Q to Ryan et al, regarding Shapeways Parts

[nstophat]

Ryan, I pose the following question to you, as I know you do a lot of 3D parts via Shapeways, along with anyone else who has a great deal of printing 3D on Shapeways.

The link below is for a brass cast Baldwin 2-8-2 Steam Chest, in HO scale, and is shown at ~$57.00 US. Is printing at Shapeways in 3D brass a real option? I have bought parts on-line from you and others in the past, and my concern is always, how the part is drawn originally, which can create printing lines that will need to be sanded for clean-up.  While I haven't had these issues with your parts, I have with parts from other designers. (For example several years back, I bought a Conrail C39-8 shell that was printed on Shapeways for ~$145.00, and when I received it, I realized that I had just wasted ~$145.00.)

This part in the link is frikin' stunning, regardless of its relevance to me personally for modeling. I am thinking about brass coupler cut bars, draft gear (I'm looking at you Mr. Banna), buffer plates for modern GE locomotives, brass parts that Details Associates no longer casts, replacement stirrup steps for cars such as BLMA / Atlas TopGons and other such items. I would certainly be interested in another dozen of your N&W C31/C32P Caboose propane tanks in brass if the finish is this great, as well as Triple clasp GE side frames for C30-7's & C36-7's

www.shapeways.com/product/3S4X6LYT2/baldwin-90-ton-2-8-2-steam-chest


Russ

[fr8kar]

I only looked at the specifications for printing in metal when I started out with Shapeways a little over three years ago. From what I remember, they couldn't meet the requirements I had for size tolerances. In other words, I need the parts to be a certain size when printed since they will fit with each other and based on the material specifications I wouldn't be able to get consistent results.

The linked part is simply a rendering of the uploaded 3D model. I'm not taking anything away from the 3D model or its designer - on the contrary, it's a beautiful model - but I would be wary of what the rendering looks like compared to the 3D printed model. Having said that, Shapeways seems to be primarily a place to buy jewelry and decorative objects and scale models secondary, so it's possible they can achieve great results with their metal materials compared to some of the results I've gotten with their FUD/Fine Detail Plastic material.

I looked over the N&W Propane Tank part you mentioned to see how it compares in brass and acrylic. I currently offer this part in Fine Detail Plastic, formerly known as FUD/FXD. My cost without markup is $4.37 in this material. The same part in natural brass (the material in the link above) costs $14.00. I usually add a small amount to any part I design so I get a royalty whenever the part is sold, which is not reflected in the $4.37 or $14.00 prices. I also should mention I don't know how the price increases that go in effect at the first of the year will affect this part. When I try to update the part I get a warning indicating 3D tools are disabled since this part is grandfathered in under the old pricing structure until after the holidays.

In any event, if you want to try this part out in brass, Russ, I'm happy to enable that material for sale. It's just a mouse click to me. I'll make it available without markup since I have no idea how it will come out. You can be the beta tester!

[bdhicks]

Shapeways doesn't print directly in brass, their 3D printer makes a master for lost wax casting. The only person I've seen using brass is this guy on the Railroad Line forum who is using it to scratchbuild a steam locomotive from the frame up. He seems pretty satisfied with it, though he's been going at it rather slow and I don't know how much actual testing he's done. railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=37052&whichpage=93

[lee1234]

I've done parts in brass at Shapeways. They do not come out that sharp on the small details. Notice that the steam chest has a price but is Not For Sale. That means that it may not be approved for printing in a Shapeways store. You can send the designer a message thru Shapeways and ask him a question.

L