Got an email from these guys and it was Ducati related so thought I'd share with you guys. There's a short video in the link: https://www.solidsolutions.co.uk/Se...ail&GUID=7fdd09b4-8be8-4495-a62b-62b9b3d4d0ff
My memory is telling me that there was an article in a TV programme about this. Excellent reverse engineering skills and very interesting, in an anoraky way. Must be why I find it fascinating Andy
Haha I did find the engineering side of things interesting, but I think I liked hearing the sound of the bike engine more! Haven't heard mine running for a few months! Can't wait for the better weather!!! On a more techy note, he mentioned the accuracy of the scan was 25 microns, what is the accuracy of the print??
Hmmm, a q from an ignoramus.. if 3D printing works by melting the plastic to use as “ink” wouldn’t the part be susceptible to engine heat ??
could do... well i couldnt but it could be done! when i first started out my boss at the time cut his teeth carving engine components from wood that were then used to make sand casts... had a mate over last night that makes intricate lil ornaments from exotic timbers, he was showing me a piece that he had turned that had a 1mm pitch thread on it... was out of some bizarre african bingo bongo hardwood or something. the wood itself sells for a couple of hundred quid per foot of 12x2... amazing what can be done with timber.. (i nearly said wood)
It’s a plastic prototype - the finished article is printed in metal. Some of the guys at work are into 3D printers and it’s impressive what’s possible.
im not good at posting stuff.... its with the presents i was gunna send to nz in time for christmas (been) ... youl get it soon (ish)
Lignum Vitae, bloomin’ tough stuff. I’ve got a truncheon made from it. At one time it was used to make bearings for submarines ! https://www.wood-database.com/lignum-vitae/
Just read that 3D prints have a tolerance of 50 microns on top of that. But I guess the application is not for anything you need that dimensionally accurate.
A lot of commercial machines with print to an accuracy of around 0.1mm. My employer has a couple of machines that will print at 0.05mm. So pretty decent - plenty good enough for this type of application. The drawback would be whether a plastic "printed" part (ie a part built by extruding layers of molten material on top of one another) is sufficiently resistant to heat, petrol, etc. There are starting to be some machines using extruded filament that have a high metal content. You can print the part then put the part in a furnace to burn off the plastic carrier material. This results in a smaller part, so you have to adjust the size beforehand to account for the shrinkage. The other alternative is to laser-sinter metallic powder. Fine metallic powder (aluminium, stainless steel, titanium, and others) is placed in a chamber which heats it to just below melting temperature. A laser then fuses the powder to make a solid. The part is built up in layers. This is still an expensive technique for manufacture in volume, but the likes of F1 and specialist aerospace use it for making complex parts, parts which might not be easy to mill or cast, or simply because they want the parts quickly. This would be the ultimate choice for a 3D printed carburetor, as it would give you a real metal part with decent accuracy and surface finish.
