3D printers for airgun parts??

[Woogie_man]

First print is done, and did something fun for my daughter. Layer lines are hard to see, and the finish is AWESOME!



Next will be some airgun parts!

 

[pan60]

very worthy first project!

 

[Dogowski]

First print is done, and did something fun for my daughter. Layer lines are hard to see, and the finish is AWESOME!
View attachment 10680


Next will be some airgun parts!

Cool! Nice smooth finish. She's going to love it!

 

[Woogie_man]

She was excited watching through the door. Grabbing filament tonight to make a parallax wheel for my Helix.

 

[Woogie_man]

Print 2 getting ready to go. Will have two parts, the orange will be the outer ring and a black inner ring. The orange is a close match to the USFT.outer ring is done.. starting one connection piece.

 

[Woogie_man]

And done.... forgot the support I the center so had to modify that. But everything looks good other wise. Just need a few nuts and bolts and it's good to go. May look for a pointer as well for the wheel.

 

[Dogowski]

And done.... forgot the support I the center so had to modify that. But everything looks good other wise. Just need a few nuts and bolts and it's good to go. May look for a pointer as well for the wheel.

View attachment 10705

Very nice man. I'm thinking about investing in a 3D printer myself. Just thinking!

 

[Woogie_man]

Have had it for 2 days, and already enjoying it. The fact that 3D fuel is here in my town.....makes getting filaments easy

 

[ranchonodinero]

Ok guys I have been thinking about getting a printer for different airgun parts and bits. I have done a bunch of drafting and CADD things in the past so that isn't going to be an issue. Though the entire printer side of it is a mystery for me. So I have been looking at a few different units and am curious what you guys have used or currently use.

The one I am leaning towards is the Bambu Labs X1C with the AMS. Being a moderately older guy..... what do you guys think?

I started out with a Kickstarter Anchor bed slinger. The price, at the time was right and I'm glad I did it. I was able to learn with the machine and figure out which software to use. About a year later I bought the Bambu labs X1C. What a machine-it's not perfect but it sure works well and is easy to use and maintain. If I were interested in dipping my toe into the water for the first time, I'd sure look at Bambu lab's mini. The single element machine is only 199. It is a bed slinger but it gets great reviews-it was 179 during the holidays. And, you can either purchase it with an AMS (automatic material handler) or without. The advantage of the AMS is that you can use multiple colors or have it pre-loaded with multiple filament types. If I were in a high humidity environment, I would NOT consider this option as most filaments do not get along well with humidity. After you pick your machine, you'll want to fiddle with models and software. I like "thingiverse" or "printables" for the models. Bambu labs has their own repository too. For design, I use the free version of "Tinkercad". It is incredibly powerful and there are tons of tutorials on YouTube. Slicers? The "slicer" is the piece of software that slices your model and Bambu labs has their own version and it works well. You can even manipulate your model with it. Scale it? You bet-change colors and setting print parameters are all part of it. Good luck and have fun-it is quite an adventure! I made some cool phone/tablet stands that my wife gave to her friends. Made some powder bushings for another friend and he was tickled with them and they have lasted a long time.

 

[elwoodblues]

I have a Kobra S1 combo coming in feb. 4 color version I had a Anycubic Vyper for a couple of years worked well for me gave it to my son and grandson to play with its been a good printer, just can't get the boys to remember to print me things so this is my replacement

 

[pan60]

I would like a 3d printer I am just not sure I am young enough to learn how to use it?

 

[elwoodblues]

I'll be 70 in a couple of weeks if I can doit so can you, you can use your computer thats more than half the learning

 

[Woogie_man]

Heck I just turned 41 so not all that young, but not as old as some of you guys either lol


Here is a holder I just modeled up for my Corbin dies. These should fit either the 217 or the 218 dies that I have. There is a spot for both the standard die as well as the hollow ojive die, the extraction pin and two of the base pins. That should give me enough protection so that these parts don't get damaged, and will also allow me to keep them in a decent location without the fear of them rolling around

Total print time is just over 4 hours so not terrible. Now just hope it prints fine and there is no damage or any mess ups!

 

[ranchonodinero]

I would like a 3d printer I am just not sure I am young enough to learn how to use it?

If you can watch YouTube, you can do it with the right printer. They are so very very easy and there is ton of support from forums to videos. I am in between houses right now and mine is in storage and I miss it. And printing stuff for the wife and family keeps them engaged. I am a serial hobbyist and am amazed at how many projects I've made for my other endeavors and for my friends doing the same. Then they offer to pay for it and I tell them no so they want to pay for materials-most of the materials are super cheap! I told my wife about thingiverse and she created her own account to save projects. Filament is super cheap not only from Amazon but other sources. I mostly print PLA, but even the lowly PLA is getting UV protection these days. Can't go wrong with any of the Bambu labs products. After you get it, the next danger is becoming a filament hoarder! But seriously, printing is super easy. Changing filament types based on what you are trying to print can be a challenge, but even then, it isn't bad-just means you purchase a cheap filament dryer or better yet make one.

 

[Woogie_man]

I have the die holder printing right now. Will see how fitment is and see how everything looks. If they do work I will get pictures and let you guys see.

Honestly the designing part wasn't to hard, just took some time. Was a little tricky to get the correct geometry, but with some YouTube videos I was able to work though the issues. A few weeks ago I was really intimidated by the process of trying to design things and have them print. But the process isn't that bad, just keep a note book next to you for writing down measurements and notes.

 

[ranchonodinero]

I have the die holder printing right now. Will see how fitment is and see how everything looks. If they do work I will get pictures and let you guys see.

Honestly the designing part wasn't to hard, just took some time. Was a little tricky to get the correct geometry, but with some YouTube videos I was able to work though the issues. A few weeks ago I was really intimidated by the process of trying to design things and have them print. But the process isn't that bad, just keep a note book next to you for writing down measurements and notes.

The free version of Tinkercad will store 10 models for you. I print many prototypes in draft mode until I get it down.

 

[Woogie_man]

DONE!!!!!

A minor adjustment may be needed, but everything looks great!

I did adjust the size of the holes for the base pins. I measured them correctly but the printer made them a little under sized. So a quick adjustment in Fusion 360 and they should slide down like the others.

 

[Woogie_man]

How about a large slug container!

 

[ranchonodinero]

That came out great!

 

[Woogie_man]

The underside of the lid isn't perfect, but it works great.