3D printing of TJ parts

[KCsTJ]

Audi uses 3D printing to make some of their spare parts.

A 1914 race engine that had a cracked block, no parts anywhere to be found... lasers were used to measure the disassembled block and other parts.
The block and other parts were made via 3D printer and after final assembly the engine runs and still runs today. Sorry can't provide the link from this phone.

These printers can make parts from plastic to metal to carbon fiber.

With TJ and other discontinued car parts, have any you Jeep heads ever looked into this?

 

[Chris]

This would be very, very cool. Especially if someone started manufacturing some of the various plastic trim pieces that are no longer made. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

 

[bobthetj03]

I'll be first in line to buy it if someone can design a better multifunction switch.

 

[KCsTJ]

This would be very, very cool. Especially if someone started manufacturing some of the various plastic trim pieces that are no longer made. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

Absolutely, if someone could start replicating the original designs, good grief what a niche.
Someone will start this process in their basement and get profoundly rich.
The 3D printers are expensive, training is available, just takes major initial investment.
The machine does the laser measuring and then produces a perfect part.

 

[BlueRidge304]

This is the only 3D-printed part I've seen so far. I think this switch panel has been mentioned by someone here before. There is an eBay/Etsy seller that makes them on a 3D printer. Price seems steep at $90.00, but they do have some good reviews.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=223041263886

https://www.etsy.com/listing/613200772/jeep-wrangler-tj-lj-switch-panel-fits-11?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=jeep switch panel tj&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1

 

[cliffish]

@Chase_C 3D printed front speaker pods, I was able to grab a pair from him....They work great.

 

[Mike_H]

We have three 3D printers at work. They are awesome tools, but they are not all they are cracked up to be either. @Chris mentioned interior panels. Probably a non starter. They just don't have the size capability. The surface finishes leave a lot to be desired too. Even if you could print a door panel, for instance, the texture would not be there. So it would look goofy. Color would be of as well.

The technology is advancing at a tremendous pace though. It's something we keep an eye on.

 

[Chris]

We have three 3D printers at work. They are awesome tools, but they are not all they are cracked up to be either. @Chris mentioned interior panels. Probably a non starter. They just don't have the size capability. The surface finishes leave a lot to be desired too. Even if you could print a door panel, for instance, the texture would not be there. So it would look goofy. Color would be of as well.

The technology is advancing at a tremendous pace though. It's something we keep an eye on.

I thought that too about the surfaces. Everything I've seen that has been printed with a 3D printer seems to have a less than desirable finish. I mean it's not terrible, but it it wouldn't look at home in the interior of a vehicle. So what you're saying makes perfect sense.

I suspect they'll get there eventually though!

 

[tomtaylz]

This is the only 3D-printed part I've seen so far. I think this switch panel has been mentioned by someone here before. There is an eBay/Etsy seller that makes them on a 3D printer. Price seems steep at $90.00, but they do have some good reviews.

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=223041263886

https://www.etsy.com/listing/613200772/jeep-wrangler-tj-lj-switch-panel-fits-11?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=jeep switch panel tj&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1

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Yeah I’ve been considering getting this, sanding it down and trying to take some gloss off it and paint it to look more oem. I’ll update if I decide to do so.

 

[JeepNWilly]

Yea $90 is a bit steep IMHO. I will eventually start looking into designing something similar for my TJ.

 

[cliffish]

Yea $90 is a bit steep IMHO. I will eventually start looking into designing something similar for my TJ.

$90 is steep unless there is no other game in town on the part...for the unobtainium the price of someone with the time and equipment will have to be paid...in the mean time Daveysjeep.

 

[Tigerman]

There are many types of 3D printers, some are really expensive and some are dirt cheap. The ones you guys are referring to are the common garden variety that lay out the part in layers (additive tech). These are the ones that produce less than perfect surface finishes and parts that have almost no durability.

