Printing is out for now, I remembered some of the issues I was looking at, mostly finishing. I'm pretty sure there's stuff to fill the lines rather than sand them away, but have yet to be able to experiment. FDM is one of the strongest methods, but produces significant lines. I'd have no problem making FDM parts even for structural components, but appearance is somewhat important.
One of the big costs of CNC work is the machine itself, but usable mills can be had for less than $15,000 these days, and routers are less--bench top machines can be had for under $1,000 for what it's worth(I'd spend more than that, but not more than $5,000 on a bench top machine). A half inch plastic sheet will make my M1 pads without trouble, and cutting the pads apart on a table saw rather than the router will save much time. I'm thinking about plywood, but not sure how it takes the rubbing. With plastic, the cost of material alone for one tank is well over $100, so the cost would be close to $200, IIRC that's what some of the metal tracks were costing. A big deal is making sure plastic tracks are reliable. Not sure a half inch track is thick enough to hold a bolt strong enough to keep a joint intact, that's the big worry I have. -- 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
