3D print a Yacht

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by kwhilborn, Nov 11, 2014.

  1. gonzo
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    gonzo Senior Member

    Laser 3D printers that melt metal powder are commercially available. Basically, there is a pot of metal powder and the laser melts thin layers, which weld themselves to the previous layer.
     
  2. Rurudyne
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    Rurudyne Senior Member

    Presently good for some uses, to be sure. More practical are green sand printers because they can be used to make high strength castings.
     
  3. Stumble
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    Stumble Senior Member

    Absolutely true but take a look at the deposit rate for high speed laser printers, and figure at best they will put down about 1lb/day. A 18,000lbs boat would take 50 years at that rate.

    Sure it will happen eventually. There is just to much of an advantage in being able to get rid of molds, and for a yard to be able to print whatever design someone has, without needing to build custom tooling for every job. But it isn't going to be soon.
     
  4. bpw
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    bpw Senior Member

    What material do you plan to use?

    Also, yacht hulls are cheap, its all the stuff in them that adds cost and time to a build, so the advantages of printing the hull and deck would be minimal in overall project as far as cost and time savings.

    When I image search 3d printed boats I can't see anything larger than a small very unsophisticated canoe. Do you have links to anything else?
     
  5. kwhilborn
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    kwhilborn Junior Member

    @ TANSL,

    Fiberglass (or fibreglass) is a type of fiber reinforced plastic where the reinforcement fiber is specifically glass fiber. The glass fiber may be randomly arranged but is commonly woven into a mat. The plastic matrix may be a thermosetting plastic- most often epoxy, polyester resin- or vinylester, or a thermoplastic.

    I think you must agree that you left off a form of plastic boat that exists in abundance.

    I'm hoping I'm not the only person here who has seen a Fiberglass boat (AKA Plastic), but I assure you they exist.

    3D printing can more accurately "pour" the plastic however and reinforcements can be built into the design.
    These pads show an example of 3D types of reinforcement infill (it's called infill).
    http://s255.photobucket.com/user/Rich196/media/Printing/DSCF3313_zps891cc486.jpg.html

    @BPW,

    I provided numerous links to some nice car sized prototypes in an earlier post.

    That prototype was sanded and painted, but you get the idea from it.
     
  6. upchurchmr
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    upchurchmr Senior Member

    So what is the modulus (stiffness) of the available plastics? I mean those with only milled fibers so they can be part of the material fed into the printer.

    What is the modulus of glass/ epoxy - something commonly used in "plastic" boats of current construction?

    Infill is raw plastic - no long fiber reinforcement. It is virtually worthless in a highly loaded part, unless you accept high weight.
    I don't think you understand strength of structures at all.
     
  7. kwhilborn
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    kwhilborn Junior Member

    @ upchurchmr,

    You are overlooking much of my last post that address this. Plastics are already being used in most every yacht and most Hulls as well in the form of Fiberglass.

    The reinforcement again was mentioned in the last post that glass fibres covered by the plastic is where a lot of the strength comes from.

    I've sailed past hundreds of cottages that have docks floating on plastic barrels.

    If I threw a sealed plastic container into the ocean I'd expect it would still be floating in 100 years if it kept offshore.

    So answer this: What would accept more weight a vertical stick, or an upright triangle of sticks?

    If you want to remove the infill from those (picture link below again)and we will both drive over our versions what would happen?
    http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh153/Rich196/Printing/DSCF3313_zps891cc486.jpg

    Flexibility depends on thickness in all building materials

    I am a Soil Engineer and a Science Major so I am not over reaching the possibilities of entire ships being printed. Possibly it is my better awareness of 3D printing that has encouraged my belief 3D printers will be able to print giant objects. Already they are using 3D printers to build homes.

    [​IMG]

    Not just the hull. but the outline of bulkhead and every room, seat, storage, counter tops, tables, and much more could be printed in any color plastic.

    Why is there such resistance to this topic by some. Most toy boats are plastic.

    @ Everyone,

    from website
    http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showArticle.html?7

    Paddle boats, Kayaks, Canoes, Pontoon Houseboats are all using plastic to float. This technology is old as it is pouring plastics into molds which has been done for over a century.

    This is a boat design forum. It would be sad to think it does not have a 3D printing topic, because even high end parts are being output for refurbished yachts, etc.

