3D Printing

[FMW]

I finally broke down and bought a 3D printer in DIY kit form. After six or seven weeks of assembly, calibration, test, and experimentation, I finally produced usable parts. I had bought a semi-built Godizilla's Go Cart on eBay. It was missing the drive chain and sprocket piece. I "built" one on my 3D modeling program. I eventually got it to print as three separate pieces, shown below.



As you can see, the surfaces leave something to be desired, but the detail is pretty good. The chain is about 1.8" end to end. There is another kind of plastic the printer can use that can be "smoothed" by brushing it with acetone. I'll post an update if I can get that to work.

FMW

[Mastercaster]

That is pretty cool. I was told by a guy at Tech Shop that if you set a part in a box with a open container of acetone it will smooth out on it's own from the fumes. You might try that experiment. You can buy a mini laser engraver to help make parts. I see now that some 3D printers can also be laser engravers too.

[FMW]

Thanks for the acetone fuming idea. When I get some ABS parts printed I'll give it a shot. If it works, it will be a lot smoother than brushing. BTW - The plastic I used so far is PLA - reportedly easier to print, biodegradable, and brittle.

FMW