japhillips87 Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 I just finished my fender eliminator. I'm too cheap to buy one, so I designed and built one myself. You can download the part on thingiverse. I have also posted a few pics on imgur. Let me know what you guys think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panamerican Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I must say its a hell of a good idea. Not too familiar with 3D printing but how hard is the plastik? and can you "curve" print, to do something like this ? http://www.pjsparts.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=5438 Also, what 3D printer would you recommend? Cheers. - Pan Am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 My only concern with a 3-D printed part for a motorcycle is that unlike an injection molded thermoplastic, 3-D printed plastic does not retain its shape after an extended amount of time. It will eventually droop and bend just naturally over time and after a year or so, it may not look the same or function the same as when you originally printed it. Nice work taking the initiative to make your own using 3-D modelling software, as a mechanical engineer student, I can respect that, but I don't think it will hold up long term. Just imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garrim Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 @panamerican: Yeah, you can print that if you wanted with a 3D printer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07echelon Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 Awesome to see that you made your own! I really appreciate the time you put in to make the CAD model. My concerns are the strength and durability of the plastic, and the sharp corners of the design. When printed, steep changes in angles are usually where the material will break first. I'm happy to be proven wrong though! Keep us updated on its durability! Nice work taking the initiative to make your own using 3-D modelling software, as a mechanical engineer student, I can respect that, but I don't think it will hold up long term. Just imho.+1 for mechanical engineering, just graduated myself and had to go through multiple 3D printed aircraft fuselages during my last semester 2015 FZ07 Gallery: http://fz07.org/thread/4304/07echelons-gallery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japhillips87 Posted August 8, 2015 Author Share Posted August 8, 2015 I printed it in ABS. This is the same material that legos are made of. It is a strong and, most importantly, flexible plastic. It is also more heat tolerant than some other plastics. While it is not as strong as nylon and some other thermoplastics, it should be fine. Most printers, like the Makerbot, use PLA plastic. It is more rigid but less tolerant to heat. It also breaks instead of flexing. I have a Prusa i3 printer. I would recommend it to others because of the quality of prints and wide range of materials that can be used. As far as the sharp corners go, that came down to laziness when making the design. I can round them off but I only spent like an hour on designing the model late at night. Printers can most certainly print curved parts, but depending on the type of printer, the finish would vary. I could print something like the wind screen but it would take lots of support material and I would have to finish the surface with an acetone bath. It would be a lot of work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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