How long until we see 3D printed components in boat building?

Stumble's post said high end. Thus I am curious what do you exactly get for $1000

 

Well you can get a FlashForge http://www.3dprinterwatch.com/3d-printers/flashforge/ ($1200 on Amazon) but it only does ABS plastic and only has 2 extruders and its best resolution is 0.1mm layer resolution. Now that sounds like a very precise machine but on a 1cm ball, you will be able to sense the roughness of each layer with your fingertips.

try to make a plastic bearing of say 0.1cm (say for a harken traveler car) and now the roughness will be very noticeable. Makerbots which cost twice as much have similar resolution and are similarly limited in source materials

If you want to go for inkjet based printers like he 3D systems 1000 http://www.3dsystems.com/sites/www.3dsystems.com/files/projet-1000-1500-us.pdf except that's 14k pounds sterling So really you don't have "high end" printers for $1k. you have very limited functionality and materials are limited to ABS - which means they are not as "high end" as stumble suggests

 

A replicator kit runs about $1500 with a print resolution of 20 microns.

The Cube with a 200 micron resolution comes in at $1200 assembled.

Rock stock 3d assembles comes in at $750 with a resolution of 100microns (but small build volume.


I may have misspoke however. The best in class for this type of machine runs ~$1,500-2,000. But gets a much more polished machine than the cheaper ones. That doesn't also have to be assembled yourself.


At that price I just don't have enough demand to justify buying one, but with a print resolution of 20 microns on the Replictor in Delrin it is getting close. A little post production sanding would allow simple replacement of sheaves and the like. But I want to see some material properties data first.

 

So a friend of mine in the boat parts business did just get a 3D printer for their design and prototyping efforts. His first effort was rubber grommet. The kind that costs about 5 cents at West Marine.

He figures it cost him $4k by the time he had a defectless part.

 

The kind that costs about 5 cents at West Marine.


NOTHING costs 5c at Worst Marine!!

 

LOL well in this case they cost actually less than a penny each
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=50692&subdeptNum=50693&classNum=50695

 

Lol, see in my world they cost $7. Because I always wind up loosing the pack after buying it only needing one.

 

Whole boat building/buyer thing seems kinda odd-ball.

Driven by a client base that seems to crave more expensive and higher maintenance for status and bragging rights.

It is almost like how perfume companies will jack up prices 'for publicity' and that somehow works.

Logic would dictate that by now a huge number of cheaper, sorta ugly(Phil Bolger?) but 'just as good' type boats using modern 'short cuts' would be seen.

One a related note, I sorta get why people like diamonds, but shouldn't their be a bigger market for artificial "real" diamonds that are in fact better than natural, but don't cost near what DeBears has brainwashed folks into paying? If I've gotta get a "grillz" it wouldn't bother me to use manmade 'ice'. http://www.stereogum.com/2285/grillz_by_paul_wall/news/

 

LOL!!! your Bilge must be really helping with your righting moment

I realize many folks here see me as "anti-3D printing" - far from it. I think it is increadibly cool tech. BUT precisely because I am a fan - I don't want to see it overpromised and under-delivered. Stephensons "The Diamond Age" is now 18 years old. And it was very prescient in its ideas. But we are still a long way off from that tech

 

http://www.3dprinterworld.com/article/3d-printed-kayak-from-homemade-3d-printer

http://www.grassrootsengineering.com/blog/2014/03/18/worlds-first-3d-printed-kayak/









http://youtu.be/odmFO7pJ-RQ

 

I saw this in design news. Nice open source printer can be built for less than $1000. Lame kayak design -way too many screws. The point this makes is that prototype boats and molds are well within the capability of current machines.

 

Did you see that it took 1000hrs of machine time?

Think you might have to fair out the joints in all those screwed flanges?

 

Yeah, with a .65 mm step, its going to take an awful lot of passes.

I guess with the screwed joints that he didn't feel comfortable with cementing or welding a watertight joint at that scale. In the comments he suggests that glue wouldn't be as strong as the screws - I'd have thought that would depend on how well he could control the quality of the cemented joint. Still, very glad he did it - quite a home project.

As you say, Skyak - appropriate for prototypes. He also says the design was tweaked for his frame - personalised rather than mass product.

 

Bigger faster machine on a rail? Two part hull? Bird bone section? Aloy?

When I started this thread I had just begun a 1/4 scale test model of a 20 meter folding solar electric proa I may build. It occurred to me that it might be possible to 3d print the components for the model. I think that the 3d kayak shows that this would be possible. I built the model with super glue 4 sheets of cheap garbage ply, epoxy, a little glass, and cans of car paint. I have't quite finished yet but I did a float test yesterday and I think it will come in at about 25 kilo. Cost was about $350. It took about 250 hours to build. If I ever build another I will certainly use a 3d printer.
I have little doubt that we will see full size 3d printed hulls in the future.

 

About the time we get flying cars. That's been a long time coming.