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Thread: Any ideas of a small simple part to reproduce? (3D CAD Plastic/Rubber Parts)

  1. #1
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    Any ideas of a small simple part to reproduce? (3D CAD Plastic/Rubber Parts)

    Dipping my toes into 3D CAD modelings and looking for an idea for a small part to make a 3D model of and send off the file for reproduction quotes. 3D printing it appears to be a cheap option but doesn't scale well, injection molding seems to be viable if it's something that would sell well (100s to 1000s or more units).

    After I learn a bit more about this stuff, maybe larger parts will be possible. If I can create a good 3d model, large things like headlight housings should be possible. Since the 3d model is hand made, it could be possible to modify it to fit modern lights that are available and such. I doubt there's big money to be made off this stuff, but I find it interesting to check out.

    Anyway, I define a small object like 2x2x2in or smaller, less features it has the better (the more of a raw shape like a circle etc is better). I'm thinking something like gas tank rubber mounts, seat rubber mounts, tail light hanger, etc. I'm looking more for a hard plastic part though like a chain slider but smaller. I have a bunch of ideas, but of course ideas are not all profitable.

    Of course, I only want to target out of production parts.
    Last edited by ps2fixer; 01-20-2019 at 04:56 AM.

  2. #2
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    Here's a sample of what I've learned so far with the software. Bonus points if you can guess what it's designed for. Unsure if I'll make it a laser cut metal part, or add some "skirting" to the edges and gussets to turn it into a plastic part. I have some clearances to double check but should be more or less done. Hopefully I got the notch in the circle cutout clocked right, not sure how to get an accurate angle measurement for that one, I just eye balled it by holding the part I'm basing the dimensions on to my screen lol.


  3. #3
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    How about the two caps for the rear of the 86-7 200x frame?

  4. #4
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    Ps2fixer, I challenge you to make these tailight hangers I’ve tried.... if you can do them you could do anything. There a tough part to mold or find new, the 30yr old ones out there don’t have much time left until they fall apart.
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    Devilman, I know swinehart did those caps, I’m unsure if his wife has any more or has plans on making more.
    I have made a few for my own personal use unless I hear otherwise there not for sale at this time though.
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    Oh, Ps2fixer “a key switch plate” looks good.
    I also have a new 87 200x harness for u to copy “but” only with pics + measurements if you’d like. It’ll just take a couple days to find it....(where the heck did I put it)!!!!

    Shep
    Last edited by Shep1970; 01-18-2019 at 01:13 PM.

  5. #5
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    fabiodriven is offline Aspiring romance novel cover model, and the Official 3WW slayer of thieves and swindlers. Catch me if you can
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    I don't know if anyone has made them, but there are two smalls I need for the SX's.

    One is the clutch adjustment cap for the engine.

    The other is the plastic taillight retainer pins.
    85 Tri-Zinger 60
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  6. #6
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    If I can get high enough volume of sales, I can have injection molding made from my 3d diagrams. This is basically mass production, prototypes can be made via 3d printing to ensure fitment is spot on. I probably have to talk to their support and see if when they 3d print if they account for shrinkage or not. If not then I have to account for that in the 3d drawing.

    Those 200x caps are probably an ideal part for me to test my 3d making skills. Completely new to this, but I've done 2d cad back in highschool and programming and such since then (Graphics are 2d cad basically, never did 3d graphics).


    Also, for the 250sx tail light retainer pins, I suspect this is the part you're talking about. Aka, still available.

    https://www.partzilla.com/product/ho...01f5a2f991517e

    Anyway, my process is completely different from what the Swineharts were/are doing. Their parts are more or less a molded copy of the original part, what I'm doing is recreating it in a virtual 3d space like Honda would have done to design/build the parts in the first place. No worries about the mold failing or wearing since the 3d model is the "master" and will last forever as long as there's no data loss. It's a very time consuming process but there are a lot more manufacturing options including 3d printing which is cheap for small volume.

