Printing hard to find vehicle parts
I don't really consider these "hall of fame." But I did want to share my application and process.
Problem: I own a motorhome that is 30 years old and was built on a German Neoplan Coach Chassis. Parts are hard to get and some are no longer made. You can read more about this on my blog for the motorhome at http://www.autobus.us
Solution: Print them using a Prusa i3 printer for a fraction of the cost of buying them. Note- they cannot be bought because I do not know who makes the part.
Unit cost: approximately 15 cents US each.
Number of Prototypes to get a perfected part: 35
Tool Chain: Designed in Autodesk Fusion 360, Sliced with Simplify3D. Printed in PLA and ABS. PLA was from Prusa Research. ABS from WYZworks in Los Angeles.
Original part:
PLA Part:
ABS Part:
Running a batch of 6: (I had to print them on a raft to overcome adhesion issues)
Running a batch of 20:
Re: Printing hard to find vehicle parts
Oh, I did post the STL files for both PLA and ABS on my site. They are Open Source Hardware, Creative Commons Attribution No Commercial Use.