We use 3D printers at work to do rapid prototyping and I also have one in my garage (the cheaper kind but the higher end one). The one we have at work is a professional machine and produces surfaces that are absolutely smooth and the printed parts are fully solid. The cost of this kind of machine is really really high, like 500K or more, depending on the options and the models. Now, if we print parts on this kind of a machine, out of a material that is most similar or same as the OEM molded plastic, then they will be good. I, for one, do not have this kind of money to spend on a 3D printer .

There are really really expensive metal printers that can print parts out of metal (i.e aluminum). The surface finish and the accuracy of the print is not perfect even with the metal printers. You do not usually take a printed part and install it as is. The part goes through additional machining and bringing to tolerance specs. Don't believe everything (anything is more like it) Elon Mosk says SpaceX does secondary machining on their 3D printed parts as well. They don't get installed directly as they come out. The engine block the OP is refering to was too, I guarantee it, machined to spec after the printing. The difference is you don't start with a block of metal and machine everything. You machine only the important parts, the outside irregularities can be ignored, for example (decreases the cost of manufacturing).

Cheers

P.S. If interested, I can take a few pictures of surfaces and show you what kind of a quality you can expect out of a high end 3D printer.

 

[Mike_H]

Yeah, we have a high end printer here too. You can get very nice, very smooth surfaces with it. I don't think you can get specific texture with it though, to match interior trim. You also need support material, and that will ruin the finish in that area, if you don't have a part perfectly designed to be printed (i.e. the "class A" surface does not need any support).

 

[Tigerman]

Yeah, we have a high end printer here too. You can get very nice, very smooth surfaces with it. I don't think you can get specific texture with it though, to match interior trim. You also need support material, and that will ruin the finish in that area, if you don't have a part perfectly designed to be printed (i.e. the "class A" surface does not need any support).

You are right, the printer will not deliver the texture from a smooth model, but you can apply a specific texture to the surface of the model itself and the printer will reproduce it accurately. The support material, of course is needed in most models since nothing really is a block. There are overhangs that need support. One of the printers we use for actual working product prints, uses a wax-rubber like support material that is sort of oily a bit. The surface finish doesn't get impacted at all and it washes away with a pressure washer.

 

[brianb2]

I recently needed a roof rack for my wife's VW Tiguan and didn't want to purchase one of the $500 options. I found a couple of pieces of hex aluminum tubing at the local scrap yard and designed and printed 4 holders ($9 at my local library) for the tubing. Worked great. Also, just saw some companies started selling reinforced nylon which could have future for other things like bearings, bump stops, etc. fun times ahead.

 

[Tigerman]

I recently needed a roof rack for my wife's VW Tiguan and didn't want to purchase one of the $500 options. I found a couple of pieces of hex aluminum tubing at the local scrap yard and designed and printed 4 holders ($9 at my local library) for the tubing. Worked great. Also, just saw some companies started selling reinforced nylon which could have future for other things like bearings, bump stops, etc. fun times ahead.

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View attachment 55872

Nice,

Do you know what material they used to make your prints? PLA doesn't like the sun very much, deforms when under direct sunlight. It is also biodegradable, so will degrade over time.

 

[brianb2]

ABS. They prefer to use PLA, but I talked them into pulling out some of their old filament. Even it was PLA, for $9 I think I could get enough uses out of them before having to recycle.

 

[JeepNWilly]

Here is a neat video I found testing 3D printed cylinder heads on a mower as well as head gaskets.

 

[Sam Ryan]

I'm a college engineer with a 3D printer and a beat up 97 Wrangler, had my shifter boot crack and I was about to design and print my own till I found a model online. Would anyone be interested in setting up some kind of shared document with files? I am actually looking at printing my own glovebox handle as well, I believe I still have the broken one somewhere in my garage so if it works out ill be sure to post it.

 

[Tigerman]

I'm a college engineer with a 3D printer and a beat up 97 Wrangler, had my shifter boot crack and I was about to design and print my own till I found a model online. Would anyone be interested in setting up some kind of shared document with files? I am actually looking at printing my own glovebox handle as well, I believe I still have the broken one somewhere in my garage so if it works out ill be sure to post it.

What material are you planning on printing with?