3D Printing of Parts

[DT36]

50 minutes ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

Does that stuff cover rough surfaces to smooth them out? I can get the early vents that are in rough condition and thought of using plastic filler and sanding them up. If they can be dipped in all black it should simply look like new wouldn't it?

I honestly can't be sure if they're rough, but the fuse box cover was a bit. Finish is very smooth on them. 

Hydrographics starter kits are about £55 on eBay, so might be cheaper to drop them in with someone if you are going to try. 

[Rally Pack 2000]

3 minutes ago, dt36 said:

I honestly can't be sure if they're rough, but the fuse box cover was a bit. Finish is very smooth on them. 

Hydrographics starter kits are about £55 on eBay, so might be cheaper to drop them in with someone if you are going to try. 

I hadn't thought about dipping them until you posted that suggestion today. I think it sounds like a great idea. I had thoughts of using plastic bumper filler to smooth them out and just laying plastic spray over the top but looking at your images I think your suggestion may be a lot better and achieve a more professional result. I doubt it would fill out the really rough bits where the plastic has deteriorated but with a light use of the bumper filler it should get smooth enough for the dip to cover seamlessly.

[Daniel13]

2 hours ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

Your printing doesn't seem as jagged or rough as the vent I have pictured. Is something like that too complex to get a smooth finish or is it just the quality of the printer and materials used?

I would say the print you have pictured is a very reasonable starting point. Maybe the layer height used for printing was a little high, for very fine prints I use 0.06 to 0.1mm layers, which gives higher quality results, but the trade off is that more time and material is consumed. The structure is complex, but that shouldn't adversely affect the quality too much. And my printer is on the lower end of the market, I've just had it long enough I know how to maximise it's potential.

I have seen a very good method for smoothing 3D prints where you take the printed product and expose it to acetone fumes for about 30 seconds. This only works with ABS, as the plastic is very soluble in acetone. It basically melts/softens the outer layer, resulting in a much smoother finish. I have never tried it, but from what I've seen it works. This video explains it very well. Maybe if the vent could be sanded, and then smoothed with acetone (if it's ABS) you would have something getting close to a factory look.

 

 

 

[Rally Pack 2000]

I acquired a set of vents and as expected they are are very brittle on the top. I have lightly sanded them to get the really loose powdery bits off but it does mean there are small chunks in parts. The Australian sun is not kind to these. So the options are:

1/ Dip them as is like Dale suggests provided the shape isn't too complex for that process?

2/ Vinvl spray them as they are now really porous and would absorb it like vinyl does and help bond the brittle surface?

3/ Spray them with plastic trim filler primer and sand to try smooth them out and then try Steps 1?

4/ Spray them with plastic trim filer primer and then spray with black plastic bumper paint?

5/ Any better ides you guys can think of?

[Rally Pack 2000]

Ok I went to the Hydrographics place today and they said that this process was to put a graphic film in some form or pattern over a painted substrate. So since I want them black as per original he said he would pretty much just paint them with a 2 pack paint in satin black without any need for the graphics process. They use a high build primer on them hence how smooths out imperfect surfaces. That seemed like the way to go except that they probably wouldn't sand the vent grill slats down as those parts seem too fine and fragile so it would be impossible to anticipate what the end finish would be in the centre. I thought therefore I should proceed with it to start with using a high fill plastic primer and sanding the fine grill slats myself. I will decide then whether vinyl spray or plastic bumper paint is the way to go when I see how well the larger indents have been fill. Unless someone here has a better suggestion?

[Daniel13]

On 09/08/2019 at 06:33, Rally Pack 2000 said:

Can you sand this 3D printed materials? I ask because a guy has produced some replica Mk1 air vents. The earlier style which you cant seem to find in mind condition. The 3D printing has a very unsightly finish to it but was wondering if it could be sanded and finished to a more realistic standard?

