Post feedback on 3D printed parts

[mytimac]

If you have gotten some 3D parts from OLDRC.COM and want to provide feedback, please do so here. The good or the bad.

[RCMA]

Are these parts straight from a 3D printer. I have drafted 3D parts in Autocad and had them printed via online sites but they seem a bit to weak to test with.

Lysander06

[mytimac]

Yep straight off the printer. If you design the part to be exactly the same as the original it will be weaker than original. Right now the only part I design that are pretty much the same are things like the Losi Shock Bushings. Since they have a big steel screw going up the middle of them the strength is not as big a deal. The screw helps prevent the flexing that would normally break the part if it had to be alone. I was out racing an LXT and Jrx-Pro this summer in our area races, never broke any of my 3D parts. Broke a couple original parts actually but not the new stuff.

A good way to see what I am doing for some parts is to compare the original to my redesign.
My design http://sabulatech.com/storefront/product.php?id_product=2248
Original design http://sabulatech.com/storefront/product.php?id_product=438
In this part the new part is actually stronger than original. The original always cracked and broke near the holes for the ball stud that attached the linkage to the servo.

One thing you need to watch for is what type of material people are using.
I use extruded ABS filament. it actually the cheaper method of 3D printing.
The higher end places usually use a powder of some material that is either chemically or heat bonded together. Those parts tend to be more brittle and crack under stress. The extruded ABS tends to stretch under load and not shatter. The ABS has a little more give. Some cheaper places use extruded PLA which is a weaker, but easier to work with plastic than ABS. In the future I am going to try experimenting with nylon which is supposed to be even stronger. I have the nylon already just haven't had time print anything and take it on the track. I don't sell anything until I have track time on it first and I am not a real good driver so I put it to test good.

This technology is new and some of the higher end 3D printers are getting darn close to a usable finished part that doesn't need design changes to work. I think it will change the world of RC a lot in a few years.

[RCMA]

That is pretty cool, I had some printed on Shapeways and its listed as Nylon but never really got a chance to test it out on my RC8e. It doesnt seem very strong to mount let say the suspension braces.

I did have some made out of metal however the tolerances were off from that of the Nylon. The 3D printing process doesn't seem as accurate with metal as plastic unfortunately.

Lysander06

[hondaman]

Well hello. I have purchased a couple of your 3d printed parts. I have the steering arms and the shock mounts. They are really made well. The design for the steering parts are beefy and should hold up better than the stock parts from breakage. I did however had to clean up the post holes a bit but a quick zip with the drill and they went on perfectly. I also used the new style shock mounts and loved that it comes with a tool to screw them on. Nice touch and saved my fingers or marking them up with pliers. A+

The only gripe (and I use this term very loosely) I have is that since the resolution isn't high on the printer you are getting them done on (and honestly doesn't really need to be), you can see the layer marks a little. Not a big deal for me and could be rectified by the buyer with a little light sanding to smooth them out if they see fit. All in all they are great parts and fit my needs perfectly. The price is right and quality is great. Keep up the great products.

Here are a couple pics of my car:





You might not be able to see the steering arms clearly but you can make out one. I will try to get a better pic of the steering tomorrow and add the pic to this post.
Shawn