Hey Manike!!!!!

[FooTemps]

What are you gonna anno it?

[SlartyBartFast]

Here's a thought.

Now I know that castings aren't as strong as machined parts, but considering the complexity of something like the Manike-Emag or the C&C couldn't a comparible product be made using investment casting techniques?

If you can output *.stl files of the 3-D part, you can have the plug made using a stereo-lithography rapidprotyping machine. Most CAD packages support stl as an output format. It would be interesting to know what the strength and cost differences would be.

For real fun, you can actually have a fully functional part formed using stereolithography in a number of materials including different plastics and a number of metal alloys. A crystal clear plastic Manike-Emag might be cool.

Even more interesting is that you can produce parts that would be impossible to machine. Say a one-piece body and grip-frame with all the required internal holes.

Given the 3-D files it's very simple to get a quote for pricing for any of this.

[steveg]

Hey Slarty I'd been thinking along the same lines about the
investment casting. they are not necessarily weaker than
an extrusion

one really neat part about stl is that you can use the plastic part as the form for the invertment casting
(it's a differant than normal stl plastic though)

http://www.3dsystems.com/index_worknav.asp?nav=aerospace&sol=casting&content=atwork/casestudies/atwork_ti_dseg.asp

I had actually seen a stl model of one of the v-force masks
one time a few years before the came out.

[steveg]

Dragoon the irony here is that I lived in Toronto for the
last 16 years before moving back home about a year ago
what kind of machine do you have?

[manike]

I'm familiar with the rapid prototyping techniques and use of SLA, SLS, FDM, thermojet etc. I worked in a prototype studio and employed all of these techniques.

I have some components made this way right in front of me at the moment

It's certainly possible, the cost of a component like an all in one body would be several hundred pounds for the SLA part. And then you would need to find somewhere that would cast it for you. In stainless would be nice!

Or you could have it sintered directly on a SLS machine... although often this ends up with a more brittle component.

I'm actually having some prototype wrap around grips done this way and after I finish the STL file they will be sintered probably or FDM. Nice to have contacts in such areas.

Just this week I was at an exhibition for TCT techologies and a lot of these types of manufacturers were there (I once got head hunted by 3d systems BTW ).

manike

[steveg]

We (the former employer that is) represented 3D Systems
in Canada before they went direct to customer.
interesting stuff but a lot like watching paint dry

[magman007]

oh simon, if you get this i have to ask, i have a theory from my home annodizing, but was the e-mag triggerframe cast? it has a different aluminum mass to it, it seems hevier, and not like the rest of the componets. IS it a different strength or what?

[Fred]

must... learn... CNC programming!!!



I got a line on some freebie software to start learning the ropes on... and hopefully I'll be able to sneak into an engineering class next year to get access to the school's machine shop...

as usual, very interesting stuff Simon!

Edit: Holy crap! just watched those videos! good choice for a subject with lots of curves...

---Fred

[manike]

Magman the grip frame is machined, but it does appear to be of a different type of aluminium.

Steveg, I agree completely. They are great techologies but boring as hell. That's why I specialised in 5 axis machining. I love programming and watching 5 axis mills... once got in trouble for writing my initials in 3d with one once though Looked cool but scared the beejeebus out of the machinist especially when I took it within 5mm of the component (would have gone closer but didn't want to push my luck).

Fred, it's a great piece huh? Certainly gets engineers to stop as they walk by. It's funny because enginneers have a natural tendency to handle nicely machined components but in this case they don't know where to touch it.

Incidentally that model is machined from an STL file which was scanned in from the original. We are even able to 5 axis machine over scan data (STL) files. Good stuff and very useful technology.

manike

[JLove]

Gun looks great. My only hope is that Tom Kaye can get his own C&C programmers. It sucks waiting for PTP and others to make the cool bodies that are either unavailable, or have fooked up tolerances. I realize it is a money thing... but I am sick of seeing milled everything else except e-mags.

Cheers to Manike.

[steveg]

J that would be Computer Numerical Control CNC
C&C is cut and carved there will be a test.

Manike about Trebis will it do plunge milling output
We (TFE)provided machining centers for Ingersoll Cutting Tools,
for a number of trade shows including CMTS in Toronto
I was seriously impressed with the speed and ease with
which the plunge milling cutter would remove metal
(1020 in this case ,because it's cheap)

Second NURBS, current Fanuc controls can have the
NURBS function included
Two advantages that I observed is that the tool path file
is much smaller(mostly irrelevent in truth) and the finish is
much smoother because an entire curve or arc is described
instead of a bunch of point to point data.

Last, because Canada is a Fanuc market what about support
for HPCC (high speed machining funtion, enabled by a
G-Code that I can't remember at the moment)
there is a very large installed base here and I imagine
that the owners would like to use the function as it makes
the machine go very very fast

[giant1515]

nice

Manike,
Very very nice work on that mag body. It will be great when it's done I'm sure. I actually don't want one though. I've done most of my playing in Florida sand and . . . well... it gets everywhere. That seems like it would be murder to clean off after a day playing.

Hope you get it done soon and enjoy playin' with it.

-Giant

[SlartyBartFast]

Originally posted by JLove
It sucks waiting for PTP and others to make the cool bodies that are either unavailable, or have fooked up tolerances. I realize it is a money thing... but I am sick of seeing milled everything else except e-mags.

I'm with you on that one. I would think that AGD could do a good bit of business if they licensed production to others.

It seems crazy that people have to wait so long for a lump of machined aluminum that a number of supliers could provide. I mean what's the deal having to wait for extreme bodies to arrive from Europe when there are reliable North American machine shops?

Even then, I'd wonder if it wouldn't be in AGD's best interests to make all the critical measurements and tolerances public. After all, each and every body produced needs to have genuine AGD Automag internals.

The deal with PTP is along these lines as they now sell complete markers whereas in the beginning they only sold bodies and had trouble with tolerances. If only the market could be opened up to all.

Oh well....