PLA McMaster-Carr Parts

[Tomc938]

SO...

A gear discussion yesterday with @David_R8 sent me off on a tangent. Turns out you can download STL files of MANY components from M-C and print them on your 3D printer. So I tried printing some small pipe elbows.

I printed two joined at the top in the hope that I wouldn't need supports for the last little bit (I didn't) and I will split them to end up with 2. I printed at 0.1 layer height, and they look pretty good.You can see the threads in the ends of the pipe, and I'l guessing you could use a metal pipe to clean them up.

They also look good enough that I think you could cast them through lost PLA process and get pretty nice results.

I would suggest playing around with the "Insert" > "Component from McMaster-Carr" in Fusion 360, or whatever software you use for design.

Tom

PS: You can't download STL files for things like storage boxes - they thought that one through already!

 

[whydontu]

That is so cool!

My project 42(b) is to cut a wax gear on my CNC engraver, then do lost wax and melted pop tins to see if I can end up with a reasonable result.

 

[Tomc938]

Sounds like a cool way to make the pattern!

I would suggest NOT using pop cans. The Al is so thin, and there is so much paint in proportion to metal that you mostly end up with dross. Also, the Al alloy is made to be extruded, not cast.

Your best bet is to gather junk that is cast from Al and use that. It's amazing how much of that kind of stuff is out there when you start looking for it. And you will be much happier with the results.

 

[Susquatch]

I would suggest NOT using pop cans. The Al is so thin, and there is so much paint in proportion to metal that you mostly end up with dross.

That's really too bad. My grandkids go through pop cans like pop. Coincidence I'm sure. I've been secretly hoping to reduce my aluminium stock costs - especially for big ingots.

Dumb question, what about pull tabs......

Or just suck it up and buy aluminium stock.....

 

[Doggggboy]

That's really too bad. My grandkids go through pop cans like pop. Coincidence I'm sure. I've been secretly hoping to reduce my aluminium stock costs - especially for big ingots.

Dumb question, what about pull tabs......

Or just suck it up and buy aluminium stock.....

You can sometimes get cheap aluminum rims on Kijiji or FB Marketplace for cheap.
Helps if you have a furnace.

 

[Tomc938]

That's really too bad. My grandkids go through pop cans like pop. Coincidence I'm sure. I've been secretly hoping to reduce my aluminium stock costs - especially for big ingots.

Dumb question, what about pull tabs......

Or just suck it up and buy aluminium stock.....

What I have heard/seen is that pull tabs are better, but most suggest starting with cast Al scrap and only adding a small % of the other Al. I you keep your eyes out, things like lawnmowers are often free online. Motor casting is Al. Probably 2 lawnmowers will keep you going for a very long time - unless you do lots of large pours.

The nice thing with casting is there is basically 0 waste. Failures, sprues and gates all go back into the pot.

 

[Tom O]

That is so cool!

My project 42(b) is to cut a wax gear on my CNC engraver, then do lost wax and melted pop tins to see if I can end up with a reasonable result.

One of the reasons I picked up the resin printer is for casting I’m ordering some resin for casting today that apparently burns out completely at 1340 *

 

[Matt-Aburg]

Sounds like a cool way to make the pattern!

I would suggest NOT using pop cans. The Al is so thin, and there is so much paint in proportion to metal that you mostly end up with dross. Also, the Al alloy is made to be extruded, not cast.

Your best bet is to gather junk that is cast from Al and use that. It's amazing how much of that kind of stuff is out there when you start looking for it. And you will be much happier with the results.

I have over 20 pounds of crushed cans to go into experiments in the spring. I know its dirty, but apparently if you use salt, and pre cook the paint and plastic out on a BBQ or roast them on a fire, you will end up with 80% pure AL. So next can you not add some other elements to it or even other kind of aluminum to bring it to more usable...

 

[Dan Dubeau]

I don't think that PLA macaroni would taste too good. .

I would shy away from using pop cans. They're not a casting alloy, and you will have way too much dross. Try and stick to casting alloys to recast like a356, which can be found in a multitude of easily available cast aluminum products for the consumer and automotive industries. You can find damaged car rims for almost free, and they are great to recast. They can be a bit difficult to break down, but I've done them with a sledge hammer, bandsaw, recipsaw, and porta band and they all work well. Recip saw might be the easiest to cut the rim into thin sections that fit into the small 3kg crucibles of the import foundry. Sledge is the most fun and calorie burning though.....

I go through scrapping runs where I cast a bunch of ingots over a few heats (successive melts are way quicker than the first one), and then use that clean stock for actually casting projects, but I've done scrap to casting before too. I have made some stuff with cans, and other aluminum scrap like extrusions and 6061 chips, and the casting isn't that great of quality, and there is a lot of dross. Since then, I've just kept my eyes open for scraped castings and have amassed a few years supply for basically free.

 

[Tomc938]

One of the reasons I picked up the resin printer is for casting I’m ordering some resin for casting today that apparently burns out completely at 1340 *

Resin printing would be WAY better as you don't have the layer lines.

I'm going to have to experiment with some way to fill and smooth the lines.