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3D scanning and printing of machine parts - the future of slot machine restoration?
Let's see, where did I put those Bryan's Bumper blueprints?

That’s a belting bit of kit and no mistake.
But I still like the idea of spending lots of time locked in my workshop, accidentally hitting my thumb with a hammer and hoping I haven’t drilled that hole in the wrong place or filed too much off that lever... again. But then I expect that’s why I’m not a rich man... just a happy one..

Ok guys, stop dropping hints I'll go and look behind my compost bin this afternoon and see what I can find.

Has anyone tried to use this system to make parts?

Not the scanner, but the solid printers, frequently. When you're designing plastic parts - or any parts for that matter - that need moulding or casting, before you shell out thousands for an expensive mould tool you run some solid models first to make sure everything is right. The machines can work straight from a CAD drawing that you make on your computer.

They've improved vastly in the ten years or so I've been using them. Initially the models were weak and had a nasty rough surface, but now they can use different sorts of plastic, even transparent, the surface finish is excellent, and they can be as strong as the finished product. I'm having some done at the moment that will be chromed. It's an expensive way to do things, but cheaper than having them milled out of solid.

About 5 years ago the first "solid printers" came out, about the size of a big photocopier, designed for companies like mine to own one. The price then was about $25,000, but now you have a choice of models and it's fallen to half that. There's even a DIY home kit version now for under $1000. The only thing you can't do at present is have things made out of metal, though I believe it's close.

Here's a sample piece I got from Protogenics, one of the places I get things done. It's about 2 inches high. You can't see the details clearly but it has a spiral staircase running round the walls inside, and an unsupported double helix up the middle. It would be impossible to make this in one piece any other way.

I'm glad I asked - that castle is a great model!

If you are interested in these 3D printers, do a search in google for "RepRap"

This is an open source DIY 3d printer that is very cheap to make. I am very interested in these and intend to make one myself at some point when I have more free time.

The concept it to build a 3d printer that can build the parts to replicate itself. They are a long way away from fully achieving this, however with each generation they are able to produce even more parts (including recently simple circuit boards)

Thanks

Luke

Topic moved & merged - Site Admin.

Has anyone tried using a 3d printer to make parts for a machine that they're building or restoring? I just hopped into a kickstarter for a small 3D printer for only $199USD. I know there's potential to draw up a part and then print out the part to try it and then later either chrome the printed model, or make a mold from the model and cast a new part out of metal.

I can think of plenty of parts that would be difficult to machine, coin slots, payout cups, custom knobs.... A 3d printer may make this process very simple.

Here's the Kickstarter for anyone interested.



It may be a great way to share knowledge among the community, having parts drawn up and ready to download for printing.

This does look good for the price. And guess you could print small pieces of bigger jobs and glue together. Hopefully won't be too long until these are selling cheap as colour copiers. This and a 3d scanner and you're set. I do have a 3d printer, my hands.

I forgot about the 3d scanners.

If there was someone that had access to a 3d scanner and was willing, there would be some amazing results. Recreating a lot of these machines would become much easier. Plenty of these machines are quite difficult to come by in the states, much less within driving distance.

First thing to create with a 3D printer is..............another 3D printer!

It’s cool you found a cheap 3D printer. That’s a great start for creating anything you want. Anyway, does it support various types of plastic filament? It would be great if it can feed not just standard filament, but also the premium ones like nylon and rubber filament. See more of the premium plastic here: http://www.3d2print.net/shop/product-ca ... -filament/

I know that's one of the updates that they're going to be providing hopefully sooner than later. I know that they're trying out different filaments other than the standard ABS and PLA.

It is not just the filaments that you have to consider These 3D printers are a little like paper printers, to get a good finish to your product you will need a 3D machine with good resolution printing capabilities, and as usual the better the machine the more it is going to cost you, but as with everything else over time the prices should start to drop...

The one that I have listed above has a layer resolution up to 50 micron. That will leave some very slight ridges, but nothing that some minor sanding can't take out. From there the piece could either be used to make a mold or chromed and used as is.

I figure for $200, it's well worth the shot.

Any part designs that I draw, I will make available to the community here.

On the subject of 3D printing, take a look at this.... https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/04/ ... n-the-air/

Right! ... I am now officially scared.

Maplin also recently started selling a similar device (3Doodler). I think it's a glorified hot glue gun - fun for craft projects but not much use to us. I'm holding out for an affordable metal laser sintering 3D printer.

In my view, considerations of cost, limited resolution and maximum print size disqualify the current crop of home printers. A commercial print service might be feasible, but you still have the task of creating suitable 3D modelling or scans. For most purposes I think old fashioned hand-crafted patterns are still the easiest way to make custom parts.

BEYOND THE HYPE AND HOPE OF 3D PRINTING: WHAT CONSUMERS SHOULD EXPECT

pennymachines wrote:I'm holding out for an affordable metal laser sintering 3D printer.

It looks like this may not be so far away. At least a working prototype of a consumer level (sub £3000-ish) metal printer has been built and tested using bronze (other metals should also work).

It uses a novel technique called Selective Inhibition Sintering. Basically, to keep the price down, a standard inkjet printhead deposits a chemical sintering inhibitor together with the metal powder so that "once all of the layers have been completed, the entire part is removed from the machine and bulk sintered in a conventional sintering furnace".
Torabi Payman, Petros Matthew, and Khoshnevis Behrokh. 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing. September 2014.

I've had some experience with inexpensive 3D printers and it wasn't encouraging. They do well on very small flat parts, but if there's any significant depth you get slump and occasionally a step. I look at the things other people claim to have made with incredulity. Expensive 3D printers, on the other hand, can do fantastic jobs. Like this rook, for example. 2 inches high, it has a spiral staircase running up the inside wall and a double helix between the roof and floor. It was a sample showing capability but I think the machine cost well into six figures a few years ago.


About the best you can do with a cheap printer is use it to make a model, then sand and fill the model until it's decent and use it to make a mold for a casting.