Suggestions on how to make this part

[julianf]

This thing -

I guess its about 30mm ish but obviously i can get the exact specs.

Metal pin and top bit need doing. Probably need to do a few of them. Maybe 500-off? Certainly an initial 250-off.

Pin is for electrical shorting, so, probably brass. Head has that irritating mushroom on the top, which prohibits simple moulding, so far as i can tell.

That resin printing would work. Filament printing would not give the finish required.


The brass bit, i assume, will be a job for my collet lathe, once i put it back together again. I mean wire cutters and a sander would so it, but i think the collet lathe will be quicker. Just not too sure about the head?

Thank you.

 

[Seadog]

Matrix panel?

 

[voipio]

The original pins appear to be silver plated.

 

[mtt.tr]

Pay someone with a bar feeding CNC

 

[daedalusminos]

Definitely resin printing would work for the head - I produce these though they're a little larger (smaller one is 37mm long)

 

[julianf]

Definitely resin printing would work for the head - I produce these though they're a little larger (smaller one is 37mm long)

View attachment 333328

That looks a nice finish.

What sort of money would i have to pay for a system that worked - i mean not real budget, nor commercial grade, but a good usable setup?

Thank you.

 

[julianf]

Matrix panel?

ModularSynthesis - MEMS 242M Programmable Pulser

Working title - "Clowney McClownFace"

 

[daedalusminos]

That looks a nice finish.

What sort of money would i have to pay for a system that worked - i mean not real budget, nor commercial grade, but a good usable setup?

Thank you.

Ooops, should have made clear that those have been post finished - sprayed and lacquered which you may not want to do for functional parts. Here's an off the printer part 30mm long, 9mm diameter...


My printer was £425 (might be closer to £490 now) 50um resolution, print volume approx 180mm x 130mm x 200mm high. You can get smaller 143x89x175mm, higher res (35um ish) for approx £300

 

[Agroshield]

Brass bit, collet lathe and grind up your cut off tool so it parts off and forms the chamfer in one go. Length control is more difficult if your collets are not a dead length type.

What material is the top part made from? A form tool would make the curved top and part it off and drill the hole from the tailstock.

 

[mike os]

For that quantity find someone with a cnc lathe and bar feeder,

Same for the handle … even in peek it should be cheaper than 3D printing

 

[julianf]

Top needs to be insulated from the pin.

I can't quite see how the top could be done on a lathe in one simple move - I mean with making the recess for the pin also?

 

[mike os]

Parted off at the ball, will leave a small nub to be finished off

 

[m_c]

Chuck, face, drill, form tool, part.
It's the kind of thing you could knock out with a turret lathe fairly quickly, if you had a suitable form tool.
But as Mike mentions, that method would likely result in a small nub on the ball.

You could machine them the opposite way around, but then you'd need to use a 2nd op for the drilling.

CNC is an option, but it probably won't be any quicker than a turret lathe. To get a good quality finish would rely on high spindle speeds and low feed rates, whereas a turret lathe with form tool wouldn't have that problem as it's just a single plunge cut (may get vibration issues though...).
It's one of these parts where CNC would only have the benefit it wouldn't need much input after you hit the Start button.
Given the size, I'd say it's the kind of part more suited to a Swiss head lathe, but that then depends on being able to source accurate diameter stock.
Twin head would also solve the 2nd op issue, but that's a whole other level of expense.

The original part does look like it's been injection moulded. Looking at the photo, you could probably machine the square edge into the mould with a t-slot/woodruff cutter, as it looks like there is a straight section before the dome.
It all depends on if you want to re-create the original, or something as functional but with cosmetic differences.

This is the kind of part I could probably make with the small injection moulder I've had in the workshop for years, but I just don't have time for any new projects just now.

 

[Ali]

Ooops, should have made clear that those have been post finished - sprayed and lacquered which you may not want to do for functional parts. Here's an off the printer part 30mm long, 9mm diameter...
View attachment 333345

My printer was £425 (might be closer to £490 now) 50um resolution, print volume approx 180mm x 130mm x 200mm high. You can get smaller 143x89x175mm, higher res (35um ish) for approx £300

Which printer?

 

[gaz1]

30mm ish pin

flatten 1/4 way down so it can be locked inside

drill hardwood or softwood push it on with araldite and stain just as good and looks really nice

 

[Ali]

For that quantity find someone with a cnc lathe and bar feeder,

Same for the handle … even in peek it should be cheaper than 3D printing

I’m not too familiar with how bar feeders work, but wouldn’t the ‘bar’ be a bit whippy at that size? I think I’ve seen them where you can stack the bars up and it auto-loads the next one (could well be imagining it), but even then it sounds like a bit of a nightmare. I can’t see them being that expensive in resin?

 

[Ali]

30mm ish pin

flatten 1/4 way down so it can be locked inside

drill hardwood or softwood push it on with araldite and stain just as good and looks really nice

500 times?!

 

[gaz1]

printing will be worse at least if he drills them he can use a set depth

 

[daedalusminos]

Which printer?

Elegoo Saturn

I'd probably be able to print 50 - 75 at a time and I'd estimate each print run would be under an hour. There would however need to be some cleanup after removing supports etc.

 

[ukracer]

Elegoo Saturn

I'd probably be able to print 50 - 75 at a time and I'd estimate each print run would be under an hour. There would however need to be some cleanup after removing supports etc.

How big is the printer?