    Those 200x tail light hangers should be possible, I'm not sure how I'd have to design around the bolt in the end though, I suspect there's a metal nut molded in with the rubber? I could probably make it a hard plastic lug inside and use a rubber like material for the rest and have them 3d printed somewhat cheap. The dual material setup I have to look into more, but if I can get one to base measurements on that would get me a starting point.

    I don't really want to target parts the Swineharts make, unless it's something hard to produce for them and I can get them made better and/or cheaper in more of a mass production setup. Injection molding is very possible, but the initial run has the cost of the mold in it as well. I believe after that it's just normal production costs. When a mold is made, I own it, and can request to have it on hand at any time.

    Also you got half of what the part is, now what machine(s) is it for lol. Hint that will probably give it away too easily, it's a few machines that doesn't normally have an ignition switch. I'm debating between that design I posted vs a single bolt style one that's a lot smaller and would have to be made from metal. I paid to have it 3d printed to sample their 3d printing abilities, probably won't work too well as is for a usable part, but is good enough to test fitment and the plastic's properties. I won't have it till early Feb. Not really sure if there's a large enough market for these, but I've dabbled a tiny bit and had sales for the raw electrical parts (ignition switch + adapter + harness). I haven't made any more because of the requirement for a part that's getting harder and harder to find, and there's no new option. I designed the key switch hole around the Chinese ignition switches I get, hopefully it's not too snug for the Honda made switches. It just annoys me having the sloppy fit because China can't copy other products accurately enough (like 1mm smaller than the real switch it's based on).


    For those frame caps, there must be more machines besides just the 86-87 200x that used something like that right? The mold doesn't care about color so black etc would be possible too. I'm not sure how close to Honda Red I can get.

    Another possible thing I could have made would be like engine mount brackets. I know the flat ones are very possible, not sure if I can get them bent by the manufacturer or not and what kind of costs it would be. The plate posted in the first post I'd have to sell for like $60 if I had only 20 units made, 100 units it's more around $45 price point. I didn't try a huge number like 1000 units, probably should have to see how well it scales, and I didn't see their steel option so I went with AL.

    I did a quote for it made of steel, and it's more or less the same price at 20 units, slightly more expensive since the finish options are limited more than AL. I can get it nickle plated though which would be pretty neat. I think that's how the triple top plate is made, steel that's nickle plated. I just checked their quotes for CNC and it's tighter tolerances and similar priced too. Cheapest I can get is raw AL and resale would be around $40/unit with me buying 20 units. 100 units doesn't drop the price much, and no drop from 100 to 1000 units lol. For the fun of it I checked titanium and I'd have to sell for $300+ per unit lol. There's so many options, it's hard to pick which one will be best cost vs end product wise. BTW, the 3d printed version would have to be sold for something like $35.

    Worth nothing, I didn't add shipping into anything above, their shipping was a bit on the expensive for a single unit, but I suspect larger batches it's better.

    Finally, on the 87 200x harness. is there any way I can get it in my hands? I like to double check wiring with a multi meter and hold up the final made harness against it to make sure I made it right. I can do it nondestructive since I have an 86 harness to base the splice locations on. I pretty much just need to validate the 87 harness is identical to the 86 one besides the ignition switch wiring. I could pay for shipping both ways and such and if you want a copy made I can do it for a discounted price since you're helping with the template.

  7. #7
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    Found a part that might b one to make. It's a little complex to design but I don't think it would be super bad. It's the seal/rubber grommet for the back of the 200es and similar headlight bucket. I found there was a post of someone making reproductions, but I don't see them listed on ebay or the 3ww shop so I guess that died out? Didn't really want to start with a rubber part since I don't know the hardness I need, but I guess worst case I can just order one in each hardness and see which one I like the best and can be a good reference point for future parts. Anyway, it seems like every one of these I've seen have been garbage, I'll have to hope out of the 5 or so machines I've had, one is atleast partly together to get measurements off it. Could always just redesign it myself based on the headlight hole and such.

    https://www.partzilla.com/product/ho...ae83ba028a943e

    One thing I've never seen anyone talk about for reproduction are tail lights. Seems like they get messed up quite often. Not sure if there's a suitable material or of the 3d printing finish would be nice enough for the lens, but the main housing I could probably have 3d printed and look good enough. I'd have to find a suitable standard light socket to design the part to accept. Could also rework the design to have the OEM look but have LED lights inside. Either case I'd be looking at making it take the same lens cover as OEM. There's a lot of curves to these parts though, so I'm not sure if I have the experience to actually design it in the 3d program yet.

