Best overview article of 3D

Best overview article of 3D printing I've seen. Contains a lot of a usable information without the usual hype.

Thanks, gs

Looking for RR files to print

I got a printer for Xmas. Looking for designs to print, not finding much for RR.

Anyone have a design to share for Signal bridge or light tower? Or gondola.flat car loads?

3D Printing Made Friendly

The article was well written and contained very use information and great links.  I was able to understand everything and enjoyed the photos that helped to clarify the issues even more.  I was thankful that the author avoided the "technical" conversation that often accompanies many articles written for amateurs like me. It is not necessary to have an engineering degree to understand something as complex as the 3D process, especially when the author takes time to explain things so that others can get a good understanding.

I see it a little different

I love the work done designing that building, BUT . . . . . I see several parts I would 3d print (and have done so for several years now).  The rest is xacto time for me.  I would do the steps, the windows, the roof ventilators, etc.  I recently did an ON30 machine shop.  None of the structure was 3d printed but ALL of the interior shop goodies were done.  I love my 3d printer and I think the article was very well done.  I am fortunate that I got a piece of software years ago that has been a huge part of my enjoyment of 3d stuff.  Its called Cubify Invent.  I don't think it is avaialbe any longer but what an easy fast way to get into 3d.  You don't draw, you assemble from known things.  Things being boxes, cylinders, cones etc.  Once stuck together you end up with a part ready to print.  I have yet to have an object created in Invent NOT print.  Here are some examples.  Russ

Warped Prints

When wall sections or long narrow PLA pieces come off the printer warped, don’t dispair, just run it under hot water from the faucet and gently bend it back into shape.  

Tinkercad

Excellent intro on 3d printing with tons of good details, including the limitations.

As far as software to build your own models, after using Sketchup for years, since last year I started using  tinkercad.com. Autodesk is behind this and they made a really good job. It's all online and free; it works really well for simple or moderately complex pieces.

One neat feature is to do boolean operations by simply marking an object as a hole and grouping it with another to create a substraction. Last time I used Sketchup, that was only available in the Pro version.

Designs can be either private or public. They can then be exported as STL or OBJ, or shared for others to reuse. Here's an example where I rebuilt the truck's wormgear cover for a Rapido F40PH engine: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/fnx1lutC1Je

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Benny, I have always painted

Benny,

I have always painted my models after they are assembled. I know that most people paint before assembly, but i do it the opposite. Works better for me this way.

As far as printing the 3D models, essentially everything could be printed separately or fully assembled, or somewhere in between. In my case, I have not desire to assemble anything so I print as assembled as is practical. This minimized the amoung of work to be done. I have too much to do to spend much time assemblying kits.

I know, that's weird.  

F is 1:20.3 not 1:29.3

The correct scaling factor for this is 0.0493.  Otherwise, a very interesting article

F scale scaling factor error

Thanks for pointing that out; it's my mistake.  I believe I got that number (1:29.3) from misreading the variety of scales that are used with 45mm gauged track.  My past experience has all been with the smaller scales - O, from my Lionel/Marx days as a child, a bit of S from my cousin's and a friend's American Flyer, HO and N scale, and building aircraft, ship, and armor models in various scales.  

I think that you would be able to create a wealth of detail parts for F scale with a 3D printer.

This has been corrected

This has been corrected (along with a number of other little glitches elsewhere in the issue).

Please download again to get the latest updated version!

How Timely . . .

Just last night my wife said to me, "I have an idea for something for you for your model railroad, but I don't know if you'd like it.  The price has come down a lot."  I said, "Is it a 3D printer?"  She almost fell on the floor, since this is something we have NEVER talked about before.  Maybe I should have let her keep it a secret?

Anyhow, this article was just what I needed to get started looking at a 3D printer, and it gave me good ideas on how I could use one.  I'll be sending my lovely wife a copy.  Thanks Janet!

BTW, here are some bridge piers I had printed at a local high school a couple of years back.  I left the molding lines since I thought they looked like concrete form lines.

How do I compare ?

Good afternoon all

I have a $400 Anycubic 3d printer and everything appears to be working proprly. My problem is not knowing anyone else with a printer I'm not sure if I'm getting the best detail from my printer or what level of detail to expect from a $400 printer.

I printed the 20Ft contained in white HIPS and Black PLA and the layer lines are clearly visible.  

How would you evaluate my prints?  Is that what I get for my money or do i need to adjust  my settings?

