3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Im going to attempt to print my body for my latest KH build. Here are a few pictures of what i have designed so far. Sorry for the quality due to just snapping screen shots. Ill post up more pics as i progress. I have successfully printed body parts for some of my G Scale Train projects. But this project is just about double the size so ill need to cut up the body in CAD and print in sections as my printer work table isnt large enough to print the entire body at once and strategically printing "shelled" objects like a truck body takes some trial and error to orient the part correctly in the printer due to support material and overhang. It will be more clear as I go for those of you unfamiliar with 3D printers. Thanks for looking.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-f...2+38+25+PM.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-F...2+49+23+PM.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-g...3+41+18+PM.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...5+18+36+PM.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-L...5+37+51+PM.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-f...7+14+05+PM.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n...7+19+15+PM.jpg

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

ABS or PLA? I keep looking at them printers and thinking I should build one to play with.

If ABS, did you see this; http://www.wired.com/design/2013/03/3d-print-smoothing

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

thats pretty slick . I'm getting ready to mill just the cab out of a solid aluminum block :eek:. It's just on hold till I get the twins done and a dozen other projects .

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Thanks everybody, I hope it turns out well too. I've spent countess sleepless nights learning and playing with my printer since I got it in Dec. for someone who likes to build and design stuff it's pretty **** neat.
Pugs, it's ABS and I have done some smoothing using acetone by quickly dunking and hanging the part to dry, works well on solid parts but any holes and the part will defo from trapped acetone inside. This process you posted seems like the way to go...although I have to admit playing with acetone and heat makes me a tad nervous. Ill look into that more. My printer can produce some really nice surfaces... Having to print this in sections then glue together I'm going to be doing some filling and sanding anyway. But with a couple coats of primer and paint I think I'll get the results I need. Thanks for posting the link.
Ihbuilder, that's impressive, can't beat that on the cool scale. Good luck. I should be done with my print once I get the design figured out and cut up in 8-10 hrs of print time. How long you estimate your mill job to take?

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Interesting JD. Keep us posted on the progress of the cab. This will be a great project to watch unfold. You have my attention!

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

SP, Thanks for checking in. Heres a few more pics. Taken me a few hours to finish the hood and separate everything to printable size. I redesigned the fenders a few times, cause i jut couldnt seem to get it right. Got the grill done. Notice the size difference from a standard KH grill. By my measurements this should look correct when its all finished...I dont know tho, right now it looks like it should be way too big...but if you compare the KH nose..its always looked much smaller than a W900 nose would in 1 1/4 scale... Im really trying to nail the W900B look although i ran with the split window, but do not think it comes that way on this 1:1 model with the ext cab. Not sure.... cant remember but i like it this way. Also eliminated the corner windows on the back of the cab...never liked those. Off to start cutting up the cab....Oh, also added a pic upclose of the .15mm layer height the printer is laying the ABS down at(2 hood top sections).

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-k...4+24+16+PM.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-G...0+41+38+AM.jpg
[url]
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-l...4+16+17+PM.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-B...+%28HDR%29.jpg
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-9...+%28HDR%29.jpg

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Bring it on! Another dimension to this wonderful hobby!
Can't wait to see your finished results. I'm intrigued by what can be printed.
Cheers, Neil.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

I've been excited by the idea since I first saw the video of a working 3D printer. It's my hope that it can work so that we can have the ability to not only improve our existing cabs, but also introduce 'new' bodies for our trucks (Marmon, White, AutoCar, etc...). :eek: :D :eek:

I'm watching with anticipation. :cool:

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." - Mom :)

- RCT

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Haha, Yes another example of machines and technology replacing skilled hand labor. Ok so my original estimate of 10 hrs total print time was way off..Looking at double that ..maybe...although im not doing much while the magic happens,the machine does all the work, So ill go back to watching TV and grab another slice.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

This is amazing. I've seen these printers in action before. It really is awesome to see one used for making a cab. How strong are the parts? Can you chrome that grille? It's some type of plastic, I am sure. All you have to do is find a chromer that can handle plastic parts. Imagine the posibilities!

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

WOW :eek: the new age of modeling is here.. print it out! :D

This is gonna be a Blast to watch come together. :cool:

I think back to the days of dremel & blood then graduating to CNC!!!

