NormL

As more start printing their own wheels a resource will be needed for existing tires to fit them.

I found the old 1/42 scale ASA's in the garage today and it got me thinking about this.

It was a gift many birthdays ago and I do not know much about it.  Amazing detail that is for sure.  Less than good photographer that is also for sure.

I was asked by a friend to print some badge's for the valve covers of his new ride.  I have already sent one set down to ChromeTech that got rejected for porosity and roughness.  They were just a straight WSF (sintered nylon) print with no sealing or polishing.  I now have the new revised parts in hand that are polished alumide.  Alumide is also a laser sintered nylon, however, it has aluminum in suspension to better handle heat.  Alumide's heat capability is roughly twice that of WSF.

The one in back is one I raised from a photo of an Ariel Atom that I want to stick on the back of my Touareg.  OK, from a different thread I know that Pledge "Future" is the sealer I should be using and these parts were ordered polished and are much smoother than the first generation.  I am not concerned about those issues, the issue that has me concerned is the obvious layering of the rings that occur in both badge prints.  I had modeled them on an arc and that may be the "my bad" on this issue.  Anybody have an opinion on if I should try to fill it and sand smooth?  I have chromed many full sized bumpers back in the day and you just took them in and they made them right.  I doubt that ChromeTech is going to any effort to make these right as there is no money in it for them.  You can feel the ribs with your hand, but, they are very slight after the polishing (bombardment with plastic pellets)

I didn't see a section in a quick look for 3D printing scale models. I find myself doing just that, so, I thought that I would share. I had posted on another forum that was more for diecast models and no one knew what to make of it, ... my bad.  Reading on here there are some of you 3D printing already. 

This actually started several years ago when I did a 3D laser scan of my 2006 Ariel Atom 2. I have found several weird and unusual ways to use the data. I have made a cursor for a Garmin GPS, developed louvered fenders and fairings and used the data to help create a Christmas ornament.

I have talked myself into a 1/24th scale version of the frame. The goal is to take the Atom frame, scale it 0.041666666666666666666666 to convert it to 1/24 scale and make it 3D printable. The item to add spice is to make it print in 3D fully functional. My design minimums are wire 1mm dia, surface 0.7mm thickness and most important, minimum gap 0.5mm. That means that the articulation points need to be 1 mm in dia minimum with a 0.5 mm clear gap all around.

I have printed and reviewed the first print and I have submitted the re-design for printing.  Doin' the Shapeways wait ...

Test mule no. 1.
1. Not one of the wheels rotated when I unpacked it. This was just be the printing powder blocking the rotation, I stuck a screw driver on the inside of the brake and was able to giggle all of the wheels into rotation.
2. Steering shaft and mechanism works perfect. A statement for using 1.5mm diameter spars throughout (that's 1.4" real scale)
3. Wheels are very strong. These are the originals modeled ones and not the Team Dynamic's that are on the re-design, but, lesson learned. I can trim more material out of the TD 1.2's to make them look more like stock.
4. Atom frame at 1/24th printed fine with zero issues. Very strong when pinched in between fingers. The tea tray bar printed, but, is very thin.
5. Too much slop in the suspension. The shocks do work, however, all but one do not work with the suspension and I have to use a screw driver.
6. Too much shock deflection. Other than the deflection they work great. I will have to add a receiver shaft to the shock to get rid on the deflection.
7. Steering links to wheels both broke. Need beefy steering
8. Super low profile tires look stupid. Next printing will look better with more normal low profile tires. I have re-designed to some Pegasus off the shelf items
9. Printed tray under seats at 0.7 mm and it is flimsy. Thicken to 1 mm

A YouTube video of test mule no. 1 and the suspension, rolling and steering issues

Yeah, my YouTube skills are limited by my YouTube patience, ... which is none. No music, no ads and no explanation

This is the re-design I will be printing. I have added a energy storing spring, a load, an unload mechanism to the print to see if it is possible.

The car was laser scanned with a Leica HDS6200 scanner. The point clouds were turned into solid objects through algorithms in a software package called Cyclone. These objects were imported through AutoCad into Autodesk Inventor where the modeling was actually done.

Going from a point cloud to a parametric object can be very time consuming. My scanners were designed to capture buildings and are really to large scale for cars. The net effect is I have more point scatter than a smaller scale scanner and it makes making the parametric surfaces more difficult, not impossible just more difficult. I have surfaces for the nose and hood behind the driver, but, they are jagged as I have never turned them into true surfaces. At 1/24th scale you would never see it, but, at real scale you do. Since the model is really just for parts design work and I just need to know where the stock stuff is, it works fine for me.