There are lots of different methods of 'printing' in 3d, all with various pros and cons. The best for structural parts are not cheap or easy, hence are rarely sold as DIY solutions. Those using liquid resin hardened by UV light (SLA, Stereolithography) and powdered material (largely plastic, but can be metal) melted together by laser (SLS, Selective Laser Sintering) are generally stronger and more accurate but FDM, Fused Deposition Modelling, is much cheaper. This is when a filament of plastic is melted and extruded and is the method of choice for most home printers. Generally speaking and with careful design, correct print orientation and correct material choice, FDM can be made strong enough to carry out most tasks an injection moulding could do.
3D printers, uses for bikes...
- Thread starter sotal
- Start date
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RoubaixCube
~Tribanese~
- Location
- London, UK
I dont have a 3d printer. But I've had people that do print me out mounts for my go pro and Magicshine lights.
I think I've seen a video on YouTube where a guy 3d printed himself a bicycle just as an experiment to see how bad it could be.
I think I've seen a video on YouTube where a guy 3d printed himself a bicycle just as an experiment to see how bad it could be.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Has anyone had a one-off part 3d printed in the UK?
I have found a 3d object design on thingiverse.com that would suit a requirement that I have (a specific bracket). So I guess I just need to download the stl file and find a provider to print it. The only problem being that these pesky printing service providers are actually in business to make a profit, so there's a minimum order cost which tends to be about £50 or more (ex VAT) which for a one-off bracket is a bit steep. Is there anyone out there who has found a way to serve the one-off market in a less expensive way?
Actually it could just as easily be made from a bit of sheet metal. Cut out a shape, drill a few holes, put a couple of minor bends in it. It's the kind of thing my dad would have cobbled together in no time. But he had a garage full of odd bits of sheet metal and the time, tools and (importantly) skills to spare. None of which I have. I may have a bash at bodging it out of plywood or something.
I have found a 3d object design on thingiverse.com that would suit a requirement that I have (a specific bracket). So I guess I just need to download the stl file and find a provider to print it. The only problem being that these pesky printing service providers are actually in business to make a profit, so there's a minimum order cost which tends to be about £50 or more (ex VAT) which for a one-off bracket is a bit steep. Is there anyone out there who has found a way to serve the one-off market in a less expensive way?
Actually it could just as easily be made from a bit of sheet metal. Cut out a shape, drill a few holes, put a couple of minor bends in it. It's the kind of thing my dad would have cobbled together in no time. But he had a garage full of odd bits of sheet metal and the time, tools and (importantly) skills to spare. None of which I have. I may have a bash at bodging it out of plywood or something.
What material do you need it made from (ie how strong does it have to be) and do you have an image and rough dimensions you can share? If plastic is ok I might be able to help.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Thanks.
As it turned out I did a bit of bodging myself and solved the problem with things I bought on Amazon that were nearly but not quite right plus a bit of dremelling.
Yes you can - one of the most common filaments used in 3d printing is PLA which has a relatively low melt temperature around 200 degrees C. This is often used to make a plaster/sand cast and then melted out, similar to lost-wax casting. This creates a void which is then filled with molten aluminium. I've not tried it myself, I'd need a furnace and industrial oven which I don't have room for, but would like to try it at some point. Perhaps in a few years I'll have a bigger workshop available to play in
You can also directly print metal parts with some 3D printing process, such as direct metal laster sintering, but these are still far too expensive for hobbyists and will likely remain so for a while
Proto
Legendary Member
- Location
- East Devon/West Dorset
Managed to lose a levelling foot from my Minoura rollers. Emailed the importers, ZyroFisher, who don’t stock any spares. In a previous life I’d have got on a CNC mill and machined one from acetal, but not an option. However, my chum Jon has a printer at home so I sent him a foot to copy. Very happy with the result . Thanks Jon!
currystomper
Guru
- Location
- Fife
Make a mount for a front light a few years ago, I'll take a picture if anyone is interested
currystomper
Guru
- Location
- Fife
Mm here is a back bracket I did a few years ago with the old printrbot https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:175395
I made these mudguard mounts out of ABS recently for a friends son, his bike didn't have a seatstay bridge.
He had seen the one I designed for my Ti frameset and wanted something similar but I didn't have time to finish it quite as nicely. I'll print him an updated resin one as soon as my new printers arrive 😋 Here's the resin printed mount I designed for my Ti bike:
He had seen the one I designed for my Ti frameset and wanted something similar but I didn't have time to finish it quite as nicely. I'll print him an updated resin one as soon as my new printers arrive 😋 Here's the resin printed mount I designed for my Ti bike:
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
To answer the thread title, they're useless. An actual bicycle is much easier to pedal.
