3D scanner

S

Shiftylilbastrd

New member
Was wondering if anyone in the area had a 3D scanner that they’ve been successful with using to duplicate objects. I have a part for a 4wheeler I need to replace that could easily be printed but would take considerable time to model, for me at least.
 
There are some pretty good apps that can use your phone's camera as a mid-ish quality scanner. @Eric and @Cory were just showing those the other day and might have some more info.

Can you tell us what the part is? I'm curious what part of a 4 wheeler 3D printing would be strong enough for.
 
Depending on the objects size I could help with a lidar or photogrammetry scan. Lidar works best for features that over 1cm in width though, so if its really small it be better to model it. If you need any help with modeling it just post some pictures and dimensions and I’m sure one of could help with the easiest way to make it.

Alice-vision meshroom is a free photogrammetry app for PC. You can use any camera to take photos of the object from all angles and then that software will generate the model for you. Models usually have small issues that are fixed by hand before being totally printable but there are automated processes that can often make it “good enough”.
 
Here’s the original piece in place and a couple of pics of the one I tried to make out of fiberglass. It looks a lot better in the photos then it actually is. A friend has a LiDAR app on his iPad but neither of us really know how to use it to get good results. A4BE4DE9-F2E2-4BA9-8274-2029510D5440.jpeg9FDA49EF-281C-4C10-830C-69B1B86A80C1.jpegA9797ADB-50FE-45B3-B783-C55D6E2BB4F1.jpeg
 
Ooh, that fiberglass looks cool as hell! Did you make it using the existing part as a form? Why didn't it work for you?

Honestly, looking at the part, it might not be a good part to be 3D printed--it's a pretty big part, so it might not fit on many printers (it's definitely bigger than mine). You'll probably also want something tougher--3D printing's layer lines aren't really strong enough for something that will get vibrated as much as that part will (especially at the thickness that it looks like it needs). You might also need a lot of support material to make it print well. But! 3D printing might be good to make a mold/form that you can lay your fiberglass over, which would be strong enough. Plus, you can print the form in pieces on a smaller printer and then combine them without the strength concerns that would normally cause.

I haven't used the LIDAR app, but I know that newer iPhones have an actual LIDAR module that that app can use to get better results. It might be that your friend's iPad doesn't have that module so the app is only able to use the camera to "guess" at the dimensions. I don't know when those modules were added to iPads (or if they have been).
 
The part itself is nonstructural, basically just a cover. I covered the original in blue tape and rubbed it with transmission fluid as a release agent and used it as the form for the fiberglass. There’s a lot of features I was unable to capture. There are data plates that go in recesses next to each shifter so you know what they’re set to. There’s also supposed to be posts on the underside that get drilled and taped for screws to hold rubber seals in the shifter grooves to keep stuff from falling in there. This was my second attempt with fiberglass, the first was complete trash.

He said the ipad has the LiDAR camera in it, he bought it specifically for that but hasn’t had time to figure out how to use it yet.

Perhaps what I really need is someone that can vacuum form it for me and then I could use that as a mold for the fiberglass.
 
Last edited:
I assume it's definitely not a part you can get anymore if you're going through the trouble of making the fiberglass versions. If you can remove that part entirely I think I could get a decent scan on the turn table and we could try printing it out in a stronger plastic than the usual PLA. I think doing this PETG would give it lot of strength and if it breaks we can always print another.

We would need to remove the part to capture those threaded screw posts though. If we take two scans, one of the top and bottom we should be able to make a decent enough replica to mount. Let me know if you want to do this, my shop is in fortuna and if you drop off the part there I can scan it and give it back to you before processing the 3d model. A part this size will take a little bit of time in modeling and probably a couple days of print time if it prints successfully the first time so it will take a little while before the final part would be ready for testing.
 
Yeah, it’s for a ‘92 Suzuki and not available anymore. I was planning on going with PETG, already have a spool of it on hand. It may fit on the Makergear M2 I have but I haven’t actually measured. The posts are missing off the original, that’s part of the reason I’m trying to replace it. I would need to order in the new seals to get the proper stand-off for the mounting screws.
 
We could cut the 3d model to use dovetail joints or other locking joints if it doesn't fit on your printer. PETG solvent welds together great with weldon3 to where it will probably be stronger than the original 3d printed material. It would be easy to add the standoffs or posts if we can estimate their original length before they broke off.
 
Back
Top