Doug, On Nov 1, 10:36 pm, "Doug Conn" <[email protected]> wrote: > Ever since the RoboFest in Linthicum last April, however, I've been > wondering if I could produce these things on the Makerbot Thing-O-Matic > <http://store.makerbot.com/thing-o-matic-kit-mk7.html> I saw demonstrated > there. I don't have any experience with 3d printers or their products. The > Thing-O-Matic uses ABS plastic and produce parts the required size and > thickness. Has anyone ever used one ? Would the parts be strong enough for > tank treads ? Again, they'll be mounted to roller chain, so they wouldn't > need to stand up to the stresses of a driven sprocket directly.
I have never used the Thing-O-Matic. It is a hobby variant of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). We occasionally use commercial Stratysys FDM parts. http://www.stratasys.com/ We only use FDM parts for VERY light loads. They often separate between layers. I can send you some old parts to inspect. I recommend casting. Make one master part and one master mold. Then cast 10-20 sub-master parts and make 10-20 molds from them. Final casting will go very quickly. Secondly, your parts will have significantly better mechanical properties compared to FDM. Lastly, casting is a process to replicate many identical simple parts whereas FDM was developed as a process to quickly make one or two unique parts. Personally, the Thing-O-Matic sounds extremely fun. It depends on your goal. good parts = casting fun = Thing-O-Matic Joe -- You are currently subscribed to the "R/C Tank Combat" group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [email protected] Visit the group at http://groups.google.com/group/rctankcombat
