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Posted

Hello

Does anyone know if you can 3D print/copy clear parts. I cant find anyone with spares of what I need. Thanks

Ashleigh

Posted
3 hours ago, ash74 said:

Hello

Does anyone know if you can 3D print/copy clear parts. I cant find anyone with spares of what I need. Thanks

Ashleigh

i dont know what u looking for but if you looking for something print as clear as a windshield then the answer is No.

Posted

To buttress what Chris said, there's no 3D printing of clear parts. Every 3D printer I've seen (I now have one), prints parts in some type of colored resin, whether it be gray, black, tan, etc.

More than likely, you'd get a part that was first 3D printed, then cast in a clear resin such as these Shelby 10 spoke wheels I got from Mickey Gerace (aka @Superbird McMonte).

P1017213.JPG.415026f4486754e456ae4c6f733af4f0.JPG
P1017214.JPG.df4ce28eb90efeecadcaf01bfb86848a.JPG

That's pretty much the best that can be done at the moment.

Posted

The process of 3d printing would not lend itself to being completely clear. A 3d printed piece is made up of layers of resin, which result in tiny lines across the surface. To eliminate those will require some level of sanding, both things together eliminate any hope of a completely clear part.

  • Like 1
Posted
7 minutes ago, Sandboarder said:

https://3dprinterly.com/how-to-print-cure-clear-resin-3d-prints-stop-yellowing/
 

It can be done. Most like will end up looking like frosted glass but I have seen some good results. I do not 3D print but have seen my friends using clear resins and google comes up with lots of results on the subject. 

Very interesting! Thanks for the link........I saved it for future reference. ;) 

5 minutes ago, Classicgas said:

The process of 3d printing would not lend itself to being completely clear. A 3d printed piece is made up of layers of resin, which result in tiny lines across the surface. To eliminate those will require some level of sanding, both things together eliminate any hope of a completely clear part.

Yes...........I believe in the case of the wheels I posted, it looks like Mickey cleaned up the wheel, and then later on cast them. I see very little if any of the resolution layers.

Posted
9 hours ago, ash74 said:

Hello

Does anyone know if you can 3D print/copy clear parts. I cant find anyone with spares of what I need. Thanks

Ashleigh

There is a wanted section on the forums. Post what you’re looking for and maybe someone has it and is willing to part with it?

Posted

What parts do you need?

Any window or windshield can be made using old-school techniques, from clear sheet styrene, PET, or acetate.

Headlight and taillight lenses can be easily copied using small molds that can be made by anyone with reasonable ability.

Posted

Thank you all. So the answer is no. I am wanting to copy windscreens. I have tried parts wanted. I might try to bump it, as I did it over Christmas/new year period. 

Hmm, Reasonable ability? I have always found something that should be easy is usually not. However I have a go will not loose me anything, so its probably worth having a crack. 

Thank you all

 

Ash

Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, ash74 said:

...However I have a go will not loose me anything, so its probably worth having a crack. 

Here are some ideas:

 

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Posted
3 hours ago, ash74 said:

Thank you all. So the answer is no. I am wanting to copy windscreens. I have tried parts wanted. I might try to bump it, as I did it over Christmas/new year period. 

Hmm, Reasonable ability? I have always found something that should be easy is usually not. However I have a go will not loose me anything, so its probably worth having a crack. 

Thank you all

 

Ash

PM me Ash.?

Posted
5 hours ago, kruleworld said:

Clear resin is availble, but the clearness is not great for windscreens, etc

Pretty cool. I always had a kinda thing for the babe from Metropolis.   ;)

Posted
On 2/5/2022 at 7:18 AM, MrObsessive said:

To buttress what Chris said, there's no 3D printing of clear parts. Every 3D printer I've seen (I now have one), prints parts in some type of colored resin, whether it be gray, black, tan, etc.

More than likely, you'd get a part that was first 3D printed, then cast in a clear resin such as these Shelby 10 spoke wheels I got from Mickey Gerace (aka @Superbird McMonte).

P1017213.JPG.415026f4486754e456ae4c6f733af4f0.JPG
P1017214.JPG.df4ce28eb90efeecadcaf01bfb86848a.JPG

Hi Bill. The wheels I sent to you were printed with clear resin. I also have clear red for taillights. Although it’s not red enough, I’ve heard a little pigment can be added.

  • Like 1
Posted (edited)

You can't get "clear" pieces from using clear FDM printer filament, mainly because of the infill. From what I've seen, you can get better results with clear resin, but only after you polish it up. Otherwise it's opaque. Also, regular clear looks a little yellow, so I've heard to use a few drops of blue dye mixed in to help it look more clear. I have both kinds of printers and I have both clear 3d filament and clear resin. I've yet to use the clear resin yet though.

Edited by Charlie Lowell
Forgot a word
  • 5 months later...
Posted

Should 3D printed resin be hard when cured or feel rubbery?

I got some parts from someone and they feel like rubber.  I don't think this is right.

Posted
3 hours ago, crowe-t said:

Should 3D printed resin be hard when cured or feel rubbery?

I got some parts from someone and they feel like rubber.  I don't think this is right.

I've had part that had a rubbery texture, but after washing them they seemed ok. These parts were firm to hold but felt rubbery, they werent pliable like rubber. I hope that makes sense

Posted
4 hours ago, stitchdup said:

I've had part that had a rubbery texture, but after washing them they seemed ok. These parts were firm to hold but felt rubbery, they werent pliable like rubber. I hope that makes sense

That's how my parts feel.  They feel like rubber but feel firm.  I washed them but they still feel like rubber.  I'm going to put them in the sun and see what happens.

Posted
4 minutes ago, crowe-t said:

That's how my parts feel.  They feel like rubber but feel firm.  I washed them but they still feel like rubber.  I'm going to put them in the sun and see what happens.

its probably the fine grain of the printing confusing our senses, its like we're feeling our finger prints due to the grain on the part being similar sized to our finger prints and our brains just dont know how to deal with it,

Posted
On 2/6/2022 at 4:00 AM, ash74 said:

Thank you all. So the answer is no. I am wanting to copy windscreens. I have tried parts wanted. I might try to bump it, as I did it over Christmas/new year period. 

Hmm, Reasonable ability? I have always found something that should be easy is usually not. However I have a go will not loose me anything, so its probably worth having a crack. 

Thank you all

 

Ash

If the windshields don't contain any compound curves, it's very simple to replace the kit glass with a thin clear sheet plastic as Bill suggested.

You don't need a 3-D printer or a vacu-former.

All you need is clear 2-part epoxy, and .010" or thinner sheet plastic.

 

 

image.jpeg.81462faa1cf0c4007ffeec6f2760e64f.jpeg

image.jpeg.5ca501c63eb419b4e690030f4b442702.jpeg

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

 

  • Like 1
Posted
19 hours ago, crowe-t said:

Should 3D printed resin be hard when cured or feel rubbery?

I got some parts from someone and they feel like rubber.  I don't think this is right.

It all depends on the kind of resin it was printed with, if it was fully cured, properly cleaned, etc.

There are resins that are rubbery, they are supposed to be that way. There are currently so many different resins on the market, you can print many many different end products. They have everything from very rubbery, stretchy resins to very brittle hard resins. Some are more durable, others harder. They even have many different clear resins. 

I have been playing with mixing resins lately. I have been adding some durable rubbery resin (Very costly) to some more brittle but high definition resin to get something that is a good blend. Its working well so far.   

Posted

Completely clear resin parts is possible but not really feasible for what you are after. People have made telescope optics on resin printers, but a lot of polishing was needed and the clear resin used was not your run of the mill resin.

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