Have 3D printer. Now what?

Some friends bought me an Ender 3. Before I had one I used to conjur up all sorts of weird things to make. Now I'm not having anything:

1)useful

2)automotive 

come to mind. I have an NC Miata. The only things I've seen are useless, or not needed. it's like having writers block. 

Look up Lithophanes. Family and friends love 'em. 

Look into tool storage.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/show-us-something-that-you-made/145226/page30/

Cup holders, phone mounts, random switch panels or covers, clips and fasteners, shift knob, etc

i don't have one yet but plan to at some point. Trying to think of stuff is beating your head against the wall. Ideas will come to you, I write them down as they come up. 

Brake ducts, NACA ducts, various brackets for interior stuff. Too bad you don't have an NA Miata cause there a guy who 3D scanned a bunch of after market NA aero parts on Thingiverse. 

I'm using mine to prototype a new big brake kit. I also made a wing for a pinewood derby car this morning upon request of a 7 year old. I've built a number of bellmouth intakes to experiment with. Someone also came up with a nice quick release fitting for brake ducting that was clever.

A lot of the car stuff out there could be just as well done with some fabrication, but the printer is an interesting tool. 

Making a model of an expensive caliper so I can make sure it works before I order one. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I have the same printer. Mind leaking what caliper that is? And where you got the .STL?

Vajingo said:

In reply to Keith Tanner :

I have the same printer. Mind leaking what caliper that is? And where you got the .STL?

From the other post, its something from AP Racing.  I think I remember that they have IGS/STL/Other files available on their site to aid in CAD development and things like this

It's an AP 9444. The model is not publicly available, I already had a relationship with them and this a potential future product. They do have dimensioned drawings on their site though. 
There is another AP caliper out there on GrabCAD if you just want something to play with. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

Not to get too far off topic, but do you know if Mike O'Neil still works with AP Racing?  Had several conversations with him way back when I was designing brake mounting points on the uprights for my first FSAE car

I do not, sorry.

FYI, one of the guys on the Miata 3D FB group just published a cap that snaps over the throttle body inlet. Perfect for protecting your engine from...stuff...when you have the intake off. Not a complex design by any means but it's a whole lot easier to use than a plastic bag and/or painter's tape. Nice, non-obvious use of a printer.

One thing that might be helpful to know, do you have a CAD program and knowledge to use it?  Most of what I've done has just been whipping up something when I have a need.  For example; I was sandblasting and painting my intake manifold.  Didn't want any damage to happen to the injector bosses, so I made these.

The endless possibilities of a 3D printer are kind of overwhelming. I love seeing the creativity here

Keith Tanner said:

I'm using mine to prototype a new big brake kit. I also made a wing for a pinewood derby car this morning upon request of a 7 year old. I've built a number of bellmouth intakes to experiment with. Someone also came up with a nice quick release fitting for brake ducting that was clever.

A lot of the car stuff out there could be just as well done with some fabrication, but the printer is an interesting tool. 

Making a model of an expensive caliper so I can make sure it works before I order one. 

How long does something like this take to print? Is it hours or days? 

Also, do you need supports or print the cavities without the need to support them in any way?

Keith, why is your printer in what looks like an aluminum enclosure?  

That caliper print took a long time. I think it was 36 hours. I did some testing to be able to print it without supports - that's why the caliper is cut in half instead of printed as a solid piece. I did have to add a chunk under the bleed screw bosses as well. I was definitely pushing the limits of what could be done without supports because it would have been a serious hassle to take apart otherwise. There are a couple of slightly messy spots on the major overhangs but I didn't care because I was interested in the exterior only.

The enclosure is there to trap heat when I'm printing ABS. It doesn't like to cool down too fast. It's also fire resistant in case things go wrong.

Note that I am very much in the testing and learning phase right now, I'm asking this thing to make stuff I'm not sure it can make so I can learn what it can. That enclosure also serves to keep the whole system clean because it's set up in my garage.

The enclosures can also be useful inside to cut down noise and help filter out particulate matter

https://www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/are-emissions-from-3d-printing-hazardous-to-your-health

spandak said:

The endless possibilities of a 3D printer are kind of overwhelming. I love seeing the creativity here

That is where I am. I got the printer as a gift, and my brain about exploded. Then I set to work to find things to print. And I think my brain literally did explode the second prior, because I could not and still cannot really think of anything I need in the shop or for the Miata.

It might be cool if a certain automotive magazine did a certain article on certain things that might be cool to print for certain cars. Certainly.

In reply to Vajingo :

I swear sometimes it feels like you all have our office bugged. Already working on it.

But yeah, definitely learn CAD next. Most of what I print is stuff I've drawn myself. 

Tom Suddard said:

In reply to Vajingo :

I swear sometimes it feels like you all have our office bugged. Already working on it.

But yeah, definitely learn CAD next. Most of what I print is stuff I've drawn myself. 

Suave. I can't wait

If you have added or rearranged things in the engine bay, you could print clips for wiring or brackets for relays and other components.

This guy printed an airbox. His channel may give you more ideas, but most of what I've seen looks like useless trinkets.

It is my goal to not make any useless trinkets, although I will cop to a little sci-fi rocketship that lives on my desk and flies around sometimes. It has yet to explode.

Just because it's fun to show off, here's a check of wheel clearance using a laser-cut template and a printed caliper and caliper bracket. The caliper doesn't clear the wheels I have, but it sure will clear these. I can also do this in 3D as I have models of everything, but you have to do a real-world check to make sure your models correlate. The wheel template was taken off a different, 2D set of drawings.

Other things I have built with the printer that are not useless trinkets:

- housings for various tiny computers
- custom wire grommets
- wall mounts for a Saturn V (okay, maybe a little useless)
- a replacement swivel pin for a salt container
- 1/4 scale versions of the brake parts
- bellmouths
- brake kit, obvs
- a cover for the control knobs for a sewing machine to protect them during transport

Coming soon:

- mounts and bits for the analog race dash
- I'm sure I'll come up with something...