Shapeways bent parts problem

animek Apr 8, 2019

  1. animek

    animek TrainBoard Member

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    Hey guys!
    Any of you knows a tip or two on how I could bent those posts from Shapeways back strait ?
    I've tried weight on them, but they come back bent after a few days. Forcing them is a no, ultra frosted detail breaks if bent too much. Heat? But how much ? Would a heat gun do? and then trying bending the parts the other way?
    [​IMG]
    They arrived from Shapeway all bent like this.

    Thanks.
     
  2. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    Have you tried discussing the problem with shapeways? Even if it isn't something they can solve on their end, they are often able to suggest ways to tweak the design, maybe by adding sprues or stiffeners that will stop the bending.
     
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  3. Kurt Moose

    Kurt Moose TrainBoard Member

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    I'd try a hairdryer first, less heat damage? Just in case.....
     
  4. SLSF Freak

    SLSF Freak Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Warm water. Not boiling hot, but hot enough to make your finger feel it's hot. Soak it for a few seconds to see if it's pliable enough to reshape. If the water is too hot it will go limp so err on the side of not hot enough vs too hot while you're experimenting. Since they're so small you may be able to hold under hot water faucet but mind your fingers don't get burned. Once you bend it back to vertical, hold the part in position until it's cool enough to retain the desired shape. I've used hot water to reshape my loco shells that had bowed sides and it worked great. Hot water also works for the strong plastic I found.

    edit: after looking at those lamps again I'd be concerned about the tops deforming in the heat, so apply water only on the pole area. Also thinking maybe they could be put in a straw while cooling to keep them straight?

    Mike
     
  5. ZFRANK

    ZFRANK TrainBoard Member

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    I guess I would try to design smaller detail parts for the lamp post, connected with a temporary sprue for printing. Detail parts can be printed with a center hole. Use a thin metal tube as a spine for the lamp. post. Adapt the center hole to the tube and slide parts over the tube.
    /Frank

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  6. animek

    animek TrainBoard Member

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    Those are great advises Mike, Thanks, I will try that!
     
  7. markm

    markm TrainBoard Supporter

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    Have you considered printing in metal? You could probably make the detail finer. I've never used them, but Protolabs has been emailing me about the virtues of their metal process. You might want to look into them.
     
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  8. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    I've always found Shapeways really good with dealing with complaints. If you contact them, send some decent pics they'll get their production guys to look a bit closer at the file. I had a BR warship diesel that came and was cover in checker plate layer line all over. As the first one I had done was pretty near perfect apart from layer lines on the nose end they did a reprint that was spot on at no cost. I don't know what they did, whether they printed it slower or changed the orientation but it was miles better.

    I've also had a print of Stonysmiths Grant 4-4-0 tender where a chunk was missing from one side, again no quibbles, once they saw the pics a reprint arrived F.O.C arrived about five days later.

    Anything 3D in metal is expensive.

    Kev
     
  9. Znewbie

    Znewbie TrainBoard Member

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    This takes me back to when I used to collect vinyl action figures from a sci-fi show, and got involved in the conversion scene. The method I used to correct bent plastic parts was the 'boil and pop' method, also used to take figures apart, hence the name. You take a bowl of hot water (Doesn't have to be boiling due to the tiny size of the part), and a bowl of cold water. Place the part in the hot water, the while it's soft, bend it straight or to the desired shape, then immediately place it in the cold water to set. Hope this helps!
     
  10. CNE1899

    CNE1899 TrainBoard Member

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    The bowl of hot water method with a bowl of cold is what we use at work to reshape parts we grow on our machines. Sometimes I use scraps of materials lying around the shop to help hold the object straight while cooling.
     
    Last edited: Apr 10, 2019
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  11. animek

    animek TrainBoard Member

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    Hey! Thanks for the hot & cold Technic, never thought about putting it in cold water afterward (I've used ice cubes in water for better effect), I had tried the hot water earlier, but the parts were coming back bent.

    So a huge thanks, this had helped a lot. My light posts are now strait. (y)

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. bostonjim

    bostonjim TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks for the very useful tip. I haven't dealt with it yet but I am buying more 3-D printed things. Good to know. Jim
     
  13. animek

    animek TrainBoard Member

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    Aaaah! after 2 hours or so, they came back all bent like in their original positions, and communicating with Shapeways is not really a solution, since this order is way older than a year..........Bummer! :(
     
  14. markm

    markm TrainBoard Supporter

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    Something to try. Do the water routine as before and get them nice and straight. Then run a hot wire up the post to hold the shape. It sounds like at this point you have nothing to lose.

    Mark
     
  15. SLSF Freak

    SLSF Freak Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Bummer! I suppose if you're not able to use them, and as Mark says you have nothing to lose, try hotter water and push it to the limit. Get those suckers melty and see if that makes a difference. My loco shell walls for example were like wet cardboard after hot water soaking, as far as pliability goes. They've held shape going on several months now so maybe there's still hope?
     
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  16. markm

    markm TrainBoard Supporter

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    Misshapen plastic isn't new. The cheap plastic accessories from Japan in the 1960s had the same problem. Leave them out in the sun or a hot car and they would twist. My suggestion comes from that era. Although thinking about it a bit more, this is Z, so maybe a hot pin or needle would work...if you're careful.
     
  17. southernnscale

    southernnscale TrainBoard Supporter

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    I don't know if this will help but most of mine I made a hollow tube. it's stronger and as room for a fine wire. If you want to put a nano led! also I thought you can run hot water over them and insert a wire and then it would hold it's shape!

    IMG_4636.JPG
     
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  18. southernnscale

    southernnscale TrainBoard Supporter

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    I also brace my train Engine shells run a brace across the sides in two places. Here is one of the model I did and what it looked like when I got it, it was bent up bad so I took picture and sent them to Shapeways and they approved a re-print! so in the mean time I tried the hot water trick and carefully bent part back in shape the ran cold water over them. I used just hot tap water! some of the pieces were broken. they were made from Smooth fine detailed plastic and I read on the site that it's cured with UV light so I used some of that seen on TV 5sec. UV glue and it work great. It seems they always place model in smaller bags and then push them in another bag and expect nothing to happen! OH! well their lose!
    IMG_8466.JPG IMG_8546.JPG IMG_4330.JPG
     
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