Lock Blocks

[wazzou]

I made mine exactly the way Rod describes. 



And to show part of the obligatory coal trestle at left for @Chris333   

[peteski]

How about making a mold then casting them out of Hydrocal (which has the right color already) or tinted Plaster of Paris?

[GimpLizard]

Okay, got it modeled. Now to see if I can manage to upload the pictures.

Top side


Bottom side


What do you all think? If they look okay I can convert the file to SLA and send it off to Shapeways. 'spose I should probably put a bunch of them on a sprue, first though, huh?

I've never done anything with Shapeways. Anybody out there that can tutor me on it? (And keep in mind, I have the IQ of your average bubblegum wrapper.  )

[BCR751]

Okay, got it modeled. Now to see if I can manage to upload the pictures.

Top side
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Bottom side
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What do you all think? If they look okay I can convert the file to SLA and send it off to Shapeways. 'spose I should probably put a bunch of them on a sprue, first though, huh?

I've never done anything with Shapeways. Anybody out there that can tutor me on it? (And keep in mind, I have the IQ of your average bubblegum wrapper.  )

GimpLizard:

They look really good.  May I suggest getting some done in stacks, say 5 or 10 blocks long and 2 and 3 blocks high.  Also, maybe do some half-blocks.  It may keep the cost down for those of us who need a lot of these.

Doug

[peteski]

Since these blocks appear to be solid, they will be quite pricey (I mentioned this earlier in this thread already). Especially of one needs a lot of them. They would be much less expensive  if they could be made hollow.  After all, who needs the bottom details anyway? 

[wazzou]

See photos upthread a little where I have just made them from square Evergreen tube and some small diameter half round.  I used stainless lift rings for the visible ones.
It's pretty easy to roll your own.

[BCR751]

Well, I have no idea what the cost of getting these done by Shapeways is.  I just thought it would be a good idea since that way, I wouldn't have to build my own.  I will likely need upwards of a hundred of these so cost is definitely a factor for me.  I admire GimpLizard for taking on the task of designing them for Shapeways but if it is cost prohibitive, maybe we should not go that route.  I checked out the offering from Fine N Scale and, to me at least, they look a little rough i.e. they don't appear to fit well together.  Maybe ScottL can shed some light on these since he has purchased some already. 

I will, if I have to, make my own.  I don't have a problem with that I just want to spend that time doing other stuff.  So, GimpLizard, if you want to go ahead and send the design to Shapeways, do so and we'll know what the cost is soon enough.  I'll have to decide at that point how I will proceed.

Thanks for all the input, guys.  Good discussion.

Doug

[GimpLizard]

Since these blocks appear to be solid, they will be quite pricey (I mentioned this earlier in this thread already). Especially of one needs a lot of them. They would be much less expensive  if they could be made hollow.  After all, who needs the bottom details anyway? 

Peteski,

The actual size of these are 3/8 x 3/16 x 3/16. Hollowing them out wouldn't save much material.

[GimpLizard]

GimpLizard:

They look really good.  May I suggest getting some done in stacks, say 5 or 10 blocks long and 2 and 3 blocks high.  Also, maybe do some half-blocks.  It may keep the cost down for those of us who need a lot of these.

Doug

Good idea, Doug. I was thinking individual would allow folks to stack them to suit their need. But pre-made stacks are doable also. No reason we couldn't offer the choice.

It'll have to wait until next week, sometime. But I'll see what I can do to get them to Shapeways. Like I've said, I've never done anything with them before. So I'll have to do some learnin'. 

[peteski]

Peteski,

The actual size of these are 3/8 x 3/16 x 3/16. Hollowing them out wouldn't save much material.

When you compare the resin volume of a solid to a hollow block then a hollow one will sure save relatively plenty of material. Especially when someone needs 100 of those blocks. But whatever... 

[Santa Fe Guy]

Why I made mine.
At US$5.00 sounds cheap however we have a high exchange rate. So when we purchase From the USA from here in OZ we have to add 30 cents in the dollar plus US$15.00 to post plus 30 cents in the dollar on top of that postage cost you might see why we make some stuff.
When I made mine, some I did not saw (with the razor saw) all the way through, just scored around the styrene, on some I did cut through.  On some of those that I didn't I snapped them apart to give me a rough end.
Here are some that I have made.
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Just another way.
Rod.

[GimpLizard]

When you compare the resin volume of a solid to a hollow block then a hollow one will sure save relatively plenty of material. Especially when someone needs 100 of those blocks. But whatever... 

Well, I can give it a try. So what's a safe wall thickness for this type of printing/material? Anyone know? Don't want them to be fragile.

[Lemosteam]

@GimpLizard for FXD and FUD the min wall is 0.3mm.  I like to make mine 0.31 and watch it those chamfers may cause issues with the wall or shell operations and play havoc with the printability.

Shapeways allows hollow parts but there must be exit holes on the bottom for the printing fluid to escape.  The min "escape" hole must be 2mm dia. 

@peteski is correct- this will save both printing time and material volume.

Also if you have the capability in your cad tool of creating multiple copies (duplication) spaced at least 1mm apart, you can upload this as a single model, but there are vat size limits.  the CAD tools in the software can be very helpful, I have found.

[GimpLizard]

Okay, I hollowed out the Lock-Blocks. 0.31mm walls. And a 2.0mm hole in the bottom. The volume went from .013 c.i. down to .004 c.i. So that's almost 70% less material. Significant, for sure.

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Now, does anybody know what the max build size is at Shapeways? I can get 50 of them (5 rows of 10) in about 2-1/2 x 3-1/2".

[wcfn100]

You may first have a problem with minimum size.


Jason