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Posted

Anyone else found this useful, interesting?  One of the problems with the Technical thread is that it’s buried at the foot of the Forum so less likely to be seen.  Is anyone thinking of making any of the parts discussed?  If so why not ask if anyone else is interested etc etc

Posted
3 hours ago, Ian Comerford said:

Anyone else found this useful, interesting?  One of the problems with the Technical thread is that it’s buried at the foot of the Forum so less likely to be seen.  Is anyone thinking of making any of the parts discussed?  If so why not ask if anyone else is interested etc etc

It’s not quite that simple Ian. Having the original CAD drawing and the code etc etc is one thing but they rarely print as intended straight from the download. The original drawing and slicing will invariably need adapting/adjusting and need a couple of goes to get right (if not more). It’s very time consuming not only in the prep but the actual printing as well. 

Posted
2 hours ago, Busybee said:

I've made some 3d decorative parts for the 981/718 spyder. Roof buttress plate hole covers. 

WhatsApp Image 2024-01-09 at 11.55.51_653ff00e.jpg

Goodness, that’s pretty impressive.  Is this a new line in custom Porsche parts?

40 minutes ago, Phill said:

It’s not quite that simple Ian. Having the original CAD drawing and the code etc etc is one thing but they rarely print as intended straight from the download. The original drawing and slicing will invariably need adapting/adjusting and need a couple of goes to get right (if not more). It’s very time consuming not only in the prep but the actual printing as well. 

I’m not sure I have used the word ’easy’ anywhere Phill, but I thought it was worth sharing this thread so that forum members can see what others have done and consider doing similar.

Posted

We have well over 100 parts designed for 3d print.  Anyone can knock up a 3d model but turning that model into a durable part is the skill.  You really do have to know a lot about materials and the part is essentially redesigned for production.   We employ an additive manufacturing specialist to do this part of the process.  They work out the material spec based on the requirements of the part and also how to print it (powder, filament, layup direction, support structure).  

We are using maybe 7 different materials across our parts - each for a specific role (e.g  heat tolerance, stiffness, dimensional stability, 'bendability').  Some of our parts are indistinguishable from injection moulded but fragile.  Others, you can throw  on the floor and they will not break.  there is no wonder material that does everything.

Beyond making toys/trinkets, additive manufacturing design is highly skilled but it promoted as being easy and cheap.  It is neither. 

Posted

964/993 Restyled climate control panel.  Facia bezel and knobs (with illuminated markers) 3d printed.

 

image.thumb.jpeg.7ca3d1fab299996ec0ff517bcc072ca0.jpeg

  • Like 3
Posted
2 minutes ago, Jonny Hart said:

Beyond making toys/trinkets, additive manufacturing design is highly skilled but it promoted as being easy and cheap.  It is neither. 

Been around this technology since the late 90's

Jonny talks wise words, heed his advice

If you want to try, great stuff, go for it but invest in CAD software and a scanner if you want to reverse engineer parts

Then you can make your own shapes and have them printed by on online company

This gives you access to the best equipment, technology and materials which will produce far better parts than a home machine

  • Like 1
Posted

We are definitely improving our printing at home. Our old machine wore out and we now have a new one. We have been printing in PLA, ABS and TPU. Some things come out great and some not so much. Eventually we can get there with plenty of tweaking. Some things come out at merchantable quality but it takes a lot of time and effort to get there, so much so it simply isn’t worth the effort. I’ve been making bits and bobs for the BMW quite successfully.

Posted
On 11/01/2024 at 12:41, Ian Comerford said:

Anyone else found this useful, interesting?  One of the problems with the Technical thread is that it’s buried at the foot of the Forum so less likely to be seen.  Is anyone thinking of making any of the parts discussed?  If so why not ask if anyone else is interested etc etc

I saw it soon after you originally posted it Ian, using the Unread button (i.e. new posts appear regardless of where they might have been filed...).

Posted
1 hour ago, mean in green said:

I saw it soon after you originally posted it Ian, using the Unread button (i.e. new posts appear regardless of where they might have been filed...).

I must say it is a lot of extra thumb effort to get to the bottom of the board :lol:

Posted
2 hours ago, Phill said:

We are definitely improving our printing at home. Our old machine wore out and we now have a new one. We have been printing in PLA, ABS and TPU. Some things come out great and some not so much. Eventually we can get there with plenty of tweaking. Some things come out at merchantable quality but it takes a lot of time and effort to get there, so much so it simply isn’t worth the effort. I’ve been making bits and bobs for the BMW quite successfully.

^ I'll be pointing people at this comment when I'm next asked why 3d print parts are 'so expensive'.

 

Posted

Yep, 3D prints take a while to perfect. The choice of filament materials and getting the geometry spot on for a fresh print built on a 3D modelling software takes numerous attempts. It’s all in the development.

The little Spyder buttress covers I designed must have taken 50+ prints. But I think I cracked it eventually as these now lock in place using 3 different filaments and a flexible “foot”. No fixings. Just pop in, wiggle to lock and pull out from the back to release. Then designed a Keyring holder to store them. That took another handful of prints to get right. 

It is fun though. Seeing a usable object come to life, tweaking and improving. 

