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3D printer projects

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GordonL:
I bought the Monoprice 3D printer to play around with and hopefully learn something new.

Now that I have it up and running I am looking for things to use it for. I can make toys and plastic junk for my grandkids but I am really looking for something useful that I can use particularly as it is used in model engines or machining in general.

I have looked at Thingiverse and most of the stuff is just more plastic junk. The only thing which I have thought about is spark plug boots but the plastic is too hard to use directly. I could possibly make something which could be used as a mold which could be filled with softer plastic. The other thing is that it would be possible to make casting pattern but I have not tried casting.

Any other ideas on useful stuff? What are the rest of you using your 3D printers for?

Gordon

cfellows:
Gordon, I've been doing a bit of research on different printer filaments and there are dozens of different blends and varieties with different properties.  You have to be careful trying to use a softer, more rubbery filament with the Monoprice Mini since the Bowden extruder has to push the filament through 8 - 10 inches of teflon tube to the hot end where it is melted.

PCTPE is a blend of Nylon and copolymer and is softer than PLA but prints easily with the Bowden extruder.  Don't know if this is soft enough for spark plug caps, but might be.  It sells for about $29 a reel.

PolyMaker PolyFlex is still softer and should work fine for spark plug caps.  Reviews show that it still prints well with a Bowden extruder, but some adjustments to the extrude rate and the hot end temperature may be needed to make it print well.  At $45 - $55  a reel, it's also quite a bit more expensive than PLA which can be bought for around $20 a reel.  It might be available in smaller quantities at a substantially lower price.

Flex TPU is really soft but will still print though a Bowden extruder, although it is does require more fiddling with Hot End temperatures and extruder feed rates.  It is less expensive at around $29 a reel, but I would probably go with one of the other two unless you have a lot of patience and know which parameters to change to get it to print.

I've also been looking for different things to print that I find interesting.  For starters, gears and timing belt pulleys come to mind as useful things to print. 

Chuck

sshire:
Useful stuff I've printed
Mount for the drip irrigation timer
Brackets for a fabric windbreak
Car mount for iPhone
Headphone holder that slides into a glass tabletop
 Stand to hold Pin punches
Replacement clip for a filter cover on my brother's pool (part discontinued)
Catch tray for coffee grinder
Art Deco mounts for a stained glass window
Vise fixture for a strangely shaped part

GailinNM:
Last year I built two Baldwin Mechanical Locomotives in Gauge 1 7/8 scale. Powered by 3/8 x 12 hit and miss engines.  Two parts on each locomotive were 3D printed.
 
First was the ignition box to hold the S/S ignition modules used.  They needed to be plastic for insulation purposes and have square inside corners to keep the size down to where they would fit in the available space. Screw bosses were put in for mounting in each corner but only went part way down so the board slipped under them.  This mounded under the cab so was not seen in operation.

Second was the toolbox that was visible. I used it to house the two switches, one for ignition and one for the lights, and the charging socket for the battery.  Thin walls with local reinforcement for the snap-in socket and switches and mounting screw areas.

The mounting holes for both were printed undersize and then drilled out and tapped.

I haave not tried it, but I think that spark plug boots could be molded in a printed mold.  I think ABS or nylon would stand the pressure for a low pressure transfer mold. Here is a link to a tutorial I wrote about 5 years ago on such a mold machined in aluminiium.

http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/showthread.php?t=14539

I have also printed a few parts to check the "gee that looks ugly" factor before maching and to have a sample I could hold to plan machining operations on a complex part.
Gail in NM

Dave Otto:
Like Stan I have printed special shape soft jaws to hold difficult parts. Several of the machined from solid parts on my Pacific engine were printed first to check the fit and see if they looked ok. I even designed and printed a tubing bender to bend the vent pipes for the 4 post oiler project.

Attached are a few pictures of shop items that I have printed. The first one is a lazy Susan for my Bondhus ball drivers complete with ball bearings. next is a tool holder for the Tormach TTS tool holders. These are used to hold the tools for a running job on the mill.

3rd is a try to hold a set of Micro-mark chisels.

There is much more but these are what come to mind; use your imagination I'm sure that you can invent some things to help you out in the shop.

Dave

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