Qlone.

It’s in the APP store. Fair results. Still playing with it

Does the mask have to take the heat of the oven?

No

You could buy a laser, cut templates out of thin plywood or hardboard. Off the shelf rubber plugs for the round holes.

2d easier to cad.

or an x-carve cnc router. You can try the web based software here for free: https://www.inventables.com/technologies/easel

Have an ender 3, pretty straightforward to use and endless youtubes to help if you get stuck. I have found it very easy to get "good enough" parts but if you are after a few thou precision it can be tough. Plan on a bit of hand fiddling at times.

The 3d modeling part is a bit more tricky but you seem game to learn there.

That right ^there says so much.

There are countless people who want to brag about how easy these printers are for their huge melons to comprehend... and there are a whole lot of people who don't want to talk about their failure to make the machine work.

3d printers are not plug and play for any 'idiot' (OP reference).

OTOH, if you have a good understanding of non-linear thermal response of amorphous materials coupled with use of programing G-code (previous CNC) then sure, 3D printers can be up and running in no time.

My wife uses a Silhouette that is basically a plotter/cutter for paper and vinyl. I had her cut numbers and stripes for my motorcycle and helmet on it. Might work for cutting the masks precisely.

Another vote for an Ender 3. I have 2 of them, one Pro, one original, I honestly don't see a different in performance. Cheap, easy to setup, and if you gets stuck there is a huge user base to help. Probably the most popular entry printer on earth.

If you just need to print simple plugs and covers, use google Sketchup. The freeware version works just fine. Fusion 350 and Tinkercad are also very popular. I use Sketchup.

Lastly, start printing on glass from day one. I know there are people that have success with those flexible build plates. No thanks. Glass is game changer. Prints pop right off when the glass is cold.

I had two engine builders over to the shop today and they would like to see a 3D design that plugs into the cavities. I would still plug and tape up squirters to be extra safe, we all agreed removing and reinstalling them makes the project a little less turnkey. We also talked about positive pressure from inside the case and ways to test the system.

The Prusa MK3 is about 3 times better than the Ender, but it's also 2-3 times the price.
At my office, we have...oh, 50 printers working? something like that. Everything from Enders to $200k SLS printers. The Prusas are our workhouse printers, and what is nice is parts of them are printed, so you can build a small stockpile of spare parts in case of damage.

Bump to this thread on 3D printers.

Anyone have any opinions on the Bamboo Labs units?


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Never heard of Bamboo Labs, but my QIDI Technology printer is still running strong. I just changed the print nozzle for the first time after it started having print problems. Took about 5 minutes to change the nozzle and now it's printing like new.

I print mostly with ASA from 3DXTECH

I know I'm coming into this late.

CAD-wise, you might look at Alibre. Their low-cost CAD works well and you get to keep the files (no need to deal with On-Shape and having your files public). Another option is TinkerCAD.

I have friends who make amazing stuff with QIDI and Prusa printers and they work well right out of the box. I have designed several parts that they have printed for me and those parts come out to dimension/tolerance with limited issues in PET-G and ABS.

Shaun - Another thought on plugs is to submit a design to Cap-Plugs and have them quote. You may be surprised on who inexpensively they will make some stuff. You could also run designs to Xometry and see what they're low-volume run quote looks like.

Coworker has a Bambu and likes it a lot. He has only had it about 6 months though.

I have a Creality K1MAX that I've had for less than a month. It is direct competition to the Bamboo. I love it, it is sooo fast compared to my other printer. It paid for itself the first week I had it.

Buy one and enjoy 3D printing bliss...

Prumably, if you're printing plugs, you can print a handle into them, and you could drill a hole in one of the plugs to install a schrader valve in if you want to apply positive pressure.

Different but related - do you know about roboforming?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCXu8Ju_fdY

Looks like I have a lot to catch up on on this thread. One of engine building customers actually cut everything round on a lathe. I'm not sure what he did for the chain boxes but a plate there would probably work. His wife passed away and that of course took a heavy toll and we haven't revisited the system but it is supposed to be done. I have a 2.7 case that I'm building an RS motor on and it would be a good test, umm, case, as I have at least one customer who might want this done... getting 3/4 of the entire car in just after Thanksgiving and will be tumbling the Mg transmission case and clearing that with Cerakote.

I just waded into this pool, after watching my son print a dohicky for his truck. He is an engineer and teaches intro engineering and robotics. He whipped out a small bracket, design took about 3 minutes and 3D print took about 40 minutes. I was impressed. So much so the I decided I had to take the plunge. I duplicated what he uses- Bambu labs Carbon X1 3D printer with automatic spools and subscribed to Fusion 360. This machine can print right out of the box, took about 20 minutes to unpack and start using. Fusion 360 takes some learning but there is a least one excellent course on youtube- "Learn Fusion 360 in 30 days."

I highly recommend, this is really cool technology.

Charles

I use it everyday in laboratory settings. Always a piece of equipment that I need to modify to get a good scan on...

I only use PLA. Anyone use ABS/resin filament? Worth the switch?