3-D Printer for our cars

I would be much more interested in making taillight bezels for a 1953 Pontiac Sedan delivery on one. but right now the cost is a little high. the can do it all even the threads in the holes. but inn order to plate it you have the do the spray on silver nitrate and clear coat.
 
I’m thinking in no time at all these 3-D printers will be able to provide car collectors with molds and parts otherwise unavailable to obtain unless you’re lucky enough to stumble upon some NOS item but we all know how rare that is.


Think about the possibilities, you need a tail light cover or even a piece of trim, or the manufacture name / logo, or that small special bracket in the engine compartment yet they are hard to find even in junkyards. Presto contact a 3-D auto printing company that can enter the original specifications into the computer and presto in a matter of minutes you have the part you need.

Sure it might be a little more costly but think or all the time, energy and money spent searching junkyards, eBay, and other outlets trying in vain to find the same item.
 
I’m thinking in no time at all these 3-D printers will be able to provide car collectors with molds and parts otherwise unavailable to obtain unless you’re lucky enough to stumble upon some NOS item but we all know how rare that is.


Think about the possibilities, you need a tail light cover or even a piece of trim, or the manufacture name / logo, or that small special bracket in the engine compartment yet they are hard to find even in junkyards. Presto contact a 3-D auto printing company that can enter the original specifications into the computer and presto in a matter of minutes you have the part you need.

Sure it might be a little more costly but think or all the time, energy and money spent searching junkyards, eBay, and other outlets trying in vain to find the same item.

Jay Leno has been making parts for his stuff for years like this.
 
he has the money to buy one of his own. me all I got is a sand box, some used oil and melted down wheel weights.
 
Jay Leno has been making parts for his stuff for years like this.

Exactly, but maybe I should have clarified myself a little better because like I already mentioned there are already services out there which are costly and limited to those willing to spend the money.

What will be neat is one day when there is an accumulated digital library of all the various parts to all these various old vehicles and all a person has to do is read through a catalog listing for the item they need and then print it on the type of 3-D printer that fits the job. (3-D printers can use plastics or metals)

Part of the issue now is that in order to print anything on these printers you first must tell the printer what you need printed, meaning it has to have the dimensions, design and correct materials before it can do the proper job. This means you have to have a 3-D scan of an original item or the details of it already in some digital form so the computer knows that it needs to create.

In a rare one off car like what Jay Leno has the chance of a part being needed by many others is just not likely, but say you need a certain badge in new condition or a piece of new hard to find Cadillac trim I would think such items could be produced with enough demand that it could make such a time investment into scanning them into a data library worth while. You then sell the item as a digital blueprint and not actually the item. The buyer simply pays for the design had it emailed to them and they then load it in their printer and print it.

In regards to pro cars look at the items for a proper restoration that are often needed, such as new name badges (Miller Meteor, CB etc) lights and lenses, trim, interior components such as cabinet nobs, locks, hooks, rails, and the many other little chrome or trim pieces. I'm sure its not long before we see this stuff available as I know people in other circles that are actively working on such a businesses model to bring these types of 3-D printing technologies to the automotive restoration circles and masses. the future of this really looks neat, but with any technology the first several years is a huge learning curve.
 
I know what you meant, and yes, it is a great idea if something like what you are talking about to be available someday at a price we could afford. I couldn't even imagine how many years it would take to make a catalog containing every part out there, but it is for sure way past my lifetime.
The reason for my comment was because I was not sure if you knew that people have already been making car parts from these printers, so the technology is there to make it work.
 
The reason for my comment was because I was not sure if you knew that people have already been making car parts from these printers, so the technology is there to make it work.


Yes I was aware of this, I guess it was lost in text translation in terms of what I was trying to express. Where I was going was more in terms or mass marketing the parts list or user friendliness for people buying printers. It's all good though :thumbsup:
 
There is a guy here local with a 3D printer that has been experimenting with scanning the JL and precision miniatures diecasts.
Keyword is experimenting. It is a small printer and the scans are kinda weird.
 
There is a guy here local with a 3D printer that has been experimenting with scanning the JL and precision miniatures diecasts.
Keyword is experimenting. It is a small printer and the scans are kinda weird.

The company I saw on TV had a model of a Ford truck on display which got me thinking how cool it would be to have a model of our pro-cars. Not sure how it is done but certainly would be neat!
 
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