Printable View
Hi. I want to make model kits of things like planes, boats, cars, etc.
1 - Which printers can print smooth parts and surfaces suitable for painting and gluing together.
2 - How would I go about making parts that look like they're chrome plated?
3 - Is there a printing material that can look like black rubber tires?
4 - I need one that can print up to like 6" x 6" x 6" or so.
Thank you!
I'd suggest the Replicator 2 (makerbot) but I may be a little biased lately. There are a lot of printers that fit this bill in my opinion.
Mason
I would suggest a reprap or a solidoodle 2 or 3 if you like to save money(both are under 1000$) and they are just as capable as most of the high end 3d printers out there. The reprap will be the best, in my opinion, if your like me and like to do modifications and/or upgrades to your own machine...
Prusa i3: http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3
If you live in America i would recommend a Solidoodle or Makerfarm,
If you want a printer from out of the box that works well i would buy a makerbot replicator 2.
If you live in Europe i would recommend a Ultimaker or Prusa i3 ^^
This all depends on what cost value you are aiming for, the printers i suggested are about 500-2000 dollars.
Not that i wouldnt recommend Makerfarm or solidoodle in Europe, But the shipping costs might scare you off and the import fee's (for me it was about 350 dollars shipping + fee's)
Thanks, MasonGerald, papabur and DrLuigi. I live in the USA. I'll start reviewing your recommendations right away. I really appreciate your feedback.
Steve
I have a lot of replacement parts that are either not available, or much to expensive; and improvements that I want to do to things, so I'm going to need a scanner that will scan existing parts, sculptures, mockups, etc. that are all less than 1 cubic ft. in size, then I'll need to modify them. What scanner or scanners, and software do you recommend that will work well with the printers you've recommended.
Thank you again!
Or you could just make a 3D sketch from it and make the 3D file yourself?Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve 721
I aint sure what sort of objects you mean, But sketching it is generaly quiet easy and fast anyway depending on the model.
As you are getting/looking to get a printer i would recommend you getting used to a 3D sketch program anyway, so after grabbing stuff from the net, you can make your own stuff designed by you.
I'm in the same boat as you are. For what you want to do (make replacement parts for scale models) your most important tool will be a scanner. Getting a good scanner is going to be the hardest part of your journey. At the moment, the resolution of scanners at the scale sizes you are dealing with is not the best. However, with your modelling skills, you should be able to overcome quality issues.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve 721
Several companies have released desktop scanners which will handle items of the size you need. Research those. I would suggest that the Kinect scanner of XBox would be unsuitable for your needs.
You will waste a lot of time in producing the things you need through trying to learn CAD software and producing a suitable drawn object to make a print file. Save the CAD for later.
On the whole, any 3D printer on the market should suit your needs. I'd suggest that you start with a printer in the $500 range.
Old Man Emu
If you are planning on using standard modeling cement to glue the parts together then you will probably want to print in ABS. I might be wrong but I don't think PLA will fuse with other plastic that way. You will need a heated bed to print ABS.
Hi Dr. Luigi. I'm sure that I could sketch some of the replacement parts and improved parts that I need or would like to create, but some might be much too difficult. For example, I have an excellent, older cross cut Fellowes shredder that has a cheap plastic drive gear that's broken, and Fellowes doesn't have replacements for it.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrLuigi
What 3D sketch programs do you recommend for a beginner, that are still relatively full featured. I'm retired and on a very tight budget, so free would be very nice.
Thank you!