Received My Machine Today

[Chris333]

Those came out great!  I'd try them with the axle spaced closer to each other. I've not seen real ones that far apart.

https://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/35/NG_Wagons.htm

[peteski]

  First ever 3D drawing? Looks good Mark!  I suspect that it you took few hours to do that. 

[narrowminded]

  First ever 3D drawing? Looks good Mark!  I suspect that it you took few hours to do that. 

Yes and I answered that a little bit a few posts ago.  I should add something to that cadd thread where I made some suggestions that for these basic purposes, to get started with real results, you didn't need the latest greatest or even something that cost $99.99 with a code.  But I said that based on general experience and none specific to this application so after a few responses I thought I might have overstated my case.  That was part of what prompted me to go through this exercise.  I had been having some frustration learning my TurboCad program.  That was in large part to my inexperience and the balance was sorting through extensive menus with headings that were industry specific terms and then explained with even more industry specific terms, all of which meant nothing to me at first glance and then meant even less after finally finding out what wonderful thing they performed that was of NO use to me for my simple 3D modelling needs. 

This was offered in my prior remarks:  BTW, that was done with Sketchup and with zero experience.  It is adequate, per the other thread, and easy to learn for folks who might want to do some 3D printing.  I had that drawing basically done the first day I used it.  I do have massive experience using 2D cadd and I wasn't completely unfamiliar with 3D so I wasn't totally green going in but it was really pretty intuitive once you got going.  Four basic tutorials and you're drawing stuff.  There are more in depth tutorials, a few I looked at and will probably go through them and view some later.  They are pretty easy and clear.

After getting the point of some of the functions that 3D utilizes, using Sketchup, I suspect the experience would be very helpful if I was to go back at the TurboCad program but I also suspect I will find no compelling need to do so.  In the meantime I'll have many things that were impossible just weeks ago and at the smallest possible cost.  As I said, I should add something to that other thread and then take the heat it will generate.   Meanwhile, I'll be making drawings and parts to my satisfaction, learning the functions of the whole package of tools that make these parts possible.  And who knows, maybe I'll go back at the TurbCad program some day.

[narrowminded]

Those came out great!  I'd try them with the axle spaced closer to each other. I've not seen real ones that far apart.

https://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/35/NG_Wagons.htm

Thanks Chris.  That was an exercise in proving what, if anything, was possible.  There were several dimensions that I was sure would be trouble printing, the channel thickness and hopper support at each end as examples, that I decided to go ahead and draw the way I wanted them, expecting troubles but willing to accept them in the interest of science and world technical advancement, and they in fact worked beautifully.   The emotions ranged from shock to school girl giddiness when it worked.  I almost got out my saddle shoes, plaid skirt, and knee socks to celebrate!  Uh, forget that.

What I did see when it was in hand was that the hopper top could be a little wider, maybe a little higher, and in fact, the sidewall angles aren't less than 90 degrees as I drew them and saw in several model examples I had looked at.  It also looks a little "squat" to my eye when I see it in person as you would expect if those hopper remarks are valid.  Those are easy fixes if I decide to, as would be the length.  I chose the slightly longer length for, at least to my mind, ease of handling and reliability of the running.  And with a whole range of sizes, manufacturers, and configurations of these things I just chose those dimensions based on my memory's perceptions.  And again, this was primarily a technical test for me as every step of the way it included knowledge or experience that I didn't have when I started.  I'm happy to this point.

And your stuff you've been posting about is EXCELLENT, as usual.

[narrowminded]

And here are a few pics I took today in the sunlight.  Maybe my phone photo quality has more to do with the lighting than the phone.

This is just the chassis.  For some sense of scale and printing capability here are some dimensions. 

O'all length is .85" (21.6mm).  They are 33" Z scale wheels so 24" Nn3.  The lip thickness on the channel is .008".  The hopper support structure is .030" wide x .008" rib thickness.  The vertical hopper pin guides are .028" wide x .008" rib thickness.  The pin hole for the coupler is .015" and printed well, albeit a tad small needing opened up.  A slightly larger dimension should make opening up the hole unnecessary.  It all printed well and has withstood drops to the floor as I'm prone to do. 

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And the removable hopper in place.  I made it removable for ease of painting and the ability to stage it open.  For ease of handling in service you could easily put a drop of white glue on the points to keep them together but they will probably function well once placed on the track.

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And in the printer.  A passel of parts.  AKA, Tipper mania.

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[rodsup9000]

  Nice work Mark. Can't wait to see what's next to come off your printer.

BTW, the 3, Z scale chassis I ordered from Japan was delivered today. So I'll be getting back to work on the Nn3 climax soon.

[narrowminded]

That sounds like fun.  This stuff is overwhelmingly cool.