3D printed dirtbike parts - UPDATE

ron727
Posts
86
Joined
1/12/2015
Location
CA
Fantasy
2289th
7/20/2017 2:07pm Edited Date/Time 5/8/2021 1:18pm
I just got my 3D printed parts and surprisingly they work! Haha

Backstory: Last year, while riding some single track, I crashed and pushed my rad far enough back to rip the exhaust valve cables right out of the servo motor on my 2007 CR250. This caused some of the internal plastic gearing to strip but no big deal, I ordered up a new servo motor and I'm back in business.

Rebuilt the motor over winter and reassembled the bike, making sure there was NO slack in the exhaust valve cables because I was going for maximum performance haha. Long story short, I must have made them too tight and it ended up stripping some gears inside my new servo motor assembly.

Now I had 2 working servos with stripped gears and I wasn't buying a 3rd one. So I searched for these little gears until I reached the end of the internet, and nothing to be found. I called my geek brother-in-law because he's into computers and model trains, etc so if figured he would know where to get something like this. He suggested modeling them up and using an online 3D printing service to make them. So that's exactly what I did.

Since I'm too stubborn to ask for help, I figured out how to measure up the old gears and then modeled them up using an online CAD program. I uploaded the 3D file to Shapeways, selected the material closest to what RC gears are made out of and voila, 2 weeks later I have my parts! All for $20 Smile

The gears arrived yesterday. I made a small mistake on 3D drawing and didn't make the bore go all the way through on either gear so I had to run a drill bit through to open it up. I assembled the servo and tested it with a 9V battery. Everything seems to be working, now to field test it!













|
MR. X
Posts
6917
Joined
6/24/2010
Location
North Tonawanda, NY US
7/20/2017 2:13pm
well done , keep us posted on the longevity of the new parts.
1
MX Guy
Posts
2174
Joined
7/18/2016
Location
Murrieta, CA US
Fantasy
773rd
7/20/2017 2:24pm
Crazy stuff
KDXGarage
Posts
2562
Joined
12/16/2010
Location
AL US
7/20/2017 2:45pm
WOW! COOL. Let us know how it goes.
1
YZ324
Posts
349
Joined
6/26/2014
Location
Cypress, TX US
7/20/2017 3:25pm
Great move on your part! Wish I could do that for a 81' YZ250 clutch basket.

The Shop

752dad
Posts
601
Joined
11/24/2014
Location
Hartland, MI US
7/20/2017 5:01pm
YZ324 wrote:
Great move on your part! Wish I could do that for a 81' YZ250 clutch basket.
You can!
They are capable of rapid prototyping both aluminum and steel alloys now.

KC
Millerrr973
Posts
360
Joined
9/8/2013
Location
Mount Clare, WV US
7/20/2017 5:36pm
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive manufacturing. A lot of stuff the would be awesome to see in the Moto industry.







Using additive manufacturing to make virtually any part out of Aluminim and Ti, and being able to do the mesh where extra strength isn't needed to reduce weight is awesome. Too bad the machine to do it cost upwards of a million dollars.
9
ron727
Posts
86
Joined
1/12/2015
Location
CA
Fantasy
2289th
7/20/2017 7:19pm
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive...
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive manufacturing. A lot of stuff the would be awesome to see in the Moto industry.







Using additive manufacturing to make virtually any part out of Aluminim and Ti, and being able to do the mesh where extra strength isn't needed to reduce weight is awesome. Too bad the machine to do it cost upwards of a million dollars.
That weight saving mesh is awesome! The possibilities are endless for this type of manufacturing.

Crazy to think where this could go in the next couple years
1
ocscottie
Posts
69108
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Redding, CA US
7/20/2017 8:00pm
that is some cool technology, i watch a show on the Science Channel about 3D printing, soon the capabilities are going to be endless, badass stuff.
Millerrr973
Posts
360
Joined
9/8/2013
Location
Mount Clare, WV US
7/20/2017 8:22pm
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive...
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive manufacturing. A lot of stuff the would be awesome to see in the Moto industry.







Using additive manufacturing to make virtually any part out of Aluminim and Ti, and being able to do the mesh where extra strength isn't needed to reduce weight is awesome. Too bad the machine to do it cost upwards of a million dollars.
It's a good business to get it to, that's where manufacturing is going in the near future. I was blown away with some of the stuff I saw at that convention. There was a French company (I forget the name) but their setup's accuracy was in the microns. Crazy to think that's possible and where it's going to go from here.



