I didn’t upload my designs because these are actual bike parts that could fit on a real bike. I’m not so sure it’s smart to put them out there. Also, I’m not sure why I referred to the hex size in the axle with an M before it. It is just an 8 mm hex.
Quickly looking at your prints, you may way to reduce your layer height to increase strength (especially on the round/clamping parts. The infill on your bar clamp looks almost OK, but try out Gyroid infill and give yourself more shell/top/bottom layers
@@NickBiancalana Reducing layer height does not improve strenght. Parts break between layers. Then, I think more perimeters is the main thing. 8 walls 10% infill is stronger than 3 walls and best infill.
Just wanted to say that instead of printing screw threads, you can design a hexagonal hole to accommodate a metal nut on the other side! It makes it way less susceptible to snapping, cracking and stripping the threads, plus it's really easy to do. Also, layer orientation and perimeters matter!
Exactly what I was thinking. I have a 3d printed bike lock holder on my street bike that bolts to itself around the bike frame to hold my lock when I bike somewhere (I know this isn't nearly the same amount of force as an integral bike part). It's made to bolt into a nut that is slightly recessed into the part, and this allows for a tight grip without stressing plastic threading. Plus, if you make a slotted recess, it can account for a little variation because the nut can slide to accommodate any slop in the system. Once the bolt is tightened down it won't slide anymore anyways.
I would also always use heatset inserts, idk how much better they are but they are so easy to install that I prefer them over nuts. The nuts are always falling out if you dont design it just right
If you ever want to do a followup, here are some ideas for improvement: Use heat-set inserts and/or slots for metal nuts to better secure screws. Make sure your prints are designed to be printed in an orientation that optimizes their strength in the direction you want, as a print is more likely to break along a layer line. The best way to think of it is that 3d prints have a grain, and the orientation of that grain matters for the strength of the part. Change material. Nylon would probably work out as a better material than PETG, and if you're already doing that, you might as well look at the carbon fiber filled nylon that's out there. If you want strength, perimeters are more important than infill. Perimeters are where the print gets most of its strength from. From the what I can see in the video where you show the broken stem, it looks like you opted to up infill to 95+%, but didn't really add any perimeters. Try more perimeters. There's a CNCKitchen video where he tests this if you want some explanation of why perimeters do more than infill for strength. Just a random note that you may already know since you've been getting into 3d printing: Try a 0.6mm nozzle. You can still print at 0.15 and 0.2 layer heights, but the perimeter will be thicker, which makes the print stronger, and it'll print faster due to being able to push out more plastic. These days with arachne perimeter generation in both Prusa Slicer and Cura, there isn't really much of a noticeable quality difference.
The grain suggestion is a really good way to put it. With all the wood features at Berm Peak that should be a familiar concept. And yes, for high strength parts I'll whack the perimeters up to 4 or 5 from the more normal 2 or 3.
Agreed with all of that, only thing I'd add is that a lot of people make the "mistake" of copying metal parts in plastic, it's a bad idea usually, plastic isn't as durable, so you'd need to make the part bigger to handle anywhere near the same loads. And it can be a very good idea to include of the shelf metal vitamins into 3d prints for durability, like add a bolt that goes straight though something to act like a skeleton, lets you use the highly accurate custom shapes of 3d printed plastic, but also make it more structually durable than just plastic.
Or you know, don't try to replace a structural, load bearing metal part with a plastic equivalent, whether 3d printed or moulded. Most of these parts are made out of metal for a good reason.
@@xartpant it's much harder to get it consistent and accurate with grease.. however I do agree the sentiment. In rear air shocks I swear by this , but with it being a smaller chamber it is much easier to account for.
I really love that you are exploring 3d printing. Some helpful advice: To make stronger parts you have a variety of options besides make the part bigger. You can choose different materials like abs, nylon (pa) and polycarbonate (pc) or materials with carbon fiber in it but especially pa is lot harder to print. There are a lot more industrial grade materials but they are way more expensive. Igus has also some really nice filaments you can use for parts that benefits from self lubrication. The orientation of how you print it is also very important. 3d printed parts tend to break first between the layers so you can use that to your advantage. You can also print more bottom and top layers as well as more perimeters. I usually print 5-7 bottom/top layers and 3-5 perimeters. Infill of course is also an important factor. 3d infill like gyroid ist usually pretty strong and around 25% infill gets the job done quite good for an average use but you can go way higher if you want it as strong as possible. And for the threads even though threads that are cutted or printed right into the plastic can hold quite a lot you can also design the parts in a way where you can use a washer and a nut or you can take a look at heat-inserts. They work quite well and are getting more and more established in 3d printing and are really good to use at parts that you screw and unscrew regularly.
I've actually been printing bike parts for my bike for years. I've been into 3d printing long before I got into bikes. It's just that I've never printed any crucial parts that you did! I've done bike handles, bike pannier adapters, phone holders, truing rigs, and currently a low profile bottle cage. Clearly you were just having a good time here, but 3d printing is really good when you know its limits!
@@MagiMas PETG is my material of choice for scooter and bike parts if I may add my 2 cents PLA just doesnt keep up with water and weather, degrades in a few months max, also it gets soft in real sunny weather PETG does not have these issues. (Well black PETG might still get soft in extremely hot weather but thats it)
@@MagiMas this bottle cage is actually TPU. Normal bottle cages should be petg, but everything else was printed in pla. I'd be concerned if I lived somewhere warmer but here in Canada I've never had an issue
I too made a phone holder that tucked into my frame to run a trail app. If you know the limits of the process and material. I certainly wouldnt try a critical part :) i use pla for test prints but maybe something like an mjf print with a true high quality material would work for non critical long term parts.
@@TheEvilVargon I'm in the same camp as you, been printing smaller bike parts (low profile adaptors, small cable guides etc) for a while. I live in Sweden and never dared to use PLA mostly due to being scared of it's brittleness in the cold. What's your experience with PLA in the cold? I've mostly used PETG and Nylon myself, but I've never even tested PLA for this application.
Too funny! I have a print farm and do a LOT of my own designs but I also know what the limitations and design according to those. I know this was just more of a PSA video and was super fun to watch. Thanks for having some fun with it!
I would add to that last statement. "don't print Load Bearing bicycle parts". There's a good chunk of non load bearing parts you can print. And in tpu you can print slip on grips, crank boots, chainstay protectors etc.
I agree I don’t think I would 3d print high stress parts like you did on my mtn bike. But guards and fenders and such would be great. Also the other great thing about 3d parts is you can just print another once you get a design you like if it breaks.
Agreed - my commuter bicycle is covered with 3D printed parts. Light mounts, handlebar plugs, chain guard, fender mounts, lock carrier. Nothing safety-critical or high-stress, but extremely useful. The same is true for my car, and to a lesser degree (so far) my motorcycle.
@@DaveoAU You mean my 3D printer? It's sort of a Frankenprinter, started out as a TronXY large-format CoreXY type (Chinesium). But it has a lot of modifications, including reduction-gear extruder, full enclosure, linear rails, AC powered heat bed, and others.
