3D Printer
- Thread starter JasonW
- Start date
May I suggest checking out printables.com, makerworld.com, thingiverse.com for premade printable models and see if something fits your need. You'll be surprised what you find. Yeggi.com is a search engine that will search all of the above.
It's much easier to find someone willing to print, rather than design and print fyi.
If you do find a model, check your local library or makerspace and see if they can print for you, as it might still require a couple of iterations. My library printed me something for 4 bucks for example.
Also check Etsy.com and see if someone is already selling the model you need.
Edit - also check with your family and neighbours, community boards etc
It's much easier to find someone willing to print, rather than design and print fyi.
If you do find a model, check your local library or makerspace and see if they can print for you, as it might still require a couple of iterations. My library printed me something for 4 bucks for example.
Also check Etsy.com and see if someone is already selling the model you need.
Edit - also check with your family and neighbours, community boards etc
If that’s the going rate then I’ll just buy my own printer then start another side gig.
Do you already have a design concept? I'm waiting on a part for "my" Bambu printer but could print something for you in a few weeks. What material are you wanting, and what color is preferred, or does that even matter to you?
Decent printers are cheap now, and software is often free, both for design and manipulating the print file, but I'm sure you know this.
The owner of the company I work for asked me to design a part for him a couple of weeks ago. I had a meeting yesterday with an injection molding vendor and the tooling to make the part is around $70k. The company has Multi Jet Fusion printing capabilities which can produce really nice parts, so we're going to have them print up a few samples using glass bead and possibly sell that version and see if it's worth upgrading to an injection mold. Personally I doubt that sales volumes will justify the investment.
Quite literally why I bought my own. It's its own whole hobby though, beware lol. Especially when it comes to designing from scratch. If you've never used cad software it's a whole 'nother hobby. I would look at a bambu a1 mini if you don't think you'll need fancy materials like carbon fiber etc. Lots of cad software out there, I found solidedge is decent and free. I have a bambu p1s with ams and love it. I only make stuff for friends, family and neighbours. The amount of iterations alone make it worth finding someone in your local area you can bring your part to.
If its outdoor use and will be in sun and in the elements you have to be picky about material otherwise it won't last. Like petg, nylon etc, not pla. Maybe try looking on yeggi.com and see if there a carling switch panel available you could adapt.
You can buy aluminum project boxes fairly cheaply on Amazon and such. Perhaps you can find one with a lid that has a gasket. Is it humidity that's killing the Summit Hydraulics switch panel? I got similar parts when I ordered multipliers/diverters for both tractors, but I'm controlling them via Scorpion control grips. Not sure if they have IPX6/IPX7 variants or not.
Yes I believe it’s moisture damage, no idea in the waterproof rating of them.
Finishing up a project using my box blade that my rippers leak down every so often I’m switching between the top link and rippers via the diverter and it’s gotten worse this past week.
Finishing up a project using my box blade that my rippers leak down every so often I’m switching between the top link and rippers via the diverter and it’s gotten worse this past week.
Runs With Scissors
Well-known member
Equipment
L2501 TLB , Grappel, Brush Hog, Box Blade, Ballast box, Forks, Tiller, PH digger
I agree
I recently got into this 3D printing thing.
For me personally, the software was/is “far and away” the hardest/most expensive part of this endeavor.
I simply could not wrap my head around how to use that software. I finally started to “get it” a little, and now things are going much better.
I am using a Creality K1 printer and so far, for the money, I like it. Its certainly not a “high end” machine, but it suits most of my needs.
My SIL has the Bambu Labs Ps1(?) and he really likes it, although he just searches for files that are free and downloads them. Apparently there are lots, and lots of places that “share files”, but I like being able to “roll my own”.
There is plenty of good free open source 3D modeling software out there and plenty companies that offer 3D printing services for very little money.
But in your case I think you are doing the right thing. 3D print has it's applications but nothing will get even close to what you can achieve with aluminium when it comes to surface quality and strength.
I suggest anodising the part(s) if it is for outdoor use. You can do that yourself at the kitchen table and get excellent results first time and you can also give it any colour you like.
Attached are pictures of a part I made for the furling mechanism of a boat that had gone missing, in the background the original part and in the foreground the part I made. Last picture is after anodising and colouring.
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