3D Printed Ford Battery Case Help

[Karl Wescott]

Warbird, It looks like you are making great progress. Are you doing your 3D work in a parametric model? If so I will remind the others how easy it is in a parametric 3D model to change dimensions... one or two clicks and data entry. If you are able to print one piece... great. If you are printing with a fusion filament process and need to make multiple panels they can be welded using more filament as filler and a plastic weld gun or soldering iron as a heat source.


For those interested in getting a little more in the weeds... Most CAD (computer aided design) model exist as a parametric model where everything is specified as points, lines, curves, etc OR as a triangulated mesh where all the triangles define the surface. The big difference is its easier maintaining precision in a parametric model and easier to visually edit shapes in a mesh model. As to a 3D print, there is FDM, fusion deposit modeling with a filament that melts and is fused to the first layer (think etch-a-sketch married to a hot glue gun), and various schemes that use a resin or a powder with a laser or ultraviolet light to precisely cure a spot and attach to the model. Many of these cannot be welded.


So going from A-Z, we start with a model (I am presuming a parametric one). Then when dimensionally correct we create a mesh image then that goes to the printer where software "slices" the model into individual layers (and may add "support structures", then converts that to the machine code to actually run the printer. What gets interesting is the better the resolution the longer it takes for a print. My guess is at very high resolution each print may take on the order not just days to print, but weeks.


Anyway... looks like a great start. Keep up with it.

[Seth Swoboda]

Originally Posted by Karl Wescott

Warbird, It looks like you are making great progress. Are you doing your 3D work in a parametric model? If so I will remind the others how easy it is in a parametric 3D model to change dimensions... one or two clicks and data entry. If you are able to print one piece... great. If you are printing with a fusion filament process and need to make multiple panels they can be welded using more filament as filler and a plastic weld gun or soldering iron as a heat source.


For those interested in getting a little more in the weeds... Most CAD (computer aided design) model exist as a parametric model where everything is specified as points, lines, curves, etc OR as a triangulated mesh where all the triangles define the surface. The big difference is its easier maintaining precision in a parametric model and easier to visually edit shapes in a mesh model. As to a 3D print, there is FDM, fusion deposit modeling with a filament that melts and is fused to the first layer (think etch-a-sketch married to a hot glue gun), and various schemes that use a resin or a powder with a laser or ultraviolet light to precisely cure a spot and attach to the model. Many of these cannot be welded.


So going from A-Z, we start with a model (I am presuming a parametric one). Then when dimensionally correct we create a mesh image then that goes to the printer where software "slices" the model into individual layers (and may add "support structures", then converts that to the machine code to actually run the printer. What gets interesting is the better the resolution the longer it takes for a print. My guess is at very high resolution each print may take on the order not just days to print, but weeks.


Anyway... looks like a great start. Keep up with it.

Karl,

Great information. This is fascinating to me.

[WarbirdPhotog]

Originally Posted by Karl Wescott

Warbird, It looks like you are making great progress. Are you doing your 3D work in a parametric model?

Karl, You are correct, it is a parametric model. That way I can make this down to the .01MM (everything is in MM when it comes to 3D printing). I'm going to be printing this on a Bamboo Labs A1. It's not quite big enough to do the entire cover and longer side walls in one piece, so I'm going to have to split those up for my own printing unless I send those pieces out. The Bamboo is actually pretty fast. While I'm going to slow it down for this build to get a better surface, I think it might just take a day, or perhaps two, to build.