Home 3D Printing of Porsche plastic parts

[Iciclehead]

There have been discussions on this topic, but I am a complete newbee on this topic.

A few issues, first of all, I am in the middle of doing a restomod on my '89 Carrera (thread below) and there are no end of places I would love to have a custom part to build a small bracket, filler strip or whatever and while I have done a lot of work in sheet metal and modifying lumps of metal or plastic, the idea of 3D printing them sounds good.

Second, I am retiring in a few months and finally have time on my hands to learn a new area and experiment.

Third, I am a fairly heavy user of technology, but have no experience in things such as CAD or solids modelling and would like to get into that...to support the car work of course.

Lastly, I would like to know what my options are, everything from what CAD software is workable, simple and cheap enough, to which printer is good for home use (again simple and cheap) and any experiences that are out there.

Anyway, appreciate any insight any of you more sophisticated folk can share....

Dennis

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/porsche-911-technical-forum/185692-fitting-6-speed-g50-89-carrera-new-post.html

[porsche4life]

Dennis, I’ve been printing a few small parts for my 944 on my Ender 3. You can design stuff in Tinkercad, or Fusion 360 for free and then import that file in to Cura(also free) to slice them into Gcode that can be printed.

I’ve also had good luck finding files for some parts on Thingiverse.

[porsche4life]

Lots of youtube help videos for everything mentioned above as well.

[dlockhart]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Dennis, I’ve been printing a few small parts for my 944 on my Ender 3. You can design stuff in Tinkercad, or Fusion 360 for free and then import that file in to Cura(also free) to slice them into Gcode that can be printed.

I’ve also had good luck finding files for some parts on Thingiverse.

+1 on Cura and the Ender3.

[dad911]

I learned on Solidworks, but no longer have access to educational version. I've been using Onshape lately. Free, online, and pretty damn powerful. Will save 'stl' files directly, file format the printer likes.

Ender 3 pro is a killer deal right now. $200 at MicroCenter store if you have one nearby. I built my first from scratch (2012ish) and have been upgrading over the years. I paid more for just the electronics and motors.

[Iciclehead]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Lots of youtube help videos for everything mentioned above as well.

Youtube is a good resource, my wife is pretty sick of me looking at them....but nothing compares to hearing from my trusted Pelican colleagues with what actually works in our setting.

Dennis

[stevej37]

Amazing (to me) what they are using them for......
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a33289636/porsches-3d-printed-pistons-911-gt2-rs/

[RWebb]

Vanagon people have been doing this for years now, so how hard can it be?

[aschen]

I have an ender 3, use cura for slicing but have a solidworks license for modeling. I would look to fusion 360 for powerfull and free cad.

Its all pretty straightforwards, but there will be a learning curve for cad. Really needs to be a light duty application however if you expect the parts to hold up.

For decades have suspected 3d printing would get cheap and easy, but the current state way exceeds where I thought we would get. Never would have thought you could buy a servicable printer for less than dinner and a movie with the family.

[Iciclehead]

Originally Posted by aschen

I have an ender 3, use cura for slicing but have a solidworks license for modeling. I would look to fusion 360 for powerfull and free cad.

Its all pretty straightforwards, but there will be a learning curve for cad. Really needs to be a light duty application however if you expect the parts to hold up.

For decades have suspected 3d printing would get cheap and easy, but the current state way exceeds where I thought we would get. Never would have thought you could buy a servicable printer for less than dinner and a movie with the family.

Yes, my intention is only trim pieces and I want to modify the air handling system so that my centre vent gives AC and outside air, I have some ideas as to how that could work but it will need a custom "Y" to blend into the vent, conceptually easy, almost impossible to fabricate conventionally.

I might get fancy and also put in a spring loaded diverter flap so that excess air from either AC or ventilation does not recycle....

....but I need to learn how.

I also would love to be able to print rubber or flexible plastic (silicone??) so that some of the fancy grommets and block off rubbers can be made up as well....

Dennis

[rcooled]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

...need a custom "Y" to blend into the vent, conceptually easy, almost impossible to fabricate conventionally.
I also would love to be able to print rubber or flexible plastic...

3D-Printing would be perfect for stuff like that. If you plan on making appearance items like trim, make sure that whatever printer you select has good enough resolution to minimize finish work. Low-res printers will leave a pronounced 'stair step' pattern on the part's surface.

I 3D-Printed some small plastic parts for my old VWs...look & function just like OE.

[RWebb]

3D Print some LED tail lights that don't weigh 10 lbs. ....

[cstreit]

Ive made all sorts of useful household stuff with my Ender3. Fixed the washing machine with an NLA part that someone already designed, the wifes crockpot, A dash for my motorcycle, etc.. etc...

The deal is though... If someone hasn't already designed it, you're gonna use a lot of hours to recreate it yourself. ...and the fun begins with the material selection. The easiest is PLA, but it doesn't hold up well to heat and UV. ABS and others do, but they are very difficult to get a good quality print.

Still - my 3D printer has paid for itself twice over...

[dad911]

Chris, If you have a heated bed, try some PETG filament.

[unclebilly]

Lots of great advise above.

I have a CR10s Pro and bought an Ender 3 Pro for my kids’ school for the STEM program I run.

That Ender 3 Pro is THE BEST BANG for your buck. I think the new version is an Ender 5?

I run Solidworks at work and have a paid up seat of Fusion 360 at home. I create the G-Code using the seat of Cura that comes with the printer.

This is my latest 3D printing project that my 10 year old and I are 1/2 way through printing...

https://danielnoree.com/

We are 3D printing an RC car.

[island911]

Originally Posted by Iciclehead

...
Third, I am a fairly heavy user of technology, but have no experience in things such as CAD or solids modelling...

That will likely be your biggest time investment. Not because 3D printers are easy but because CAD has gotten so sophisticated.

SolidWorks is likely not an option, unless you want to pay over 5k to get started in the latest version. They should have SAAS soon, until then OnShape is pretty capable. Perhaps you can nab an older SWx version from someone who's not using it anymore. That would be my path.

Printing rubber or flexible plastic... That's mostly crap. TPE/TPU's are not good for seals and such as the TP (thermoplastic) portions of the material cause creep and poor material recovery. You can however print molds and cast (real) urethane or Silicone parts. I've done quite a bit of that.

[madcorgi]

Really interested in this thread.

I swear, no matter what the subject, there's always a bunch of Pelicaners who know about it and are willing to help.

[island911]

Originally Posted by dad911

Chris, If you have a heated bed, try some PETG filament.

Great stuff. Not so stinky. Be warned that it can stick to a glass bed like super glue. (prep bed with a wax/hairspray...)

[dad911]

Good point.

I've been using hairspray(aqua net) on glass.

Also had good luck spraying the glass with spray can primer.

I'm tempted to get an ender 3 also. Kind of like drill presses, can't have too many.

[93nav]

All I have every used is PLA with a glass bed and using a Elmers gluestick. Usually works good.