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Thank you. it's still a work in progress, but learning to weld is making me so much more self reliant when something needs to be made. I intend on being "done" this fall. But we'll see what I'll want to change after working in this garage for one winter.
I may accidentally have done a thing. In process of doing a wire tuck, smoothing the bay and simplifying. Routing new lines and repainting.
And then there's this. BMW zf 8hp 50. Should be plenty for my goals of 400hp. Kraken manifold and Pulsar 2867R
These plans are estimated to last me the next two winters. I'm giving myself ample time to get through this since I have a little boy on the way in April.
Thank you. Not sure when I'll be in Florida next but another MATG may well be possible this year or the next. This year might be more likely if I need to get parts home and skip the customs lol
A lot has happened. I have welded up the engine bay and smoothed what can be smoothed. next up will be mating the 8hp50 to the BP and wiring up the new maxxecu sport.
My side gig blew up and it is allowing me to spend a lot more on the miata, but also less time
it's a 3d printing and design company so I am spending a lot of time 3d scanning, making models and designing stuff. I completed this NA8 tombstone gauge cluster last weekend. I'm making a NA6 pod too once I manage to get a scan.
One redditor wanted this for a track car so of course we got that done
Finished this door handle for a 1936 mercedes. printed in 316L stainless steel
So it's exciting times. and I plan on making a lot more of miata specific parts.
Out of curiosity, what kind of machine do you need to print in stainless? I'd assume that's pretty far beyond the home hobbyist level? Is it very cost effective? I know that printing in something like PETG is often cheaper than I would pay for an equivalent part from the hardware store, but I'd assume that things change when you move over to metal.
PS - I'm sure I could research that all on my own, but I'd be curious to hear from someone with first hand experience.
it's a laser melting a layer of powder, spreading another fine layer on top and melting that to the previous layer. Called SLM. I do not own the printer, a tech center for my country is down the street from me and called me in for a collaboration since I had the capability to do the 3d scanning and modelling.
Think of it like a makerspace/fablab meant for businesses and entrepreneurship. It is government funded to bring tech into our business environment that might not happen otherwise, because in a small nation like ours not many are willing to spring for the cost of a metal 3d printer. It is a non-profit and charges just operating costs. They can print a few variations of stainless steel, aluminum and inconel.
Those handles cost ~300usd to print but that is not really best case scenario. Optimally you'd fill the printer to optimize the run time, heating and gas consumption.
Right now I am seen as "that guy" in printing in Iceland and that means that those companies that have the equipment give me free access so I can advertise their equipment indirectly and spread ideas how their equipment can be used.
I also have access to another printer that prints like a conventional 3d printer. There the filament is 20% plastic and 80% metal in powder form. Think of the plastic there as a binder and carrier medium for the metal. Once the part is printed you put it in an autoclave where the plastic burns off and the part shrinks by those 20% (the slicer has already accounted for that in the slicing process). But since that printer came out the Bambu H2D came out and that could print those filaments and the support interface material.
I also have access to another printer that prints like a conventional 3d printer. There the filament is 20% plastic and 80% metal in powder form. Think of the plastic there as a binder and carrier medium for the metal. Once the part is printed you put it in an autoclave where the plastic burns off and the part shrinks by those 20% (the slicer has already accounted for that in the slicing process). But since that printer came out the Bambu H2D came out and that could print those filaments and the support interface material.
I did not know that the H2D could print that sort of filament. Actually, I didn't realize that sort of filament even existed, I thought that metal printing started and ended at SLM (or as I know it, SLS - selective laser sintering). Is pressure required as well as heat, or just heat? You mention an autoclave, so I'm wondering if pressure is really necessary.
If the "curing" process was simple enough, the H2D might have my attention...
I like this discussion (and cool parts BTW!) BASF and Desktop Metal had such systems/services at some point as well. Doing it as a service is a nice way with a relatively low barrier of entry, but you still need to post "green" (unsintered) parts, and you need to account for shrinkage during sintering. SLS is uber cool though, and prices have dropped significantly over the last 5 years. It is still 6 figures, but nowhere near where it used to be, and thus companies offering SLS printing services have much more reasonable pricing these days. I have printed a few bits for my car as well (aluminum & stainless, tempted to do titanium next) and price point was very reasonable. That brings me to the point that I need to update my build thread
Very cool. We have a library here that I used for printing and they were similar in that they would print at cost and could do a pretty good range of filaments (resin and nylon among others). Not quite on the same level obviously.
It'll be really interesting to see where this all goes in another 5 years or so. With all the new carbon fiber filaments and metal filaments I imagine that the practicality in the automotive space is going to be insane.
I like this discussion (and cool parts BTW!) BASF and Desktop Metal had such systems/services at some point as well. Doing it as a service is a nice way with a relatively low barrier of entry, but you still need to post "green" (unsintered) parts, and you need to account for shrinkage during sintering. SLS is uber cool though, and prices have dropped significantly over the last 5 years. It is still 6 figures, but nowhere near where it used to be, and thus companies offering SLS printing services have much more reasonable pricing these days. I have printed a few bits for my car as well (aluminum & stainless, tempted to do titanium next) and price point was very reasonable. That brings me to the point that I need to update my build thread
I'm very interested to see some examples of your parts. I always like to see how others might approach things differently to me.
Originally Posted by SimBa
Very cool. We have a library here that I used for printing and they were similar in that they would print at cost and could do a pretty good range of filaments (resin and nylon among others). Not quite on the same level obviously.
It'll be really interesting to see where this all goes in another 5 years or so. With all the new carbon fiber filaments and metal filaments I imagine that the practicality in the automotive space is going to be insane.
Most cities now have some sort of a makerspace in their libraries. Many schools have also gotten very involved, having everything from printers, to small cnc's, and laser/plasma cutters. It always pays off to check what "makerspaces, hackerspaces, fablabs and such have to offer, It can have some pleasant surprises
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