It is officially done!  More than a year of exclusive and constant work on trying to 3D print a Shay has wrapped up today, the model is assembled and all (well most) parts are glued in place.  Along the way I have learned a lot, which was the actual intent of this project from the beginning.  When I started printing parts they were to only be used for testing fit and function of parts I intended to have cast in brass.  The 3D printed parts looked so good that a few friends convinced me to see if I could print the entire model.  What you see here is the result of a l

It has been a while since I posted about the progress on my 3D printed Shay, and it may not show it in the pictures but a lot has been going on.  The project ran into an issue when I went to make some weights to put in the boiler and tender.  I am using a low melting temp alloy that I pour into 3D printed molds.  The first mold when into the boiler, and it worked great.  I then created two more weights that I mounted inside the tender, and that is when everything went wrong.

• 3D printed Shay, progress report

• 3D printed Shay, assembly required

• 3D printed Shay, Engine design done and working

• 3D printed Shay, third run test, much better

I've made a lot of progress in the last few weeks, but it still seems like there is a long way to go.  I got a lot of good information on the Sunbeam Dynamo and was able to get it modeled.  The Westinghouse compressor is dragging out way longer than I would like, but it is getting closer to being finished.  I still have not glued anything together, because I have been burned too many times thinking something is done and the I see I forgot a detail or a mounting hole, it always seems to be something.

as some of the subassemblies become final prints I have been painting them and doing some weathering.  Getting the engine subassembly done was a big leap forward.  I also upgraded my printer with the Epax 4K mod and many of the final prints are coming off the printer, and the resolution is fantastic.

The frame has been printed and next week I will be assembling and painting it.  I am really happy with the new frame design, much more details than the first.

its about time, this took way longer than I thought it would, but it is done and working well.  I still have a few details I am going to add (blowdown valves, oil cups, etc).

by the way, in case you did not know, the set of cylinders on a Shay is referred to as the "engine", just so there is no confusion.

I have been working out details on my 3D printed Shay.  I am at the point that it runs.  I now have to go and reprint some parts and include some of the changes I made.  The goal is to be able to just print it and put it together without any work to get it to fit together.

stay tuned, a progress report (with more photos) will be posted.  disclaimer, the shay in the image is not assembled, the parts are just sitting in place for a photo

the cab and tender are now printed for my shay project, these are the last of the main body pieces, now I can start to assembly the model.

building the crankshaft and more body details to the 3D model