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1935 LaSalle convertible coupe - 3d printed at home Aug. 30


my66s55

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Following this thread and the one about the 3D printed SBC have been very interesting. Perhaps its time to look at building a printer. One question I am curious about would be printing a body (shell) - does it have to be separated into segments, or can it be printed as one piece? The ones that really should pay attention to this are AMT and Revellogram. The could save a ton on tooling costs by investing in the highest spec printers possible, create better detailed parts and even allow for customers to submit their own custom print files! We could have show cars, race cars, limited interest subjects and more. (Looking at CGTrader almost knocked me out of my chair) The economies of scale could reduce costs of production tremendously by having resin and other material bought in quantity.

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Yes, whole car bodies have been printed on dlp machines. They were a smaller scale, but complete. I printed out the doors jams on back of this 35 LaSalle last January that was close to 1:25. I also started printing the frame as one peace and stopped just before the cross members. My purpose for this post and the one last January is to educated people on what is really going on and to hopefully peak enough interest that some will pick it up.

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So, I've got a rough sided piece of styrene plastic that I want to get into the shape of a radiator coweling. After approximately 25 minute of sanding off of the support material, I still have to continue to do body w20150517_122519_zpsgfn98iog.jpg

One coat of Bondo is added and left to set up. Than sanded.

20150517_131741_zpsepvn1s6r.jpg

After two more light applications, I have one half of the part done.

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IMHO I guess I just don't get it.Why bother to spend all this money and time to convert a spool of what seems to be grass trimmer line into car parts that still need so much body work be be presentable? It seems almost counter productive.Wouldn't it be about as easy to scratch build or kit bash the parts?

I readily admit to being too old (in my 70's)to embrace every new tech that is developed but is this one more generational gap thing that is only accessible to those with deep pockets and a degree in the computer sciences?

I am also not denying this is without a doubt the future of a certain portion of our hobby.Are we aproaching a time when a model on display will have to list the printer brand and material used as part of it's descripton rather than what kit it was based on?

Seems like a lot of questions to me.Just wondering out loud I guess.

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Bully for you!! I mean it. It's because of pioneering folks like you that the technology gets better and better. Is this the ideal way to produce a model? Certainly not, and I'm certain you'd say as much. But because people like yourself are willing to invest the time and energy in figuring it out, the rest of us benefit. This technology is here to stay, and will only get better (and easier to use). Stay the course, sir, I'll be watching. :D

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IMHO I guess I just don't get it.Why bother to spend all this money and time to convert a spool of what seems to be grass trimmer line into car parts that still need so much body work be be presentable? It seems almost counter productive.Wouldn't it be about as easy to scratch build or kit bash the parts?

No. It is not easier to scratch build or try to convert some existing kit parts into this build. This build is the alpha, not the omega. There will be more to follow and you can believe that I am making resin casting of some of the parts.

I readily admit to being too old (in my 70's)to embrace every new tech that is developed but is this one more generational gap thing that is only accessible to those with deep pockets and a degree in the computer sciences?

Not at all. I am 70. You don't need deep pockets and I have a B.A. in business. I am an accountant. No computer science degree. No engineering degree. No computer cad design experience.

I am also not denying this is without a doubt the future of a certain portion of our hobby.Are we aproaching a time when a model on display will have to list the printer brand and material used as part of it's descripton rather than what kit it was based on?

Not at all. Just a new technolgy'

Seems like a lot of questions to me.Just wondering out loud I guess.

Keep watching and ask. I believe that what you will see will explain a lot.

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As I mentioned in my first post here, I attempted to scratch build this car in a coupe. I was stopped dead when I couldn't get the front fenders to even come close to looking the same. 3d printing fixed that. Here are the front fenders. Note that they are in 3 parts and solid. That's the way I could get the most accurate print. I used a motor tool to hollow them out and then ca glued them together.

The outer part of the drivers side fender.

drivers%20outer00_zpsjkskn9xt.pngdrivers%20outer%20101_zpsxedzsgwr.png

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The stl. files are mirrored and the process is repeated. Next, they go thru the same finishing process shown in an above post. A center connecting piece is then created and the fenders assembled.

The final product:

DSCN0107_zpskqx6rerv.jpgDSCN0105_zpsxlb9filp.jpgDSCN0108_zpssxm9expi.jpg

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Agreed, not everyone has the skills to create the files necessary to print the parts. Couldn't you just purchase the software just like computer software? I can't write code, but I can (sort of) use a computer. I can see Mobieus, Revell or Round 2 offering modern " parts packs" on a thumbnail. Including modern engines like 3rd gen Hemis, the LS7 or the Coyote,Tremec transmissions etc. I suppose you could even design the drive so that it would be useless after one printing. The big issue as I see it, would be how to protect intellectual property rights. Could the next, next, generation of kits be printed at home? Or would bring your thumbnail to a 3D printing shop. Shapeway Hobbies anybody?

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My hat is off to you. I understand the naysayer's viewpoint, yet totally understand the problems you have had creating something that looks acceptable from scratch. I have had the same problem with my 34+ year build (not kidding) of my Cord L-29 Phaeton Sedan. You have boldly taken some action to get a model of the car you want. I love it and really look forward to witnessing the future unfold before our eyes!

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I don't know how many more parts I have to print to complete this project. I say that because its always changing. Here is an example. The first pic is the wheel printed on the fdm printer. There are three pieces so there are three prints required to get the best result. then of coarse, you have to do the surface smoothing. The second pic is the same wheel printed on the high def dlp printer. What you see is exactly as it came from the printer except that I put a light coat of primer on to make it visible for detail.

DSCN0110_zpswk204nt8.jpgDSCN0111_zpserq1qr4e.jpg

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DSCN2037_zpsjzl9ukad.jpgDSCN2038_zpsqgurah32.jpgThe body is made up of 3 sections. I'll start with the rear from the door jams back. The first time I printed it, it was made from five separate prints and the rear fenders were separate. Then, the slicing software was upgraded and the support improved so that it could easily be done in one print. These are some print in process.

DSCN2036_zps0re9j0fs.jpg

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