    No. I am convince we will see 3D printed yachts within a decade, and mine certainly will not be the first.
     
  8. DennisRB
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    DennisRB Senior Member

  9. TANSL
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    TANSL Senior Member

    kwhilborn, what I have seen, and have projected, are boats in plastic reinforced by fiber. Typically fiber glass, carbon or aramid. This is the current. Plastic boats, to my knowledge, do not exist (I do not speak of kayaks, floats, or tanks for liquids). For some reason, in boats, we always talk of fiber reinforced plastic.
    Use mat as reinforcement for plastic, on most ships is not enough (although it is very good for swimming pools), you need to use interlaced fibers.
    One more thing: "Flexibility depends on thickness in all building materials." I think this is not correct. Whatever it is what you mean by flexibility, that is not the mechanical property that is used to calculate the scantlings of a vessel. As stated earlier, the modulus and yield stress properties of the material are to be used.
    On the issue of structural strength, among other things I am not able to imagine, this method has, in my opinion, many things to solve.
     
  10. FAST FRED
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    FAST FRED Senior Member

    There are many machines today that can carve a very accurate hull shape in large sizes from foam.

    I have long thought that a solid hull layup (not foam core) could be created as a one off by simply using a different head to lay quick curing GRP.

    Herrishoff called GRP boats ,,,>Frozen Snot,

    The head would lay a 1/4x1/4 or larger bead that would stick to itself as it cures, and create the hull standing on its keel.

    SO IT WOULD BE A SNOT HEAD manufacture AND SNOT HULL BOAT.

    Of course it would weigh more than a foam cored boat , but for a non racer , no big deal., as the skin thickness could vary saving weight.

    With no human labor except feeding the production machine , and moving the finished hull it should lower the cost of the boat a good deal.

    Of course the hull is only 15-20% of the total boat cost , so even a 1/2 priced hull would not create a cheap boat, just a cheaper boat.
     
  11. The Q
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    The Q Senior Member

    Depends on what size boat you want
    Ever heard of the topper? all 50000 of them?

    https://www.toppersailboats.com/the-boats/#topper
     
  12. upchurchmr
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    upchurchmr Senior Member

    If you don't address my question about stiffness you don't have a clue.
    The same question applies to strength.
    Anything can be made that will float on the water.

    To take the loads of heavy weather and survival sailing takes long fibers which you cannot insert with a printer. It also need to have a high % of fiber to "plastic" whether it is a thermoplastic like you are talking about or a thermoset - which means all those plastic (non canoe, kayak, topper sized) boats.

    Answer the real question.

    Everyone knows you can make a canoe out of concrete, but you typically need fiber there too (steel mesh in this case).
     
  13. TANSL
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    TANSL Senior Member

    Yes, you're right. There is always an exception that proves the rule. I agree it is possible to build "containers" that allow sailing or motor and, because of its size and the type of navigation do not need to have a great structural strength, impact resistance, etc. But really, when the OP talks about boats, I was thinking on more complicated vessels.
    Following an idea which points the OP, I would comment that there are governments that, while not prohibited, do not like, for example, hulls made with projected mat. I do not think, but it's just an opinion, a boat, needing to obtain the CE mark, can be constructed in this way (3D printer).
     
  14. kwhilborn
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    kwhilborn Junior Member

    @ Doubters,

    Several posters are claiming that only reinforced plastics are good enough to "Float your boat",

    Have a look at these common plastic pontoons as I have previously mentioned.

    [​IMG]

    so unreinforced plastic is commonly used to float huge docks (especially where water levels change a lot), and Houseboats which are as large as the vessels I am discussing.

    It is already being done.

    The main and only real problem with 3D printing a yacht is the printer would need to be a tremendous size.
     

  15. TANSL
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    TANSL Senior Member

    Frankly, if all you want to build with a 3D printer are boats like these, we better stop talking about it. Do you think it's worth the investment and costs represent the system to build something that can be done in series much more cheaply ?. There is not, in my opinion, a very bright future that you assure to this system. But it is only an opinion, because I have not done economic studies on both construction processes.
    We must always consider what is useful or valid everything for and not endeavor to use it for what does not, imo.
    There are currently cnc routers of sufficient size to do large boats molds. So the size, if the tool is correct, is no an obstacle.
     
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