Seth, thank you! Thank you for providing us with this diverse yet always high quality and interesting content. I have been watching your videos for so long I could have never guessed back then that I will witness this channel growing so much! Especially loving the 3D printer content since I have been tinkering with mine for almost two years now and it still fascinates me! To have better threads I can recommend "heat set threaded inserts" which are basically metal threads that you can melt into your print after it's done. I like that you made some parts that don't make much sense to 3D print because that is how you can learn what the machine is capable of. I used to break parts that did not fit so I could better understand the material. I cannot thank you enough for the entertainment you provided me and the things you taught me in all those years. Best wishes from Germany. PS: I am amazed at what you created with thinker cad although it's such a simple program. I can't do that much with it. I am using fusion 360.
Of all things, I think this clip shows how much thought, effort and testing is being done for every part of the bike we ride. Being able to manufacture a part doesn't mean that part will function as expected. One important lesson from this clip - be careful what you install on your bike. Make sure it's trust worthy. Your life might depend on it.
Hi Seth, Try using different material filament with your 3d printer, can be more difficult to print but wayyyy stronger, like nylon or abs. Can also use stuff like TPU which is actually elastic, so could actually make decent grips!
I have made and been using a 3d printed brake handle (+adapter) for my commuter single speed bike for more than a year now. It's been working perfectly without any issues 😄
I love 3D printed parts. But not structural ones. I've made in my life 3d printed GoPro-style mounts for front light or phone holder for Zwifting, Garmin mounts, cable holders, multitool and pump holders, front mudguard even. It was a lot of fun and most of them I keep using on my bikes.
There are metal threads that are designed to be used in 3D printed parts. You print the part normally and then use a soldering iron to push the threads into the part. It you add nuts to the bolts you can increase the strength even more.
Hey Seth, print orientation in the slicer and how it it laid out can change where you want the strength can be, based off of the orientation of the layers. Also, different pattern of infill can be stronger in certain circumstances. Overall I’ve found that gyro infill is the strongest overall but takes a bit longer to print
To add on to that information, 3d prints are by far the weakest between layers because only 1 surface is melted and the other is already solid. Good luck on your 3D printing adventures!
While that's true, it doesn't negate the point of the video. Even with the optimal infill and print orientation, you should not use this material for these bike parts.
@@TheSuperCRB Carbon Fiber infused filament is actually weaker than the traditional filament it's infused with. It's mostly meant for lighter models and better dimensional accuracy. But it's a lot more brittle. Definitely wouldn't help in this situation lol.
@@TheSuperCRB cf filaments are kind of a scam. They're only about as strong as PLA. They're typically stiffer, but most of the time that's not a key factor. They are at least twice the cost of quality PLA or PETG, and it's a massive pain in the ass to get set up for printing CF.
Dogpiling onto the heatset insert suggestion. They are surprisingly strong, much stronger than you'd think. Part orientation is a big factor too. Increasing shells/perimeters & top/bottom layer count will give a greater increase in strength vs infill percentage.
I printed spacers in axle rear-shock (stark devolution - 200mm) - and all OK for 1 year! Also spacer between bearings in rear hub - norm works about 2 years. Plastic norm works on compression, not bend or stretching
I 3d printed a set of adapter discs for adapting Flow snowboard bindings, to an old Burton snowboard. And I thought that was a crazy experiment. They blew out on the first run, but they were fun to try.
The second channel seems to be becoming the main channel. I almost wonder if Seth would've been better off not splitting the channel up. Still love the content.
The horror movie music during the stem breakdown was... I mean... You're so damn creative and that creativity in collaboration with you doing video and all... . Great work, Seth. Never thought I'd be so drawn in to... a 3D printed, themed...MTB Video., on... UA-cam. Bravo.
For the screw threads, look into brass inserts that you use a soldering iron to fuse it into the part. Just look up 3d printer inserts there are good videos on it. And also, make sure it's printed at 100% infill in concentric infill pattern cus it's the strongest in all directions at 100%. Also keep in mind print orientation with the layers
Seth I’ve been watching your channel for a few years now. I just wanted to say your videos are very well thought out and funny. On a cinematography standpoint these videos are great
A few of those parts could definitely use a few more wall and top bottom layers to get better strength. But still a really cool video and im glad to see your bring the 3d printing hobby into biking. Not sure if you've found the treasure trove of parts out there for the 24th scales yet but that's also a whole lot of fun!
The problem is not the plastic printing, the problem is the design. I like what one person said: "design is ten times more important than material." printing can be produced with reinforcing materials, creating a composite. use glass net, metal net, or other materials. in conjunction with the correct volumetric design - this will give the necessary result, but I'm not sure that this will work for downhill)
From someone with a masters degree in 3D printing, I found this really entertaining. You're right, there are design aspects that affect the part's performance, but there are also factors like print orientation and material that are big factors. I'm assuming you printed these solid, but infill also plays a role. It'd be cool if you had access to a metal printer or the Markforged which can add carbon fiber inside the prints.
Nice, I will have to try some of these out! I think you would have better luck with Carbon fiber nylon. Let me know if you want some pointers on how to set it up, your printer should be able to handle it if you install a steel nozzle, it's pretty easy to do.
I highly recommend considering hexagonal nuts or heat set knurled nuts. If you really have to screw into plastic, don't print threads, print a cylinder just slightly bigger than the inner diameter of the bolt/screw shaft, it should be slightly big enough to accommodate the volume of the blades/teeth of the screw/bolt, and thus avoid putting pressure on the part, which might weaken its ability to hold onto the screw/bolt's threads.
Would really like to see this done again with something like carbon fiber nylon and some of the more well known methods for designing these things for strength.
This video was awesome! The timing for the stem breaking was wild If you revisit this please try 3 things: 1. PLA+ is in a lot of situations stronger than petg and even carbon fiber nylon so give PLA+ a try 2. You can add slots for nuts or use heated inserts to make connections stronger 3. TPU would make nicer grips
I'm sure there are plenty out there. Not 3D printed structural parts like these, but brackets for accessories, fenders, chain guards, lights, and so on. My commuter bicycle is covered with such parts, nothing safety-critical or high load but extremely useful.
LOL, yeah that was bold and impressed that you actually rode it. I make non-critical bike parts (always print solid 100% infill). Also nylon or filament with carbon fiber will probably work better. But I still would not use myself as a guinea pig!
Out of all these things I think there's actually super usefull usecases for 3D-printing the stem! It would be awsome for testing out the feel for different lengths without having to buy a bunch of them. (I mean you'd have to oversize the shit out of them, and not take them out on a real trail, but it should give you some idea of what will happen to handling)
The only practical 3d printed bike parts I've seen people make online are, BMX peg sleeves, bar ends, bashguards for your bottom bracket area, peg plugs for flatland BMX, and hubguards.
Some of these would probably work with carbon impregnated filaments or carbon reinforced prints like Markforged has. Unfortunately they're super expensive printers lol. Metal can also be 3D printed using laser sintering. This can create parts with little to no post processing or machining required, but is also very expensive.
