Pennsy E6 build

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

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Steamchris
Posts: 481
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2012 3:48 pm
Location: Duisburg/Germany
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Re: Pennsy E6 build

Post by Steamchris »

Hey Buddy,

great achievments, glad to see that you started a new model. Im so envious of your casted parts.
We still need such good parts here in Germany. Power further so, will follow your progress with highest interest.

See ya...

Chris
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Andypullen
Posts: 2166
Joined: Thu May 22, 2003 8:17 am
Location: Bel Air, MD

Re: Pennsy E6 build

Post by Andypullen »

Steamchris wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 7:45 am Hey Buddy,

great achievments, glad to see that you started a new model. Im so envious of your casted parts.
We still need such good parts here in Germany. Power further so, will follow your progress with highest interest.

See ya...

Chris
Thanks Chris!

Are you familiar with Fusion 360? I learned how to use it this past spring. Partly for work. It took a little while to get things figured out with it. All of the parts were drawn up in Fusion and converted to a .stl file and sent to Shapeways. The material for the molds is high definition plastic. It’s a resin type of material. Shapeways has an option for changing the size of the printed object. Typically, I draw the parts to scale and submit the file at 104% as an allowance for casting shrinkage. So far everything has come out where I want it when it’s cast.

My foundry guy will take the solids and make an RTV mold (I think) so he can shoot the waxes. When he’s done, he sends me my master pieces and the mold. If I need more parts, I just send him the mold.

I’m sure that you can find a friendly lost wax/investment foundry in Germany. The guy I’m using does a lot of jewelry. I think that the brass and bronze is a sideline for him.

Andy
Clausing 10x24, Sheldon 12" shaper, ProtoTrak AGE-2 control cnc on a BP clone, Reed Prentice 14" x 30", Sanford MG 610 surface grinder, Kalamazoo 610 bandsaw, Hardinge HSL speed lathe, Hardinge HC chucker, Kearney and Trecker #2K plain horizontal mill, Haas TL-1 lathe.
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8thscale
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 2:31 pm
Location: San Diego County

Re: Pennsy E6 build

Post by 8thscale »

Andy, not to derail your project post but would you elaborate a little more on the CAD/Shapeways/foundary process? Those parts are beautiful! What kind of quantities? How do costs compare on 3D printed parts to cast pieces?

I recently created a G-scale driver I was considering and found 3D printed non-plastic ain't cheap!
Thank you
Dave

FYI: Shapeways was also recently mentioned on Bodenmann/Kreider Berkshire 762.
https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/vi ... 36#p433472
Andypullen
Posts: 2166
Joined: Thu May 22, 2003 8:17 am
Location: Bel Air, MD

Re: Pennsy E6 build

Post by Andypullen »

8thscale wrote: Tue Dec 29, 2020 11:37 pm Andy, not to derail your project post but would you elaborate a little more on the CAD/Shapeways/foundary process? Those parts are beautiful! What kind of quantities? How do costs compare on 3D printed parts to cast pieces?

I recently created a G-scale driver I was considering and found 3D printed non-plastic ain't cheap!
Thank you
Dave

FYI: Shapeways was also recently mentioned on Bodenmann/Kreider Berkshire 762.
https://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/vi ... 36#p433472
Hi Dave,

Thank you for the kind words.

Shapeways is a very useful resource. I had them make the tender plates for my E6 in brass because they were reasonable. I think that they were just over $100 for both. Having Shapeways make the resin mold cost about $15 for both. The foundry would then have to make a mold and then shoot the waxes and cast them. I only needed 1 of each plate and I didn’t think the price was terrible.

For the crosshead, I sent the file to Shapeways and got a quote for $791 for 1 in bronze. I have a small foundry that I use that was recommended to me for brass and bronze. He said that he could make them for me if I supplied the master. Shapeways charged about $75 for the crosshead model in high definition plastic. It’s actually a resin print. We have one of those machines at work but it is always printing hull plates with barnacles on them for testing in a water flow tunnel. I didn’t want to tie that machine up. The foundry guy made the RTV mold, shot 2 waxes and cast me a pair of them in bronze. For quite a bit less than $791.

I typically send parts to the foundry that I’m considering selling. I have a number of items in the works that aren’t available commercially.

Shapeways is very good at what they do. That being said, they will make your part in plastic or wax and then it goes to a foundry. I think that they have dedicated machines for printing wax molds. The crosshead is a good sized part. And it is a complex shape. That’s why it would have cost so much. They wouldn’t sell me waxes though.

Making a part with the shrinkage allowance for a foundry is how I typically get stuff done. Don’t forget a machining allowance if you will need to do any machine work.

Shapeways has a variety of options on the website when you send your file in. Various types of plastic and metals. It’s not cost effective to get a large number of parts made there in metal. Once your plastic model for the foundry wears out, order another from Shapeways.

There are other 3D printing houses out there. Shapeways is just who I use.

Foundries are cheap. Small stuff in quantities can be as cheap as a few bucks each. You’ll have to look around to find a foundry that can cast the size parts you need. And the materials that you want to use. You’ll have a one time mold fee.

I’m looking at getting some caboose truck side frames made in plastic in 1.5” scale to go to an iron foundry in Amish country. I have the prototype drawings and will have to scale them down. Usually what I do is draw them in 2D. 3 view drawings like I used to do in high school to get an idea how everything lines up. Then, I go to Fusion and start fiddling with a 3D model. Sometimes I have to draw something a few times to get it right. Once I’m satisfied, the file is converted to an .stl file and submitted to Shapeways. From there you can change the scale by percentage to get the shrinkage allowance. I pick the material and it has an option for plain finish or fine finish. Most stuff I use the standard finish.

I hope that this has been helpful.

Andy
Clausing 10x24, Sheldon 12" shaper, ProtoTrak AGE-2 control cnc on a BP clone, Reed Prentice 14" x 30", Sanford MG 610 surface grinder, Kalamazoo 610 bandsaw, Hardinge HSL speed lathe, Hardinge HC chucker, Kearney and Trecker #2K plain horizontal mill, Haas TL-1 lathe.
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