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3d printed GWR coaches - something big...a D51


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A long time ago I did one 70' coach. I fancied doing another one, a D51 brake third, but my printer isn't big enough. I tried printing it in halves but that didn't really work well, the join being too visible and the coach not completely straight either. So I reverted to getting one printed. Previously I'd used 3dhubs but they changed their mode of operation, giving a lot less choice and much more expensive. I found 3dcompare.com which is largely on the same basis and got the model printed there - again in China, by a company called FacFox. It took a bit longer than advertised, not unexpedectedly given events.

 

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Generally it is very good, at least as good I can print on my own machine. Unfortunatey there were a couple of glitches...

 

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The model was cracked here and the panneling and bolection damaged around this area

 

Also, weirdly in a couple of areas the detail of the beading was lost

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I'm not sure whether I could get a refund and given everything else going on in the world it would be rather churlish so I'll live with this and using microstrip try and make good the damaged areas.

 

All the best

 

Jon

 

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9 hours ago, dpgibbons said:

Could you disclose what the print specs were and what they charged please? 

 

It was just over £50 for the body, interior and chassis and shipping (£15). But on top of this I could have got stung for import VAT and handing charge which would have added anothe £22 but this time I didn't. I don't think one could rely on that.

 

As for the quality, the 3dcompare site doesn't give specs. If you go directly to the FacFox website (which is a tad more expensive IIRC) it suggests 100 micron layer thickness. I worked to a minimum wall thickness of 0.8mm, based on that site.

 

I

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Very nice work, just a couple of questions, did it print perfectly straight, as that's quite a long model for 4mm? And that loss of random panelling is very wierd, did you actually fix and slice the STL yourself to see if it would print on your printer and notice whether the panel lines had disappeared then? A bit worrying if the panel lines were there on your fixed  STL and just didn't print for no obvious reason...

Best wishes for the next one.

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Very nice work, just a couple of questions, did it print perfectly straight, as that's quite a long model for 4mm? And that loss of random panelling is very wierd, did you actually fix and slice the STL yourself to see if it would print on your printer and notice whether the panel lines had disappeared then? A bit worrying if the panel lines were there on your fixed  STL and just didn't print for no obvious reason...

Best wishes for the next one.

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1 hour ago, 5D_Stoke said:

Very nice work, just a couple of questions, did it print perfectly straight, as that's quite a long model for 4mm? And that loss of random panelling is very wierd, did you actually fix and slice the STL yourself to see if it would print on your printer and notice whether the panel lines had disappeared then? A bit worrying if the panel lines were there on your fixed  STL and just didn't print for no obvious reason...

Best wishes for the next one.

 

Yes it did print straight. The loss of panelling is weird. Printing same design in halves on my machine had nothing missing. I've checked the stl submitted (which had been through meshmixer online repair as the initial one it said had an error) and it's there. Opening the stl file did reveal why the model went wrong by the window however: I'd left a small gap between the modules making up the coach:fool: . Looking again I may also have missed in the 3dcompare website an option to select higher print quality as well...

 

I'd been put off by the results, the issues as above, but now I've realised it's at least in part my own doing I may give them another chance.

Edited by The Great Bear
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  • 1 year later...

It's been a while and this is something different, not a coach,  a BOCAR. These were used to transport car bodies from the Pressed Steel Company works at Cowley to other car plants in the midlands. On my layout there should be a couple of trains of these each way each day. So I should have several of these. These were made by putting framing on old clerestory coach chassis.

 

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Pretty flimsy, as per the real thing and I could have skipped the framing as it was covered by canvas side sheets.

 

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My attempt at trying to come up with slightly worn canvas side sheeting was done in Photoshop. Threading bits of cotton through holes in the paper for the retaining straps was a right pain, test of patience.

 

 

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