Playing with the 3D printer

[Ian]

Waco -- that's cool. Pretty solid end product too?
UV cured resin. Like fish/fly resin. Probably not real strong.

UV-cured resin is strong enough to patch holes in teeth and boat hulls.

 

[Snakeoil]

Available does not equal cheap. Ever see a make your own fishing line machine for sale?

 

[Brad]

The UV resin printers are a totally different breed. The prints are pretty damned durable. Only downside is that some develop a reaction to the uncured resin.

 

[Snakeoil]

Years ago when I was in the fuel cell biz, a young engineer was telling me about a printer that was a tank of resin with a focused laser(s) that turned the resin solid to make a part. Always thought that the description was missing something.

 

[KeithB]

There are a number of different 3D printing technologies out there. The filament has always been the least robust part of the system. Poor filament = trouble! I would buy the best I could afford, when we ran into trouble at the U it was almost always a filament problem.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

A fiend as a printer.

I sent him a file for some holder rack thingies for my Dillon conversions.

He sent them last week I aughta have them next week.

CW

 

[Tomme boy]

I watched a video the other nite where a guy printed his own 9mm casings and bullets and fired them. They worked but would not cycle. I can't find it now, it might have been taken down.

 

[JustJim]

Practically speaking, how big a piece could be "scanned" for 3D printing? Could, say, the butt of a flintlock rifle be scanned to produce a full-size model of the carving on the butt?

 

[Brad]

That is possible- may need to print in pieces and glue them into a full-size assembly.
A 3D scanner is another beast entirely. No experience with those.

 

[waco]

Waco -- that's cool. Pretty solid end product too?
UV cured resin. Like fish/fly resin. Probably not real strong.

The stuff she has made me seems strong enough. But then again how strong do you need Dillon pin holders and cartridge blocks to be?

 

[Brad]

The stuff she has made me seems strong enough. But then again how strong do you need Dillon pin holders and cartridge blocks to be?

Agree entirely. If I need more strength I can use wood of metal.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Brad - very nice! If you are willing to share the file, my kid has a 3D. I would like to have him print me up the same.

 

[KeithB]

We had a 3D scanner at the U (20 years ago and factor that in) that looked like a tall microwave oven inside when you opened the door. It had a turntable about 6-7" in diameter. There was a vertical track with a laser and detector mounted to a moveable carriage. Any part that could fit in a 6" diameter x 15" or 16" tall cylinder could be scanned and turned into electronic files of different types. The turntable could rotate back and forth in an infinite rotation while the carriage would move up and down.

Very handy for mapping surfaces, less so if the object has interior features such as deep holes, T-slots, etc. IMHO they are a terrific supplement for a measurement lab but they don't replace other measurement methods including manual. Of course if you can afford it you can use other scanning methods to map interior surfaces (CT scans for example). The real science that makes everyything possible is the software, getting everything to work together.

Some of my Civil friends still out at the U have told me a little about mapping/scanning software for drones, and they've had tripod based site scanners for quite a while. A contractor friend that does bathrooms has a scanner that lets him cut cabinet/sink tops to a very close fit.

 

[KeithB]

Like making aluminum parts to replace steel, if you need more strength you just make the part a little beefier.

 

[Bruce Drake]

I've got two FDM printers in the home office. They have been a helpful diversion while I couldn't cast bullets due to working out of state a lot the last couple of years. I've recently transferred back to the state that my home is in so I expect to able to use my bullet molds more often. I've made die cases and various ammo boxes for my shooting hobby along with a lot of other different items for around the house. PLA and ABS are ok but I've shifted to using PETG as its more capable across multiple spectrums. The second printer came when there was a sale and it was cheaper to buy the 2nd printer than a replacement part for the 1st...than I later fixed the first.... I use one for really long print projects and use the 2nd for adhoc print projects for the wife, kids or other folks.

Bruce

 

[Brad]

It is a bit snug but It works. Box could be a little longer so the pusher can be set in the die and both fit lengthwise.
This was more about making the curved pieces for the die to sit on. YouTube to the rescue again.

Oh, the sizer is .410 and will be going to fiver.

 

[fiver]

crap, Brad.
now all the ones just dumped into the taped up cardboard box are gonna feel slighted... LOL

 

[Snakeoil]

More like they look so good in the boxes and trays that he won't want to take them out. This means all new dies will have to be purchased and kept in a sack under his loading bench for actual reloading duty.

 

[CWLONGSHOT]

I got my pieces parts!!