It's been a while since I posted in here. Life does get in the way, doesn't it? My cutting brakes project compounded into cutting brakes, center console modifications, and subwoofer replacement. Unfortunately, that meant no more bin inside because the aftermarket powered subwoofer took up a lot more space:
Since I like having that bin, I planned on getting into 3D printing to complete that task, and I'd been waiting for Bambu Lab's Black Friday deals to get an H2D. Just before the big annual sale, they announced the H2C. I opted to wait for that model, and I ordered it the morning they took orders. A few days later, it was in my hands, and since then, I've been consumed with learning to model for 3D prints, as well as how to slice and print 3D parts. What a journey! It's been an absolute hoot.
The first thing I designed and printed was a replacement spare tire snubber. A lot of learning went into that part. I wanted to print it with two materials - a hard plastic for the main portion, and a hard rubber (really more of a softer plastic) for the tip and the base. The reason for the tip being compliant is obvious, but my reason for making the base compliant may not be so obvious. I'm using a steel type H drill bushing as an insert for the screw to avoid crushing the snubber, and I wanted to seal that and the screw from moisture as much as possible. My hope is that the soft base will seal against the body, and I designed a cap to plug the hole in the tip.
I started by printing a test piece to check the press-fit for the drill bushing:
With the press-fit dimensions now determined, I set to work learning how to print in multiple materials. Printing one part with two materials involved a learning curve with both modeling and printing. I ended up having to model it as three separate parts connected to each other in order to specify the materials separately. Here's the model in Bambu Studio showing the two different materials as black and dark gray:
And here it is printed, with the cap:
That's a test print, so I went with a thick layer thickness to speed up the print, which is why it's got those prominent steps. Once I know the length I need (I have to finish the mods to Fluxor's spare tire carrier, first), I'll print it with a thinner layer thickness.
With the experience of designing and printing the snubber behind me, I had the confidence to tackle the much more complicated center console insert. I began that design yesterday by defining the opening at the top of the console, which is the interface of the part to the console. Matching a complex existing part when you don't have drawings or a model is time-consuming, and I've spent all weekend on it. I used my usual technique of measuring things and iterating with paper print-outs, but now that I have the 3D printer, I've added another tool to my design workflow - iterating with 3D prints. What a game-changer!
Back in the early 90s, when I was at Harley-Davidson, we had what was then called a "stereolithography machine." It was a half-million-dollar 3D printer before they were called 3D printers. Unfortunately, the race team was last in line for using it - the production motorcycle engineers and designers kept it very busy. I never had the opportunity to use it. Similar story ten years later when I worked for Polaris. They had a "stereolith machine" there, too, but the engine designers "owned" it. I didn't work on engines there, so once again, I wasn't able to use it. So despite being aware of them for over thirty years, I've never been able to really understand how much they shorten the design process.
Back to the console bin. My iterative process was to print a representation of the top opening, screw two drywall screws into it for handles, check the fit, make changes, and print again. Here's the latest iteration being tested for fit:
And here's a pile of "iterations":
The one at the left on top is the start of the next step, which is where I am right now. The third iteration is currently printing. I'm trying to line up the mounting holes on my part with those on the top of the console. So, I print it out, fit it like below, mark the hole locations, modify the part to match, and re-print:
In the photo above, you can see I added tabs to better locate this test piece in the opening. Here's the current open-bottomed bin in Fusion:
I still have a lot of design work to finish this thing, so stay tuned!
