Help Needed for a fun project:
Can someone design a small replica of the X37B space plane on a 3D printer
to be presented to a USAF Lt. Colonel at his promotion in early August?
Please contact me directly.
[email protected]
Richardson TX
Thank You!
Itās not super high fidelity, butā¦
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Would love to speak with you in more detail about this project!
What material is this made of?
Thank you for your speedy reply!
What itās made of would be decided by whoever printed it.
Thingiverse is a site where people share 3D printable objects.
I just did a quick search, and thatās the best looking one I found.
There is a service called Shapeways that does 3D printing for hire. They may be an option for you.
All of Dallas Makerspaceās printers are off printing PPE right now and our facility is closed.
Someone might pop up here that can help you locally. I donāt have a working printer at present myself.
( 2 under construction, but thatās not very usefulā¦ )
Best of luck.
Dragon Models made a die cast 1:72 scale model of the X-37B. You can get it on eBay for about $90: https://www.ebay.com/p/1600089036
The model linked to by tmc4242 is a work in progress model posted by someone on Thingiverse (a 3D model clearinghouse) a couple of years ago. It is not particularly detailed.
I do not believe it was actually created by Todd, just one he thought you might find useful.
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While not cheap, these look to be quality and detailed models. The first is probably your injection molded styrene and the second is resin.
Amazon sometimes carries the Dragon Models die cast version as well, for about 1/2 the eBay imported from Japan price. Currently ātemporarily out of stockā on Amazon, though.
Thank you!
I am also needing about 25-40 miniature replicas 2"-3" keychains
or sponge ānerfā squeezie type toy of the X37B
The Thingiverse model is probably about the right fidelity for use as a keychain. This model (printed full size) is 93.9 x 25.6 x 50.8 mm (or about 3.7" x 1"x 2"). 3.7" is perhaps a bit long for a keychain, but with the thin rear wings I would hesitate to print it smaller without testing. Note that it will print in a single color (probably white).
There is a 3D printing clearinghouse called www.3DHubs.com where you can find a local vendor to do a print job for you. Iād show them that Thingiverse model and get a quote for making your keychains. The model might need to be modded slightly to include a thru-hole for the split ring (probably behind the nose of the model).
With 60% āinfillā (which would make the body pretty solid/durable) it uses 18 grams of plastic per print. These size and plastic used numbers will help in the quoting process.
www.Shapeways.com is another printing service, but they are pretty spendy with no discounting for volume. A single model at full scale would cost more than $15 +s/h from them. If DMS were open and you were a member, you could print them yourself for $1.80 using DMS plastic, or about $0.30 a piece if you were to use your own plastic. Note that time is money, each model takes about 2 HOURS to print (though likely faster on the Polyprinters), and there might be a failure or two along the way.
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Laser cutting an outline or mission logo out of acrylic might be a better idea than the smaller models. The fins wonāt last long on a keychain, and will be a bit stabby in oneās pocket while they do.
Laser cutting is fast and cheap too.
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Again, i wont need then until the beginning of August.
Have you heard
when the shop will open back up?
The short answer is āit dependsā.
The DMS Board is working to figure out how and when we can safely and legally. EVERYONE is champing at the bit to come back to DMS and use tools/see friends we canāt interact with while at home.
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You might also check with your local Public Library. Many of them have created small Makerspaces as a part of their offerings, and 3D printing for customers is something they often do.
If you wanted to print them at DMS, there are several hurdles, including:
- the big one (namely that DMS is currently closed).
- you would have to become a Member (I am assuming you are not currently)
- you would have to be trained on using the 3D printers (a free class, but a popular one)
- you would have to physically stay on site while printing (2 hours X 30+ models = a non-trivial time investment). Also, some reopening options include only short visits with limited number of members, which could complicate throughput.
These are all reasons which I suggested www.3Dhubs.com and your Local Library as alternatives.
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Iām assuming your goal is a nice-looking model to present to the Colonel, not necessarily a 3d printed model. Long, long ago I was into scale models, and the better-skilled modelers would do things on commission. You have enough lead time to commission someone to assemble and finish a kit, something like this:
http://fantastic-plastic.com/X-37BCatalogPage.htm
(I have no idea if this model is good quality, it was the first actual kit in my search results for X37B Scale Model Kit on my favorite search engine)
Finding a modeler could be done through the local IPMS chapter(s), from the directory found here: http://www.ipmsusa.org/
You might also pick up a copy of FineScale Modeler magazine at a bookstore, if you can find one, there are several companies that advertise desk display models similar to your need in the advertising in the back. Might also be on their website.
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This kit looks promising!|
And simply enough that our son might actually enjoy putting this together himself.
He has played at Hackerspaces in every city where heās been stationed.
Would you be open to a phone call?
Thanks for this ideaā¦
Geri
AF Mom