3D printed bike parts

[eddiekay]

So I got the bright idea to 3d print rear turn signal stalks. Has anyone seen 3D objects, perhaps 4" long and are they durable enough to take the constant vibes that thye'd have to as a signal stalk ? Everything I've seen personally has been small...trinkets.

[kdogg2077]

I've seen some pretty durable 3d printed stuff. I could see this working for a lightweight part like a turn signal.

[ninjamunky85]

I just bought a 3D printer, the XYZ Da Vinci 1.0, it can print a 7.8 in cube. I've already built some quadcopter parts with it and the parts are surprisingly strong.

[Klondike1020]

where is a pic of these? and why would it be any better than injection molded plastic?>

[Bubba]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

where is a pic of these? and why would it be any better than injection molded plastic?>

You can make your own design in any 3D CAD software, and it's cheap for a small number of units.

However, you will not get the nice finish or strength of injection molded plastic. Those plastic molds are very expensive to make.

I have access to our 3D printers in the engineering school, some next gen titanium and aluminum sintered units can make strong parts, but no near forged metal and CNC.

[eddiekay]

Let me get more descriptive and see what you might suggest:
I want 4" lollipop round bright mickey mouse ears turn signals...because i want to be seen.
I can use the chrome stalks they come with pretty easily but...it's really gonna look goofy on the nicely faired ninja tail.
Or maybe build a shroud that houses the 4" light but "grows" out of the existing tail. Used to call it "frenching" the lights in the 60's.
So here's the end goal:
How to put a 4" turn signal on the 300 without making it look like Mickey Mouse.
I'd want a sculpted look that doesnt look bolted on

[BlownWideOpen]

Originally Posted by eddiekay

Let me get more descriptive and see what you might suggest:
I want 4" lollipop round bright mickey mouse ears turn signals...because i want to be seen.
I can use the chrome stalks they come with pretty easily but...it's really gonna look goofy on the nicely faired ninja tail.
Or maybe build a shroud that houses the 4" light but "grows" out of the existing tail. Used to call it "frenching" the lights in the 60's.
So here's the end goal:
How to put a 4" turn signal on the 300 without making it look like Mickey Mouse.
I'd want a sculpted look that doesnt look bolted on

I personally think you've got a losing combination either way. It will look terrible.

[choneofakind]

Our SAE Baja team has printed parts for their brake bias linkages. Still using them a year later.

[eddiekay]

I kinda think it might look pretty bad too but. I dunno. . The 300 rear sigs and tailight are inadequate IMHO. Brake blinker was better, strobes are illegal here. Hmmm...maybe a strip of leds...had them and the rear was very visible.

[Hero Danny]

It could happen, but I'd imagine it would be easier/cheaper to just buy an aftermarket one lol

[leed]

I don't think your average 3D printer will be worth creating a complete part if your blinker will be on a 4 inch stalk. Blinkers not only vibrate, but they flex a ton with every bump and unless you beefed it up I would expect it wouldn't take too long for a printed part to shear at a single layer after riding. If you wanted to make a short stalk signal [like a flush mount], you'd be perfectly fine [except for maybe UV exposure? -- Use some UV rated clear coat/paint]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Our SAE Baja team has printed parts for their brake bias linkages. Still using them a year later.

I'm wondering if your SAE Baja team doesn't use their brakes, or they're using sintered metal and not plastics! Even at full density, I would be very surprised if a part made from an FDM printer would hold up! Well, at least of a reasonable size. Still pretty awesome either way!

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

where is a pic of these? and why would it be any better than injection molded plastic?>

3D printers are common for prototyping and one of designs. Extremely useful for many things, though. Depending on complexity, the time and cost to create something you can hold/install is much less.

[choneofakind]

No it's definitely plastic. We made it

I think the plan was to use it as a prototype for sizing and testing. So they either have a milled aluminum backup already or one on the easy, not sure. But they were surprised that the plastic one held up so well.




Klondike, 3D printing falls under the category of "rapid prototyping". You can go from doodles on your computer to test fitting a part and tweaking measurements in an afternoon for minimal money, vs injection molding requires a whole set of molds to be made.