"impregnated" lmao... Carbon Fiber infused filament is actually weaker than the traditional filament it's infused with. It's mostly meant for lighter models, better dimensional accuracy, and ease of printing specifically for nylon infused filament. But it's a lot more brittle and less impact resistant. Definitely would be counterproductive for this.
Holly crap, that sure is pure commitment to grab attention and push some merch! I can respect that! 😊 And also it's a good thing that you're still alive! 😁
You can buy Nilon filament which would improve the strength of the parts. However you would need to upgrade the extruder so that it can melt the nilon. You’d also probably need a glass case for your 3D printer as you wouldn’t want to breath in those fumes haha.
I successfully printed a bushing for a horst link on my bike. The factory bolt backed out and was lost. That with a flat head M6 bolt, printed using FormFutura CarbonFil Filament. It worked great until the replacement arrived. Rode about 150km with that part. You're a brave man for attempting the parts you did...
To correct the chain line on a 3x to 1x conversion, I designed a spacer for the Shimano Deore M6100 crankset to offset the chain ring by 7mm. Printed in PETG and attached with longer M4 bolts. I was sceptical, but it holds up really well so far, tested it by giving it all the torque I could pedal. In this case, the main load is held by the bolts tough, the plastic part is sandwiched between the spider and the chainring.
petg tends to shatter just as your parts did, pla+ would have survived a bit better as it can flex more. Plus it looks like you printed at 50% infill some of those parts should have been 100%, Another thing to think about is what side you print them on, you want the print lines 90 deg to the direction of the force.
Heatset inserts!!! Look up rutex brand Also, look into a hardened steel nozzle for you printer, and carbon fiber infused filament for stronger parts. Maybe worth a part 2!
the great thing about this is you can test the prototypes to see if it functionally possible and can withstand minimal stress. You could then utilise the 3d printer and a stronger filiment to acctually make viable parts. potentially making cheap emergency replacement parts that can safely get you back to the car/home (provided they dont go to hard core)
I designed and printed oversize (15T) jockey wheels for my RD-m8000 derailleur. It fits in the ceramic bearing from genuine Shimano jockey wheels and printed using PLA. Each of the wheels last over 3500km before wearing out. I enjoyed extra derailleur capacity and custom color, super fun!
I have redesigned the jockey wheel for my deore shifter to fit a 608zz skateboard bearing. The original shaft of the bushing is 8mm as well and fits like a glove. It is super smooth and made the shifter better than when I bought it. Have 1000+ km on it and it doesn't show any signs of wear really. Looks pretty much brand new besides the oil. I printed it in PETG btw ;) 100% recommended, that is something that is actually better than the original.
Use speciality filaments like TPU for the grip to give you squish. There is also carbon impregnated speciality filaments that will significantly improve the strength. You just need to upate your printers hot end for some of these filaments. But still worth a try, perhaps in the future.
Nice video, I admire your courage on taking the stem out for a spin around the track. I have 3D printed the rear cassette spacers myself a while back. Till this day i haven't had any problems with them haha. Grtz from the netherlands.
Understanding material properties is a key pillar of engineering that was omitted here 😁 The lock on grips could really have a future for riders like me that need some really oversized diameter. Built up much thinker and wrapped with roadie bar tape, could be a comfortable solution
You know, if you extend the lock on grip, use a hex nut, and move the screw to the inside, youd be able to put actual grips on them. Then you can have multiple pairs of your favorite grips you can quickly swap onto different bars. Make deciding what grips you want much quicker and cheaper!
Video for giggles, thx :) Legit things I've printed: spacers for 68mm BB; clamps, brackets for lights, power-banks, batteries and what not; phone holder; end caps; S hooks for cable housing; valve caps;
Very entertaining. You are right the design of the model is important for strength, but so is the way it's printed (e.g.: number of perimeters, layer orientation, temperature, etc). Another huge factor is material choice, for this application there are materials that would be much stronger than PETG. Nylon, Carbon Fiber infused filaments, PA, TPU would be interesting to experiment with. All much harder to print than PETG.
I worked in plastics for 15 years, for parts intended to be durable we used giant Injection mold presses to make said parts and even used metal inserts to anywhere a bolt was intended. I have never tried this but was told, The press used determines the overall strength of a part. the way that works is a higher press number (usually measured in Tons), the more plastic is pressed into the mold. the total tons of the press is both the press holding the mold together as well as the pressure of the feed and Screw assembly. The more plastic and less air, the tougher the part can be made. That said it's still plastic and of course has it's limits, hence why it's almost never used for stress or structure parts. The issue with 3d printing is there is no compression of the plastic for strength, just one layer on top of another. There could be air pockets, carbon buildup (From the tip) falling into it as well as any number of impurities from the air contaminating it. This is why 3d printing is used for light work, prototyping or decorations, it has no real strength. All that said, it was interesting seeing it done and glad you didn't get hurt
As someone who actually tried to print gears my self i have to say that it is possible. The skipping that you felt was the chain hopping over the teeth wich can be prevented by useing the actual teethprofile of a casett since the teeth aren't symmetrical. When the teeth are holding your next problem (at least if you want to have multiple gears) is that the gears start to rotate on the hub. I did come up with an idea how it could hold together but i never got to test it because my printer broke. Plastic gears won't be suitable for mountainbikeing since there is just to much force but for city use they should work just fine
For some of those parts - especially the stem - you might want to look into lost plastic casting. You can make a plaster mold from a 3D printed plastic part, bake it to remove/burn away the plastic, and then cast molten aluminum into it: then you end up with a perfectly fine and safe to use aluminum part. It doesn't take much to melt and cast aluminum. Or even brass - a brass stem would look pretty cool, I think! Also: the jockey wheel should work, as you noticed, but PETG isn't tremendously wear-resistant. Nylon is a better choice. Weed eater line is made of nylon and it works fine for 3D printing - 0.065" should work fine if you adjust the filament flow rate accordingly; in my corner of the world, we get those in metric units, so I used 1.8 mm and it worked fine out of the box - but for best results you should dry it first. Nylon is very hygroscopic. This also applies to purpose-made nylon filament that was left exposed to the atmosphere.
Well, he could, yeah, but some of those parts, like the jockey wheel, are arguably better in plastic. Others, like the seat post collar, would have to be redesigned - those thin walls might be too thin for backyard metal casting processes. The brake rotor would have to be machined after casting. The stem would be the easiest to begin with, I think.
Another approach I've heard about for making metal 3D printed parts is metal-infused filament, such as "The Virtual Foundry." Basically someone 3D prints with the filament as normal on a standard 3D printer, then uses a kiln to burn away the plastic and sinter the metal into a solid. I don't know how strong it is compared with cast or machined metal parts, but I get the sense it's much stronger than plastic. I've been thinking about trying it out, the kiln is the expensive part.
