hi everyone, Iāve been posting up elsewhere regarding retro home hi fI, the components I have, came with pseudo rack handles like in this picture.Ā
They are metal and finish off the components quite nicely. Does anyone have knowledge of how to get some of these printed for a ( potential) second set up I am looking to buy? Or does anyone actually do 3D printing that might be able to create some of these. Can the originals be scanned in somehow? What is the procedure, you can probably tell that Iām clueless about such things.Ā
Barrie
EDIT; they are quite small items, 71mm longest side by 25mm wide.
Donāt know a great deal about 3D printing but for what you want to do why not fabricate a set. They donāt need to be exactly as the ones you have on your existing set, just a set of 8 matching ones. Side brackets in aluminium angle with chrome handles would do the job nicely.
I have had a look at something along those linesĀ Ā I really wanted something that matches the originals though? However, I suppose I could make enough for both systems? They will be next to each other on display, so need to match. I could then store the original rack handles away.Ā Ā Sounds like a plan if I donāt have any luck!Ā
Barrie - as an ex rack user I can tell you these arenāt ārack handlesā but normal carry handles. That doesnāt answer your question, Sorry! - I have looked and considered 3d Printing myself, but at my age Iām whistling in the wind TBH. Itās also a big investment if anyone wants to do it professionally. Scanning alone is only half the problem, itās the Pro software needed to convert a scanned image into digital language, so the printer can follow the program. - Thatās also expensive, and a user would need a dedicated PC too I think.
Overall I reckon itās a big investment, not forgetting learning more new tricks, and equipment usage and it appears, anything in limited quantity will turn out expensive too.
I have a contact who does 3D printing. We have worked together to produce a couple of parts for the MX5 including a complex cog."
Thanks Rhino for your offer of assistance, appreciated, the deal I was on with fell through (that would have been required the handles) Iāve now just negotiated another system that has all the handles with the components so Iām good to go! Ā
āBarrie - as an ex rack user I can tell you these arenāt ārack handlesā but normal carry handlesā
Thanks Gerry, thatās why I said āpseudoā in my original post, they are purely cosmetic, an appearance item I suppose?
If these are cosmetic only they could be printed in nylon then sprayed with chrome paint.
An ex-colleague of mine printed up a prototype engine pulley adapter for my supercharged Suzuki 3 cylinder engine. It was a fairly complicated item. I drew it to 1:1 scale on graph paper. He transferred it to the 3D software on his laptop while we sat waiting for a couple of hours at work, then he took it home and delivered the finished item to me the following day. I used it to confirm it would work by fitting it to the engine. It did, so I was then confident enough to have it made in steel.
Heās not an engineer or a software professional, btw, just a clever chap.
Yes I was hoping for something like that as they are only cosmetic items. Rhino666 was steering me in that direction but then I happened upon some included with a hi fi that I managed to get.Ā
We could have made you something āfit for purposeā Barrie.
There are several types of filament available and I would suggest that these should be made from a carbon or preferably carbon reinforced nylon filament. The latter is probably as strong as carbon but much easier and more flexible to use and less tip heat required.
My contact with the 3D printer is highly intelligent and enthusiastic. He started the 3D printing to facilitate the manufacture of prohibitively expensive or impossible to find radio contolled helicopter parts. He has updated his printer at least once and the software several times over the last few years. The filaments are not cheap and everything has to be kept clean and dry.Ā
No expert on the planning process for parts but it is more involved than simply scanning a part. We spent a lot of time discussing part improvements on original and Anthony had original parts to refer to. It is more of a graph paper and design drawing job than scanning I think.Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā
Thanks Rhino! I was thinking it would be a simple job tooĀ Ā Iāve been and collected the other mini system today ( including those elusive faux rack handlesĀ Ā There and back to and from High Wycombe to Leeds! Almost 400 miles and couldnāt quite do it on a tank, had to put Ā£10 in at Trowell services on the M1 on the way home Ā Went in the 5, weather not so good Ā in the North but surprisingly decent around High WycombeĀ Ā This set seems to be not as good functionality wise as the original one, cosmetically very good under 40 years of grime though Ā but has the very rare wooden cabinet/housing so was worth getting. Not given it a proper test yet. Mrs B has been highly critical of my second set up and canāt understand why I wanted the identical item again,Ā Ā there us method amidst all this madness though, which will be revealed in due course!
