Patrick Matthews
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from Rob Wood in 3D Printing - Not Just Yet!
As posted in another thread here, there are places where 3DP works, are there are processes that are usable... and some that aren't! Virtually no printer that you or I can afford will be satisfactory, and most all printed parts (for now) require a lot of surface clean up to remove the visible layering.
But it is possible. This 1:24 PT boat is 3D Printed from the deck up (all cabin parts, weapons, deck fittings, even the glazing), less a few bits of string, tissue, and and a few whittled parts.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from dewalt57 in 3D Printing - Not Just Yet!
As posted in another thread here, there are places where 3DP works, are there are processes that are usable... and some that aren't! Virtually no printer that you or I can afford will be satisfactory, and most all printed parts (for now) require a lot of surface clean up to remove the visible layering.
But it is possible. This 1:24 PT boat is 3D Printed from the deck up (all cabin parts, weapons, deck fittings, even the glazing), less a few bits of string, tissue, and and a few whittled parts.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from WackoWolf in 3D Printing - Not Just Yet!
As posted in another thread here, there are places where 3DP works, are there are processes that are usable... and some that aren't! Virtually no printer that you or I can afford will be satisfactory, and most all printed parts (for now) require a lot of surface clean up to remove the visible layering.
But it is possible. This 1:24 PT boat is 3D Printed from the deck up (all cabin parts, weapons, deck fittings, even the glazing), less a few bits of string, tissue, and and a few whittled parts.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from CaptainSteve in 3D Printing - Not Just Yet!
As posted in another thread here, there are places where 3DP works, are there are processes that are usable... and some that aren't! Virtually no printer that you or I can afford will be satisfactory, and most all printed parts (for now) require a lot of surface clean up to remove the visible layering.
But it is possible. This 1:24 PT boat is 3D Printed from the deck up (all cabin parts, weapons, deck fittings, even the glazing), less a few bits of string, tissue, and and a few whittled parts.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from thibaultron in Let's talk 3D printers.
Sorry that I didn't find this thread earlier. A few quick comments:
1. If you want to make a wooden model of a wooden ship, that's perfect, and don't let 3DP annoy you at all. Do what YOU want to do. But do avoid being a wood-ship chauvinist! Not all ships, nor their models, nor their MODELERS, are age-of-sail-ers, and not all of such parts are best whittled from sticks.
2. If you DO want to use 3DP, "too old" is no excuse! I'm pushing retirement age myself.
3. For the time being, DON'T waste time and money on any "affordable" desktop printer... the machines that can do work suitable for decent models have many many zeroes in their price tags. Go to a shop like Shapeways instead, let them take the depreciation on their capital investment.
BTW, here is my latest 3DP model, PT-61 (a late Elco 77 footer). In 1:24 scale, it's large enough for R/C, but this copy is for display only. The hull is wood, because sometimes wood just makes sense! (PT hulls are quite easy to build up with dual-diagonal planking). But virtually everything else is printed, from the cabin to the weapons, and even the window glazing.
Kurt likes to remind us that "if you have to hurry, it ain't a hobby". Well I had to hurry, as this was a commission, and tools like 3DP helped a lot. From the first laser cut frames to the final photos: 4 months.
Pat M
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from LFrankCPA in Let's talk 3D printers.
Sorry that I didn't find this thread earlier. A few quick comments:
1. If you want to make a wooden model of a wooden ship, that's perfect, and don't let 3DP annoy you at all. Do what YOU want to do. But do avoid being a wood-ship chauvinist! Not all ships, nor their models, nor their MODELERS, are age-of-sail-ers, and not all of such parts are best whittled from sticks.
2. If you DO want to use 3DP, "too old" is no excuse! I'm pushing retirement age myself.
3. For the time being, DON'T waste time and money on any "affordable" desktop printer... the machines that can do work suitable for decent models have many many zeroes in their price tags. Go to a shop like Shapeways instead, let them take the depreciation on their capital investment.
BTW, here is my latest 3DP model, PT-61 (a late Elco 77 footer). In 1:24 scale, it's large enough for R/C, but this copy is for display only. The hull is wood, because sometimes wood just makes sense! (PT hulls are quite easy to build up with dual-diagonal planking). But virtually everything else is printed, from the cabin to the weapons, and even the window glazing.
Kurt likes to remind us that "if you have to hurry, it ain't a hobby". Well I had to hurry, as this was a commission, and tools like 3DP helped a lot. From the first laser cut frames to the final photos: 4 months.
Pat M
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from CaptainSteve in Let's talk 3D printers.
Sorry that I didn't find this thread earlier. A few quick comments:
1. If you want to make a wooden model of a wooden ship, that's perfect, and don't let 3DP annoy you at all. Do what YOU want to do. But do avoid being a wood-ship chauvinist! Not all ships, nor their models, nor their MODELERS, are age-of-sail-ers, and not all of such parts are best whittled from sticks.
2. If you DO want to use 3DP, "too old" is no excuse! I'm pushing retirement age myself.
3. For the time being, DON'T waste time and money on any "affordable" desktop printer... the machines that can do work suitable for decent models have many many zeroes in their price tags. Go to a shop like Shapeways instead, let them take the depreciation on their capital investment.
BTW, here is my latest 3DP model, PT-61 (a late Elco 77 footer). In 1:24 scale, it's large enough for R/C, but this copy is for display only. The hull is wood, because sometimes wood just makes sense! (PT hulls are quite easy to build up with dual-diagonal planking). But virtually everything else is printed, from the cabin to the weapons, and even the window glazing.
Kurt likes to remind us that "if you have to hurry, it ain't a hobby". Well I had to hurry, as this was a commission, and tools like 3DP helped a lot. From the first laser cut frames to the final photos: 4 months.
Pat M
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from piperjoe in Latest issue of the Nautical Research Journal (Summer 2014)
Woo hoo, five copies for my mother! (in re: My article on 3D Printing).
I'll also be giving a talk on 3DP at the NRG conference, October in St. Louis. See you there.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from Archi in Experiences with 3D Printing for Ship Models
Some more professional grade parts just received in the last few days.
One item is 1:9 scale outdrives and trim tabs for an offshore racer display model. The rest are parts for a 1:72 scale Canadian Coast Guard patrol boat, also a display model.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from Chuck in Latest issue of the Nautical Research Journal (Summer 2014)
Woo hoo, five copies for my mother! (in re: My article on 3D Printing).
I'll also be giving a talk on 3DP at the NRG conference, October in St. Louis. See you there.
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from WackoWolf in Scary ruler discovery
there's an old story somewhere about the buyer of a ship slipping into the shipyard one night and replacing the shipbuilders measuring stick with one that was stretched by 10 percent. Of course he ended up getting a ship 10 percent bigger!
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from AntonyUK in Experiences with 3D Printing for Ship Models
How about the cost?
Well, your own time is free, otherwise you couldn't afford to build model ships.
But the printer is not. Shapeways has a few different materials, see their site for costs. Typically it's US$2 or so per cubic centimeter of part volume, plus a few bucks per part for handling. With locations in Europe and the US, shipping is reasonable to most of us.
Part volume can add up quickly... the 23 inch long hull above, modeled with as thin a wall as I felt safe with in SLS nylon, is about US$150. And if I were to double the wall thickness, the cost would double. Other small parts have been bought in for just a few dollars... all depends on size.
Prices for metallic parts are significantly higher!
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Patrick Matthews got a reaction from rshousha in Experiences with 3D Printing for Ship Models
Some more examples of parts I've done...
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