    Kind of getting on the big side, but the 200es and similar headlight bucket plastic seems to be another part falling apart quite often. I've also thought of maybe recreating the ATC70 light kit but focus it for a LED headlight or something so it's a simple bolt on upgrade. Just a few ideas, not sure if there's enough interest for any of them though. For 3d printing, something like 5-10 units min isn't too hard to come up with, just have to combine shipping into the part cost and pay myself something for the 3d cad work.


    I'm kind of interested in trying those 87 atc200x frame caps. I'll see how good my first part comes for it's finish and such and base how far I think 3d printing can be pushed. Clearly a fender or headlight shell wouldn't turn out super pretty, but some time sanding and polishing could make it nice.

    If I jump into the rubber parts, it seems like frame/tank grommets would be a pretty easy one to make, but it seems like a lot are still in production. Are there any that's been out of production for along time that's hard to find? Maybe frame to seat bumpers (the huge rectangle chunks of rubber). I've love to make the 350x headlight straps, but I'd have to redesign the latch system to be all rubber, and I can't think of a good way to do that. Also I found a motorcycle strap that might work instead, might have to buy one and try it.

    Talking about the 350x straps, Almost forgot there's those pins in the straps, seems to be a common part and out of production. They look like a flat head screw so I'm sure there's a lot of them out there that are ugly. Heck it's about impossible to remove one with out damaging it. I think I'm going to make this part in 3d cad. If anyone is interested, let me know and I'll get a price quote. Since it's 4 per head light and the fact they are tiny, I suspect 100 qty wouldn't be too expensive to have made, but I'll know more once I get the 3d drawing made. I'm not sure how well the OEM pins work with the aftermarket shrouds, maybe I can change the part slightly and make a version exclusive for them. Part number linked below for reference.

    https://www.partzilla.com/product/ho...8fc43bec3145a2

    This 3d cad stuff is kind of fun to play around with, weird as hell to get use to though lol.

  8. #8
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    A plastic replacement inspection/timing plug with a 17mm wrench flat instead of that lousy slotted crap.
    You can never get them out without boogering it up or destroying it altogether.
    A plastic version would be great!
    Teflon or UHMW would hold up to the heat well enough.
    They’re M18x1.25mm threads.
    I was born and raised on Venus & I may be here a while.....

  9. #9
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    Alright, got the part made in cad, came out really well I think =). At first it seems simple, but learning the program, it has been a pretty steep learning curve so far. Anyway photo below, I'll check what kind of price I could make them for.




    Recreation of Honda part number 61308-HA2-000


    I could have them 3d printed fairly cheap, not sure how strong they would be though. It's more or less just to keep the rubber pushed out so probably would be fine. Not sure if it would have a good look to it from the 3d printing though. Seems like part size doesn't drop the price a whole lot, set of 4 I'd have to sell for like $80-100 and that's with a pretty low markup. Maybe I can cheat the system and put an array of them 10x10 and just cut them apart and reduce the cost a lot. I'll toy with that later though.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gabriel View Post
    A plastic replacement inspection/timing plug with a 17mm wrench flat instead of that lousy slotted crap.
    You can never get them out without boogering it up or destroying it altogether.
    A plastic version would be great!
    Teflon or UHMW would hold up to the heat well enough.
    They’re M18x1.25mm threads.
    I'm sure I could make the caps in cad, but I think the manufacture process would have to be injection molding to get a good enough surface to seal. Not sure how strong the plastic caps would be, it seems the O-ring is what makes them hard to remove, the the AL to AL surface. You can get caps from newer machines that are hex/allen wrench style.

