Evolution of a Blog

This blog has evolved as I have as a maker. It starts at the beginning of my journey where I began to re-tread my tires in the useful lore of micro electronics and the open-source software that can drive them. While building solutions around micro-electronics are still an occasional topic my more recent focus has been on the 3D Printing side of making.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Not exactly a tank but related!

I have been looking for a project that would take advantage of my 0.25mm nozzle and ended up with a collection of "bling" for Flames of War miniature gamers (15mm).  I had the vague idea of selling this stuff but frankly it started to feel like work, something to which I no longer subscribe, so I decided to put these designs out on Thingiverse and just have fun with it!

Speaking of the work comment.  As saleable goods these have a very low value.  At the same time, due to their size, they require a fairly well tuned printer and some amount of baby sitting.  The equation does not work out for me!  The bottom line of my experience with 3D Printing and Flames of War is that there is probably not a huge amount of opportunity to sell things that are 3D Printed to gamers.  Namely because the competition can price their injection molded stuff too low for the printed goods to compete.   I suspect there are things that could be designed that do not exist in the injection molded world that would fetch a higher price but finding those opportunities also seems like work!

Anyway, here is what we have in this first collection:
  1. Sign posts.  Have four varients though more could be done easily (1, 2, 3, and 5 arrows).
  2. Tables. One large and one small.
  3. Radio on a small table.
  4. Tools, hammer, axe, shovel, and pick.
  5. Oil drum.
  6. Shell crates.  One open showing shells with lid, one closed, and a stack of them,
  7. Dragons tooth tank barrier
  8. Crates.  Large and smaller and stacks of four different configurations (only one shown).
  9. Belgian gate barrier.
  10. Panzerfaust, bazooka, bazooka shell bags
  11. Dug-in marker.


Here is a link to these models on Thingiverse.  Some of them will likely print fine with a normal nozzle while others might be a struggle.

These items may not be sellable as 3D prints but do represent a bit of what a hobbyist can do with a 3D printer.  I think the world of modeling is going to change as printers get cheaper and easier to use.

UPDATED on 20/10/2015

Finally got around to printing some of these items using a standard 0.4mm nozzle and was pleasantly surprised at the result.  With a extrusion width of 0.3mm the printer was able to do all but one of the pieces of bling (the pick did not print).  The stand part of the Belgian Gate is not as clean as with the smaller nozzle but the other items have good detail.



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