3D printing experts

Skunkworks · 25 Jun 2018 at 15:39

Would a 3D printing company be able to work with my rather crude design?

All straight edges and flat faces.

Roughly how much does it cost if I wanted 50 for example?

Diddums · 25 Jun 2018 at 15:58

Find someone to knock it up in CAD first. As for costs, no clue.

Delvis · 25 Jun 2018 at 16:06

Looks relatively straight forward, how tall is the 'a' part? The nubbin in the middle I mean.

And is the nubbin on 'b' meant to be recessed?

Skunkworks · 25 Jun 2018 at 16:10

a slots into b for stacking, so b has to be a fraction larger than a. When scaled up this should be easier, but these will be for demo purposes.

aardvark · 25 Jun 2018 at 16:16

so its solid?

Skunkworks · 25 Jun 2018 at 16:17

Solid or hollow makes no difference at this time.

bayo000 · 25 Jun 2018 at 16:31

I don't see a reason why they shouldn't be able to print it from your sketch. As for hollow or solid I'd imagine hollow should be cheaper as it will use less material but then you need to decide on appropriate thickness for your demo.

If you could sketch it in 3d and get the volume (or work it out the old fashioned way) then you should be able to get some quotes.

Skunkworks · 25 Jun 2018 at 16:56

I would defer to the printer on that one. They only need enough strength to be handled.

GhostlyPea · 25 Jun 2018 at 17:21

Surely if this is more of a container style then it would be molded (blown, extruded or suction over a jig) not 3d printed? It just looks like a plastic bin with a removable lid - whats it for , something particular? I see its quite small which would mean that 3D printing would seem OK but what about finish, does it need to be really flat or finished after with sandpaper etc?

- GP

Delvis · 25 Jun 2018 at 18:35

could try jig it together in Max tomorrow if I get time.

As for printing just get it printed as low % as possible for the infill if it's just for show for the time being.

Fusion · 25 Jun 2018 at 19:09

I work in Manufacturing Engineering and we 3D print some of our tooling and prototypes. It's more expensive than you might think. You could look at vacuum forming or thermoforming, but most companies won't be interested for such low volumes. You also pay quite a lot up front for tooling and prototype costs.