@@quillmaurer6563 yeah, that's totally possible, but at least for the BASF filament I've seen, processing the part after printing isn't that simple. The plastic isn't burned away in the kiln; the part must undergo catalytic debinding, which uses nitric acid at 120 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere and may take several hours for thicker parts. Sintering also requires an inert nitrogen or argon atmosphere, so the process itself as a whole is expensive due to consumables in addition to the equipment itself. Those BASF filaments are only available in stainless steel, so they're not necessarily a good option if weight is a concern. I'm unaware of other materials being offered by other companies. Also, at least one paper has found there may be strength issues when compared to other processes (Kedziora et al., "Strength Properties of 316L and 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Produced with Additive Manufacturing"). You can pay to get it processed, though. One "processing ticket" from MatterHackers, good for up to 1 kg of parts, costs $50. I've never used their service, I only know it exists, and there probably are other companies offering similar services.
@@george.b. I've read about one that uses a thermal-only debinding process, no other chemicals. And for the inert atmosphere for sintering packs the part in sand with a layer of carbon (charcoal) on top that absorbs any oxygen present. Granted I don't know how well this process actually works, the quality of the resulting parts.
So, I am an Additive Manufacturing Instructor for ATDM. I absolutely love this idea. I have yet to combine my love and career for 3D printing and bike riding. I would love to design and print some of these parts. I can ensure that the prints I could get will withstand 1500-2500 lbs of force, which is more than enough for bike parts. You could send me some of these files and I could mail some sample parts in. I have yet to ride Berm Park yet, but maybe this could be my reason to come. Bring the parts, and ride the parks.
For some of these I could see 3d printing a blank, taking a mold of the positive, and casting the piece in something much stronger. It probably wouldn’t be as light as retail, but it would work.
Markforged make some printers that can use filaments containing chopped fibres and even lay continuous fibres within the print. That lets you make a form of engineering composite on a desktop 3-D printer! (Post-processing the stuff is super sketchy, though.)
One actual part i have been running is headset spacers since they don't take alot of load after the stem is tightened. The main benefit is you can get you bike fit sub millimeter perfect
THAT, was hilarious! Yes, you confirmed what we already knew, but it was the most fun I've had today. Now, I DID make some specialty parts for my own bike, but it was a set of mounts using screws and nuts, and a housing for a switch hidden under my cargo rack. Thanks for the video!
I've been using 3d printed (in PETG material) brake lever clamp for almost 3 years in my converted e-bike and they never broke! I've designed those to accomodate a passing screw with a final bolt, in this way you'll not experience any kind of crack.
the research and development potential with 3d printed parts is limitless!!!! you can make prototype stems and dial in dimensions for a fraction of the cost of having new parts machined. 3d printed parts may not hold up to real riding situations but i can definitely see them being used as a cheap alternative to dialing in new ideas.
I've already printed some jokey wheel for my derailleur (SLX 12V), as there is no torque or force going threw it, it works perfectly fine with a good design ! I used a bearing as you did and i have been using it for 2 years now (more than 2 000km for sure!). Works great i can"t see any difference with shimano or sram jokey wheel, it is as durable as a real one
to reduce the likelihood of breaking it's worth reducing stress concentrations around the clamp tabs with fillets, and using cutout slots to allow the clamp to tighten without propogating a crack in the adjacent material
I have a 3D printed Fabric ALM saddle and it is strong, printed with Carbon rather than regular plastic and it is super stiff, more so than my carbon layup AX lightness saddle that is over 10 years old (not as much flex/compliance for the bumps) but the ALM is surprisingly well designed-just one single piece-and comfortable. Weight limit appears to be 100 KG but I get the feeling it could take more with no issues. I got a new one for $60 so their at good deals to be had for the ALM
This is pretty neat! I did a similar thing back in June, I printed a front sprocket out of pla for my old gates carbon drive equipped bike. Actually worked surprisingly well, I think I got about 90km+ out of it before it cracked. Wasn't very efficient though, and made strange noises while pedaling. Beats paying 70€ for a new one at least. I contemplated doing the same for a chain driven bike, but thanks to this video, I now know that that's a bad idea.
I designed and 3d printed an aero/top spacer cap for my road bike. Still there and running super well. In my opinion 3d printed parts are good to create parts that are non existent but that you need for a particular idea that you have
I didn’t upload my designs because these are actual bike parts that could fit on a real bike. I’m not so sure it’s smart to put them out there. Also, I’m not sure why I referred to the hex size in the axle with an M before it. It is just an 8 mm hex.
M8 would be the threaded section sizing.
Quickly looking at your prints, you may way to reduce your layer height to increase strength (especially on the round/clamping parts. The infill on your bar clamp looks almost OK, but try out Gyroid infill and give yourself more shell/top/bottom layers
@@NickBiancalana Reducing layer height does not improve strenght. Parts break between layers. Then, I think more perimeters is the main thing. 8 walls 10% infill is stronger than 3 walls and best infill.
M8 is the normal correct way to say a metric 8 mm. Trust me I'm European 🤣
What about making 3d printed spacers
Just wanted to say that instead of printing screw threads, you can design a hexagonal hole to accommodate a metal nut on the other side! It makes it way less susceptible to snapping, cracking and stripping the threads, plus it's really easy to do. Also, layer orientation and perimeters matter!
Exactly what I was thinking. I have a 3d printed bike lock holder on my street bike that bolts to itself around the bike frame to hold my lock when I bike somewhere (I know this isn't nearly the same amount of force as an integral bike part). It's made to bolt into a nut that is slightly recessed into the part, and this allows for a tight grip without stressing plastic threading. Plus, if you make a slotted recess, it can account for a little variation because the nut can slide to accommodate any slop in the system. Once the bolt is tightened down it won't slide anymore anyways.
Or a heatset insert
Heatset Inserts are the way to go. Rutex all the way.
Why they are better than nuts? Because at Uni we ran multiple thesis about the topic :D
You can also buy some really nice plastic threaded inserts for fairly cheap, all you need is a soldering iron
I would also always use heatset inserts, idk how much better they are but they are so easy to install that I prefer them over nuts. The nuts are always falling out if you dont design it just right
If you ever want to do a followup, here are some ideas for improvement:
Use heat-set inserts and/or slots for metal nuts to better secure screws.
Make sure your prints are designed to be printed in an orientation that optimizes their strength in the direction you want, as a print is more likely to break along a layer line. The best way to think of it is that 3d prints have a grain, and the orientation of that grain matters for the strength of the part.
Change material. Nylon would probably work out as a better material than PETG, and if you're already doing that, you might as well look at the carbon fiber filled nylon that's out there.
If you want strength, perimeters are more important than infill. Perimeters are where the print gets most of its strength from. From the what I can see in the video where you show the broken stem, it looks like you opted to up infill to 95+%, but didn't really add any perimeters. Try more perimeters. There's a CNCKitchen video where he tests this if you want some explanation of why perimeters do more than infill for strength.
Just a random note that you may already know since you've been getting into 3d printing: Try a 0.6mm nozzle. You can still print at 0.15 and 0.2 layer heights, but the perimeter will be thicker, which makes the print stronger, and it'll print faster due to being able to push out more plastic. These days with arachne perimeter generation in both Prusa Slicer and Cura, there isn't really much of a noticeable quality difference.
