Not strictly bushy but quite good

[Dannytsg]

This is not strictly bush-crafty however I believe the process may have some uses.

I have recently had access to a 3D printer and being a design engineer decided to see what all the online fuss was about, so last week I took the family camping, but before we went I set myself a task of designing and printing a practical item to use whilst away, so I decided to design a nice ergonomic handled cup to use.

After spending a few hours designing and getting the cup size and handle shape how I wanted it, I processed the model into the .stl format and sent it to print. A few hours later and it was complete!

Here are a few pictures to illustrate it and the process.

Now I really am convinced that this is the future after seeing it with my own eyes and using the cup whilst away camping. I genuinely believe that as this technology becomes more accessible we will all have printers in our own homes and be printing things like this instead of buying from a shop.

To give an idea of the cost this was 95cm3 of PLA plastic which works out at 10p per cm3 so the cup was £9.50 in value which given the infancy of the technology is relatively cheap.

I wanted to ask though if anyone can think of any other bushy type things that I could try and design and get printed - maybe a 3 in one knife, spoon, fork.

Dan

 

[Dreadhead]

very nifty that!

Can see it being good for making knife sheath liners, whistles, needle cases and the like

 

[Macaroon]

I think you are right; when this technology comes of age it's going to be a huge game-changer. I reckon it'll be so massive that we can't even begin to imagine the implications....bring it on!!!...atb mac

 

[Dannytsg]

I think you are right; when this technology comes of age it's going to be a huge game-changer. I reckon it'll be so massive that we can't even begin to imagine the implications....bring it on!!!...atb mac

Yep. I've been watching this with interest for quite a while but especially since the liberator pistol hit the news in America. I have been doing a lot more research into the process and managed to get access to a 3D printer so thought I would try it. It's only recently I have gotten the right software to be able to start modelling in 3D and exporting to .stl but this came out brilliantly and I think soon within the next 5 years most people will have a 3D printer at home and be printing readily available .stl files.I genuinely think the first shops/online retailers to start offering .stl files for say £1 each where people can print their own household items will make a serious mint.

 

[Hibrion]

That looks great. Certainly gives you something to think about how things will change in the future. If we could use the technology in to reduce the volume of shipped goods it could have a positive impact for the environment.

I don't know anything about 3D printing. Does it print only in plastic?

Maybe a spork or a little tinder box as the next project?

 

[Dannytsg]

That looks great. Certainly gives you something to think about how things will change in the future. If we could use the technology in to reduce the volume of shipped goods it could have a positive impact for the environment.

I don't know anything about 3D printing. Does it print only in plastic?

Maybe a spork or a little tinder box as the next project?

At present the printer only print in plastic. It works in the same manor of how a spider would spin it's web. The plastic is heated and then extruded in a very fine filament which is layered in a specific pattern as per the 3D model. When it sets it turns out as per the model. There are different plastics that can be used. For the cup PLA plastic was used as this is designated food safe to eat/drink off or from, however you can print in ABS as well.

I am actually thinking about trying to print something like a liner lock knife that I can let my daughter use as a training knife so she doesn't hurt herself whilst learning. There are plenty of website out there already where people opensource their designs as starting points so I may well look on there for other ideas.

 

[Jared]

They are quite cool. I particularly like how you can print things with moving parts, already assembled.

Like this little box with 5 hinged edges.

[video=youtube;PpIg92-3MT0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpIg92-3MT0[/video]


Also somewhere on here, or maybe BB someone was using a 3d printer to make leather moulds for mobile phones. So rather than having to have wet leather clamped around the actual device you'd print a plastic set of moulds instead.

 

[Hibrion]

Also somewhere on here, or maybe BB someone was using a 3d printer to make leather moulds for mobile phones. So rather than having to have wet leather clamped around the actual device you'd print a plastic set of moulds instead.

I for one would be interested in such a thing. I have had a few people ask for moulded covers for phones, but I only have access to one or two types of phone, so it has been rather awkward to arrange.

 

[yarrow]

My understanding of the PLA used is that its for single use only as the resulting product has voids in it that can trap air and bacteria over time becoming impossible to clean thus its not been given the "food safe" label. That makes a 9£ disposable cup quite expensive. Lots of guys on the 3D printing forums look for food safe coatings to make kitchen ware printed like this safe, as far as I know no one has cracked the problem yet.

 

[Jared]

My understanding of the PLA used is that its for single use only as the resulting product has voids in it that can trap air and bacteria over time becoming impossible to clean thus its not been given the "food safe" label. That makes a 9£ disposable cup quite expensive. Lots of guys on the 3D printing forums look for food safe coatings to make kitchen ware printed like this safe, as far as I know no one has cracked the problem yet.

I suppose once you finalised the design, you could send it to an online 3d printer, which have a larger range of materials.


Materialize can print in over a dozen materials, including titanium and stainless steel.

http://i.materialise.com/materials

 

[Toddy]

Son1 has had one for well over a year now; we've got some twisty pot things he made (like sturdy versions of the ones used for sharps), but he's also made camera mount plates, iphone stands, bicycle clamps for assorted bits and pieces.

He got masses of different colours too. It's certainly an interesting thing to play around with and it'll be fun to see where it goes in the future too

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Jonboy83]

There are some wicked slingshot frames you could print or at least there will be when I come up with the designs

 

[HHazeldean]

That is really very cool. This technology is quite literally going to be the future, completely revolutionising life as we know it. Its so blatantly going to be huge when the technology becomes cheaper.

Instead of buying the products themselves, it'll be buying the designs haha! Such a bizarre thought!

Thanks for sharing

 

[Gary Elson]

Hi guys
I teach engineering at a local college and this is on our list of things for development
Your right it will be the future

For you film buffs the Aston Martin DB5 used in skyfall was an Aston with 3D printed body panels to make it look like the original -apparently original Db5 's are now to expensive to right off or shoot holes in etc
Another market is for spares for household appliances it is envisaged that we will not buy spares in the future we will just print off what we need having downloaded the design files etc so if you bust a knob on the cooker etc that's how we will obtain spares
Clever stuff !

 

[The Cumbrian]

At Rolls-Royce they have one that prints metal 3D objects. I thought the plastic stuff was cool until I saw the metal components.

 

[Dannytsg]

I can imagine that large scale industrial companies have a great use for a metal 3D printer but that isn't financially viable for smaller outfits but its a great thing. I can't wait for these printers to become more accessible to everyone and for great advancements to be made with the technology.

 

[Dannytsg]

There are some wicked slingshot frames you could print or at least there will be when I come up with the designs

Already working on it Jono. I have some designs sorted already but my only concern is the stress forces on the vulnerable areas such as the fork joins due to the way the plastic is layered. I will experiment with it as best as I can and try to get it right as its costly printing over and over only for them to break or fracture under the tension of the elastic at full pull.

 

[Shovel]

Is there a difference between a 3D printer and a CNC Milling machine?

 

[Jared]

Is there a difference between a 3D printer and a CNC Milling machine?

Yes.

CNC Milling machine takes a block, and makes something smaller removing material so is a subtractive process.

Whereas a 3D Printer is the reverse, a thing is printed in slices from nothing, one ontop of the other, so an additive process.

 

[Stew]

I was chatting to a Tesco R & D man a while back and asked him why he had a 3D printer. I jokingly suggested he just had it as a toy to wish he partly agreed while showing me the cuff links he had made. He did go on to justify it by telling me about the idea of going to a store, ordering a printed part to replace a bit of your broken vacuum cleaner which you could collect at the end of your shopping trip. Good idea!