Anyone 3D print an odometer gear?
 

I used shapeways.com to 3D print plastic positives to have my wedding rings cast. Cost almost nothing, as they bill by weight. Was thinking about using them to 3D print a replacement odometer gear. I know nothing about gear design but grabbed a rhino plugin and did my best reverse engineer of my crumbling Carrera gear.

Anyone try this?

Will I be banned from PP for spreading the knowledge and damaging the market for $25 dime sized plastic objects?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390445171.jpg

What are the dimensions? I could print one but I have found that high resolution areas like the inner gear teeth are difficult. I am not sure the wall thickness on the "shaft" section would work.

Rhino plug in? As in the CAD program Rhinoceros? send me the CAD file and I can try to print it.

I thickened up the wall at the shaft, more than doubled it in fact. The diameter is about .7" It is very small. What type of equipment do you have? We have a makerbot and I think a dimension ABS printer at my office. I think but am not sure that the shapeways printers have a better resolution. If you PM me your email I'll send you the file. STL?

Revised model.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1390448666.jpg

I've printed stuff on MakerBots before that I don't think would have the resolution necessary to keep this gear too accurate. I'd also question the ability of the gear to withstand heat deformation if it's printed with PLA. I've got a few parts printed via Shapeways in my car that don't absorb heat as well as I'd like, but well enough to serve my needs. I think their products probably can be high enough resolution, but might be too brittle in the cold and too flexible in the heat.

Can't hurt to try though.
-N

It's only $19.50, so why do all that work? 911 Odometer Gears

^^^ What he said...

If you want to do it for fun that's one thing... but if you want to save/make $$ find a NLA part to duplicate! There are going to be more and more of these things and we're going to need them to keep our cars in order :)

Its a mix of curiosity and just to see if I can do it. Plus on Shapeways you can leave the model posted and free of copyrights (at least as far as I am concerned, not sure if VDO's lawyers will come knocking) so that the next guy who hits 106,000 miles can have their gear for $3 instead of $20. Willing to contribute my 3D modeling know how as a barter for people here who have given me hours of valuable advice that resulted in a successfully rebuilt motor.

If you want to do the community a real service, make some of those bumper mounted plastic headlight washers that seem to sell for $1000 a pair.

BTW, I never knew you could mail order 3d printing. That is very cool and good to know.