3D printing for custom enclosures

Armageddon

·· I was doing some browsing on the web and I learned about 3D printing of plastic parts.·· Aparently you can design your part on a CAD program, export the design to STL, and print it.· Unfortunatly, the machines are very expensive.·· Has anybody tried creating parts and uploading it to one of the internet printing houses?· Are they reasonably priced?

RGuyser

armageddon..

unfrotunately you will probably find "3d printing" to cost at least $50/sq inch of material used.. probably more like $150/sq inch... this would place most small housings in the $300 range, at least - without other 'finishing'. these companies have purchased extremely expensive equipment, and you are buying time on them more than materials. however, depending on which specific technology you are looking at, materials alone can be quite expensive. where I work, I havent seen a '3d printed' part that cost less than $500.. However, the corporation can afford it..

To make injection-molded style palstic enclosures I would suggest looking into silicone rubber molds and 2-part plastics.. You can make a "mold-pattern" out of some material you are comfortable working..

there is a wonderfull book about making molds for props. while you dont want props, this book "Molding and Casting for Prop Makers" would be of interest to you.

Alternatively, if messy rubbers and plastics and stuff dosent appeal to you, small vacuum forming machines can be made for $0-$100 depending on what you have\want... Unfortunately a vacuum formed enclosure will require some signifigant design to be as appealing as a rubber-molded plastic part...

I know alot about this subject if you would like a more detailed response.

Tim-M

· For anyone interested in the process or technology, take a look at Z Corporation, a 3D printer manufacturer.· They have a lot of information on their web site and a few video clips to watch·too -- they can be found at www.zcorp.com·.· I don't claim to know anything about this stuff, but it sure is an amazing idea to follow.

Tim

Armageddon

RGuyser·- Thanks for the info.· Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!

I played alittle with the Alumilite casting kit which is a sillicone rubber mold with plastic in reseon(sp?) and catalyst liquids that are mixed together and then poured.· The sillicone was alittle pricy being about $25 per pound and although I was wasting alot it seemed to take alot of silicone to make a reasonable sized mold.· Any advice on cheaper supplies?

Any suggestions on the material to use for the master?· I considered sculpy clay, wood blocks that are routed into shape, and routing plastic blocks(possibly made out of alumilite).· I considered making the enclosures out of small plywood but I'm concerned the seams will show up in the mold and that it would take multiply generations(mold from the master, make plastic parts, machine the parts, then make another mold out of the machined parts).

RGuyser

zcorp machines are interesting because the materials and machines are FAR cheaper than otehr 'rapid prototyping' equipment. a zcorp device is aound $15,000 for the least expensive model last i checked. This type of '3d printing' is called Fused Deposition Modelling(FDM). It uses a liquid binder fluid to stick some special plaster together layer by layer. in fact, ive tried a simple experiment to see if i could build one with a hacked inkjet... it was not a success, but then, i would not be surprised if someone else eventually gets it to work.

i refer you to wikipedia for more general information about different types of rapid prototyping..

by far the easiest way to make good mold would be to have someone CNC the patterns. this will likely costs something. and yes, mold materials are very expensive. this is because they are special products which are not used in the great volume other plastics chemicals are, and if they are, they dont pass the savings... special use...

anyways. have you got a 3D drawing? different designs call for different approaches... without saying too much, i have heard of people making molds out of fast-drying silicone caulk. alternately, ive heard of people 'injection molding' with hot glue guns. for an electroncis enclosure i would imagine some very inexpensive 2-part plastic would work will into a rubber mold...

the cheapest way to make rubber molds is to make them inside a mother mold.. this is a great amusing process! i have to go and look at some of my mods at home, but i can probably type up a quick tutorial. its really quite crafty, and it becomes 'easy' with some experience.

if you want a new, ultra-obsessive 'hobby' go checkout cnczone.com

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3D & 2D Design - Technical Documentation
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