2
PTshox
Posts
1349
Joined
10/1/2011
Location
Highland Village, TX US
7/20/2017 8:36pm
what online 3d modeling program did you use?
731chopper
Posts
4077
Joined
1/2/2015
Location
DFW, TX US
Fantasy
390th
7/20/2017 9:31pm
PTshox wrote:
what online 3d modeling program did you use?
Not sure what the OP used but you can use Fusion 360 for free for the first year if you're just a hobbyist. I recently tried it out to design a knife which is how I know this.
ron727
Posts
86
Joined
1/12/2015
Location
CA
Fantasy
2289th
7/20/2017 9:50pm
PTshox wrote:
what online 3d modeling program did you use?
I used Tinkercad. Pretty simple and easy enough to learn.
1
ron727
Posts
86
Joined
1/12/2015
Location
CA
Fantasy
2289th
7/26/2017 11:57am
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now to get some hours on it and test the durability of the materials I chose for these gears.

Does this make me the first person to successfully repair a dirtbike using 3D printed parts? haha
1
526
Posts
1676
Joined
5/4/2009
Location
Colgate, WI US
7/26/2017 1:10pm
I had some 316 Stainless Steel winglets made for a butter churn Absolutely incredible the cost savings wasn't huge but we avoided the hassle of machining, welding,EDM and final machine. I think we ended up with a better piece, I skipped the webbing this time around but next time is for sure on the webbing.

early
Posts
8244
Joined
2/13/2013
Location
University Heights, OH US
Fantasy
2139th
7/26/2017 1:15pm
ron727 wrote:
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now...
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now to get some hours on it and test the durability of the materials I chose for these gears.

Does this make me the first person to successfully repair a dirtbike using 3D printed parts? haha
What material did you use?
philG
Posts
9630
Joined
5/12/2012
Location
GB
7/26/2017 1:54pm
It's a good business to get it to, that's where manufacturing is going in the near future. I was blown away with some of the stuff...
It's a good business to get it to, that's where manufacturing is going in the near future. I was blown away with some of the stuff I saw at that convention. There was a French company (I forget the name) but their setup's accuracy was in the microns. Crazy to think that's possible and where it's going to go from here.



Microns... probably 100 of them. I am currently doing a measurement study on 3D printed parts, and there is no level of accuracy and repeatability close to micron level , Biggest issues are non uniform shrinkage and residual stresses in the material causing distortion when they are EDM'ed off the baseplates.

We have a V8 engine block that took 90 hours to print at half scale, will be interesting to see how that measures up.

Everything we have done needs to have a fiddle factor in it to print the same size as the CAD data it is printed from.
1
Millerrr973
Posts
360
Joined
9/8/2013
Location
Mount Clare, WV US
7/27/2017 6:08am
philG wrote:
Microns... probably 100 of them. I am currently doing a measurement study on 3D printed parts, and there is no level of accuracy and repeatability close...
Microns... probably 100 of them. I am currently doing a measurement study on 3D printed parts, and there is no level of accuracy and repeatability close to micron level , Biggest issues are non uniform shrinkage and residual stresses in the material causing distortion when they are EDM'ed off the baseplates.

We have a V8 engine block that took 90 hours to print at half scale, will be interesting to see how that measures up.

Everything we have done needs to have a fiddle factor in it to print the same size as the CAD data it is printed from.
The precision was +/-35 microns. Smallest layers possible was 20 microns. Add Up Solutions is the brand I am referring to.
Jimfunn
Posts
438
Joined
4/17/2013
Location
GB
7/27/2017 7:01am
ron727 wrote:
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now...
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now to get some hours on it and test the durability of the materials I chose for these gears.

Does this make me the first person to successfully repair a dirtbike using 3D printed parts? haha
Nope, I've been doing it for about 15yrs - sorry! I work for a prototyping company & often knock-up nylon parts on one of our SLS machines. I now run the CNC dept. so got lots of jobs on my list of things i "need" to make
1
7/27/2017 8:10am
Recently bought and assembled a Prusa i3 MK2 kit and have been having some real fun with it over the last two weeks.

Been downloading from www.thingiverse.com and printing other peoples designs

Doing my own designs in https://www.tinkercad.com/

I'v only printed in PLA so far but bought some ABS and some flex filament that I want to try this weekend.

My kids love it and have been learning how to use calipers and how to convert back and forth between mm and inches. (there like, why is there two systems)

It is just amazing what you can do and how you can customize things to just the way you want it.
1
shiftmx_22
Posts
672
Joined
4/14/2008
Location
CA
Fantasy
850th
7/27/2017 9:14am
ron727 wrote:
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now...
UPDATE - So I finally put my bike together and took if for a quick test ride in the pasture. The power valve operates perfectly. Now to get some hours on it and test the durability of the materials I chose for these gears.