The grain suggestion is a really good way to put it. With all the wood features at Berm Peak that should be a familiar concept. And yes, for high strength parts I'll whack the perimeters up to 4 or 5 from the more normal 2 or 3.
Make this comment go up,he said everything
Agreed with all of that, only thing I'd add is that a lot of people make the "mistake" of copying metal parts in plastic, it's a bad idea usually, plastic isn't as durable, so you'd need to make the part bigger to handle anywhere near the same loads. And it can be a very good idea to include of the shelf metal vitamins into 3d prints for durability, like add a bolt that goes straight though something to act like a skeleton, lets you use the highly accurate custom shapes of 3d printed plastic, but also make it more structually durable than just plastic.
Or you know, don't try to replace a structural, load bearing metal part with a plastic equivalent, whether 3d printed or moulded. Most of these parts are made out of metal for a good reason.
@@legolas66106 I don't think anyone expected this to succeed. It's just a bit of fun that can be taken further!
Make rock shox tockens please
And a Shimano pedal tool
And stem caps too please!!!
Just use suitable amount of grease instead
@@xartpant it's much harder to get it consistent and accurate with grease.. however I do agree the sentiment. In rear air shocks I swear by this , but with it being a smaller chamber it is much easier to account for.
Maybe shock stanchion?
Lol
I really love that you are exploring 3d printing.
Some helpful advice:
To make stronger parts you have a variety of options besides make the part bigger.
You can choose different materials like abs, nylon (pa) and polycarbonate (pc) or materials with carbon fiber in it but especially pa is lot harder to print. There are a lot more industrial grade materials but they are way more expensive. Igus has also some really nice filaments you can use for parts that benefits from self lubrication.
The orientation of how you print it is also very important. 3d printed parts tend to break first between the layers so you can use that to your advantage. You can also print more bottom and top layers as well as more perimeters. I usually print 5-7 bottom/top layers and 3-5 perimeters.
Infill of course is also an important factor. 3d infill like gyroid ist usually pretty strong and around 25% infill gets the job done quite good for an average use but you can go way higher if you want it as strong as possible.
And for the threads even though threads that are cutted or printed right into the plastic can hold quite a lot you can also design the parts in a way where you can use a washer and a nut or you can take a look at heat-inserts. They work quite well and are getting more and more established in 3d printing and are really good to use at parts that you screw and unscrew regularly.
I've actually been printing bike parts for my bike for years. I've been into 3d printing long before I got into bikes. It's just that I've never printed any crucial parts that you did! I've done bike handles, bike pannier adapters, phone holders, truing rigs, and currently a low profile bottle cage. Clearly you were just having a good time here, but 3d printing is really good when you know its limits!
What material do you use for such functional parts? Is PLA sturdy enough for a bottle cage or are you using some of the tougher filaments?
@@MagiMas PETG is my material of choice for scooter and bike parts if I may add my 2 cents
PLA just doesnt keep up with water and weather, degrades in a few months max, also it gets soft in real sunny weather
PETG does not have these issues. (Well black PETG might still get soft in extremely hot weather but thats it)
@@MagiMas this bottle cage is actually TPU. Normal bottle cages should be petg, but everything else was printed in pla. I'd be concerned if I lived somewhere warmer but here in Canada I've never had an issue
I too made a phone holder that tucked into my frame to run a trail app. If you know the limits of the process and material. I certainly wouldnt try a critical part :) i use pla for test prints but maybe something like an mjf print with a true high quality material would work for non critical long term parts.
@@TheEvilVargon I'm in the same camp as you, been printing smaller bike parts (low profile adaptors, small cable guides etc) for a while. I live in Sweden and never dared to use PLA mostly due to being scared of it's brittleness in the cold. What's your experience with PLA in the cold? I've mostly used PETG and Nylon myself, but I've never even tested PLA for this application.
Too funny! I have a print farm and do a LOT of my own designs but I also know what the limitations and design according to those. I know this was just more of a PSA video and was super fun to watch. Thanks for having some fun with it!
I would add to that last statement. "don't print Load Bearing bicycle parts". There's a good chunk of non load bearing parts you can print. And in tpu you can print slip on grips, crank boots, chainstay protectors etc.
If he wants load-bearing parts or parts that need to be tightened over 1NM, he would be better off with a mini-CNC.
I agree I don’t think I would 3d print high stress parts like you did on my mtn bike. But guards and fenders and such would be great. Also the other great thing about 3d parts is you can just print another once you get a design you like if it breaks.
Agreed - my commuter bicycle is covered with 3D printed parts. Light mounts, handlebar plugs, chain guard, fender mounts, lock carrier. Nothing safety-critical or high-stress, but extremely useful. The same is true for my car, and to a lesser degree (so far) my motorcycle.
@@quillmaurer6563 can I ask what setup you’re using?
@@DaveoAU You mean my 3D printer? It's sort of a Frankenprinter, started out as a TronXY large-format CoreXY type (Chinesium). But it has a lot of modifications, including reduction-gear extruder, full enclosure, linear rails, AC powered heat bed, and others.
@@quillmaurer6563 awesome, thank you!
That bar stem had me on edge. That could have went bad. Great video! And remember, you didn't fail, you succeeded in finding what doesn't work!
From my experience a bar stem get alot of strain put on it when pedaling
Seth,
thank you! Thank you for providing us with this diverse yet always high quality and interesting content. I have been watching your videos for so long I could have never guessed back then that I will witness this channel growing so much! Especially loving the 3D printer content since I have been tinkering with mine for almost two years now and it still fascinates me!
To have better threads I can recommend "heat set threaded inserts" which are basically metal threads that you can melt into your print after it's done.
I like that you made some parts that don't make much sense to 3D print because that is how you can learn what the machine is capable of. I used to break parts that did not fit so I could better understand the material.
I cannot thank you enough for the entertainment you provided me and the things you taught me in all those years.
Best wishes from Germany.
PS: I am amazed at what you created with thinker cad although it's such a simple program. I can't do that much with it. I am using fusion 360.
Of all things, I think this clip shows how much thought, effort and testing is being done for every part of the bike we ride. Being able to manufacture a part doesn't mean that part will function as expected. One important lesson from this clip - be careful what you install on your bike. Make sure it's trust worthy. Your life might depend on it.
Hi Seth,
Try using different material filament with your 3d printer, can be more difficult to print but wayyyy stronger, like nylon or abs. Can also use stuff like TPU which is actually elastic, so could actually make decent grips!
I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think his hotend gets hot enough for nylon
Nylon and ABS are not as strong as PLA. They are just more heat resistant.
@@bookie60 yep. He also used PETG which is also not as strong as PLA.
PETG is stronger than PLA and ABS, i he wants strong parts he can print in carbon fiber reinforced filaments
TPU definitely can be used for grips! You can actually fine tune your grip to exactly how squishy you like, I've done it on a dirt buggy before
I have made and been using a 3d printed brake handle (+adapter) for my commuter single speed bike for more than a year now. It's been working perfectly without any issues 😄
I love 3D printed parts. But not structural ones. I've made in my life 3d printed GoPro-style mounts for front light or phone holder for Zwifting, Garmin mounts, cable holders, multitool and pump holders, front mudguard even. It was a lot of fun and most of them I keep using on my bikes.