Thanks

John

Nearly any 3D printer,

Nearly any 3D printer, especially a filament printer, is going to show varying degrees of layering. For a $400 printer, it looks pretty good. There is a post-production processor that smoothes all the lines out... but it smooths out the details, too.

Even professional $10,000 printers will show lines... smaller lines, closer together. It's the nature of the beast. It's not a Star Trek replicator building things on the atomic level!

There's no such thing as a "layer-free" or "layerless" 3D printer, though some of the new technologies using liquid resins and controling the oxygen at the print interface come close. Those machines probably cost more than your house, though. The company that builds them only LEASES them out.

How do I compare ?

Johnf,

The first question would be, what layer hight were you printing at? FDM printing is a comprimise between Layer Height and Speed. When you cut the layer height in half you double the printing time (assuming all other print settings are the same). You can get the layer height down the point where its virtually invisable but it will take a long time to print objects.

Primer

I don't have any pix (but I will shortly) but a few very thin coats of primer will do wonders for those lines.  I spray a very light coat and let dry.  Before the next print I lightly scrub the surface with a scotch pad.  Then the next coat until I reach an 'adequite' skin.  The goal is to take the highlights of the lines and 'dim' them down without destroying any details.  There are some good threads on here about detail objectives.  If you are holding the piece in your hand as a contest model, the lines will show.  If it's a structure on a 10x12 layout, nobody will see any lines!  I love doing 'accent' pieces for my track level scenes.  Russ

ON30 details for inside the machine shop.  A table with drawers and a  lumber stack that is hollow. Next is a workbench with a vise, vise stands in the background along with a hand truck for the weldings tanks, and a shop cart..

Thank you for the replys

Thank you all for the replys.   When you work by yourself there is always the feeling you missed the 'magic setting' that makes everything perfect.     Now i know my parts are in the normals range.

It's good to part of the community.

John

3D Printing in S Scale

Good article as it provided some insight about in-home printers. Your article left out the scaling factor for S Scale. If there’s ever a scale that can benefit from 3D printing it’s S Scale. I’ve been using 3D printing to to produce Detail parts in S for some time now and it’s truly what our Scale has needed given the lack of available parts. The attached photo shows a completed GP 38-2 that was 3D printed in S Scale. The cab, short and long hoods, fuel tank, pilots, step wells, snow plow, and many of the detail parts were all 3D printed from files that I generated.

Bob Frascella

"if there’s ever a scale that

Yeah, S can certainly use more detail parts and 3D printing is much better than nothing but it lacks the economy of numbers, a thousand parts costs the same to print each part as it costs to print the first one where casting is cheaper as the numbers increase. The size of an S scale engine or freight car causes the printed part to be quite expensive so I doubt 3D printing will win over many new S modelers. Existing S modelers are more likely to build a printed model if it is something they think they can't live without or a signature model of a certain scene or railroad. The rest of us are used to bending our equipment needs to suit what is already available......DaveB

It's the cost of one part that matters

If economy of scale was all that important, then where are all the S scale cast parts? For small markets, 3D printing beats out cast parts.

It's the case of any part, even if a little pricey, is better than NO part. In other words ... I need ten S scale parts, price $5 each, so $50.

Or I could get them down to $1 each with casting, but I need to spend $10,000 on cutting a mold first.

I'll take the $5 and $50 total any day over $10,000 up front cost.

....

3D in S is awesome

"If economy of scale was all

  That's my point. S scale doesn't have the models or parts selection that HO has  parts so fewer people model in S scale. Give us more cheaper stuff and there will be more S scalers. Sure 3D printing can help the supply problem but it's a pretty crude inefficient method for making multiples of the same thing.The cost of mold work is spread out over every piece with no point where it declines as it does with large number casting runs, so we're really talking about short sighted versus long sighted, or how many modelers do we want to see buying the stuff over the coming years? Make it easier and cheaper( see HO or N scales)and they'll come......DaveB

 "I NEVER want to hear the

That's the reality of the situation. If you want to get on with building a layout you have to learn to use what is available. Making every part and piece of rolling stock from scratch or 3D or whatever takes more time than most folks want to devote to a hobby. There's a big diffenence between idealism and realism when it comes time to get in the game.With some compromises there's actually enough stuff to build an S scale layout if one is inclined but the scale has to matter more than the equipment selection for a modeler to make this decision.For instance if I need a diesel engine I can go to ebay and spend a couple of hundred on an SHS or AM then add some weathering and move on versus spending $350 plus countless hours assembling and painting a 3D printed model ,repeat this process for everything on a layout and you'll find a great difference in the time spent and the progress made......DaveB