Probably the most interesting thing I've made yet...

[geneb]

...if you're a fan of the Supermarine Spitfire anyway.

I've been working with a warbird guy in Queensland recently and last night I printed an elevator bellcrank for him. The part is 330mm long, so I had to print it on end....

Finishing up, roughly 14 hours after it started. I sliced it with Kisslicer v1.1.0.14.
[img]http://www.geneb.org/spitfire/bellcrank-finishing.jpg[/img]

Completed:
[img]http://www.geneb.org/spitfire/bellcrank-done.jpg[/img]

After removing the support material:
[img]http://www.geneb.org/spitfire/bellcrank-cleaned-1.jpg[/img]
[img]http://www.geneb.org/spitfire/bellcrank-cleaned-2.jpg[/img]

This part (or one exactly like it) will eventually make it's way to Australia where it'll be turned into a cast aluminum part and will end up on a Spitfire restoration for a museum.

Sorry for the potato quality of the pics. My DSLR is hiding in my shop at the moment.

Thanks for looking!

g.

[dunginhawk]

that is awesome... quality looks amazing... great support...
thats a really nice piece..
congrats geneb

[Chrissi]

Gene,
Any chance you are documenting the process for this? I am the co-chair for the Sun N Fun fly in Engine Workshops tent and want to show how relevant this technology is for aviation, casting parts, checking parts for fit etc. Does not have to be engine related; mechanical components are good. Looks like I am going to have to drag our printer along this year, print little blue jets for the kids.

Chrissi

[DavidF]

Will they be using the lost pla process?? You know how much I love burning plastic

[geneb]

Gene,
Any chance you are documenting the process for this? I am the co-chair for the Sun N Fun fly in Engine Workshops tent and want to show how relevant this technology is for aviation, casting parts, checking parts for fit etc. Does not have to be engine related; mechanical components are good. Looks like I am going to have to drag our printer along this year, print little blue jets for the kids.

Chrissi

There's not a whole lot to document Chrissi. Guy sends geek model. Geek slices and prints model. Guy cheers.

Is there something specific you wanted to know?

g.

[geneb]

Will they be using the lost pla process?? You know how much I love burning plastic

Probably not THIS part, but likely the next. I didn't increase the model by 2%, so I don't know if it would be the right size after casting it.

When doing Lost PLA, what material do you use to create the mold out of? Plaster of Paris? I know very little about the process, but it's something I'd like to look into doing this summer. I'm currently in the design phase of a 1:1 scale Bf-109K4 simulator cockpit and there's a few parts that I'd like to cast out of aluminum.

g.

[Jimustanguitar]

Guy pays geek?

[geneb]

Yes, Guy pays Geek.

g.

[Chrissi]

Google around for Youtube on the process, shows a couple of examples. You need "investment" looks much like plaster. Also something to vibrate it to help degas, or large vacuum chamber and refrigerant pump.
Gene, I guess at least some good pictures of the finished pattern?

[DavidF]

Gene Ive been doing the lost pla for a year and a half now. You best bet is to use the plasticast from ransome and randolph. When its properly burned out it is very dense but still porus enough to allow trapped air to pass thru. I highly recommend using vacuum assist to get the mold to fill completely when casting aluminum.
If you want sometime we can pop into the hangout and Ill discuss in detail. Honeslty though, for the size of that piece you would be better off adjusting the cad file, adding draft and removing bolt holes, then do it as a traditional sand casting. Investment casting it would take a good deal of investment and IMHO would not be very cost effective. I have a couple new YT videos up (not sure if I posted them here) If you would like to see how things have progressed.

[Khalid Khattak]

Your work is an inspiration of us and especially to me.. Your printer is well-aligned and i like the 300+ height print...

[Chrissi]

Gene, there you go, David is probably the guru on the casting, those were most of the YT videos I was referring to.

[DavidF]

thanks for the kind words Chrissi. Ive been improving with each and every cast. Now when I look back at some of my earlier experiments and castings I think to myself Ah Jeezz thats not a good example....

[geneb]

Chrissi - I've got a new flash coming in tomorrow for my DSLR and I'll take pics of the bellcrank then. It's got a diffuser on it which should give me more even lighting on the thing. (I bought it in anticipation of doing the Eris manual - I want better photo quality.)

DavidF - I'll bug you when I get some free time. Providing of course I don't go blind squinting at scans of 70 year old (and sometimes fire damaged) blueprints of course.

g.

[RegB]

"Interesting" shots of various things in the back ground too -- like a CARTESIAN machine (-:
I assume you didn't buy it "ready made" ?

[DavidF]

"Interesting" shots of various things in the back ground too -- like a CARTESIAN machine (-:
I assume you didn't buy it "ready made" ?

Ut oh gene...busted!!!

[geneb]

That's a LulzBot TAZ, first generation. They sent it to me to do an unboxing & setup video. It's spent most of it's life sitting on a shelf because the hot end leaked like you wouldn't believe. I got tired of working around it and decided to get it going again. I accidentally destroyed the original hot end in the process (and blew a thermistor channel on its RAMBo...) and ordered a new one. THAT one leaked just as bad and I found out that some had recently left the factory with a liner that was too short. They replaced it under warranty and it hasn't leaked yet.

g.

[jdurand]

They replaced it under warranty and it hasn't leaked yet.

g.

But, have you turned it ON since then?

[geneb]

I've printed a few 66mm instrument bezels:
[img]http://www.geneb.org/109k/bezel-rings.jpg[/img]

The green one was done on White MAX and the white one was done on the TAZ. The TAZ print is iffy because I hadn't re-done the auto-level wizard in MC after tweaking the Z axis a bit. I printed another after going through that process and it came out great. The nozzle is .35 so it takes a while.

g.

[DavidF]

now those would make for a good first casting experience...