I'm making custom car parts with a 3d printer

[Shawn D.]

Originally Posted by synergy

I know poly is a plastic... I was just making sure the guy who said you cant make spacers out of plastic knew I was talking about polyu which is a specific kind incase he didn't understand what type we were talking about.

You mean me.

Originally Posted by synergy

And the fact that it "has play" does not mean its deforming. It simply means that on a very small scale it has give. Just like all metals do. Its just poly mounts have a little more give than metal mounts.

I don't see any reason why the spacers ive seen on 4x4 trucks couldnt be made by simply taking a disc of poly and drilling it. As long as you drill accurately so it isnt off center I don't think the load would be that great. You only torque wheels down to 80-90ftlbs. As long as it doesnt crack and shear off in pieces it should be ok.

That's what "give" is -- deformation ("play" is space between parts, such as valve lash). Yes, all materials have a modulus of elasticity, but it's absurd to suggest that since all materials deform, there must be no worthwhile difference.

A quick search shows that the hardest polyurethane deforms 80 times more than aluminum (data here and here). Look at the deflection values for polyurethane in the link and you'll see that torquing wheels down will deform polyurethane significantly. Noticeable bulging and deflection happens when you tighten polyurethane sway bar end link bushings. This is why dedicated race cars use rod ends for sway bar links and solid pillow blocks and/or bearings for the frame mounts -- the deflection is significantly reduced when going to metals.

You do get this, whether you consciously realize it or not. After all, you replaced rubber with polyurethane in a number of locations in your drift car, but limited application of aluminum because of aluminum's lack of deflection. Thus, you realize there are significant differences in deflection and deformation between rubber versus polyurethane and polyurethane versus aluminum. If you did not realize this, you would not have gone from rubber to polyurethane in your drift car or proposed the above items, right?

[nitro-nige]

Great project Daox.
I'm building my own 3D printer, so then I'll be able to do some similar projects. My printer is still a little rough and ready - but I can print some parts to improve that.
Do you have any details on the urethane that you would be willing to share?
Was it vacuum cast/molded or could it be done normally?

Cheers
Nige.

[Baltothewolf]

Daox, any plans to modify the one you made for OG VX with an additional button?(2 total)

[Daox]

Sorry for the slow reply. I just got back from a missions trip to Mexico this week and have been a bit under the weather since.


riffdex, an armrest is too large to print on this machine. It would be much easier to buy an armrest off ebay or a parts car. The quality would be higher too.


nitro-nige, thanks. The urethane really isn't anything special. Its just a standard 2 part urethane. I got it from:
Casting Resins
I simply made a mold as shown, mixed the urethane, and poured it into the mold. I didn't vacuum it or anything.


I have a couple people interested in knobs. I'll be working on them as time allows. PM me if you are interested in something specific. I'm working on making a 1, 2, and 3 button version with different button types (toggle, momentary on, and momentary off) for each slot. However, next week I'll be out of state for work and won't be able to do any work on 3d parts.

[drainoil]

What kind of printer would it take to print out replacement rockers and quarter panels for a Civic vx?

[benphyr]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Mr Doax:

I'll take a dozen of these wheel skirt / wheel arch lip attachment doohickeys in plastic... from post #29 (http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...tml#post459730) and

From: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...metro-103.html

I think this would be a really helpful item to have in the ecomodder store since they would enable completely reversible mods for wheel skirts and any place where there is low weight attachments to a rim type surface too.

Would ABS be a good choice of material?

[benphyr]

Originally Posted by Daox

Cool thought, not sure if it is feasible: Put the emblem on the side by your thumb (where the kill switch is initially, and make the green parts stick out as slightly as heads for the switches. Like on a TV remote, the buttons are not actually the switch but just a soft piece that allows you to activate the switch that is buried somewhere underneath (on a board?). Could do one button in the middle of the E or one in the middle and one as the top curve and one as the bottom curve of the E for those who need/like many buttons. Then the Green E would save you gas!

(I don't have skills with drawing programs so I am hoping this makes sense. If this doesn't make sense let me know.)

I have a friend who used to have a joystick from a Huey (old helicopter) on his Jetta TDI. The buttons were rigged up to navigate the GPS, MP3s and other functions on his laptop in front of the passenger seat! It was a blast to "shift".

[freebeard]

Mr Doax:

I'll take a dozen of these wheel skirt / wheel arch lip attachment doohickeys in plastic, please:

Just posting so I will know when MetroMPG's clips are available.

[Baltothewolf]

Can't wait for my shifter knob!

[cowmeat]

Shift knob is working great, Daox! Can't thank you enough for the work it must have taken to make that happen.

In case you guys missed it in the G1 thread, Daox actually took his original idea of the 3D printed shift knob and made it into a 3-button version I currently have installed on Turtle. Made driving the car even more fun!