Potmetal Parts Re-made

[gramophone78]

There was a question on YT regarding Kalamazoo horn elbow replacements.

A member suggested 3D printing.

In fact, the member looked into and discovered items can be made of rubber (as original) with 3D printing.

So, this new technology makes me think.....why can't all or most potmetal parts be made the same way...?.

Parts can be made in "ones" or in quantity as demand dictates.

I would assume the cost factor would be far less than the traditional methods.

In fact, no one would go through the cost (in most cases) to have one part made the old way.

Also, parts such as fiber gears as found on Berliners and early Victor's, etc..... could be made with ease.

Someone should be all over this.

Thoughts....????.

[Player-Tone]

I looked into 3D printing once, considering the endless possibilities it can unlock as you hinted too in the above comment. In fact there is a workshop not too far from me that has a 3D printer available for anybody who needs to use it (for a price).

In my opinion to acquire the smoothness and precision needed for functional parts like gears it would be ideal to use a laser 3D printer rather than the more common (and cheaper) extruding 3D printer. It seems that even on high detail settings the extruding 3D printer will always form a rather rough finished product due to the fine extruded buildup of material. On the other hand the laser 3D printer uses precise pinpointed laser zaps to chemically cure the printing material in 3D space. This occurs while it is being pulled up out of the 3D printing fluid. The end result is an extremely detailed printed object that is far superior to an extruded printed object.

-For an "affordable" laser 3D printer you are basically limited to special polymer materials, so rubber and hard plastic type material with a density similar to ABS is all you have to choose from.

[Player-Tone]

Something like this is what I was thinking of:

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqPl6PN3b9c[/youtubehd]

[Player-Tone]

It is also possible to print metal parts, though I imagine it would be a VERY long time before you break even on an investment of this scale!

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xGOFACsFh0[/youtubehd]

[Cody K]

I believe that it's early days for 3-D printing, with much more capability to come in the near future. There's been some discussion on the forum recently about the possibility of producing cylinders and 78s this way, and the idea of reproducing pot metal parts is really a great potential use. The medical-device industry, particularly, seems to be at the forefront of 3-D printing technology that allows for extremely tight tolerances. It'll be a while before the cost of 3-D production is reasonably low, I think, but as the technology develops and a market for it grows, I expect it will happen. And when it does, yeah, it will be a huge boon to us phonograph fans. I'm not a huge fan of many new technologies, but I've gotta say I'm a bit excited about possible uses of 3-D printing like those you suggest. The idea of replacing fiber gears this way is especially attractive. That, and the 78s!

[alang]

Many car parts are already or will be soon produced by 3-D printing. The car manufacturers are very interested in this, because they will not have to keep such huge warehouses for spare parts, but rather print on demand. I heard at a recent technology conference that pretty much most manufacturing of the future will be based on 3-D printing. Of course this will create a whole new industrial revolution, just think about all those traditional manufacturing jobs...

I don't think that the volume of phonograph parts is large enough to warrant buying a 3-D laser any time soon. But more and more 3-D printing services are popping up, so someone who is versed in 3-D CAD or modeling could make a nice business out of designing the parts and having them printed somewhere else. I think this would be a great opportunity for one of our young computer-savy collectors to finance their hobby.

Andreas

[FloridaClay]

Yes, I think this is going to be an answer to prayer for making replacements for potmetal parts and that the day is just about here. And if you have a good original, it can be laser-scanned in to produce the pattern. Really exciting stuff and the cost comes down almost daily.

I have a friend here who bought a 3-D printer and just made a grille for an old phonograph, grain painted it, and it looks great.

Clay

[tinovanderzwan]

3d printing can be used to create a template mould for a replacement part first the wanted part needs to be printed out a fraction bigger than the intended end result then cast moulds can be made from fireproof clay or plaster in this the part can be casted in aluminium wich has the same look as most pot metals
the template needs to be bigger because of metal shrinkage

the use of 3d printers for motor parts or any parts that are under pressure is not really a good idea the printed plastic is either too soft or too brittle a gear from laser print resin would shatter under full spring pressure
also all 3d printed objects are laminated and will have weak points


tino

[gramophone78]

3d printing can be used to create a template mould for a replacement part first the wanted part needs to be printed out a fraction bigger than the intended end result then cast moulds can be made from fireproof clay or plaster in this the part can be casted in aluminium wich has the same look as most pot metals
the template needs to be bigger because of metal shrinkage

the use of 3d printers for motor parts or any parts that are under pressure is not really a good idea the printed plastic is either too soft or too brittle a gear from laser print resin would shatter under full spring pressure
also all 3d printed objects are laminated and will have weak points


tino

Just one comment regarding "fiber" gears. These fiber gears were made to reduce motor noise and are able to withstand the tension. Therefore, I can't see how a fiber gear could be any stronger to a resin or ?? gear made by 3D laser printing.

Many potmetal parts that have failed over time are not under any stress. Even reproducer housings,etc.... could be manufactured.

Some Victor auto changer parts come to mind and a great many "off brand" parts.

Perhaps in the very near future a collector can go to a shop with an original part and have as many made as they wish.

[FloridaClay]

Here is a fascinating video from Leno about how all this works. The equipment he has is probably a bit to expensive for most individuals, but there are likely companies that have it and through using it to make plastic replacement parts, or plastic models from which to make metal parts, it should really bring the cost down.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZrJsrTT4EA[/youtubehd]

Clay