new medium? Printed 3d models/Shapeways

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hi All

Sorry for resurrecting a topic but I thought It'd be better to have all the explanatory guff above the posting. I mentioned that I was going to be playing around with Shapeways and I've finally got a model to be accepted as a design. It's a 1/144 scale HP Heyford, the 3d model itself is not the greatest but getting the model right for 3d printing is fairly tricky. I want to work on getting the model fully detailed and right before I do actual printing. I might try to add in a sprue of pilots/gunners and lewis guns as well.

Picture of the model as shown on Shapeways:-


Picture from my 3d program is attached.

Shapeways are quoting $32.00 for White, Strong and Flexible, similar to that used by Kampfflieger and his aircraft (http://www.shapeways.com/shops/kampfflieger), which is probably not excessive for a 1/144 bomber.

Cheers

GrumpyOldMan


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[Last Hussar]

At the University of Bath they are working on the reprap project - which is a 3d printer that is aiming to print itself - I think they are upto the 50% mark at the moment.

They are teaching technology how to reproduce?  The fools, have they not seen Terminator?

[vladgothic]

We use a lot of these SLA, rapid prototype pieces as the basis for masters at work, I think the over riding excitement about them is that the technology is becoming affordable, whereas they have been only accessible previously to the big boys with a big cheque book, such as GW, if my info is correct they 'grow' a lot of their 'epic' scale models.

The printers are small at the moment but, more than suitable for our meagre demands    and obviously as the cost decreases further the larger printers will become more widely available.

[Steve J]

All the 3D rapid prototyping technology we use at work will easily cope with at least 1/48th scale tanks and aircraft.

[TheOlivant]

I buy my 1:144 WW1 planes from them in plastic, very nice. remember to go for the polished plastic variant though as the none polished tends to be a little fluffy when painting.