There are metal threads that are designed to be used in 3D printed parts. You print the part normally and then use a soldering iron to push the threads into the part. It you add nuts to the bolts you can increase the strength even more.
Hey Seth, print orientation in the slicer and how it it laid out can change where you want the strength can be, based off of the orientation of the layers. Also, different pattern of infill can be stronger in certain circumstances. Overall I’ve found that gyro infill is the strongest overall but takes a bit longer to print
To add on to that information, 3d prints are by far the weakest between layers because only 1 surface is melted and the other is already solid. Good luck on your 3D printing adventures!
Also! Get your self a filament with carbon fibers impregnated into the plastic, prints just like the rest of then.
While that's true, it doesn't negate the point of the video.
Even with the optimal infill and print orientation, you should not use this material for these bike parts.
@@TheSuperCRB Carbon Fiber infused filament is actually weaker than the traditional filament it's infused with. It's mostly meant for lighter models and better dimensional accuracy. But it's a lot more brittle. Definitely wouldn't help in this situation lol.
@@TheSuperCRB cf filaments are kind of a scam. They're only about as strong as PLA. They're typically stiffer, but most of the time that's not a key factor. They are at least twice the cost of quality PLA or PETG, and it's a massive pain in the ass to get set up for printing CF.
Dogpiling onto the heatset insert suggestion. They are surprisingly strong, much stronger than you'd think.
Part orientation is a big factor too. Increasing shells/perimeters & top/bottom layer count will give a greater increase in strength vs infill percentage.
Props to you for having the guts to try these 😅 such a great idea for a series
I printed spacers in axle rear-shock (stark devolution - 200mm) - and all OK for 1 year!
Also spacer between bearings in rear hub - norm works about 2 years.
Plastic norm works on compression, not bend or stretching
Your videos are incredible and family friendly and i love to watch them. I wait days for your videos to come out
Your vids are they best. There really entertaining and they inspired me to start mountain biking
I 3d printed a set of adapter discs for adapting Flow snowboard bindings, to an old Burton snowboard. And I thought that was a crazy experiment. They blew out on the first run, but they were fun to try.
let's be honest. You're not playing with plastics, you're designing stuff for alloy but branded by you guy! Get it!!!
The amount of production and value going into the second channel is awesome, this video was really good. Keep it up Seth!
The second channel seems to be becoming the main channel. I almost wonder if Seth would've been better off not splitting the channel up. Still love the content.
The horror movie music during the stem breakdown was... I mean...
You're so damn creative and that creativity in collaboration with you doing video and all...
.
Great work, Seth. Never thought I'd be so drawn in to... a 3D printed, themed...MTB Video., on... UA-cam.
Bravo.
I've never been so stressed watching you do sketchy stuff as I have watching this video of you testing these parts.
CONGRATS !!👆
YOU WON A GIFT🎁,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
For the screw threads, look into brass inserts that you use a soldering iron to fuse it into the part. Just look up 3d printer inserts there are good videos on it. And also, make sure it's printed at 100% infill in concentric infill pattern cus it's the strongest in all directions at 100%.
Also keep in mind print orientation with the layers
Seth I’ve been watching your channel for a few years now. I just wanted to say your videos are very well thought out and funny. On a cinematography standpoint these videos are great
A few of those parts could definitely use a few more wall and top bottom layers to get better strength. But still a really cool video and im glad to see your bring the 3d printing hobby into biking. Not sure if you've found the treasure trove of parts out there for the 24th scales yet but that's also a whole lot of fun!
The problem is not the plastic printing, the problem is the design. I like what one person said: "design is ten times more important than material." printing can be produced with reinforcing materials, creating a composite. use glass net, metal net, or other materials. in conjunction with the correct volumetric design - this will give the necessary result, but I'm not sure that this will work for downhill)
From someone with a masters degree in 3D printing, I found this really entertaining. You're right, there are design aspects that affect the part's performance, but there are also factors like print orientation and material that are big factors. I'm assuming you printed these solid, but infill also plays a role.
It'd be cool if you had access to a metal printer or the Markforged which can add carbon fiber inside the prints.
*Jacob makes plans to visit Berm Peak....
That's funny, I was thinking the same thing...Oh no, I don't have a master's degree in 3D Printing, I just stayed at a Holiday Inn last night.
They're hollowed/infilled, you can see when they break.
You know, I had a feeling I knew exactly how this video was going to go as soon as I saw the thumbnail. Did not disappoint
Nice, I will have to try some of these out!
I think you would have better luck with Carbon fiber nylon. Let me know if you want some pointers on how to set it up, your printer should be able to handle it if you install a steel nozzle, it's pretty easy to do.
I highly recommend considering hexagonal nuts or heat set knurled nuts. If you really have to screw into plastic, don't print threads, print a cylinder just slightly bigger than the inner diameter of the bolt/screw shaft, it should be slightly big enough to accommodate the volume of the blades/teeth of the screw/bolt, and thus avoid putting pressure on the part, which might weaken its ability to hold onto the screw/bolt's threads.
Would really like to see this done again with something like carbon fiber nylon and some of the more well known methods for designing these things for strength.
I have something for you 🎉🎉🎉
This video was awesome! The timing for the stem breaking was wild
If you revisit this please try 3 things: 1. PLA+ is in a lot of situations stronger than petg and even carbon fiber nylon so give PLA+ a try
2. You can add slots for nuts or use heated inserts to make connections stronger
3. TPU would make nicer grips
CONGRATS !!👆
YOU WON A GIFT🎁,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Если он умудрился сговнякать педж, то уж из нейлона он конкретное дерьмо сделает...
Your last 3D Printing video is the final nail in the bucket. I now have a 3D printer.
👆Thanks for watching 👆
Expect more videos💳
I have something for you 🎉🎁
There’s definitely a guardian angel looking out for you at 8:48 when that 3D printed stem decided to break! 😂
Super! This gave me the idea to print some grips in a PETG/TPU combo
Every one of these 3D printing vedios is Seth just breaking stuff😂
Havnt rode a mtb in years, but I still watch your videos for entertainment, I had a shit day today and you got my mind off it a bit, cheers bro
This one was fun, but would love to see a video on actually useful 3d printed parts.
it would have been useful if he printed with carbon
I'm sure there are plenty out there. Not 3D printed structural parts like these, but brackets for accessories, fenders, chain guards, lights, and so on. My commuter bicycle is covered with such parts, nothing safety-critical or high load but extremely useful.
@@1AnonA1 Debatable, not to mention the price of a carbon printer
LOL, yeah that was bold and impressed that you actually rode it.
I make non-critical bike parts (always print solid 100% infill). Also nylon or filament with carbon fiber will probably work better. But I still would not use myself as a guinea pig!
Out of all these things I think there's actually super usefull usecases for 3D-printing the stem!
It would be awsome for testing out the feel for different lengths without having to buy a bunch of them. (I mean you'd have to oversize the shit out of them, and not take them out on a real trail, but it should give you some idea of what will happen to handling)
The only practical 3d printed bike parts I've seen people make online are, BMX peg sleeves, bar ends, bashguards for your bottom bracket area, peg plugs for flatland BMX, and hubguards.
CONGRATS !!👆
YOU WON A GIFT🎁,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Some of these would probably work with carbon impregnated filaments or carbon reinforced prints like Markforged has. Unfortunately they're super expensive printers lol.
Metal can also be 3D printed using laser sintering. This can create parts with little to no post processing or machining required, but is also very expensive.
"impregnated" lmao... Carbon Fiber infused filament is actually weaker than the traditional filament it's infused with. It's mostly meant for lighter models, better dimensional accuracy, and ease of printing specifically for nylon infused filament. But it's a lot more brittle and less impact resistant. Definitely would be counterproductive for this.
Holly crap, that sure is pure commitment to grab attention and push some merch! I can respect that! 😊 And also it's a good thing that you're still alive! 😁
You can buy Nilon filament which would improve the strength of the parts. However you would need to upgrade the extruder so that it can melt the nilon. You’d also probably need a glass case for your 3D printer as you wouldn’t want to breath in those fumes haha.
This extruder can handle nylon.
I successfully printed a bushing for a horst link on my bike. The factory bolt backed out and was lost. That with a flat head M6 bolt, printed using FormFutura CarbonFil Filament. It worked great until the replacement arrived. Rode about 150km with that part. You're a brave man for attempting the parts you did...
Seth: it's time to be smart and ride a little safer to avoid injuries.
Also Seth: does this
➡️ 🔝 🔝 🔝 congratulations you have been selected 📩 to claim your prize 🎁 you are now among my shortlisted winner's🔝🔝
Best use of 3d printed bike parts is definitely for mounting shifters to odd handlebar sizes or those hold anything cages for bikepacking
Plastic is good for prototyping. But need metal 3d printer...with titanium filament.
To correct the chain line on a 3x to 1x conversion, I designed a spacer for the Shimano Deore M6100 crankset to offset the chain ring by 7mm. Printed in PETG and attached with longer M4 bolts. I was sceptical, but it holds up really well so far, tested it by giving it all the torque I could pedal. In this case, the main load is held by the bolts tough, the plastic part is sandwiched between the spider and the chainring.
petg tends to shatter just as your parts did, pla+ would have survived a bit better as it can flex more. Plus it looks like you printed at 50% infill some of those parts should have been 100%, Another thing to think about is what side you print them on, you want the print lines 90 deg to the direction of the force.
3d printed some bikepacking dry bag holders for my front forks. They have worked great, just make sure to print parts out of ABS not brittle material
Heatset inserts!!! Look up rutex brand
Also, look into a hardened steel nozzle for you printer, and carbon fiber infused filament for stronger parts. Maybe worth a part 2!
the great thing about this is you can test the prototypes to see if it functionally possible and can withstand minimal stress. You could then utilise the 3d printer and a stronger filiment to acctually make viable parts. potentially making cheap emergency replacement parts that can safely get you back to the car/home (provided they dont go to hard core)
I designed and printed oversize (15T) jockey wheels for my RD-m8000 derailleur. It fits in the ceramic bearing from genuine Shimano jockey wheels and printed using PLA. Each of the wheels last over 3500km before wearing out. I enjoyed extra derailleur capacity and custom color, super fun!
I think this is a massive win, if you don't ride the bike everything you made was perfect! Just mount it to the wall and enjoy brother.
I have redesigned the jockey wheel for my deore shifter to fit a 608zz skateboard bearing. The original shaft of the bushing is 8mm as well and fits like a glove. It is super smooth and made the shifter better than when I bought it. Have 1000+ km on it and it doesn't show any signs of wear really. Looks pretty much brand new besides the oil. I printed it in PETG btw ;) 100% recommended, that is something that is actually better than the original.
I haven't laughed so hard in a while, once the rear brake exploded. Thanks for the videos!
I made a 3d printed derailleur hanger for my wife's yuba (2 month delay for the part...) And it worked for 300km of commuting I think!
best video in a while; thanks for uploading.
Spent 10 minutes of my life watching seth break plastic and make it entertaining.
This video is definitely among my top 5 from your channels
This was scary! Seth you are nuts!
Use speciality filaments like TPU for the grip to give you squish. There is also carbon impregnated speciality filaments that will significantly improve the strength. You just need to upate your printers hot end for some of these filaments. But still worth a try, perhaps in the future.
Nice video, I admire your courage on taking the stem out for a spin around the track. I have 3D printed the rear cassette spacers myself a while back. Till this day i haven't had any problems with them haha. Grtz from the netherlands.
Understanding material properties is a key pillar of engineering that was omitted here 😁
The lock on grips could really have a future for riders like me that need some really oversized diameter. Built up much thinker and wrapped with roadie bar tape, could be a comfortable solution
I love Seth’s sarcasm and humour truly an amazing biker
By the disc rotor fail, I was laughing out loud. So. Many. Fails. Thanks Seth!
This video was so awesome! And the cinematography is so professional your videos look so good
Broke my collarbone into three pieces riding windrock today, looks like I’ll be going back to your videos on it and take notes
Gonna gave my own crawler addiction
•have
You know, if you extend the lock on grip, use a hex nut, and move the screw to the inside, youd be able to put actual grips on them. Then you can have multiple pairs of your favorite grips you can quickly swap onto different bars. Make deciding what grips you want much quicker and cheaper!
Need to add a TQ specification on those parts 😂 good stuff man 🤙🏻
Video for giggles, thx :)
Legit things I've printed: spacers for 68mm BB; clamps, brackets for lights, power-banks, batteries and what not; phone holder; end caps; S hooks for cable housing; valve caps;
Very entertaining. You are right the design of the model is important for strength, but so is the way it's printed (e.g.: number of perimeters, layer orientation, temperature, etc). Another huge factor is material choice, for this application there are materials that would be much stronger than PETG. Nylon, Carbon Fiber infused filaments, PA, TPU would be interesting to experiment with. All much harder to print than PETG.
3D printed dork disc would be appropriate 😅
Maybe fenders?
This was hilarious, thanks.
I worked in plastics for 15 years, for parts intended to be durable we used giant Injection mold presses to make said parts and even used metal inserts to anywhere a bolt was intended. I have never tried this but was told, The press used determines the overall strength of a part. the way that works is a higher press number (usually measured in Tons), the more plastic is pressed into the mold. the total tons of the press is both the press holding the mold together as well as the pressure of the feed and Screw assembly. The more plastic and less air, the tougher the part can be made. That said it's still plastic and of course has it's limits, hence why it's almost never used for stress or structure parts. The issue with 3d printing is there is no compression of the plastic for strength, just one layer on top of another. There could be air pockets, carbon buildup (From the tip) falling into it as well as any number of impurities from the air contaminating it. This is why 3d printing is used for light work, prototyping or decorations, it has no real strength. All that said, it was interesting seeing it done and glad you didn't get hurt
As someone who actually tried to print gears my self i have to say that it is possible. The skipping that you felt was the chain hopping over the teeth wich can be prevented by useing the actual teethprofile of a casett since the teeth aren't symmetrical. When the teeth are holding your next problem (at least if you want to have multiple gears) is that the gears start to rotate on the hub. I did come up with an idea how it could hold together but i never got to test it because my printer broke. Plastic gears won't be suitable for mountainbikeing since there is just to much force but for city use they should work just fine
For some of those parts - especially the stem - you might want to look into lost plastic casting. You can make a plaster mold from a 3D printed plastic part, bake it to remove/burn away the plastic, and then cast molten aluminum into it: then you end up with a perfectly fine and safe to use aluminum part. It doesn't take much to melt and cast aluminum. Or even brass - a brass stem would look pretty cool, I think!