Some just popped up on Ebay if you are still looking for a good pair. The guy wants at least £195 though. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mk1-Escort-Early-Dash-Heater-pair-of-Vents-1968-to-70-Twin-Cam-GT-ect/193236592260?hash=item2cfdcc6684:g:Qp0AAOSwl2ddyDhA

[Rally Pack 2000]

3 hours ago, Daniel13 said:

Some just popped up on Ebay if you are still looking for a good pair. The guy wants at least £195 though. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mk1-Escort-Early-Dash-Heater-pair-of-Vents-1968-to-70-Twin-Cam-GT-ect/193236592260?hash=item2cfdcc6684:g:Qp0AAOSwl2ddyDhA

Wow! 200 quid for non movable vents. Things are getting sadder on the parts front.

[Ray]

1 hour ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

Wow! 200 quid for non movable vents. Things are getting sadder on the parts front.

not as bad as your mate Justin on your side of the water RP, triple that if they were his lol

[Rally Pack 2000]

1 minute ago, Ray said:

not as bad as your mate Justin on your side of the water RP, triple that if they were his lol

That is so true, he is my absolute last resort when there is no alternative but the ones listed above are second hand ones, his stuff is usually new old stock. He did have a pair of these new once that was only 50 pounds or so more but I thought that was too much even for new ones. They are very UV sensitive and deteriorate rapidly so here where I am it seems throwing money away since the car isn't fully shielded from the sun in the afternoon. I live in hopes for some replicas made of modern UV resistant plastics.

[turbo matt]

I have wondered if mk1 escort rear light lenses could be 3d printed?

I know the inside of the lenses are textured. As I would like a clear pair to play with...

[notenoughtime]

22 minutes ago, turbo matt said:

I have wondered if mk1 escort rear light lenses could be 3d printed?

I know the inside of the lenses are textured. As I would like a clear pair to play with...

You might get shot down for saying you want some clear lenses 😂

[turbo matt]

2 minutes ago, notenoughtime said:

You might get shot down for saying you want some clear lenses 😂

Yes I thought the same Lol..

[Rally Pack 2000]

2 hours ago, turbo matt said:

I have wondered if mk1 escort rear light lenses could be 3d printed?

I know the inside of the lenses are textured. As I would like a clear pair to play with...

They have been available in the past even from Burtons although I think they have discontinued them now but there would have to be other sellers out there.

[turbo matt]

I have a front pair of clears  and was looking for a rear pair and colour the reflector and tail light so I had clear rear indicator.

When they were available I didn't want a pair....

[Rally Pack 2000]

Its bizarre what pops up in Australia sometimes. Brand new replica Mk1 Escort vents proper injection molded at a reasonable price! No need to muck around with 3D printing or trying to refurbish some old brittle ones!

Comparing with a NOS pair? Tough Choice 99 Bucks or 1200? Hmmmm

[Rally Pack 2000]

Just had one of the few C Pillar Trims for a Mk2 4 door collapse on my and Im down to only one side now. Given they only manufacturer 2 door ones for some reason I have to try some way to get these things replicated. 3D printing seems the only option. It doesn't have to replicate the textured finish of the original and I have found a timmer who can cover them in moon crater vinyl to match the headlining having done so on one that just collapsed on me. So all I need is a relatively accurate molded backboard. The thing I need to know is can 3D printing achieve a thinness that will allow it to flex like an original? These things have to be bent and distorted to fit into place unlike 2 door ones that just seem to clip on with a screw or two. The 3D printed stuff I have seen to date has been very hard brittle plastics. Is the size too large? Any thoughts on best way to proceed with this would be appreciated.

[katana]

I guess like most things, the finished quality varies inversely with the cost ofthe machine. Simple DIY / maker type units are fairly course in their resolution and choice of materials, also size of end product but higher end units can produce real intricate pieces almost 'lace like' and with overall dimensions akin to what you are looking for. Choice of material should be discussed with the printer operator as modern day plastics can be more UV stabilised whilst being flexible - but they cost. If the pieces are mirror images of each other, at least you've got a pattern that can be 3D scanned to produce a 'model' to send to the scanner - just needs inverting / mirroring in software.

