37023 Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 Howdo all, As am new to the 3d printing side of life what are the possibillities of having platforms made? Including sides and tops? I am asking as im not 100% happy with the ones on my layout of Queen Street and thought this could be an option? As theres a few thing i wanna look at having made for it. Any help would be appreciated Ta for now Chris W Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Boar Fell Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Hello Chris, 3D printers would certainly be capable of printing platforms, also they are not too complex shapes to draw up in CAD. However you would have to make them in sections rather than as one complete platform (unless you have short platforms). Also the cost of having them produced would be fairly large, for instance shapeways cheapest material is $1.4 per cm3. Another problem you may face is the rough texture to the surface (depending on the material chosen) however priming and sanding should help this. Just seen some photos of your layout, it looks good (Plenty of 37/4's) are your platforms a mixture of concrete and stone sided? Hope this is of use, Regards, Wild Boar Fell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
37023 Posted July 5, 2012 Author Share Posted July 5, 2012 Howdo, there a mixture of concrete, stone and guirder. There a real mess... But you wouldnt expect less from BR. It was just an idea and summat to look into... Might still be worth a crack at... Ta Chris w Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted July 5, 2012 Share Posted July 5, 2012 As the first reply says this is possible. There are people out there that can do large pieces too: I think iMaterialise in Belgium have a machine with a build platform that is over 1m in length so you can probably get them done in one piece - if you have a deep wallet. As the size of the machine increases the resolution can suffer. Don't expect the finish of a shapeways FUD part on something that large. You might also have to lower your expectations about minimum detail size - it might be 0.5mm or more and the parts will almost certainly need some hand finishing. Check the requirements of the supplier that you go to to be sure, if you decide to go ahead. You'll need, as a minimum, an idea of overall part size and volume for a quote, or better still a 3D part model. HTH. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted July 6, 2012 Share Posted July 6, 2012 If your platforms are of a uniform size and shape you could try printing only a few pieces and resin casting copies from those. Personally I would print a frame for the platform and skin the top and sides with plastikard and/or pre-printed papers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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