Two thumbs up Jason for off the scale creativity! :cool:

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

The possibilities are endless for a 3D printer and a guy with an interest in our hobby. Looks awesome.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

that is too cool

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

ESpee, Im using ABS plastic for all my printing. The parts can be very rigid but that all depends of course on the design... fill density, wall thickness. My cab will be 5 times stronger in places than a regular stock body and im liking the girth of the fenders and hood so far. I made them on the thicker side..but when you hold them they dont feel heavy because the interior has an "honeycomb" structure, as i call it, see the latest pics. Id be very interested in finsing out what it costs to chrome some plastic parts. I think i can process the parts to have a nice smooth surface so the chrome would look halfway decent.

Thanks Joe! glad you stopped by... more to come, Im printing the remainder of the hood today so i should have an assembled pic later on.

Brick, and Goose Thanks. Yes this technology has fascinated me since i first saw it back in 03 at the P.R.I. show in Orlando..Ten years ago i said i need that. Yes the possibilities are endless..

However, it does take quite a bit of trial and error to design a part that will print correctly. The printer has some limitations. Cutting up a part to be printed in sections is almost a good idea for a project such as this because when printing a ledge or overhang support material must be printed below that overhang.

Here is a good example of Support structure and Fill density.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s...0+11.54.16.jpg

Just about finished
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-M...0+00.54.06.jpg

Depending on how you place the part on the print platform really affects the finish..I placed this part so the finished side faces up so there is not support material or Raft to remove from it. The print time is affected too if alot of overhang needs support material. That support takes time to build and more material is used. And the time can be adjusted based on the print quality settings. Im at 4 hrs per fender(actually a complex part) Normal speed and .15mm layer height, which is the finest i can print with my machine. The better finish you want..the longer it takes...That still applies here even though im not getting my hands dirty.

After i have removed the support structure.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-o...0+13.09.03.jpg

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p...0+13.11.40.jpg

Of course there are much better machines out there that use lasers to melt/bond parts inside a bed of powdered plastic or even metal.. which will come out in one peice but you can buy a house for the same price. More to come...

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Good grief, that's awesome! That fender looks really nice, and I could see the honeycomb pattern in the grille photos. Everybody needs one of these 3D printers! Keep your printer running 24/7! You'll have a compete cab in no time.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Thanks! I hope it comes together as i planned. But thats what prototyping is all about. And thats really what these machines were designed for.
Test and tune, test and tune.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Absolutely incredible machine and hard work on your part to make it all happen. :cool: well done!
In regards to chroming, have you seen this stuff?

http://youtu.be/9lG6O5lvhm8

There's also a video on Jay Lenos garage that demonstrates this stuff. Not sure of the cost but looks awesome!

Mario

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

All I can say is "Wicked" :eek:I can see where this is going with the hobby ..

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

hey mario yea i have seen that before ..there is a shop down here in pickering that does this.i was out by there a few weeks ago talking to the guy to get him to chrome some things for me .once he does it i was going to post pics of the before and after pics..just waiting for the guy to get back to me .he said he prefers to do a whole mess of stuff all at the same time because it ties up his paint booth...it is so cool .he showed me things he had done helmets etc...the only downfall is it shows any and all imperfections in the piece:eek:

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

so far an hr to 3d the roof . the longest part is in the design next the setup . 5 axis would be nice :D

great job so far

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Fantastic job on the body so far. Can't wait to see it together. Your really showing how far these printers have come in the last few years.

Have a prusa v2 myself but I'm not ready to attempt a body yet. Been doing lots of wheels, sprockets and detail parts. Gotten down to .1mm layers with a .5mm extruder. Building a .35 extruder now. Still got a long way to go at getting better at 3D drawing.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Mario, Thank you! And that video you posted is Kickass. What a cool process. Thanks for posting the link. Id def like to know more about that.

Ihbuilder, Keep at it. It will be worth it. Hope you take some pics as your moving ahead. Id be interested to see for sure.

Outcast, wow, thats some fine detail. Post some pics of some wheels youve made.


