[Del]

Seems the Sprint GT/GTV fellows are making plastic and metal parts for their cars by the 3D printing methods as described in that BB site, for what seems to be reasonable prices. Might be something to think about for us?

Should we make a list of totally impossible to find 164 parts?

 

[Richard2]

Bad link?

 

[Del]

Just go to the BB GT/GTV site to see the actual discussion about their work in 3D printing of Alfa parts..

 

[jc96]

Bad link? Are those steel thus exempt/not possible? ciao, jc

 

[Del]

Forget the "bad link" reference from Richard. I had listed the GT/GTV site concerning their discussions about 3D printing of plastic and metal Alfa parts. That link didn't work. Just go to the BB GT/GTV site for info.

 

[Richard2]

Try this one:
http://www.alfabb.com/bb/forums/gt-1963-1977/201853-3d-printing-sprint-gt-mirror-bracket.html

 

[Michael Smith]

Bad link? Are those steel thus exempt/not possible? ciao, jc

It looks like you print the casting plug(s) out of plastic to make a, presumably, sand mold to make wax plugs and then cast in metal by the traditional lost wax method.

It seems clear you cannot melt and flow metal all of a piece using 3D printing.

However, much of the cost of making cast metal parts is creating the mold plug especially for very short production runs.

Now you can "copy" an existing part and cast a new one or a small number of new ones much more economically than in the past.

The shapeways site explains how "metal" parts are printed and these are not truly metal in the sense we would need:

http://www.shapeways.com/materials/steel

Wikipedia describes laser sintered metal parts which are in effect melted and flowed in successive layers to build up a solid "cast" part. This may prove to be as strong as a fully cast part. Not sure it is economical yet.

 

[144]

I'll start out:

1. Overhead console surround.
2. Fuel supply pump pad
3. Speedometer sender
4. Temp gauge sender?
5. Hydraulic TB De-tensioner (new)
6. Door handles

 

[AlfaTango1]

^^^ Good start. Some of those should be easy peasy to make on 3D.

 

[Del]

The fellow did indeed have his part, the GT mirror bracket, printed out of stainless steel, and it was sintered successfully, rather than going the lost wax casting process:

"Metal parts are indeed sintered out of metal powder. After printing they are cured in a high-temp oven. The SS prints I got from Shapeways appear to be surprisingly solid. Maybe not suspension-component worthy but definitely solid enough for trim pieces, door handles, etc"

 

[Alfissimo Int.]

I'll start out:

1. Overhead console surround.
2. Fuel supply pump pad
3. Speedometer sender
4. Temp gauge sender?
5. Hydraulic TB De-tensioner (new)
6. Door handles

Timing belt covers
Defrost vent
Left side recaro seat cover (haha)

 

[Michael Smith]

It seems 3D printed door handles would be a substantial improvement on stock cast items!

Any part that is of greater cross section than strictly required for strength could be successfully 3D printed in sintered metal.

Truly strong parts are currently very expensive to print in one's.

Driven by this thread to google the topic I was amazed at how far this technology has come in such a short time. A few Xmas's ago my London based daughter gave me an intricate nested plastic structure printed in 3D as a desk ornament. Each of three concentrically nested open faced cubes could rotate around each other and had been printed that way, assembly after printing would not have been possible. Now we fly around in airplanes containing structural parts and engine parts that have been 3D printed.

Anybody here work at Boeing? Can you get some 3D printer time at say 3 AM?

 

[AlfaTango1]

How about fender liners? Or would these be better vacuformed?