Which 3D printer to make bike parts?

[cwah]

Hello there,

I'm sick of having to look there and there to find custom parts for my bike. It needs too many tools from drill press to angle grinder and many materials. Lately I'm using mostly wood because it's a cheap material, but again it needs load of tools even to create a simple battery box....

I'm thinking to get a 3D printer to solve my problems, I could:
- Create battery box
- Create a custom clamp that would allow my battery box to fit perfectly my bike
- Any custom item that would need to be clamped to my bike
- Custom gps mount, light mount, etc
- Could be useful too at home when I need anything
- I'd like to extend my rear rack to allow passenger ahah
- And have it easy to roll once my brompton is folded with custom part too

I'm thinking of getting this one:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Inkjet-printer-printing-machine-3d-digital-machine/848515310.html

At this price it does seem I can't be wrong. I'll mainly use ABS as it's the strongest material.

What do you think?


ps: This guy made me think I NEED the 3D printer lol:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47275

 

[mateusleo]

Its a good idea. Sounds interesting, but don't forget that you have to draw the 3d models, if you can't do that or doesn't have anyone that can, better not waste money because 3d printers are new at the market and you probably won't find 3d models that fit your needs.

 

[fizzit]

I have a 3d printer but I actually haven't found anything to do with my bike yet... A battery box would use a ton of plastic and take a huge printing envelope, but it's doable. Just make sure you get it right the first time
And as for the rear rack extension, I'm not sure you'd be able to design a part that would support the weight of a person.

 

[jbalat]

I'm going to get a friend to help print my battery mount but I'm waiting for these guys to start there production run.. They look like they are really close now

https://store.makibox.com/#/product-detail?type=1&&option=31

 

[Samd]

Have you searched the forum properly? Plenty of us doing it already.

Some folks are making battery backpacks, GNG mid drive gears.
I make and sell wattmeter mounts under the for sale section. About to sell bar clamps. Just finished a battery box end cap for 110mm by 65mm plastic tube.

Run a search for "3d printed" - you'll find some stuff. 8)

 

[cwah]

I have a 3d printer but I actually haven't found anything to do with my bike yet... A battery box would use a ton of plastic and take a huge printing envelope, but it's doable. Just make sure you get it right the first time
And as for the rear rack extension, I'm not sure you'd be able to design a part that would support the weight of a person.

You have 3D printer but haven't found any use for it? lol

You can print parts for me then :lol:

 

[cwah]

I'm going to get a friend to help print my battery mount but I'm waiting for these guys to start there production run.. They look like they are really close now

https://store.makibox.com/#/product-detail?type=1&&option=31

Wow 200usd for a 3D printer is really cheap. The one I'm thinking to buy is 5 times more expensive but bigger too, not sure yet if it worth it

 

[cwah]

Have you searched the forum properly? Plenty of us doing it already.

Some folks are making battery backpacks, GNG mid drive gears.
I make and sell wattmeter mounts under the for sale section. About to sell bar clamps. Just finished a battery box end cap for 110mm by 65mm plastic tube.

Run a search for "3d printed" - you'll find some stuff. 8)

Yeah I've noticed it. And that's exactly why I want to get one.

But my main question is to know which model is the best for bike part? Maybe some expert would know?

 

[Samd]

Oh - question wasn't so clear to me. Maybe consider renaming the OP to "WHICH 3D printer to make bike parts"?

I like my solidoodle 2, but it's temperamental with ABS, and parts need to come from overseas to Australia. So local parts and support are handy unless you quickly progress to building and modding your own. My next investment would probably be a Makerbot Replicator 2 as I think the extra size and local support would be handy to me.

Although several issues on the local front has forced me to learn a lot about the machine I otherwise wouldn't.

I like using ABS, others prefer PLA and Nylon.

I do like the rigid chassis of the Solidoodle 2 - you can transport them about easily, even stand on the steel frame. Not that you'd want to.

You'll not encounter an out-of-the-box device like a modern laser printer. Be prepared to tinker, use a lot of analytical skills, and have a long learning curve. But if you enjoy that sort of thing (just as for ebikes) you'll have some fun.

Cheers.

 

[cwah]

THanks Samd.

What do you think about this one?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Inkjet-printer-printing-machine-3d-digital-machine/848515310.html

I live in france so i'm not sure about the community here....

And isn't nylon stronger than ABS? Maybe I should get a machine that can print nylon?

 

[cwah]

I've found a site that could print the 3D model for me:
http://www.sculpteo.com/

I've uploaded my sketchup battery box:

And found a quote of 4695euro for a simple 15cm box. Wooow. How can that be so expensive? Are the filaments that expensive? It would use maximum 2 kg of filament right? So from raw material it shouldn't cost more than 30euro???

 

[Animalector]

Shell it out... they usually quote based on volume, normally 3d printed parts are not solid, which is the advantage of 3D printing. if you "shell" it out, it will probably be much cheaper.

 

[bee]

Since these printers are all based on the reprap project, I would recommend getting the most popular reprap which is the Prusa i3

You can find a few i3 vendors at http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Buyers_Guide

The kits are super easy to assemble and only require basic soldering soldering skills for the wires.

 

[Geebee]

Dupe

 

[Geebee]

Check out 3ders.org, recently they had a link to a new printer from memory 16x16x12 inch print volume and about $1500.00.
I am waiting for Makibox to start shipping small volume but $300.00.

