Subject:
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Re: question about people who are doing rapid prototyping of parts...
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.cad
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Date:
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Tue, 17 Aug 2004 02:14:10 GMT
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Viewed:
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1303 times
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OK, I went to express3D.com and uploaded these STL files:
The first one, a single 2X4, got the following range of quotes/technology:
- $75/3DP - 3D Printing = powdered resin hardened with liquid = e.g. ZCorp
- $90-150/SLA - StereoLithography Apparatus = photoresin
- $75/OBJ - Objet Polyjet = photoresin, but harder and finer than SLA, supposedly nice, I haven’t tried this
- $125-250/FDM - Fused Depositon Modeling = e.g. Stratasys ABS
The second file was a 2X4 joined to two other parts, a slope and a wing (3 parts
total). I made little “sprue” between the parts so my translator would see only
one object when it made the STL file.
The quotes I got back from xpress3d.com were exactly the same as the single
part.
The third file I sent in contained mirrored copies of the second file (12 parts
total):
- $75/3DP
- $114-183/SLA
- $120/OBJ
- $135-250/FDM
It’s interesting how the OBJ quote went up (though the build area is much larger
now) while the 3DP price remains constant - I am probably below some kind of
build-size threshold there. FDM only went up slightly, even though I now have 12
parts instead of one!
To test this technique for multiples of the same part, I made another STL file
with 10 2X4s arranged in a grid, again connected by “sprue” so they would be a
single part.
- $78/3DP
- $131-$200/SLA
- No Quote/OBJ
- $170-250/FDM
Perhaps I was outside the build envelope for the OBJ machine. In any case, the
price did not go up significantly.
Just for the heck of it, I uploaded a single STL file that had 25 2X4s set in a
grid:
- $134/3DP
- $242-403/SLA
- No Quote/OBJ
- $217-370/FDM
So there is a limit to the “gang” technique, probably having to do with build
envelope size for the various machines. You would have to do a little STL
tweaking to find the “sweet spot” - the most efficient build size for your
particular parts on a particular machine.
Finally, I submitted the single 2X4 file again, but this time I asked for 10
copies:
- $446/3DP
- $440-1225/SLA
- $399/OBJ
- $498-913/FDM
Wow, the prices just shot up there! Presumably you are paying for the time to
setup the multiple copies, instead of just the actual part geometry.
IMO, would NOT use RP technology to make a bunch of similar parts, at least not
if you had to rely on Service Bureaus! (I’d make a mold instead) But the “gang”
technique does seem to work. If you were willing to settle for 3DP parts, you
could get the price per part down to something like $5, maybe even less. If you
had to have ABS FDM parts, then you might have to put up with $8-10+/part.
Of course all of these are estimates; you’d have to model the actual parts you
want and try to get quotes, but I’d assume anything custom would be more
intricate than a 2X4. I’m curious - is that a price a lot of you custom-makers
would pay?
Darrell
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