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Post by Svadilfari on Mar 24, 2016 20:12:19 GMT
Just a general question. I see there's now a source of 3D printed pommels and guards around ( and they're great looking, I have 2 sets). My question is this..just how durable are they ? I'm guessing they'd probably not stand up to RL, sword-on sword combat where blade could meet guard, but what about day to day cutting work or just the occasional accidental drop to the floor ? Anyone got any thoughts on this, or would it just be wise and prudent to keep 3D printed stuff for display purposes only ?
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Post by nddave on Mar 24, 2016 20:20:23 GMT
Aren't the 3D printed furniture simply made of plastic to create molds for metal ones? I don't think anyone is actually using the 3D printed stuff as actually hilt parts, could be wrong though, can 3D printers make metal objects?
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Post by chrisperoni on Mar 24, 2016 20:38:44 GMT
Yes. The 3d printing is used to make a mold the the part is cast in metal
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Mar 25, 2016 0:12:03 GMT
If you're talking about The Printed Armoury's fittings being sold from my online store (LG Martial Arts), the original pieces were 3D printed, molds were then made out of them, and then the final fittings were then made out of Stainless Steel. In the near future, some (if not all) of the fittings will come in mild steel. I'm sure LemuelTheLemur can elaborate further. Cheers!
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Post by LemuelTheLemur on Mar 25, 2016 2:48:30 GMT
Yes you can print objects in stainless steel using laser sintering techniques, but Printed Armoury casts their parts in solid stainless steel. We may try an experimental run in mild steel in the future.
If you got actual 3d printed steel parts they won’t be as strong as solid cast parts, but I imagine they will be reasonably tough.
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Post by Bushido on Mar 28, 2016 10:41:54 GMT
I don't think fitting would be durable enough, but perhaps grips and handles printed out of nylon would work?
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Post by Svadilfari on Mar 29, 2016 9:53:00 GMT
I guess I was rather confused when I wrote my original question. I should have been clearer. I know that the fittings, as sold were not themselves 3D printings..but that the 3D prints were the originals that were then used to create the moulds for the finished products. What I really meant was that are the final *castings* durable enough to stand up to serious use , or would they be brittle ?
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Post by Bushido on Mar 29, 2016 10:46:28 GMT
Depends on what they're made of. In general, cheap zinc or aluminium alloys are quite soft and mainly suitable for decorative purposes rather than actual use. But if you can cast the fittings from steel or perhaps bronze they should be sturdy enough for all intents and purposes.
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Post by LemuelTheLemur on Mar 29, 2016 11:02:36 GMT
I guess I was rather confused when I wrote my original question. I should have been clearer. I know that the fittings, as sold were not themselves 3D printings..but that the 3D prints were the originals that were then used to create the moulds for the finished products. What I really meant was that are the final *castings* durable enough to stand up to serious use , or would they be brittle ? Nope, they should be durable enough to stand up to abuse for both stainless steel and mild steel. Virtually every other production sword on the market uses cast fittings, including those for HEMA sparring. I should probably ask someone to try to do destructive test on my fittings actually...
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Post by hussar on Mar 29, 2016 11:43:46 GMT
Aren't the 3D printed furniture simply made of plastic to create molds for metal ones? I don't think anyone is actually using the 3D printed stuff as actually hilt parts, could be wrong though, can 3D printers make metal objects? there are 3d printers that can print metal but they are immensely expensive machines (talking hundreds of thousands here) used mostly by aerospace rnd that requires aluminium parts that can't be entirely cnc'ed so I doubt any sword maker will be using them any time soon
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Post by nddave on Mar 29, 2016 15:35:37 GMT
Aren't the 3D printed furniture simply made of plastic to create molds for metal ones? I don't think anyone is actually using the 3D printed stuff as actually hilt parts, could be wrong though, can 3D printers make metal objects? there are 3d printers that can print metal but they are immensely expensive machines (talking hundreds of thousands here) used mostly by aerospace rnd that requires aluminium parts that can't be entirely cnc'ed so I doubt any sword maker will be using them any time soon Ok cool, I thought I read that they could do metal somewhere but wasn't sure. Indeed that is an expensive machine for sure.
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Post by Cottontail Customs on Mar 30, 2016 3:04:51 GMT
I know it's not the same thing but I have a couple of 3d printed pieces made of brass(by Shapeways) and they seem just as strong, if not stronger than many cast brass pieces I have worked with. I accidentally drove a screw into one too hard and thought for sure it would crack the piece in two but it held up surprisingly well with no fractures or damage.
Just assuming that your cast steel parts would be every bit as strong as any other unless the metal or casting process itself was inconsistent or otherwise flawed.
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