WHY HAVEN'T MFG'S MOVED TO 3 D PRINTING

[kewatin]

With all the pent up demands for this model or that model discussion that comes up on this and other train forums.and with the day by day advances in whats possible with 3 d printing ,i am somewhat dismayed that some of these mfg's could &would create a small run of models that have POP,LEGS & APPEAL =SALES WHICH MEANS pop garners your attention,legs means will hang in there to sell well etc. look at what JASON SMITH from tomball loco works has produced.and in many cases he uses BACHMANN running gear.also there is a fellow called N GINEER on shapeways whom has a ton of stuff that currently isn't available on to days market.it seems to me that the potential is there to produce just about anything you would want as a modeler. the prices have also come down and their are a ton of designers available to create our pent up demands.with this technolagy changing every day in leaps &bounds i am somewhat surprised that some of our mfg's haven't made the plunge and tested the waters.i have seen many changes in my lifetime and this to me certainly looks like the future.i can see it all now hundreds of models being printed an hour,you name it you got it. i could be entirely wrong ,but i think not.i exspect a wide variety of comments,which is good ,as it promotes new thinking &ideas/
regards&later  KEWATIN

[richardl]

Welcome.
Hope you feel better after that Rant.

Do you have some data on what modellers want, scales, links, etc?

I suspect you have no idea what is cost to tool up a product. I do not know either but I have seen cost in the past.

Rich

[kewatin]

richardl, for your information sir i was in my earlier yrs a molded plastic tool builder,and yes i have an idea what it costs to make tooling dies etc. i am not ranting per your interpatation,but exspressing a viewpoint.there was a post by a company person [PUDDINGTON] from rapido trains here in canada on another forum that broke down the approx cost to tool up a new train product.$70 to $80,ooo plus advertising &distributing.if a small cdn company can do it i am sure bachmann ,kato, or model power could do it for the same cost factor.or cheaper.my post was more directed to those whom wanted a basic generic loco with additional sourced parts to make up an engine more to what rail road they are modelling..i am saying there is a niche  in this market as a money making side line.again just look at what jason smith has done using 3 d printing&bachmann running gear. have you even bothered to look  at what he has accomplished and he is just one person ,not a company.if he had the resources and money,i am sure he would have many,many sales.if you are looking to disagree ,have at it .its a free world and every one is entitled to their opinion.do not judge me till you know me.have a wonderfull day .
regards&later KEWATIN

[richardl]

You don't have to yell. Upper case text.

Changes in technology can take time, money. I am seeing discussions of this technology in the MRH forums.

I Google 3d printing model railroad and found info. Bleeding edge is not always necessary.

Try some 3D printing yourself and make note of cost. Do the math.
People who do this stuff don't work for pennies, even in China where most high volume production for model railroading comes from.

Rich

[ACY]

The cost of 3D printing would be higher because the workers required would need to be much more skilled (and thus paid much more) than the average factory worker in the current mass production system that most manufacturers utilize. That is just one thing to consider among many others that I will not go into at this time.

[Piyer]

Is 3-D printing the future of limited run model railroad products? Possibly.

Is that day in the near future? Probably not.

Whether you injection mold, 3-D print, or carve the model out of a block of man-made diamond, the initial problem is the same: having the research material from which to make a detailed set of drawings from which the model will be created. Now, while this sounds easy enough for some items, let's not forget that there is a long history of then-contemporary models with "mistakes" in one dimension or another.

The second hurdle is quality. There are a couple of different processes that come to mind for 3-D printing - "the hot glue gun" and the "tub of primordial ooze" to name two - each of which has its pros and cons. But I do not believe that any of them, as of this writing, produce the same quality of detail and ready-to-use-ness as injection molding does. The prep work the "finished" shell needs, the high the per-unit cost.

The third hurdle that comes to mind is the mechanism to go in and under the shell. While some might be interchangeable between diesel models, odds are those models are already being made in abundance (seriously, how many different F7A models with steam generator fittings do we need?!). It's the oddballs with their unique wheelbase or truck configuration, or wheel arrangement, that we are talking about for the 3-D printed market. Until we can create that just as easily as the shell, that's going to be a problem.

