3D Printed NACRA parts

I just got my folgertech FT5 up and running and have a 34+ year old G-cat. Ancient castings are only 1 of many projects i am considering. with a 12x12x16.5 inch build volume this thing is amazing! Retail kit is like $499 BTW so not crazy expensive. New filaments are coming out every day that have some pretty amazing properties. i recently found a "print and bake" aka annealing filament that may well exceed aluminum castings when they were new and didn't have a dozen repairs LOL. You are spot on in print strengths being related to orientation during print but i believe this tech may alleviate that issue altogether. If you are willing to share your STL,s I would greatly appreciate it. I will certainly do the same but am not at all familiar with cad yet so tinker cad is about all i can handle at the moment. you can reach me off list at pds624@gmail.com oh and i see your boat but what kind of printer do you have? 🙂

Edited by PAUL624 on May 25, 2017 - 08:20 PM.

tamumpower1 wrote: We could just take the 3D printed part, cut it in half and use it to make a sand mold then slap a little molten aluminum in there. Everyone's got a backyard foundry right...? Would only need about 1300 degrees F

they have dissolvable filaments too so perfect for 1 piece molds. no need to cut things up and put them together again...

Even if you have the build volume, prints like this take a significant amount of time. Time is money (in the real world, I would estimate a 3D printed nylon rudder casting is on the order of $800-$1200 depending on turnaround time and vendor). You aren't going to be able to compete with production castings at home in your garage. 3D printing is nice for iterating through prototypes or fabricating extremely complicated shapes that would otherwise require 5 axis machining. Its coming along to where it may replace castings and metal parts in certain applications, but not all. Every technique has limitations, its knowing those limitations that pay big $.

The end caps are nice, as you can custom print your own with different holes for various control lines.

yes, printing anything of size and hi res takes time. i did a print recently that was about 15 inches tall and 5x5 took 47+ hours to complete ugh. that said, it took about 10 minutes to set it and forget it. The waiting is the hardest part LOL. For me 3d printing is both a hobby and a tool. Being able to go from idea to finished part in the same day is awesome and my house is slowly filling with little life hacks at no extra cost. My nephews are another story all together. they run print farms and have literally made millions off this tech. It is possible to turn a profit but certainly not easy. i would estimate 95% of the time is cad design. My printer kit was 500 bucks and i got some amazing upgrades for another 1000. total investment of less than 1500 for a machine like this would easily retail for thousands more as a finished product. I can print pretty much everything but poly-carbonate now. That upgrade would cost me about 50 bucks but i dont currently see a need for it as the new materials don't need 300C temps to print. considering the endless applications, you cant beat the bang for the buck no telling how much time and money this saves me in the long run. I am well versed in glass work and can tell you for sure and for certain this is way easier and far less toxic to work with! BTW, DARPA is currently working on a moon base concept for a 2020 mission to bots and 3d printer will build the base. You should also check out the tech behind 3d printed cars. industrial size machines that can make anything. The russians have been 3d printing structures in concrete for years. Yes there are UV stable and temp resistant materials coming out every day. PLA is cheap and eco friendly so good for test prints at a minimum. this printer tech has been out for a long time but IMHO the filament market is where the magic is happening at the moment.

i did a print recently that was about 15 inches tall and 5x5 took 47+ hours to complete ugh

sounds like my first renders in 3d studio max a few dozen years ago.

MN3 wrote:

That rarely works out. Converting a point cloud to solid model that can be printed is time consuming work. I suspect the software and the scanning system will get better as time goes on so in even 2 years from now my comments could be out of date, but for most of the parts we are talking about a pair of calipers and some engineering paper work wonders.

Please 3d print a time machine - go to the future - bring back a REAL scanner so i can scan my boat parts for 3d printing - while you are there please grab me a Star Trek lunch computer so i can have lasagna or pizza within a few seconds at any time

your assistance is appreciated - feel free to 3d print up some money as thanks from me!

they already have cell phone apps that will render 3d... not long now till quality scanners are available at reasonable prices even to us lowly end user\consumers

Great thread!! Keep it up guys.

You need to make the larger 1.5" ball with the old nacra thread on it. I'd buy one. That way for me to update to a captive system I don't need to get a new dolphin rod to accept the newer ball.

Any chance of 3D printing a mast cradle to fit the rear bem with traveler rail, and mast radius? I'd love to have something for the 5.7. If you make it, we will buy.

Edited by tominpa on May 31, 2017 - 12:02 PM.

sorry guys but i dont have time to do design work. get me and stl file and i will print it at cost for friends no problem but i have a 34+ year old g cat so cant buy parts and have a list of things yet to design there already LOL

i have a 34+ year old g cat so cant buy parts and have a list of things yet to design there already LOL

You should print a skipper that will sail more than 1 time every 8 months!

And print me up some of your eggs Benedict too! i am hangry!!!!

well you can eat those chops you just busted LOL

lol

sea_flyer wrote: Samc99us,

Aquaddict,
I'd be happy to share the .stl file with you...if you'd like to shoot me a PM with your email, I can email it to you.

Hi,
I sent you a PM, not worries if you have just been to busy to send the stl files, just following up in case you didnt received the PM or your email went missing.

Many thanks,

Anthony

i would luv to get my hands on some 3d parts files. If you all are willing to share. I will gladly be custodian and offer them up free to all that want them. Not looking to make money here just support our hobby\passion...BTW, some of you may know me as the guy who digitized and uploaded all the G-Cat data a couple years back...hows that for street cred? LOL Maybe our good host will start a section for them as well as i do believe this is the future. I just got 2 rolls of thulman alloy 910 so need to do some design work before i can do anything practice with it as far as the boat projects go but will be making upgraded parts for my printer from it ASAP.

Beach Wheel Parts like non boat specific basic cradles.

Edited by Quarath on Jun 13, 2017 - 02:01 PM.

Is the original poster still on here? I sent a message a few weeks ago and never got anything back. Was curious what file type you needed for the printer. stl, g code, etc

Hey Eric,

I've started modeling a new foil bottom bearing (modeled after the N17 replacement bearing) for my A-Cat. Would you be interested in printing them for me? The nylon / carbon is exactly what I'm looking for. Shapeways, Stratasys, et al don't seem to offer a composite option yet. Name your price or I could offer some 3D modeling in exchange?
thanks!
daniel

RE: 3d scanning - photogrammetry can get you shockingly close, with some re-modeling and calibration with physical measurements, which you have to do with laser scans anyway. Happy to give it a shot if you have a part you'd like to replicate.