TobaccoRoad
Member
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2005
- Messages
- 45
Very nice!
Sick of Paying Tractor Part Prices.... Make Your Own....(3D Printed)
- Thread starter LittleBill21
- Start date
sa324owner
Member
This is awesome, @LittleBill21! I think I'm just like you in that 99% of what I 3D print is functional. I've had a 3D printer since 2013 and use it every chance I get. I need some of these covers for my JD 4400 and might print them just for fun.
Keep up the good work!
Keep up the good work!
piper184
Gold Member
I got into this in January with an Ender 3 Pro and some basic filament. Less than $300 delivered. I had a few ideas of what could be done and actually had a request from the wife to make a part that has never been made before and can not be bought. The printer worked out of the box and the only figurine I have printed was the sample that came with the machine. Impressive detail.
The printer came with the slicer software which converts an object into layers and creates the file that you put in the printer to make it work. This is the same kind of gcode file that runs CNC machines. After all that is what a 3D printer is. There are hundreds of thousands of free files already on the the internet. A lot of them are useful items not just artwork.
Using modeling software you can create or modify files at will. I use Scad and Blender, both free open source software. Blender is very powerful and used a lot of 3D animation. It has a steep learning curve for those not into that sort of thing, however, you can still get down into the guts of the file and manipulate faces, edges and vertices one by one if needed.
There are a wide variety of filament materials available. PLA is the cheapest easiest to use but is also not very strong. ABS (same material used in injection molding) is touchy and it likes to shrink and warp while cooling. PETG is a middle ground that is easy to print and more durable than PLA. TPU is soft and makes fairly good gaskets with decent chemical resistance. Nylon and Nylon with carbon fiber are for really tough materials. For carbon fiber content it is recommended to use a stainless steel nozzle as it will wear out a brass one fairly quickly. This is just a sampling of what my cheap entry level printer will do.
I broke one of my reloading blocks. A new plastic one can be had for about $10. I can print one with a free file for a dollar's worth of plastic and a few hours of print time. I am so cheap I will make another wood one from a piece of scrap in 20 minutes and no cost but to run the drill press. 3D printing is not practical for every need. But I have made lots of things that are not easily available and have even sold a few to help pay for more filament.
Now I can look at a need and am not restricted to thinking about creating something in wood or metal or casting. I have another option. Options are good. I had to replace a controller module that cost $60 because of a broken plastic gear inside. If I had the printer back then, I could have replaced the gear for some time and $.05 of plastic. That makes ROI look pretty good. That is not why I bought the printer, but I have had $300 worth of education from it already.
For PETG try dropping your filament flow rate to 90% and don't print faster than 40 mm/s. Brands of filament differ so your tweaks may too. I was seeing too much "squish out" at the nozzle so reducing the amount of material being applied was just the fix I needed.
For the un-smooth look of print layers there is a technique available in the Cura slicer called ironing. I haven't used it yet but I think it runs the tip of the hot nozzle over the ridges without adding material to make it smoother.
The printer came with the slicer software which converts an object into layers and creates the file that you put in the printer to make it work. This is the same kind of gcode file that runs CNC machines. After all that is what a 3D printer is. There are hundreds of thousands of free files already on the the internet. A lot of them are useful items not just artwork.
Using modeling software you can create or modify files at will. I use Scad and Blender, both free open source software. Blender is very powerful and used a lot of 3D animation. It has a steep learning curve for those not into that sort of thing, however, you can still get down into the guts of the file and manipulate faces, edges and vertices one by one if needed.
There are a wide variety of filament materials available. PLA is the cheapest easiest to use but is also not very strong. ABS (same material used in injection molding) is touchy and it likes to shrink and warp while cooling. PETG is a middle ground that is easy to print and more durable than PLA. TPU is soft and makes fairly good gaskets with decent chemical resistance. Nylon and Nylon with carbon fiber are for really tough materials. For carbon fiber content it is recommended to use a stainless steel nozzle as it will wear out a brass one fairly quickly. This is just a sampling of what my cheap entry level printer will do.
I broke one of my reloading blocks. A new plastic one can be had for about $10. I can print one with a free file for a dollar's worth of plastic and a few hours of print time. I am so cheap I will make another wood one from a piece of scrap in 20 minutes and no cost but to run the drill press. 3D printing is not practical for every need. But I have made lots of things that are not easily available and have even sold a few to help pay for more filament.
Now I can look at a need and am not restricted to thinking about creating something in wood or metal or casting. I have another option. Options are good. I had to replace a controller module that cost $60 because of a broken plastic gear inside. If I had the printer back then, I could have replaced the gear for some time and $.05 of plastic. That makes ROI look pretty good. That is not why I bought the printer, but I have had $300 worth of education from it already.
For PETG try dropping your filament flow rate to 90% and don't print faster than 40 mm/s. Brands of filament differ so your tweaks may too. I was seeing too much "squish out" at the nozzle so reducing the amount of material being applied was just the fix I needed.
For the un-smooth look of print layers there is a technique available in the Cura slicer called ironing. I haven't used it yet but I think it runs the tip of the hot nozzle over the ridges without adding material to make it smoother.
sa324owner
Member
Yes. It is true.
One way to do it is to 3D print the lower receivers or frames. The high-stress parts can (currently) be purchased without visiting an FFL.
Pjscaffidi
New member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2019
- Messages
- 1
- Tractor
- iNTERNATIONAL/ A
Bill , I too own a 3D printer . A Creality 10S. Where I’d you get the files to print? Or do you do it with a cad program?
mmranch
Gold Member
I used my 3D printer to replace the ashtray that came in my tractor with a small basket to hold snacks, etc. Worked great and now I'm not as hungry when working!
ageinplace
New member
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2019
- Messages
- 2
- Tractor
- Kubota L2501
Nice! How did you get/create the 3D pattern/template/model for the hydraulic caps and for your other projects?
piper184
Gold Member
Two main sources for me are Thingiverse and stl finder. Search the interwebs or I can post links if that is allowed.
aigeezer
Member
I've got a 3D printer and some mangled dust covers but I never thought of putting 2 and 2 together until I read your post. Great idea, thanks!