Link to printer http://www.3ders.org//articles/20130827-on-kickstarter-the-gmax-3d-printer-with-an-extremely-large-build-volume.html

 

[Chalo]

In my observation, 3D printed parts aren't anywhere near as strong as their injection molded equivalents. ABS plastic doesn't make my list of preferred structural materials anyway. And if you print large flat things like the side panels of a battery box, you're likely to get a lot of warping.

A vertical mill will get you a lot farther along towards what you want than a 3D printer will. It's not a good tool for making boxes, but it will do a much better job of making clamps. You can work with superior materials like aluminum or Delrin.

If you want to carry a passenger on a rear rack, you had better start from scratch. Most racks are doing about all they can with a 50 pound load.

If you want to carry a passenger on a Brompton, just don't.

 

[cwah]

Since these printers are all based on the reprap project, I would recommend getting the most popular reprap which is the Prusa i3

You can find a few i3 vendors at http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Buyers_Guide

The kits are super easy to assemble and only require basic soldering soldering skills for the wires.

Are these reprap any good? It's maybe based on this project but I don't know what this one worth? I'd just like to have a machine working, no hassle or maintenance

 

[cwah]

Check out 3ders.org, recently they had a link to a new printer from memory 16x16x12 inch print volume and about $1500.00.
I am waiting for Makibox to start shipping small volume but $300.00.

Link to printer http://www.3ders.org//articles/20130827-on-kickstarter-the-gmax-3d-printer-with-an-extremely-large-build-volume.html

They have too many printers with too many price range... http://www.3ders.org/pricecompare/3dprinters/
How to choose the best one for ebike? :lol:

 

[cwah]

In my observation, 3D printed parts aren't anywhere near as strong as their injection molded equivalents. ABS plastic doesn't make my list of preferred structural materials anyway. And if you print large flat things like the side panels of a battery box, you're likely to get a lot of warping.

A vertical mill will get you a lot farther along towards what you want than a 3D printer will. It's not a good tool for making boxes, but it will do a much better job of making clamps. You can work with superior materials like aluminum or Delrin.

If you want to carry a passenger on a rear rack, you had better start from scratch. Most racks are doing about all they can with a 50 pound load.

If you want to carry a passenger on a Brompton, just don't.

I was thinking the same thing until I've seen this thread:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47275

He made part able to stand 190lbs charge. It looks quite strong and he's having fun without too much hassle.

Does seem strong enough I suppose?

 

[Chalo]

In my observation, 3D printed parts aren't anywhere near as strong as their injection molded equivalents. ABS plastic doesn't make my list of preferred structural materials anyway.

I was thinking the same thing until I've seen this thread:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=47275

He made part able to stand 190lbs charge. It looks quite strong and he's having fun without too much hassle.

Does seem strong enough I suppose?

Please keep in mind that a soft mounting like a backpack sees much lower stresses than a hard mounting like frame clamps. Think about how much stuff you can carry in a plastic bag, versus how little you could reliably clamp to the frame if you were using plastic bag handles for clamps.

 

[cwah]

I'm currently using my brompton mounting bloc:

It's all plastic made, but it's strong as hell. It can handle 15kg no problem no deformation whatsoever. Not sure what plastic it is, but I suppose it's the same strength as ABS?

 

[Chalo]

A lot of injection molded resins are fiber reinforced, which to my knowledge is not possible with 3D printed materials.

 

[bee]

Since these printers are all based on the reprap project, I would recommend getting the most popular reprap which is the Prusa i3

You can find a few i3 vendors at http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_i3_Buyers_Guide

The kits are super easy to assemble and only require basic soldering soldering skills for the wires.

Are these reprap any good? It's maybe based on this project but I don't know what this one worth? I'd just like to have a machine working, no hassle or maintenance

If you don't want hassle, get a nice and simple Makerbot printer http://store.makerbot.com/replicator2.html

Makerbot makes very popular printers so you will get good support and replacement parts should be readily available. Unless you're getting a $5,000+ machine, expect the cheap printers to break down once in a while and they all require some basic tuning sometimes.

Like I said, these are all reprap based machines so they are using the same software and are derived from the same original reprap printers. If you can get a $300 printer up and running, you can print upgrades to turn it into a $2000 machine which is what I did with my first printer ( http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/seemecnc-h-1 ).

As Chalo pointed out, 3d printed stuff is weaker than injection molded, you need to design specifically for 3d printing and creatively work around common issues like decreased shear resistance due to how layers are printed. I would recommend investing in a printer that can print nylon so you have another material option.

3d printers are all over the place now, you should start by designing some stuff and finding a printer locally to do a few tests print on to see if you're up for the challenge. These are not magical devices that spit out bike parts, they are tools that still require a lot of patience and skill to use right.

As a rule of thumb, if you can buy it online, it will be much cheaper and more reliable than designing and printing it yourself.

 

[cwah]

Thanks Bee. I'd like to start easy and get something pre-made and hassle free. I'll learn over time.

What about this one?
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Inkjet-printer-printing-machine-3d-digital-machine/848515310.html

The makerbot 2 is 2 times more expensive.

ps: for 3D printing service I've posted below the price of 4695euro I had for a simple box. So better start with my own machine :lol:

 

[Hwy89]

There are quite a few 3d printing services available on line and locally. I think it would be more cost effective to design the parts and submit them to one of them for printing. Can anyone suggest an easy to learn, user friendly modeling program?
I bought a watt meter mount from Samd and since then have thought of several other things that would be cool to make but would not justify the expense of buying a printer.