And then there are steam locomotives! With the complexities of driver sizes, gear types, and a billion other variables, little of which can be 3-D printed onto the shell, I don't see 3-D printing being a viable option until we come up with something akin to Star Trek's replicator. And there's the rub, because I see steam locomotives in all their uniqueness being the ideal thing for limited production 3-D printing.

We are at the dawn of 3-D printing. Right now it's shiny and new and gleaming with promise, but what tangible changes it will bring to the hobby have yet to be discovered and / or understood. At the least, it should prove to be a useful tool to the industrious hobbyist who enjoys scratchbuilding and has the wherewithal to learn to use this new tool and wield it to full advantage.

~AJK

[Ken G Price]

You don't have to yell. Upper case text.
Rich

You have not been on this forum long enough to tell long time members what they should or not should do, according to your way of thinking.
Suggesting, yes, demanding, NO!

[James in FL]

@kewatin

Short answer is $.

Riddle me this Batman...
Why would anyone who is into major (not mass) production, dedicate one machine to make one part, when otherwise that one machine could produce 8 - 12 per gate (2 maybe 4 gates), in far less time injection molding? (In case you don't know, there is a dollar value on every square foot in a production factory).  (Cycle time also is figured in cost).
I suspect there are many other cost issues the general public doesn't take into consideration, I know this as I visit several boards.
3D is good for onesies, twosies.
At this time and price, nothing more, IMO.
What 3D printing has not learned yet, (among other things) is the definition of smooth surfaces.

Patience Young Grasshopper.

[kewatin]

greetings james,first off i wish i was a young grasshopper.all pun aside i am very interested in this process as i see a benefit to the hobby in general.i look back over my lifetime just in the tooling aspects etc and here we are making carbon fibre componets,who would have thought technology would advance so far in such a short time.yes 3 d printing can be expensive but also reasonable. i just purchased 10 crossing signals  with intricate detail for $13 plus shipping.i don't understand why people are stating it is a costly indenture/ the fellow i purchased from has over 100 products listed &he designs all of his items and is not a millionaire by any means.most of his items are very affordable.also we have 2 engineering students in a small city close by where i live building a 2 seat small car& have made a few already.not sure off the costs involved.also read where ford motor company is looking at 3 d printing to save tooling costs&produce trunk lids hoods etc.gm already has made plastic paneled cars ie the saturn &fireo.so i don't get that this technology is a long time away.may be in my ignorance i am not understanding this process more,but posted this to learn,especially  when i see JASON SMITH from tomball loco works turning his masterpieces out left front &centre.granted he is a gifted craftsman and thought this might be a process for companies to fill the niche for all those folks wanting a generic pacific  where they could get additional parts to create a more specific road loco of their choice.i see there is already a parts list on another forum showing that the steam domes etc are removable and is generating a lot of interest regarding the new bachmann k4 release..keep the comments coming as i am still garnering info on this interesting topic and take sole responsability for this post so as not to offend any one.
regards&later KEWATIN

[ryeguyisme]

Here is a 3D printed model based on a Denver and Salt Lake 2-6-6-0 prototype. It's designed to fit over the Bachmann modified 2-6-6-2 chassis. Mine's been modernized for D&RGW use. I have 2 more of these currently in the development stage(one needs time to make more of these wonderful things) but honestly I have to say this engine is my pride and joy of the N scale fleet.

Matt Myers, the owner of South Boulder Model Works, a store on Shapeways designed this model, and he took a lot of time developing it and troubleshooting it and even modifying it into a modern version as well. He is also a very busy individual and I note that it takes a painstaking amount of time to develop these models and make them marketable to say a kitbashing young whippersnapper like me(I'm 26 and last I checked he was around 23-24) Making the model thick enough so as to not be brittle but also detailed.

While these seem like a great idea, 3D printing is still in it's infancy(technology is still advancing to the stage where ultra fine detailing doesn't hold a fuzzy consistency) and for detailed stuff it costs more to print detail in 1:160. Of course as time progresses so will technology and it may even help offset the cost of buying a printed model.

If I had the lucrative free time, I would take up learning 3D concept and design a bit more seriously and learn to make my own models, but working full time/overtime is severely draining.

I'd say why not take the dive and give it a shot, for all you know you may have some creative genius at the ends of your fingertips and you may never know.