    I don't even have a garage, so no machine tool or anything like that. I'm making a 3d drawing of parts, then paying a company to manufacture them. They are setup for small to medium scale (1-10k units mainly). They can do 50k+ units but from what it sounds like, the speed that they can make the parts is limited, I doubt I'll have anything to make that's near that quantity anyway, if I do I'd have to be rich to pay for the order.

  11. #11
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    If you have spare time on your hands you should look into doing molds of certain small parts like those pins. It doesn’t take long to make a mold. On this mold I probably have two hours (one mold half per day) to allow for set up time. The plastic pin itself sets up in 45mins or so. Figure if you had a sheet mold of 20 or so pins at a time you’d do very well at processing them. I don’t have the time or I would have done more than just a hand full for myself.
    Again it’s just might be worth it for you to look into. There’s maybe a nickels worth of plastic per piece.
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    Shep

  12. #12
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    That's freakin awesome Shep1970! Best wishes in your endeavors ps2fixer, that CAD drawing looks great.

  13. #13
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    I can pay the company to do the same style of molding, I haven't priced it, but it's best suited for large batch in one pour I think, just like you said. I'm not 100% sure how the company makes the master mold, but I suspect they machine the part from a metal and get it very close to the cad drawing, then make the silicone mode and go from there. Sadly I don't have perfect parts to base the molds on, but I can take crappy parts and measure them and make a 3d version that's right or very close. I have time (kind of), but I don't have room or the funds for the upfront costs of buying the plastics and such.

    I figured if 3d models are made, then at any time that part could be made, and basically any manufacturing company can make it, so it opens up options, and makes it a little close to mass production if something is super popular.

    I'd be willing to give a shot at recreating larger parts like headlight buckets / shrouds etc, but the injection molding tool that has to be made runs something like $3500-$9000+. I haven't tried to request a quote on injection molding yet, but I watched some vids about it and that's what I remember from the vids.

    The fun part about all of this is that I can design the part any way I want. Like for example, if I wanted to recreate the 350x headlight housing, I could redesign the mounts inside to house a different type of headlight, like one that's still in production. Could in theory make an LED version of the housing, and make the LED/housing go together as a 2 part unit (two case parts + the internal electronics). Granted I'd have to design and build the electronics side of it.

    I'm not a huge fan of this, but sending the 3d molds to a Chinese manufacturer might get the prices low enough for injection molding for pretty low volume parts. No clue what a good one would be, but it could be an option.

    Now that I'm more or less caught up on some things, I think I'll try the 10x10 array idea of the pins to see what kind of price difference it is on 3d printing. If I can get them cheap for a set of 4, even if they don't look perfect I'm sure there's people out there that just needs them just to work. The pour molding might be an option to get a better looking part though, I'll have to check their prices on that too. So many options, and I'm too uneducated on which one to pick lol.

  14. #14
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    Yep my guess was right, if I do 5x5 (25 qty), it's quite a bit cheaper. I can sell a set of 4 pins for $30 shipped. If anyone wants to pre-pay I can have them printed, can't really guarantee how pretty they will be but they should be functional.

    If I stay tricky, I should be able to combine multi parts into one printing and keep prices knocked down pretty well. I'll have to see what their max size is for the 3d printer size. Of course would have to only combine parts of the same material.

    Oh, here's a screen shot of the array. I cheated a bit on the tabs that combined them together. Down side to this method is there will be 4 little tabs on all parts where I have to cut them apart. I have a good flush cutter so it shouldn't turn out too bad for that part of it.

    Last edited by ps2fixer; 01-20-2019 at 02:10 AM.

  15. #15
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    Cad'ed up another part, it's in production, but just wanted to try something a little harder. Turned out well, but was hoping to make it easy to modify, not really to that point though. I think the little slots might be a little shallow, looks like they are 1.5-2mm, I set them to 1mm when I made it and not easy to change. This is a recreation of the gas tank rubber grommets. Since I have it made, I should be able to change a few parameters and resize it for anything that uses that style of grommet. I also learned how to change the color/appearance of the part so it's black like it should be lol.

    https://www.partzilla.com/product/ho...=17611-437-000


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