MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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Lets start at the very beginning for someone who who normally only works with wood.
I have an item that i'd like to make smaller and then use as a former for a mold, please can someone explain to me how to do this, does the item need to be 3d videoed to create points for the 3d printer or can it just be scanned by the printer and then the size adjusted to reprint.
Next question can i get the item 3d printed in metal and would this withstand the temp of making a metal mold.
The item is only 4"long and needs to be about 2 1/2" and no cutting the end off is not the answer.
If anyone is in the Newcastle area with access to a 3d printer your services would be most welcome ta.
You`ll need to get it 3D Scanned first, then reduce the size / scale it.
Do you want to cast the final product in aluminium ?
More information is needed
You may be over thinking it
A couple of my friends run a 3d printing company called Step3d, based in Glasgow, id give them a shout for some advise.
3D printing metal requires extremely specialist equipment, would an option not be to have a sand casting made from a 3d printed or wooden model and used that for creating a steel mold?
What metal are you trying to mould with?
What exactly are you trying to make smaller?
I make formers, moulds and templates quite often for stuff I want to make.
Depending what it is you perhaps might not need a 3d printer?
photo of the thing please.
3D scanning and CAD reconstruction can be quite time consuming, especially if you need to modify the item afterwards. If the item is relatively simplistic in design, it will almost certainly be easier to simply CAD from scratch at the correct scale. The 3D printing of the mold is actually the easy bit and can be done in myriad materials from plastics to ceramics.
might be easier to just get it machined.
Or get it drawn up in solidworks
Since we can't have a photo, how was the original widget made? Cast? Forged? Machined? Injection molded? Carved? That is likely to be a good way of making a smaller one. Or have you tried putting it in a hot wash with the cottons? It worked on my jeans.
[url= https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7543/15855944220_90b4b07040_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7543/15855944220_90b4b07040_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qa8RNC ]2014-12-17_04-18-42[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/125783001@N02/ ]icr3640[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/15857165449_fb788e0792_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8663/15857165449_fb788e0792_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qaf7Qi ]2014-12-17_04-17-47[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/125783001@N02/ ]icr3640[/url], on Flickr
There you go a couple of pics, its just a plastic handle from a dagger that i want miniaturize , any hints on the best way forward would be great ta
A plastic 3d product would be fine i was only asking about metal as i may want to get a mold made so it can be blow molded
sorry for the huge pics i forgot to resize from flickr.
Quicker and easier to model it from scratch TBH
Might be easier just to get an 80% sized version made on a copy lathe?
cr500dom - Member
Quicker and easier to model it from scratch TBH
He's right. That's a 10 minute Job in CAD.
step 1) ask a CAD monkey with a vernier and a spare hour to create a CAD model for you.
(3d printers usually work with STL files don't they?)
step 2) send the CAD file to a 3d printing person.
if you want more copies, just get them printed, you'll even get a choice of colours/plastics.
i *could* scan the original, and produce a surfaced-CAD model for you, but you don't need that kind of accuracy/cost.
or...
kiss:
an evening in front of the fire, whittling away at a broom handle?
Right the next question does anybody know anyone in Newcastle who could create a cad file for this for me.
That's a machine from billet job. You want it in aluminium? Any half decent machine shop I your area will be able to sort it. Mill/turn lathe job done.
Hi, I get a lot of 3d printing done at work for plastic parts.
I also have my own printer at home, I print ABS.
When I need metal parts printed, I use [url= http://www.3trpd.co.uk/ ]3T RPD[/url].
For the parts I get printed in metal, the cost is slightly lower than toolmaking and it allows us to get parts made that would not be manufactured easily.
The process is not as expensive as people think.
Yup, much quicker to cad it up. Direct duplication (or minimal modification/scaling depending on software) from scan to print is relatively easy, getting it into cad is a different question.
You'll need to be able to produce an stl file as mentioned, check the requirements of whoever you send it to, make sure the units are correct (ie do they want mm or inches) or you could get a surprise. That and check if it's a binary or ascii stl as that can cause funny things with the scaling.
If it helps there is a [url= http://www.makerspace.org.uk/ ]Maker Space in Newcastle[/url] which I believe has a 3D printer for members to use.