steel bands around the outside of the phone were all (as in all production) created on EOS SLS type equipment because machining the bands from solid steel would have been too expensive and time consuming. IIRC Apple hasn't had any of those phones returned because the bands broke.

SLA used to be god awful brittle but even that technology currently uses photo polymer resins that are considerably stronger (Somos NeXt resin comes to mind, Google it and watch the videos).

The only RP technology I wouldn't use to make a functional RC car part would be Z-Corp. Those parts are structurally garbage.

Cody01

iTrader: (40)

Before buying machines for many thousands of dollars I'm sure most people would be happy to upgrade to RPM or arry a few extra OEMs?

Bugger234

iTrader: (18)

I have a friend that works for a company here in Texas that machines specialized tools for spine surgeons, and he has access to a machine very similar to this. Very large, expensive 3D "printer." I asked him to "print" out a wheel for a B4 that I had designed using MasterCam. The printer layers the plastic, and each layer is thinner than a human hair. Each layer is also partially cured with UV lights, so it is UV sensitive (although there may be other printers that cure differently). They seemed to work well at first, but after a week using them they started to crack. I also asked him to print out some battery staps that I had lost.5 Still use them to this day and they work well.

So, for small parts that don't hold much structural integrity, this would work. In the present time. I have no doubt that in 10-15 years this will be normal for a hobby shop.