RedSN
04-06-2017, 08:52 AM
My wife's uncle asked me a while ago if I knew where to get replacement parts for his chocolate fountain; he needed a new gear for the one that stripped. After coming up short on my search, I decided to make one for him. I dusted off my AutoCAD 3D modeling skills and built a model. I then exported the model to a STereoLithography (STL) file and found a local place that does 3D printing.
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/gear-00_zps3epo1pis.jpg
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/gear-01_zpszyztnp3u.jpg
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/gear-02_zps5ltdhljx.jpg
I intentionally left the bore undersized and will drill it out to the exact diameter, and I have still have to clean out the gear teeth with a nail file. They used what they call a 10% fill, which means the plastic is like a honeycomb. If the gear isn't strong enough they can increase the fill % and/or change to a higher strength polymer like ABS.
The stuff they can do with this 3D printing is unlimited. And the price is really coming down on the hardware. You can get a printer for the cost that I paid for HP Inkjet colour printer in the 90's.
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/gear-00_zps3epo1pis.jpg
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/gear-01_zpszyztnp3u.jpg
http://i605.photobucket.com/albums/tt137/LX-Markham/gear-02_zps5ltdhljx.jpg
I intentionally left the bore undersized and will drill it out to the exact diameter, and I have still have to clean out the gear teeth with a nail file. They used what they call a 10% fill, which means the plastic is like a honeycomb. If the gear isn't strong enough they can increase the fill % and/or change to a higher strength polymer like ABS.
The stuff they can do with this 3D printing is unlimited. And the price is really coming down on the hardware. You can get a printer for the cost that I paid for HP Inkjet colour printer in the 90's.