Ok here is where im at currently. Did some sanding and filling also. I think its looking great, and I am now able to determine how far i need to move the front axle forward on the chassis. 1:1 w900s are the same way. Front axle sits right behind the bumper..Im also going to start designing a new front cross member and hinge for the hood. While thats all going on ill try to get the cab going too. Im at about 15 hours total print time for the hood components.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-A...0+18.06.34.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-L...0+19.05.26.jpg

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-o...0+20.59.46.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-J...0+21.00.15.jpg

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y...0+21.01.16.jpg

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

This is pure epicness. I LOVE IT...

Thanks
Cody

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

WOW!!! Unbelievable results. This is going to be a stellar build!! Keep the pics coming. Great job!!

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

LOL! Thanks Man!

Plow Jockey, Thank you!

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

I am speechless.:eek::eek::eek: This build is going to be a great addition to this forum.;):):cool: Great job buddy, and keep the pic's coming.:D:D:D

Big John

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Sorry my friend got too caught up in anwering mario i forgot to comment.what you did is really cool,and the detail is phenomenal.this may be dumb question but why is the colour grey and not white,is this material stronger than plastic or is this the initial colour of plastic?.with this machine the possibilities are endless.this machine allows you to do different cab styles?if this was your first time... you look like a pro my friend!!

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

He's using grey filament. You can get several diff colors and diff materials

Looks good

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Wow this is too cool to see. I've never seen anybody build a 3D printed body yet but the results are looking great. Can't wait to see how this body comes together and looks on the frame.

Tyler

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

That front end looks fantastic!!! Can't wait to see how your going to tackle the cab.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Thanks pugs

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Does that material come in different thickness or different ratings of strength

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Glory days, Wow, Thanks Man! I appreciate the comments. More pics on the way.

Oz, yes i agree, a great time to be into our hobby with all the accessories and manufacturers today, and yes 3d printing your own parts. I really enjoy this part.

1985, Yes im using a gray ABS filament like Pugs mentioned. Thought it was a good color for taking pictures of..White might have been too hard to see detail. And yes i can print anything i can design to fit in the printer. Time is all it takes. And yes this is my first attempt at a large piece such as this. Im pretty comfortable with the software im using and have printed quite a few things but nothing as complex as this. Complex in the way that it takes alot of planning and time for one job. The material only comes on one size and strength. The strength is relative to how you build or design your parts. Thanks for the comments.

RockN, Haha, id like to be thought of the first guy to give it a whirl. Hope i dont disappoint. But im sure theres others out there doing the same thing.

Outcast, Thanks! started printing the roof for the cab this morning before i left for work. Print time for these two pcs shown below was 6 hrs. I got home early today and they were almost done.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-w...1+15.28.08.jpg


Started slicing up the cab last night.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-R...1+15.30.12.jpg

And also started working on my front cross member at lunch today which will be a hood hinge, steering servo and bumper mount along with a location to mount my new spring hanger...havent got that far yet. Hopefully tonight.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-2...1+15.32.22.jpg

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

1985, wait. i take that back. this filament is the strongest ABS ive used so far only because it seems to be designed to be used with a lower temp extruder...so for that reason it seems to melt or extrude in a more liquid state in my printer and bonds much better and stronger than the other type ive used. the downside is the support material and raft which is what the part is printed on is harder to remove...but it worth it..now on delicate parts i use the other filament which allows the support and raft to come off much easier and with less stress on the part. hope this answered your question.

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

This is amazing, thanks for taking the time to share.:cool:

As you said, a lot of time goes into programming but the best part is with all your learning on this project , the next will be easier and faster:)

Mario

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

10-4! especially because parts are saved on file...Need a part? print it out. :)
Thanks!

Jason

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Yes you did answer my question.... thanks....great job so far

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

JD: 6 hours left alone to print? wow! You have faith! And your right about white being brutal to photograph. I have gone through a couple spools of white and its a terrible color to get a good picture of.

Temperature has a lot to do with how the end result turns out. I have printed parts at 235 degrees that are brutally strong but the part looks a little puddingish (only way to describe it) If I print the same part at 210 the part look great, at 205 it has trouble extruding and the layers delaminate.

Different colors also seem to have different sweet spots for printing temperatures...

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Yes so true on everything you said. Ive had good luck with the gray..And yes i do have faith...I also had My GF home today and asked her to keep an eye on it every so often. ;)

Re: 3D printing KH Body Attempt
 

Every time I asked my wife to do that I come home to a failure... :rolleyes: