3D printed knife prototype
This is a pre-production mock up of a ladies knife I designed and made today
I sat down to design & print up some cutting templates for a knife I'll be making in the next week or so & it looked fairly impressive on the CAD screen so I decided to print a full size mock up knife to test the ergonomics of the design. It's fine for something to look good in the design phase but there's no substitute for having a life size model of something so you can pick up and get a feel for.
I designed it using Onshape which is a browser based CAD package that is absolutely awesome. Unlike a lot of CAD programs I can get a really efficient workflow with Onshape and it works on every device I own. Fusion 360 is better in some respects but there are some things Onshape does better but the main thing for me is I can run it on a Linux box.
So after the design work that took me all of 15 minutes or so (it's a very simple design) I put it into a program called Cura. Cura is a 3D slicing program that slices a 3D image into slices or layers and generates a G-code script that can be used by the 3D printer to print the object. There's no cutting edge on the design as I haven't decided what will be the best grind for it yet.
This is how the pieces looked after they were printed
All this software has become ridiculously easy to use and it's very fast and efficient. I got an enormous amount of other work done today as well and the actual design, processing and printing took less than hour of my day today. The print itself took roughly 3 hours but I can set that and forget it and monitor it through an app on my phone (Printoid) as I have a raspberry pi connected to my printer as a wifi interface. The raspberry pi setup is known as an Octoprint, which is possibly the best upgrade you can do to any 3d printer.
So now I have a full size mock up of the knife I intend make after Christmas, it has a really nice feel and it's perfect for my Mrs as she doesn't like using a larger knife like I prefer. I've also got perfect templates so I can make the knife and if need be I can replicate it. The knife will be made from either a Sandvik high grade martensitic stainless steel or if I can convince my Mrs it will be made from a piece 1095 carbon steel, maybe I'll make one of each.
Some people use their printers to print models which I have done quite a bit of for my kids but I use the printer to make templates and jigs so I can bridge the gap between a manual last century style workshop to a modern CNC workshop. Yesterday I made some center drilling templates/jigs and some soft jaws for my vices. My work may not be to the same tolerances as a full CNC workshop but the 3D printer has done an enormous amount to reduce human error and help me produce better quality work than I could have done without it.
Edit: I don't know WTF is going on with the tags, I made a typo in teamaustralia and now it won't let me edit it or remove it.
I pretty curious as to weather the 3D material will hold the edge as well as a good metal knife? and if it would have the similar flex or if it would be a touch more brittle?
I have featured you and this post for a Curation contest here:
https://steemit.com/community/@bengy/payitforwardentry-week38-u109keq9sr
You can join the fun here:
https://steemit.com/payitforward/@pifc/tis-the-season-bonus-week-38-pay-it-forward-curation-contest
There are plastics that can be sharpened like a real knife but these wouldn't be much use except for maybe a letter opener. The PLA they are printed from is surprisingly tough and flexible but once it reaches its elastic limit it's most likely to stay bent.
Different metals have a different response to a flex modulus test and I don't have any data on how PLA responds in comparison. Some metals reach their limit and snap where others tend to stay bent when pushed to the limit, so without actually doing some destructive tests I'd really just be guessing.
I really wanted to design a destructive testing rig to test my finished metal blades for QC purposes, so your comment has really got me thinking.
Thanks for featuring my post in the curation contest @bengy I really appreciate it.
Cheers
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Awesome, thanks!
Such a neat idea. It must have been fun to make. I can't wait to see the finished project.
You were featured in week 38 of @pifc's Pay It Forward Curation Contest by @bengy.
Very interesting, indeed.
Just like @bengy said, the first tag is the only one which cannot be changed after posting. You think you have a big mistake? Then check out this old post of mine:
https://steemit.com/photographyarchisteemtravelfeedesteemgermany/@trincowski/the-adac-building-in-munich-germany-4b18e88f6b844
Yep, the main tag is photographyarchisteemtravelfeedesteemgermany!!! 😂😂😂
PS: I've found this post because @bengy featured it in his entry for The Pay It Forward Contest
Ha ha! That's an awesome tag, I have no idea why it never took off?
There was a big debate and some people thought germanyarchisteemtravelfeedesteemphotography was much better. Others preferred archisteemtravelfeedesteemgermanyphotography. In the end all the factions entered a big war and no one survived. :-D
Your balance is below $0.3. Your account is running low and should be replenished. You have roughly 10 more @dustsweeper votes. Check out the Dustsweeper FAQ here: https://steemit.com/dustsweeper/@dustsweeper/dustsweeper-faq
That's really cool @khufu 👏👏👏 never use any 3D printer before (because I can't afford one😂😂😂) but this post made it more interesting to find one😊 your Mrs must be really love to have that knife 😉 I like tge shape but I think the handle is too long (maybe because my hand is smaller)
Hope that you'll publish the process of making the knife too later, I am curious how the modern ironsmith doing the work.
Found your post through @bengy entry post in the pay it forward contest this week. And about that tag😅😅😅 I made something like that before and I hate to see it still there after i corrected the spelling.
3D printers have come down a lot in price over the last few years @cicisaja , maybe you will be able to afford one one day.
The whole knife is fairly small, that's why I called it a ladies knife. My Mrs doesn't like using a big knife, so this was designed to fit her hand. The overall length is 250mm and the handle is about 115mm long. Most ladies have hands that are under 100mm wide but a chefs knife is normally held diagonally across the palm so this size may be OK.
I did design another knife with a shorter blade and a slightly shorter handle (100mm), that size might suit your hand better. This is it below and it is 210mm long including the handle.
Finding a knife that suits your hand is important for comfort and control of the knife, so I am still experimenting with quite a few different designs and 3D printing them to see how they feel before I waste any expensive steel on the real ones.
Thanks for your feedback @cicisaja , it's important to have opinions from ladies as it will be a ladies knife.
I updated my fitness post with you in it. My fault for forgetting.
Hello @khufu, thank you for sharing this creative work! We just stopped by to say that you've been upvoted by the @creativecrypto magazine. The Creative Crypto is all about art on the blockchain and learning from creatives like you. Looking forward to crossing paths again soon. Steem on!
That's awesome, thanks for your support @creativecrypto !
That's a beauty a friend of mine printed for his dad for christmas :D
I hope you make a nice post about the smithing process of the knife. I really love to watch the videos on youtube, when people smith knifes, blades or other fancy stuff :D
That's nice work Booster!
It's illegal to even have plans for a 3D printed gun here. I'm not sure if it even matters if it's just a for a replica that can't even fire. Australia has become the ultimate nanny state lately.
3D printing does open up many possibilities though with just a few metal parts a plastic gun could be made to actually fire a bullet. It will be awesome when metal printing machines become affordable enough to have at home.
I'm still getting set up for smithing but I'll try to make some vids when I get up and running.
You can get the CAD-data for guns everywhere!
The CAD-Community is soooo big and they have almost everything you can print.
Try to kinda documment the smithing process. I wish I could join someone smithing soomething one day. Really want to experience it! Unfortunally you are on the other half of the world xD
... by the way... the first tag in the list of five is unchangeable... it sucks when it is mis-spelled....
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