[Ray]

everything, and i mean everything ive had 3d printed to date has been absolute junk, ive just had seat belt caps done and thrown them back at them twice now, and its not just one 3d printers, it just seems to me to be something still in its infancy, but the problem arises that you cant get things like these caps now, and its a case of having to accept its poor quality

[Rally Pack 2000]

2 hours ago, Ray said:

everything, and i mean everything ive had 3d printed to date has been absolute junk, ive just had seat belt caps done and thrown them back at them twice now, and its not just one 3d printers, it just seems to me to be something still in its infancy, but the problem arises that you cant get things like these caps now, and its a case of having to accept its poor quality

I too have never seen a replicated part I would be happy with. Just in this instance I may get away with it purely because they can be recovered. Because the originals discolour so readily they usually look like someone peed on them as they never discolour uniformly. I have had a trimmer experiment the reasonable success covering them with the same vinyl as the headlining. If you didn't know what you were looking for you wouldn't know that they arent original. The trouble is most of them are so brittle and fractured that they can't even survive being covered. In the one I just broke it was covered although you could tell it was fragile and didn't survive being flexed back into place on the car itself. So I just need this thing to form a stable but accurate base shape. Any poor finishing should be able to be sanded flat and covered with vinyl so its surface doesn't show through at all. That's my hope anyways. As @katana mentions the choice of plastics will be important but its been my experience with local places in general they will just want to do it in whatever material is easiest for them rather than the right one for the job. Hence why I'm gathering as much info as I can so I'm not pushed into the wrong direction by them.

[katana]

As usual Wikipedia has a informative page with a table featuring most (if not all) the commonly available filament materials - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing_filament

@Ray just because you've experienced bad service, don't slate the process. If someone has bought a 3D printer, that doesn't qualify them to 'make anything commercially' - I own a CNC milling machine but I'd never qualify myself as a machinist suitable to produce commercial quality items! When most production companies world wide are using 3D printers for rapid prototyping of new products, it says more about the people you are using and their understanding of the equipment rather than the process itself!

[Ray]

22 minutes ago, katana said:

As usual Wikipedia has a informative page with a table featuring most (if not all) the commonly available filament materials - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing_filament

@Ray just because you've experienced bad service, don't slate the process. If someone has bought a 3D printer, that doesn't qualify them to 'make anything commercially' - I own a CNC milling machine but I'd never qualify myself as a machinist suitable to produce commercial quality items! When most production companies world wide are using 3D printers for rapid prototyping of new products, it says more about the people you are using and their understanding of the equipment rather than the process itself!

these are actually proper companies in business, not hobbyists, and this being their sole business, with a lot of very expensive looking equipment, perhaps i just have higher expectations than the process can produce, but so far everything from two different companies is what i class as total junk, ok if your wayne and waynetta slob who dont care, but if you want it like original, it just aint happening from what i can see, but they do seem to be very busy, so there must be something in it

[Rally Pack 2000]

13 hours ago, Ray said:

these are actually proper companies in business, not hobbyists, and this being their sole business, with a lot of very expensive looking equipment, perhaps i just have higher expectations than the process can produce, but so far everything from two different companies is what i class as total junk, ok if your wayne and waynetta slob who dont care, but if you want it like original, it just aint happening from what i can see, but they do seem to be very busy, so there must be something in it

It often does come down to expectation. Some people don't seem to notice the jagged finish on the printing surface and are as proud as punch when they show me the parts they had replicated and I put on a fake smile saying how great that is so as not to hurt their feelings. So I totally get where Ray is coming from. I think the process has some ways to go. Remember the early pixelated digital camera images that were never as good as film? I think we are still at that stage with 3D printing but I think things will improve. @Vista has found a place he is getting some grills from which appear to be better than anything I have seen before so we are close.

[Vista]

14 hours ago, Rally Pack 2000 said:

It often does come down to expectation. Some people don't seem to notice the jagged finish on the printing surface and are as proud as punch when they show me the parts they had replicated and I put on a fake smile saying how great that is so as not to hurt their feelings. So I totally get where Ray is coming from. I think the process has some ways to go. Remember the early pixelated digital camera images that were never as good as film? I think we are still at that stage with 3D printing but I think things will improve. @Vista has found a place he is getting some grills from which appear to be better than anything I have seen before so we are close.

I have taken delivery of the finished articles. I have yet to fit them to the car but the visible surfaces look to be well finished. Their flexibility is OK, but limited by their shape.

[Ray]

thats the best finish ive seen