Toying with the idea of getting a 3d printer ( for my day job) and wondering if other folks have used one to make parts for reel seats,trim, grips etc related to rod building?

If so: was it worth the learning curve time?
How long was that time/curve?

I know i cannot justify it from a pure nicer rods point of view.
Could you use the parts straight from the printer( in other words were they durable and light enough for modern fishing methods) or was it the penultimate step in a process to make a mold for a casting?
Random thoughts on the subject?

Lou Auret Wrote:
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> Toying with the idea of getting a 3d printer ( for
> my day job) and wondering if other folks have used
> one to make parts for reel seats,trim, grips etc
> related to rod building?
>
> If so: was it worth the learning curve time?
> How long was that time/curve?
>
> I know i cannot justify it from a pure nicer rods
> point of view.
> Could you use the parts straight from the printer(
> in other words were they durable and light enough
> for modern fishing methods) or was it the
> penultimate step in a process to make a mold for a
> casting?
> Random thoughts on the subject?

IMO a better investment would be a CNC router / milling system. I have 3d printer where I work and have worked on some projects that utilized it. The final product is nothing near what I consider to be "finished" like say that of a true CNC router or mill. The printers just don't have the ability to produce a fine finish yet. As i'm sure you are aware they basically lay down lines of plastic that is squirted out of a nozzle until the part is complete. Then you need to take that part and modify until either you have a suitable product or something that is ready to be cast.

Now with that said they are VERY cool and take up a very small footprint. My opinion though, is that as of today a small CNC router system will run you about the same $$ and produce better parts.

Guessing that as time goes on the 3d printers will get better and this conversation will no longer be true.

Ohh yeah I forgot to address your ? about learning curve.

As with most things it just "depends" If you are tech savvy and have possibly worked a little with G-code you will most likely pick up on it quickly. If you have trouble turning on your computer I would suggest outsourcing any ideas you have.

Casey thanks for the input: Learning curve getting longer as i age ...

Latest printer i looked at was starting to get a fair finish and ran around $1.3K US.
Just a tad bigger than a square foot on a desk.
My day job wanted to know if i wanted to take on learning about them and introducing them into our workplace.
I just saw fishing rod parts....

I have wondered about this as well. As soon as I saw some info on the web about 3D printers I thought rods! I am looking forward to the technology to mature. Thanks for your comments Casey.

Dave Boyle
www.threadcentral.net

Lou Auret Wrote:
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> Casey thanks for the input: Learning curve getting
> longer as i age ...
>
> Latest printer i looked at was starting to get a
> fair finish and ran around $1.3K US.
> Just a tad bigger than a square foot on a desk.
> My day job wanted to know if i wanted to take on
> learning about them and introducing them into our
> workplace.
> I just saw fishing rod parts....

I see what you mean... In your situation I suggest take the opportunity and RUN..... They are most likely the future

The price on 3d printers have dropped significantly i remember looking at a couple about 10years back and they were 10s of thousands these are the future for amy rapid prototype companies but give it 10yrs and you will be able to buy a part online and simply print it out. How good would that be for lures pick the lure dload the file print the lure add hooks and go fishing.

Mark, i was looking in particular at grips. For some reason Memphis has the greatest number of companies that deal in prosthetics and there is a constant stream of folks with various problems that could benefit from a modified grip to allow them to go fishing.
Even if it just range of motion issues like R/A sufferers have.
Also i have some tourney customers that insist all their grip be identical: they claim it can hurt their performance with each change of grip. That seems to be a natural for this too.

If anyone wants to experiment with a FREE 3d scanning software check out 123D... specifically 123d Catch. Basically you take digital pics with a normal camera. Upload the pics to their servers which process the image and a 3D image is then sent back that is suitable for either printing or cutting with a CNC system.

When I first heard it was free I thought to myself " this will be some crappy shareware type program" That was not the case at all. Its really a great program.