Also: the jockey wheel should work, as you noticed, but PETG isn't tremendously wear-resistant. Nylon is a better choice. Weed eater line is made of nylon and it works fine for 3D printing - 0.065" should work fine if you adjust the filament flow rate accordingly; in my corner of the world, we get those in metric units, so I used 1.8 mm and it worked fine out of the box - but for best results you should dry it first. Nylon is very hygroscopic. This also applies to purpose-made nylon filament that was left exposed to the atmosphere.
By the time you look it to that you can get a whole set of metal parts
Well, he could, yeah, but some of those parts, like the jockey wheel, are arguably better in plastic. Others, like the seat post collar, would have to be redesigned - those thin walls might be too thin for backyard metal casting processes. The brake rotor would have to be machined after casting. The stem would be the easiest to begin with, I think.
Another approach I've heard about for making metal 3D printed parts is metal-infused filament, such as "The Virtual Foundry." Basically someone 3D prints with the filament as normal on a standard 3D printer, then uses a kiln to burn away the plastic and sinter the metal into a solid. I don't know how strong it is compared with cast or machined metal parts, but I get the sense it's much stronger than plastic. I've been thinking about trying it out, the kiln is the expensive part.
@@quillmaurer6563 yeah, that's totally possible, but at least for the BASF filament I've seen, processing the part after printing isn't that simple. The plastic isn't burned away in the kiln; the part must undergo catalytic debinding, which uses nitric acid at 120 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere and may take several hours for thicker parts. Sintering also requires an inert nitrogen or argon atmosphere, so the process itself as a whole is expensive due to consumables in addition to the equipment itself. Those BASF filaments are only available in stainless steel, so they're not necessarily a good option if weight is a concern. I'm unaware of other materials being offered by other companies. Also, at least one paper has found there may be strength issues when compared to other processes (Kedziora et al., "Strength Properties of 316L and 17-4 PH Stainless Steel Produced with Additive Manufacturing").
You can pay to get it processed, though. One "processing ticket" from MatterHackers, good for up to 1 kg of parts, costs $50. I've never used their service, I only know it exists, and there probably are other companies offering similar services.
@@george.b. I've read about one that uses a thermal-only debinding process, no other chemicals. And for the inert atmosphere for sintering packs the part in sand with a layer of carbon (charcoal) on top that absorbs any oxygen present. Granted I don't know how well this process actually works, the quality of the resulting parts.
So, I am an Additive Manufacturing Instructor for ATDM. I absolutely love this idea. I have yet to combine my love and career for 3D printing and bike riding. I would love to design and print some of these parts. I can ensure that the prints I could get will withstand 1500-2500 lbs of force, which is more than enough for bike parts. You could send me some of these files and I could mail some sample parts in.
I have yet to ride Berm Park yet, but maybe this could be my reason to come. Bring the parts, and ride the parks.
For some of these I could see 3d printing a blank, taking a mold of the positive, and casting the piece in something much stronger. It probably wouldn’t be as light as retail, but it would work.
Hey Seth, thank you for the excellent content and the good entertainment. You bring joy to the lifes of many with what you do.
3d printing for MTB parts is still a good idea. Just not for the finished product but for designing it and prototyping haha. Nice vid
Markforged make some printers that can use filaments containing chopped fibres and even lay continuous fibres within the print. That lets you make a form of engineering composite on a desktop 3-D printer! (Post-processing the stuff is super sketchy, though.)
CONGRATS !!👆
YOU WON A GIFT🎁,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
the best use for that is to make chain catcher and mounting for various thing such as light, bike comp, or camera. less stress application.
One actual part i have been running is headset spacers since they don't take alot of load after the stem is tightened. The main benefit is you can get you bike fit sub millimeter perfect
THAT, was hilarious! Yes, you confirmed what we already knew, but it was the most fun I've had today. Now, I DID make some specialty parts for my own bike, but it was a set of mounts using screws and nuts, and a housing for a switch hidden under my cargo rack. Thanks for the video!
I've been using 3d printed (in PETG material) brake lever clamp for almost 3 years in my converted e-bike and they never broke!
I've designed those to accomodate a passing screw with a final bolt, in this way you'll not experience any kind of crack.
the research and development potential with 3d printed parts is limitless!!!! you can make prototype stems and dial in dimensions for a fraction of the cost of having new parts machined. 3d printed parts may not hold up to real riding situations but i can definitely see them being used as a cheap alternative to dialing in new ideas.
I've already printed some jokey wheel for my derailleur (SLX 12V), as there is no torque or force going threw it, it works perfectly fine with a good design ! I used a bearing as you did and i have been using it for 2 years now (more than 2 000km for sure!). Works great i can"t see any difference with shimano or sram jokey wheel, it is as durable as a real one
to reduce the likelihood of breaking it's worth reducing stress concentrations around the clamp tabs with fillets, and using cutout slots to allow the clamp to tighten without propogating a crack in the adjacent material
I was lol'ing hard when that plastic brake rotor snapped...the music cut was just perfect 🤣
➡️ 🔝 🔝 🔝 congratulations you have been selected 📩 to claim your prize 🎁 you are now among my shortlisted winner's🔝🔝
I have a 3D printed Fabric ALM saddle and it is strong, printed with Carbon rather than regular plastic and it is super stiff, more so than my carbon layup AX lightness saddle that is over 10 years old (not as much flex/compliance for the bumps) but the ALM is surprisingly well designed-just one single piece-and comfortable. Weight limit appears to be 100 KG but I get the feeling it could take more with no issues. I got a new one for $60 so their at good deals to be had for the ALM
This is pretty neat!
I did a similar thing back in June, I printed a front sprocket out of pla for my old gates carbon drive equipped bike. Actually worked surprisingly well, I think I got about 90km+ out of it before it cracked.
Wasn't very efficient though, and made strange noises while pedaling.
Beats paying 70€ for a new one at least.
I contemplated doing the same for a chain driven bike, but thanks to this video, I now know that that's a bad idea.
I designed and 3d printed an aero/top spacer cap for my road bike. Still there and running super well. In my opinion 3d printed parts are good to create parts that are non existent but that you need for a particular idea that you have
You may want to have a look at threaded Inserts for use in Plastics...
This was so funny. Great idea for a video, totally made my day.