Slowly getting closer to an EP-3

[Sokramiketes]

Upon closer inspection, there is a slight length difference in the two frame halves from iMaterialise, whereas the two frame halves from ExOne were of identical length.  And, ExOne also offers polished parts (which would come in handy for auto rack and TOFC flatcar bodies).  Given that ExOne is local and the pricing is comparable, I'm going to concentrate the business there.  But it's good to have iMaterialise as a backup for one-part items.

Understand that length thing, but didn't you say that iMaterialise polishes parts as standard practice and you had to specifically request that they didn't?

Looking forward to hearing about your test print in tungsten!

[John]

this could also be a good way to make unique passenger car sides ..

[peteski]

this could also be a good way to make unique passenger car sides ..

I don't think the resolution is quite high enough for making any N scale models.  Seems much lower than even Shapeways FUD.

[bbussey]

Understand that length thing, but didn't you say that iMaterialise polishes parts as standard practice and you had to specifically request that they didn't?

Looking forward to hearing about your test print in tungsten!

Yes, iMaterialise polishes the parts and that is the default setting, so you have to specify that you want it "unpolished" (technically they are "bead blasted" by being tumbled with sand).  ExOne has it as the reverse, with "bead blasting" as the default and you have to specify the "polished" option.

I should have asked about the tungsten when I was on the phone with the rep.  It probably is available for these types of projects.  But the stainless is heavy enough for my purposes I think, and the price is right.

[bbussey]

this could also be a good way to make unique passenger car sides ..

I don't think the resolution is quite high enough for making any N scale models.  Seems much lower than even Shapeways FUD.

Definitely not good for high-rez detail.  That is what the PerFactory and ProJet3000 printed products are for.  This is good for motive power frames, rolling stock underbodies, and anything else that requires weight and/or conductivity and is fully hidden within a body shell.

[Doug G.]

Thats so awesome. It being powdered steel, I wonder if it may have a long term issue with frame crumbling? Like the old Rivarossi steam or the old run Intermountain F-3's. I understand the processes are much different, but just a question to consider.

This is an amazing project, and its already turning out fantastic.

The S.

Those Rivarossi (and many others) frames are zinc/aluminum alloy with very small percentages of other metals and the cracking/crumbling is due to the impurities oxidizing/corroding, causing displacement of the base metals. The actual material, in itself, isn't really the problem. It's the formulation. It has been discovered in some fairly late locomotive frames too.

But, if these are stainless steel and the powder is fused, these frames will still be here long after all of us are gone.

Doug

[Ntrainz1]

A previous employer was manufacture of metal powder. After sintering, the parts are amazingly strong. One customer used the material to make connecting rods for GM.

Bob.

[jnevis]

I've done a couple trips on an EP-3.  Oh wait, wrong forum


On topic..  I wish I had the time and knowledge to even attempt some of the projects I see you guys do with alarming regularity.  It just amazes me the talent on here.

[bbussey]

@sizemore pointed out to me that I didn't have enough clearance for the TCS CN-style controllers, and I don't have enough room to remove material due to the needed clearance for the GG1 truck gear towers.  Also, I had originally thought I would be able to cast the headlight casings in clear resin and get transmit the light from the controller SMLEDs via a series of light pipes.  But it makes more sense to put an SMLED directly inside each headlight casing, run the wires into the body and mount the micro resistors on the underside of the cab roof where there is plenty of clearance.  With that change, I don't need the CN functionality.

So I've redesigned the frame to take a Digitrax DZ126, given that I don't need functionality other than motor control and the headlights, and I actually gain some mass as a result.



The four circles are cutouts for springs that will touch copper strips on the underside of the roof to pass power to the lights, so that it won't be a hassle to remove the body from the frame if ever necessary.  The springs will be centered on styrene posts so that they don't come into contact with the frame, and the cutouts provide plenty of clearance.  I still have to decide how I'm going to mount the truck pickup copper strips, so I won't have a new frame rendered until I get that done.

Using the Atlas original RS3 method of isolating the frame halves works great and the plastic washers and hex nuts remain available from Atlas, with the only change being the need for M2x9 screws instead of the standard Atlas M2x7 screws due to the wider frame.

[peteski]

The four circles are cutouts for springs that will touch copper strips on the underside of the roof to pass power to the lights, so that it won't be a hassle to remove the body from the frame if ever necessary.

Use pieces of thin glass-epoxy copper-clad circuit board for the contact areas in the shell.  This works really well and you can solder wires to the copper without melting the body.   Or you can solder the LED and resistor directly to those boards.

I used flat phosphor-bronze springs on the frame.
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Then the circuit board contact pads with wires leading to the headlight and beacon.
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[bbussey]

That certainly would work too.

[Chris333]

I just saw this. A guy kitbashing an Atlas shay into a HOn30 shay started with a new 3D printed frame:
http://blog.waldbahner.de/en/2015/03/h0e-10-ton-molino-shay/

Looks like brass.