Adventures In 3D Printing
Dec 14, 2023 8:23:00 GMT -8
Colin 't Hart, edgecrusher, and 1 more like this
Post by fishbelly on Dec 14, 2023 8:23:00 GMT -8
So I bought a 3D printer in November and I fired it up on December 1st and printed my first item. It was a calibration test. Let the fun begin. Since then I have printed something every day. I am still in my early learning stages. A little frustrating at times, but then the I learn something new and things become happy. This week I have learned that getting a good 3D print is not only about getting your settings right, but in a big part learning how to support your part. Last night I finally got a perfect 48" diameter radiator fan printed. All my previous attempts this week failed. Not a failure in the part. Rather a failure in the surface finish where the part starts printing. I watched some Youtube videos on printing and came across the idea of supporting the part in a different manner. That was the trick and the fans came out perfect. Now I just need to fine tune my drawing a little more and then design the photo etch for the grills.
Now you might be wondering why am I bothering to print 48" radiator fans if there are already fans available from Cannon & Co. Two reason. The first reason is that I like being able to rely on myself as much as possible when I can. I have a 3D printer, so why not. When I need a fan and instead of waiting a week or so for it, I have it in less than an hour. My second reason is because I wanted to create both versions of the second generation 48" radiator fan. I will explain below.
I had no idea there were two versions of the 48" diameter radiator fan base used on second generation EMD locomotives. Gordon Cannon produced one of them. I will call his version the Type II Fan Base. I found out about the Type I Fan Base a few years ago when I was putting together my RPM presentation on the different phases of the GP35.My good friend Brian Everett sent me a photo of a DT&I GP35. It was a great high angle closeup photo of the right rear of the unit with a DT&I employee climbing up to the roof. The rear 48" radiator fan had what I now call the Type I fan base. It is a cast fan base. The one Gordon Cannon produced is a stamped sheet metal fan base. Recently looking through a crap tone of EMD drawings a friend gave me many years ago. I just so happen to have an EMD drawing for the cast fan base.
I think though the cast 48" fane base is rare. It is easy to spot. All you have to look for is the hold downs for the fan guard. The stamped fans like Gordon Cannon made have a rectangular piece of bar stock welded to the upper part of the fan base that the fan guard bolts to. The cast fan base has a rounded protrusion that goes from the top of the fan base all the way until it disappears into the curvature at the bottom of the fan base. You can pretty much say that all the second generation fans produced by the manufacturers represent the Type I fan base. Also on the cast fan base. The fan guard is NOT the same outer diameter as the fan base. The fan guard fits onto a recessed ring that steps in a little from the outer diameter.
I started the drawing for the Type I fan base a few days ago. I want to use it for a replacement fan on my Copper State Railway GP38 I am working on now.
Brian
Now you might be wondering why am I bothering to print 48" radiator fans if there are already fans available from Cannon & Co. Two reason. The first reason is that I like being able to rely on myself as much as possible when I can. I have a 3D printer, so why not. When I need a fan and instead of waiting a week or so for it, I have it in less than an hour. My second reason is because I wanted to create both versions of the second generation 48" radiator fan. I will explain below.
I had no idea there were two versions of the 48" diameter radiator fan base used on second generation EMD locomotives. Gordon Cannon produced one of them. I will call his version the Type II Fan Base. I found out about the Type I Fan Base a few years ago when I was putting together my RPM presentation on the different phases of the GP35.My good friend Brian Everett sent me a photo of a DT&I GP35. It was a great high angle closeup photo of the right rear of the unit with a DT&I employee climbing up to the roof. The rear 48" radiator fan had what I now call the Type I fan base. It is a cast fan base. The one Gordon Cannon produced is a stamped sheet metal fan base. Recently looking through a crap tone of EMD drawings a friend gave me many years ago. I just so happen to have an EMD drawing for the cast fan base.
I think though the cast 48" fane base is rare. It is easy to spot. All you have to look for is the hold downs for the fan guard. The stamped fans like Gordon Cannon made have a rectangular piece of bar stock welded to the upper part of the fan base that the fan guard bolts to. The cast fan base has a rounded protrusion that goes from the top of the fan base all the way until it disappears into the curvature at the bottom of the fan base. You can pretty much say that all the second generation fans produced by the manufacturers represent the Type I fan base. Also on the cast fan base. The fan guard is NOT the same outer diameter as the fan base. The fan guard fits onto a recessed ring that steps in a little from the outer diameter.
I started the drawing for the Type I fan base a few days ago. I want to use it for a replacement fan on my Copper State Railway GP38 I am working on now.
Brian