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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

42 replies [Last post]
Thu, 06/15/2006 - 21:19
#31
Draconious
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Joined: 12/31/1969
Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

An example of what the machine Can Do :)

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Thu, 06/15/2006 - 21:42
#32
FastLearner
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

Nice!

How are plans coming along?

-- Matthew

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Fri, 06/16/2006 - 02:10
#33
Patriarch
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

I'm excited about this!

I hope its possible.

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Fri, 06/16/2006 - 19:35
#34
RobBartel
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

Also note that Z-Corp has come out with the Spectrum Z510 which can do multicolor printing. It's essentially leveraging simple inkjet technology to print a colored texture along the outside edges. Very cool if you're looking for something other than monochrome.

Rob

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Fri, 06/16/2006 - 19:55
#35
Patriarch
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

What does something like that cost?

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Fri, 06/16/2006 - 20:04
#36
Velociryx
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

I've been toying with this as well....get a 3d scanner to allow you to craft CAD images from stuff you've got access to (carvings, compositions, or figures that are in the "public domain" (note - difficult to find this out...NOT recommended), transfer the scanned image to the 3d printer, and let 'her rip.

The baseline Z-Corp model printer sells for $20k, and if prototyping is all you want/need it for, then monochromatic printing is fine (and if you NEED color, then instead of spending an extra $5-10k on the color model printer, a can of spray paint should* do you well enough.

* All of this assumes that saving money where possible on a purchase of this size is of paramount importance...if it isn't, PM me.....I wanna see if you're interested in adopting! ;)

Also note that I've not personally tested spraypaint on the material that comes out of the printer...heck, for all I know, it might dissolve the stuff, but if not....

-=Vel=-

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Sat, 06/17/2006 - 00:24
#37
Draconious
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

the z corp printers use paper and cheezy material... they have NO strength at all unless you soak them in resin/glue... to harden them.

they feel a bit like compressed sand, my sample I have of the Zcorp machine was broken in mail ;) VERY fragile cannot even use it for a game prototype.. unless its just a mock up for a photo.

The machine im getting.. the plastic on that dino head... is about as strong as ABS... as strong as any game piece made... the teeth on him break off but they are a fraction of a mm thick so thats to be expected :).

I still do not OWN the machine yet, still working on it... but SOON... I hope to sell off time on the machine cheaper than anyone else is, since they all cater to corporate companies, and can charge 10 to 100x what it actualy costs for a part, since the parts are usualy much larger than game pieces...

I do have access to some machines tho.. just not the one I like/want :)

and a 3D scanner is almost a must... you can buy a hot wheel car, scan it and reprint it in plastic at any scale :) -- some one wanted gangsta cars.. well thats the ideal way to get plenty of variety.

My only obstacle is MONEY... some machines are only 18,000$!!! but they make funky models not enough detail for game pieces less you make a monopoly house or someting simiple.. I want better-than action figure detail... Hasbro uses the machine I plan on getting ;) infact they have a FLEET of them operational all the time... I fear the one I want is over 100k tho... there are cheaper machiens with weaker plastic but I have other areas other then games to take care of... RC Car/plane parts etc...

planning on having the machine before the year is over.

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Sat, 06/17/2006 - 03:46
#38
Patriarch
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

Sounds great. Surely a service I would use if the price is low enough to convince me not to use peices from other games, and that shipping overseas by mail wont be too expenssive.

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Wed, 06/21/2006 - 08:52
#39
Velociryx
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

Hey Draconious, what machine are you leaning toward at present? I'm still some 2-3 years out from being able to invest in one (and I'm sure in that amount of time, the equation will have changed significantly), but I'm curious about your "take" on the various options available. From the reading here, I gather than you're not too keen on Z-Corp, and on your site (I followed your link), you had reservations about most of the brands you looked at...any clear front-running favorites at this point?

-=Vel=-

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Wed, 06/21/2006 - 16:17
#40
Draconious
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

So far NO machine does everything...

Some can make strong parts... but the parts are covered with lines that need to be sanded, hard to do on action figure like details... and the resolution is low...

Other machines do great resolution, for jewelry, but these are often wax, or wax like plastics... the resolution is great, but you would have to invest in a recast from the part... and make molds or constantly use invenstment casting, this is how the jewlers make their parts, but they can get away with high prices...

So far the most promicing was from an isreali machine, The ObJet... which is sold in the USA, by stratasys... They have yet to actualy tell me the price on this thing, but If I recall It is over $150,000...
This machine can do lots of parts, that dino head for example.. it does detail and the dino head is pretty strong that I wouldnt mind making the actual game pices right from the machine, however... this would be VERY expensive to do... the plastic refil cartriges are in the 300-800 range to reload the machine... so the dino head likely cost them about 4-8$ to make, in materials and time, not counting the cost of the machine.

It is still not practical to make a production version of a game on these machines, and that is sort of what I hope to one day do... screw molds! lol. But when u need a REALLY detailed prototype... this is the way to go, that is why hasbro has a bunch of these machines.

Eden350 and Eden500 as listed on my site...

I guess I have to get off my lazy arse and call the sales man for the machine... been busy with another project...
I need to find a company/campus that wishes to split the cost of the machine... then ill be all set :) Already talking to the professor of the class I am taking, they have the Dimension machine, and no one ever uses it!!! so I can make parts right now off of that machine for poeple, but while strong, they will have build lines on the part... and its not the greatest resolution...

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Wed, 06/21/2006 - 17:31
#41
Draconious
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

Wowzers lol.. just got off the phone with salesman...

almost $200,000 for the machine :)

the cartriges, to reload it, sort of like printer color cartriges... only plastic instead of ink... are over $3000 for 3, and the support cartriges are over $1200 for 3 :) -- these cartriges only hold 3.6KG of plastic and support :).

Definatly expensive! lol... I think I am going to do it anyway... I have a plan to make it happen...

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Thu, 06/22/2006 - 06:40
#42
Velociryx
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Prototype Plastic Parts Service Coming Soon

Thanks for the info! Great stuff! I'm disappointed to hear about the Z-Corp machines, because they seemed to be the best price for the entry level model. A pity they're not more useful for our purposes.

The dimension you mentioned sounds like a good compromise tho, and if Hasbro is currently using Edens, then that too, sounds like a goodish direction to head off in.

I appreciate it! :)

-=Vel=-

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