3D Printed Mast Cap

[BOAT]

Strange, I told my wife about this post and the stuff you guys are doing with your printers and guess what? She wants me to buy a 3D printer now.

Great, that's all I need - learn another new thing. The technology is running wild but after considerable thought I realized she was probably right. I am creating and shaping and fabricating so many things in wood and plastic and metal I could save a pile of money just on all the lost materials I destroy to create prototypes and models of the final inventions I always seem to need. I rarely build full scale first time - mechanical things need to be cheaply fabricated for a test bed first before you commit to the full scale item.

And now the metal laser sintering guys and metal jetting services are telling me they can convert my 3D DXF or IPT files into scale-able DLMS files and reproduce whatever I make on my printer into a METAL part!!

I think my wife might be right on this one - it may be thousands of dollars but I think it might be worth it.

[WinSome]

Our g’son is heavy into 3D printing. It seems amazing. I’d like to see a file of 3d projects
And here’s my next order: a 25’ boat.

[kmclemore]

Strange, I told my wife about this post and the stuff you guys are doing with your printers and guess what? She wants me to buy a 3D printer now.

Get a Prusa Mini+ or a Prusa i3… they are bulletproof and work right out of the box. I used to teach 3D printing and I’ve used dozens of brands. I assure you, this one decision will make or break your 3D printing experience… I’ve seen so many folks give up because their printer sucked. Pay the money and get the best.

https://www.prusa3d.com/

[krum]

Say, Is anyone with a 3D printer taking orders for the mast cap. Sure would like one.
Let us know if yes and the price also.

[Justpics]

any interest in selling them, I am not financially able to invest in a 3D printer, but would be interested in one for a Mac 25. I was looking at making one out of some 3/4 starboard but this is much nicer.
thanks Garry

[kenfyoozed]

My son printed one for me, I am asking him about a price. I know he has mentioned in the past about UV being an issue, but I'll let you know what he says.

update:
He's a good kid, so he says " I can't sell those because I don't own the rights to the design, that would be illegal" got to love the innocent mind. HEs not wrong in not wanting to screw over the original designer. He prints a lot for himself , but I guess this is a "code of honor" amongst the designers of such items.

[Wyb2]

There are a bunch of services that will 3D print for you if you send the model. Xometry, eMachine Shop, and Shapeways are ones I’ve heard of, there are probably a bunch more. You upload a file and define a material and qty and they will quote a price.

Not sure if the OP is still following, but they uploaded the design to thingverse in order to share it, I don’t think they are trying to keep the IP under wraps. Anything you find on thingverse should be available to download and print for “non-commercial” purposes. I think it’s basically like any photo you find on the internet, you can download it, you can print it, you can take it to Kinkos and pay to have printed as a poster. You can even make a few for your friends and have them reimburse you for the cost, but you can’t start selling them online for profit.

After typing that, I see there’s actually a link at the bottom of the thingverse page that explains it without my extra interpretation.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

[charliefdt]

...

Needing to mount wind instruments I also designed and printed a new mast cap about 3 years ago. I was waiting to post, not having gained access to my account and also wanting to test it out first. I went through a few design mods, settled on one and printed it in dark blue PETG. It has held up just "OK", faded and a little brittle, so I replaced it this spring with a new one in white and coated with epoxy inside and out. I suspect it will eventually suffer the same effects but maybe last a bit longer. I have also show a drink holder and lug nut caps.

I started printing parts at work on a 40k commercial machine, even they need tweaking, maintenance and special design considerations. My first printer is an A2 plus that came as a 100 parts needing assembly and has many upgrades including firmware and enclosure. I also have an Ender 3 pro that prints pretty well with little assembly.

A few things I have posted to thingiverse https://www.thingiverse.com/walljoh/designs
...

I don't see your design for a mast cap on thingiverse any more. Is it shared somewhere else?

[OverEasy]

Sheesh!
Yu’allare hav’n way too much fun with this 3D printer thingys!
I’m jealous

Nice stuff that makes nice stuff for lots of applications.

Just a thought about the UV resistance…
Generally black color plastics outlast white colored plastics all things being equal otherwise.

A quick look a thermoplastic printer materials has a couple options offered.
I saw black but it much on other colors.

Another thought about UV resistance is to paint several layers of quality opaque UV resisting outdoor (preferably marine grade) paint.
Krylon and Rustoleum make several color options other than black.
Start with a good couple layers of a quality epoxy primer for plastics to get a good bond to the underlying structure.
Then apply a couple layers of the desired color(s).
Opaqueness is key to UV degradation protection.
Might be a cheaper alternative than special materials.

Another option is good old fashioned gelcoat…which protects fiberglass resin from UV exposure.

Best Regards,
Over Easy

[Stickinthemud57]

Just a thought about the UV resistance…
Generally black color plastics outlast white colored plastics all things being equal otherwise.

Very smart of you to bring up the UV resistance question.

The starting place in that regard is the choice of filament. There is a regular alphabet soup of possible choices.

PLA is the easiest to work with, but can be brittle and does not hold up well to UV.
PETG is not as brittle, and is the basic hobbyists go-to for items that will be subject to UV. My beer can holders have done well thus far, but have only been out in the sun for a few months.
ABS and Nylon are both very tough and UV resistant, but give off toxic fumes during the printing process and can be very difficult to print with for the average hobbyist.

Within these groups, I have no idea what color, if any, offers better durability or UV resistance.

As Wyb2 suggested, a professional printing operation such as the ones linked to at Thingiverse would be a good place to start. They should be able to recommend which filament will be best for this application.