3D Printing supplier

[rpierce000]

Has anyone ever had a 3D printing supplier do a one off item for them? If so, what process did you use? What material? I am looking at this for a very special customer who wants to make a model of his house for his layout for his anniversary, but I am flying somewhat blind here. If anyone knows about these processes, please chime in.

 

I can really see the day when a large club gets one of these and some licenses and just runs off kits for the members for the cost of raw materials.

 

BTW, yes I have seen the ones that make things out of sugar, yes they are cute, no they will not solve my problem.

 

Bob

[Martijn Meerts]

The cheaper 3D printers (which unfortunately are often used by companies offering cheap 3D prints) aren't good enough to get any good detail in N-scale. The surface is also pretty rough, so it needs a lot of clean up work afterwards.

 

For architectural models, it's likely cheaper to go with someone who has a high quality CNC router or laser cutter to manufacture the parts, and then just glue them together like any plastic kit.

[The_Ghan]

Being an architect, I know full well what Architectural models cost here in Australia.  Being in Australia, none of the modellers I use have a 3D printer yet.  The do things the old fashioned way.  Presumably, your client wants the house only, with no base or perspex box.  Architectural modellers are also unaccustomed to working at 1:150, but would do so if required.  With drawings supplied, my guess is you're looking at $700-$1000 ... and that may not even get you colour!

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[cteno4]

bob,

 

i think martijn is right the architectural 3D printed stuff i have seen is usually at much larger scales so the resolution is not a problem, but at 1/150 the resolution becomes a big issue with your surface texture. my buddy who does architectural models as one part of his biz has been looking at 3D printers, but still too expensive or his biz to do the scale of work he needs.

 

i can put you in touch with a chap in nz who does a lot of n scale prototyping in 3D printing with higher end fine resolution machines. it aint cheap, but hes use to n scale and does a lot of it with the day job. he made me N scale road cones a few years back, wonderfully to scale. was not horrible in price as it was such a simple job (iso cad drawings publicly available) and all of 1 oz for something like 400 of them to ship! the liquid polymer catalysis machines can get you fine detail but usually not huge size. could probably do it a wall at a time then assemble and paint it.

 

I can also check with a buddy who does architectural models (most of high end homes) out of laser cut chipboard and stryene. he usually works in more like 1/64rd & 1/32nd scale, but i think work is really slow so he might take on a project like this. again aint cheap.

 

big thing is does he have full cad drawings of the house, thats the big first step. for 3D printing thats a lot of the job to set up the run. for lasercutting there then is the process of tearing the cad apart to make your parts, but that is partially automated now as its really standard to do for making models as well.

 

another, simpler option, might be to just see if there is a good N scale scratch builder around that would take up the project. with a few pictures and a simple dimensional plan i bet they could whip something up that would be pretty spot on and also have the n scale model feel to fit in with everything else. one problem with architectural models is they are usually made to be sort of a conceptual look/feel that is not the same as how we do all our modeling in n scale. lots of similarities, but a few differences. also like ghan said most are not use to working at this scale and if they do its very low resolution more space filling concept models than detailed models. getting all the CAD together for 3D printing if he does not have them could cost you more than doing the model!

 

yell if you want the contacts.

 

jeff

[inobu]

High resolution and material density goes hand in hand. When you look at a typical plastic mold it are injected with plastic rated in tons per sq inch. That's how precise detail is formed on the finished product.

 

Concrete is a good example in how 3D material is formed. It actually poured or laid in layers. The problem is there is no way to extracted air from the mix to make it less porous so the finish will be grainy. 3D printing creates layers of material that hardens without any compacting process.

 

3D is good for rendering most items but getting a finished product is not likely but possible.

 

 

Inobu

[rpierce000]

Jeff,

 

Please hook me up with the guy who did the cones. I can see other uses for him even if this project is out of his range.

 

These folks MIGHT still have their blueprints, I think he built the house for her 25 years ago, hence the whole anniversary thing.

 

I can probably quote $500-$1K and he will wince but listen. 

 

I had not thought of a scratchbuilder.  I was going to direct him to one of the national pro builders, but I don't know anyone's reputation, so I was going to start calling museums.

 

It is not really a huge house, about a 6000 sq ft Victorian, left front three story tower, two stories, daylight basement. It would not catch your eye if you drove by it, it is set off the road. Nice layout, about 20' by 20'. He is in his early fifties and retired, but I do not know from what. All he talks about his the trains. As long as he keeps buying, that is fine with me! I met him when he started to put in a tram line and we started to discuss Tomix vs Kato. I found out he was local, so I went over to show him the stuff.  You never know what you will find.

 

At this point it is not about the money, I just want it done right.

 

Bob

[cteno4]

bob,

 

ill pm you the chap in new zealand.

 

you might talk to Custom Model Trains CMR (http://www.cmrtrain.com/). they do fantastic scratch building of all sorts of stuff and i think doing a single structure may be in that range you quoted. they did the buildings on Curt's layout and they do a wonderful job. they do most of the high end museum stuff you see out there and do little custom stuff like this as well (probably keeps folks busy between larger projects). they have a full shop with a couple of model builders full time with laser cutters and i think a small 3D printer. only issue with a victorian is they have some pretty wild walls and roof lines to fit together. also they tend to have lots of little detail scroll works and such that could get expensive. might not need total detail to have the whole effect though.

 

im betting that they would be fine with a series of good photos from each side of the house with a scale in it to do something close enough. plans would be a big help, but if he doesnt need it exactly perfect they could just approximate it. from any distance no one will really be able to tell if something is off.

 

to fins a lone craftsperson (have to say that as the main model builder at cmr is female!) will be tougher. might check with NMRA folks both nationally and locally as i expect those folks will know the main players out there that take on jobs like this.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[brill27mcb]

We have an HO modeler in the East Penn Traction Club who made a model of his own house in HO scale, so he and his wife could check out painting options for their real house. He has his model house on an end loop module, and it's tied into the automatic block system. When a trolley goes around the house on the loop, the front porch light comes on (instead of a signal).

 

I understand his work is in the current issue of Railroad Model Craftsman in the U.S.

 

Rich K.

[rpierce000]

We have resolved this with a professional scratchbuilder.

 

Thank you VERY much for all you input and suggestions.

 

Bob

BT Trains

[cteno4]

bob,

 

cool, expect they should be able to make you happy and probably dance a lot better if there are any tweaks to be done here or there or customizing it.

 

do post the results, would love to see them!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[rpierce000]

I am afraid that the client has asked that the project remain his personal property, I am not allowed to take photographs or discuss the location.

 

On a nicer note, I have some people who would like to run test 3d prints for me. Do any of you HAVE or know where to GET detailed 3d models with the kind of detail seen on trains?

 

I am thinking about brakelines, ladders, brakewheels, windshield wipers, etc.  I know some of these are pressed on later for some models, but I want to push the envelope and see what these printers can do. There is no cost to us, so I will give the result to whomever supplies the file.

 

Yes, this is an opportunity to get anything you want (less than 6" by 6" by 2") printed in a 3d format. Any major CAD program should be able to handle the file output issues.

 

I am not interested in something you have downloaded off the net and would just like to see, I am looking for something that you have either put some real work into or somehow have access to immensely detailed train files. (or you have a laser scanner and are willing to jump the fence in a yard some night...)

 

Any takers? If we can get something REALLY cool I bet we can sell some as a way to help raise money for the Omocha group.

 

If not I am going to just create a flat surface and extrude pipes, ladders, brakewheels and the like off of it as the test.

 

Thanks!

 

Bob