I know there are several of you guys out there that are making some excellent models available to the masses through the amazing technology of 3D printing. I think it is wonderful and hope to see more great previously unavailable models and details come to life in the future! I have been doing several modern detail parts for my own use as well and thought I'd make them available as well to fill in some more holes in the market. The first 2 available through my Shapeways Shop Rio Grande Rail Designs are a Tall Switch Heater and another Propane Tank of a slightly different variation from Husker's nice tank already available. I don't mean to compete with him, just add to the variety of the railroad world. Both are available in singles and money saving 10 packs. Look for more variations to the switch heaters and other new details to come in the next weeks! Thanks for looking!
Thanks Matt! I got a couple more Switch Heaters finalized and ready to print. I should get the test prints in about 10 days and will make them available if everything passes muster. I also designed the duck work that is in between the rails on the switches. This part could be done easily with styrene however when you have a ton of switches to detail it could be handy to have them ready made. They are for #10 switches. They have a small notch to clear the throw bar so there is no binding of the switch points.
How about some Flange Greaser's? Just finished up these 3 These will be in with the other stuff in about 10 days. Thanks again for looking!
Steven, How does Shapeways work anyways? If you make the design of a model, do they build it and then let you proof it? I am also wondering if the designer gets a slice of the pie on these items? Or do you simply design it and since Shapeways builds it, they get to keep the profits? I am curious as I have some items that I could make the drawings for fairly easy and have Shapeways build it. Ryan
Ryan - Shapeways is better thought of as a service. Since most of us are not able to afford the equipment to do fine resolution 3D printing, Shapeways provides the means for us to have access to that technology. Their profits are built into the pricing structure of the materials you use to build your model. The design is yours, the product is yours, and you can even add a mark up and sell it from a "store" on Shapeways. They have a 3D rendering system that you use to check your file with 3D rotation after uploading it to their site. If you see flaws, that's when you need to go back and make corrections then re-upload. It's a little tricky for small items like n-scale, the renderings don't always turn out great, but it's fine for catching obvious problems in design. If you find out your design is flawed after receiving it in the mail, the responsibility really is placed on you so you'll have to work out the kinks and pay for another print. Once it's just right, you can put it in your Shapeways store and sell direct to customers including your cut. The materials used for fine detail are considerably more expensive than their standard materials. So if you're doing a building that doesn't require rivet sized detail, you don't need to go with the expensive stuff. Mix and match if you need. One other nice thing is their software will approximate the volume and price of materials for the project. It's really cool to see something you designed sitting in your hands. Kind of frustrating though if you mess up and have to buy another print. - Mike
Ryan, Mike nailed it. Shapeways is a great way to produce items that are not commercially available. They will only print out items on demand. To get something printed, you need to do all of the design work on your own in a 3D CAD program. I use a freeware program called Blender. There is plenty of online tutorials for this program and it is easy to use. Shapeways won't do any design work for you. Depending on which material you want to use, there are design rules for different types of parts. Walls have a minimum thickness depending on whether it is supported or free standing. Same for wires and embossed or engraved details. Once designed, you upload it to Shapeways. They perform a couple automated checks on it. If that passes then you can order as many as you want. Shapeways charges a flat rate per model plus a volume rate per cubic cm of material used. If you know you want say 10 copies of a model it is cheaper to put 10 copies in the same CAD file then upload it. Shapeways will only charge you one flat rate rather than 10. Once you place an order, Shapeways will take a closer look at the model to make sure it meets the design rules. If they find anything wrong, they will cancel the order, refund your money, and let you know what they rejected it for with a picture showing the problem. They won't find all the problems, just the first one. If everything passes then it is put into the print cue and 5 - 10 days later email you the UPS tracking number. Considering it is all done on demand it is very fast. If you think the model turned out good then you can make it available to the public on Shapeways. Anyone can order your model on demand. You can also add a markup that is above the flat and volume rates that Shapeways charges no mater what. Once a month, Shapeways will pay you for whatever models you sold that you had a markup on. My favorite part is that it is all on demand and I don't have to worry about sales or inventory.