I’ve developed an aircooled ashtray mobile phone holder now that I’m testing. Got fed up of magnetic types dropping the phone and I hate windscreen mounted types. Initially designed mine for the quadlock cases but now with a universal phone clip that a lot of phones will just clip into. 

I’m a little nervous to market them however as I really don’t want the hassle of things going wrong over time (can’t really test durability in all conditions and who knows how people will treat/use them). 

I remember buying the oil funnel for aircooled cars on here a couple of years back. It’s a nice shape but the little pieces around the clip on cover snapped off fairly quickly. 

The choice of 3D printers is also interesting. Bed slingers, x/y machines. Their capacity to print abrasive filaments like carbon fibre, multiple filaments, colours. 

It sounds easy but as others have said, it’s really not and can be expensive to start off. Interesting hobby though if you like tinkering. 

 

IMG_5686.thumb.jpeg.0765cad28353b469ca08a189673c46d6.jpeg
 

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Posted
51 minutes ago, Busybee said:

I’m a little nervous to market them however as I really don’t want the hassle of things going wrong over time (can’t really test durability in all conditions and who knows how people will treat/use them). 

100%. Easy access to 3d printers and some basic CAD gives the impression that everyone can make a living selling parts.  Ebay is littered with shonky adapters and widgets but a lot of the parts might as well be printed in chocolate.  When we design something, after bench test, we put it on a car usually for at least a year and also give prototypes to partners to test.  Right now, the yet unreleased 964/993 controller above  is fitted to about 20 cars and has been in test for 18 months. 

The product below has had at least 10 iterations of design.  Because it's part of the heating/cooling system, getting the swivel part to function at temperatures ranging from -5C to +80C was difficult.   Started off with rotating on a large thread but the bottom part would fall off when cold and be stiff when hot, now it's a clip.  Clipping requires the plastic to have some flex but it also needs stiffness - more challenges.   Many 3d print filament materials are hydroscopic.  I remember we had a part that about 150mm long when delivered but it shrunk by 3mm sat on the shelf!

Then it has to be repeatable.  So all in all, I would say around 300 hours development time plus 30 odd test prints.  In business terms, about £15k investment.  The break even for starting to make some money from the sale of these parts is around 100 parts.   Several folks have tried to copy this idea but ultimately have disappeared from the market.

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted

Hydroscopicity (is that a word) is a problem for sure. If filament has been stored for a while, even in a sealed bag with silica, it will need drying out before use.

Posted
30 minutes ago, Jonny Hart said:

100%. Easy access to 3d printers and some basic CAD gives the impression that everyone can make a living selling parts.  Ebay is littered with shonky adapters and widgets but a lot of the parts might as well be printed in chocolate.  When we design something, after bench test, we put it on a car usually for at least a year and also give prototypes to partners to test.  Right now, the yet unreleased 964/993 controller above  is fitted to about 20 cars and has been in test for 18 months. 

The product below has had at least 10 iterations of design.  Because it's part of the heating/cooling system, getting the swivel part to function at temperatures ranging from -5C to +80C was difficult.   Started off with rotating on a large thread but the bottom part would fall off when cold and be stiff when hot, now it's a clip.  Clipping requires the plastic to have some flex but it also needs stiffness - more challenges.   Many 3d print filament materials are hydroscopic.  I remember we had a part that about 150mm long when delivered but it shrunk by 3mm sat on the shelf!

Then it has to be repeatable.  So all in all, I would say around 300 hours development time plus 30 odd test prints.  In business terms, about £15k investment.  The break even for starting to make some money from the sale of these parts is around 100 parts.   Several folks have tried to copy this idea but ultimately have disappeared from the market.

 

 

I guess there’s a huge difference in use case. If you just want to have a bit of fun printing widgets, dragons and god knows what else or if you’re looking to make engineered parts that are robust and functional. 

The prior, it’s no great shakes on any printer using any filament. The latter (especially in your case with extremes of material thermal performance) is I guess, much more involved. 

I'm really pleased with the couple of little projects I’ve messed about with for cars.  

The phone holder has solved a problem I’ve had in aircooled cars for years. Holding a phone securely and out of the way. And anything you can remove in seconds without tools and chuck in the glove box is a bonus. 

The buttress covers are just for vanity really. Far more involved and they need to work. No one wants something flying off in use. I’ll just need to use them lots (and get some other owners to try them) to gauge their durability. 
 

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Posted (edited)

Go for it Haith 💪 unless you try, you'll never know where and how far your fun will take you 😎

Chatted to a kitchen fitter a while back who was really into wheels about his idea of reproducing old style Campagnolo wheels for classic rally cars 🤔

Just said, if you can afford to do it as a side hustle without burning through your life savings, then go for it, got nothing to lose!

His hobby turned into Group 4 wheels, bet he fits kitchens as a hobby now 😅

Wish I had enough spare time to play about making things, reckon I could come up with some stonking bits no one could afford or want to buy 🥺

Edited by World Citizen
  • Like 1
  • 2 months later...
Posted

I find this fascinating.

 I noticed RPM has a Clubsport prototype “replica” for sale that said it has 3d printed mirror bases.

Something like that would be useful for fitting alternative mirrors.

Replica

IMG_3488.jpeg

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