Does this make me the first person to successfully repair a dirtbike using 3D printed parts? haha
Not really a 'repair', but a couple of months ago I printed myself a new exhaust spacer for my YZ 250. Seems to work fine.



GarrettL
Posts
95
Joined
10/8/2010
Location
Edmond, OK US
7/27/2017 9:17am
Stretch67 wrote:
Recently bought and assembled a Prusa [url=http://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/59-original-prusa-i3-mk2-kit.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0Yypqdyp1QIVyYuzCh1J_gM8EAAYASAAEgIGTvD_BwE]i3 MK2 kit [/url] and have been having some real fun with it over the last two weeks. Been downloading...
Recently bought and assembled a Prusa i3 MK2 kit and have been having some real fun with it over the last two weeks.

Been downloading from www.thingiverse.com and printing other peoples designs

Doing my own designs in https://www.tinkercad.com/

I'v only printed in PLA so far but bought some ABS and some flex filament that I want to try this weekend.

My kids love it and have been learning how to use calipers and how to convert back and forth between mm and inches. (there like, why is there two systems)

It is just amazing what you can do and how you can customize things to just the way you want it.
I have the same printer. I wouldn't print anything functional out of PLA. I've printed ABS, Ninjaflex, TPU and Carbon Fiber Nylon with great results. Not a whole lot of dirtbike related designs on thingiverse unfortunately. Have fun with it....its a great printer!
7/27/2017 11:48am
When I order new plastics for my future Alta, they better be 3D printed.
1
ron727
Posts
86
Joined
1/12/2015
Location
CA
Fantasy
2289th
7/28/2017 6:51am
Jimfunn wrote:
Nope, I've been doing it for about 15yrs - sorry! I work for a prototyping company & often knock-up nylon parts on one of our SLS...
Nope, I've been doing it for about 15yrs - sorry! I work for a prototyping company & often knock-up nylon parts on one of our SLS machines. I now run the CNC dept. so got lots of jobs on my list of things i "need" to make
That's awesome man! So I'm only 15 years behind in technology......I suddenly feel really old haha
Homey55
Posts
966
Joined
2/18/2010
Location
Brandon, MS US
7/28/2017 10:40am Edited Date/Time 7/28/2017 10:41am
So, watching this thread must have linked Facebook and Autodesk together to suggest I look at "Generative Design" through my Autodesk subscription. The sent me a PDF and I'll try and download it to share. Is there a way to share a PDF on here?

philG
Posts
9630
Joined
5/12/2012
Location
GB
7/28/2017 11:57am
philG wrote:
Microns... probably 100 of them. I am currently doing a measurement study on 3D printed parts, and there is no level of accuracy and repeatability close...
Microns... probably 100 of them. I am currently doing a measurement study on 3D printed parts, and there is no level of accuracy and repeatability close to micron level , Biggest issues are non uniform shrinkage and residual stresses in the material causing distortion when they are EDM'ed off the baseplates.

We have a V8 engine block that took 90 hours to print at half scale, will be interesting to see how that measures up.

Everything we have done needs to have a fiddle factor in it to print the same size as the CAD data it is printed from.
The precision was +/-35 microns. Smallest layers possible was 20 microns. Add Up Solutions is the brand I am referring to.
Layer thickness is not accuracy. It is the increment of the build, not the laser accuracy. I will look at the site when i get back to the UK.

Think of it as internet speed... they tell you how fast it could be, they now how fast it should be, and you know what it really is.
notme
Posts
570
Joined
5/23/2010
Location
CA
7/28/2017 3:15pm
First thing i thought of upon seeing this is to make powervalve parts that are nla. It would help complete a lot of older bike builds!
1
7/28/2017 4:18pm
PTshox wrote:
what online 3d modeling program did you use?
ron727 wrote:
I used Tinkercad. Pretty simple and easy enough to learn.
Cool project. Well done getting in there and nutting it out. It seems a little bit overwhelming and expensive from the outside.
7/28/2017 4:20pm
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive...
I had the privilege to go to Rapid +TCT this year for work and was able to see a lot of cool new methods of additive manufacturing. A lot of stuff the would be awesome to see in the Moto industry.







Using additive manufacturing to make virtually any part out of Aluminim and Ti, and being able to do the mesh where extra strength isn't needed to reduce weight is awesome. Too bad the machine to do it cost upwards of a million dollars.
The rev limit ceiling just took it's shirt off
4

Post a reply to: 3D printed dirtbike parts - UPDATE

The Latest