Side Mission: Replica Team Associated SC10 Mudflaps

[Doom!]

Getting warmer! These are going to be so cool, once you get them dialed in.

 

[Spksh]

Getting warmer! These are going to be so cool, once you get them dialed in.

Now I'm second-guessing the design. Would just flat with no engraving look better?

 

[Doom!]

Now I'm second-guessing the design. Would just flat with no engraving look better?

I'm diggin' the engraving.

 

[Spksh]

Lasers (and vinyl cutters) are cool.

 

[Doom!]

Lasers are indeed a good thing to have access to, we have one at work.

 

[Spksh]

Lasers are indeed a good thing to have access to, we have one at work.

Mine is a tiny 20W diode. Juuust good enough for this.

 

[Spksh]

Yes. Good. Back to black PETG now, and I just need to troubleshoot my first layer extrusion problem.

 

[CertifiedMike]

They look better every time!
Curious, because I don't 3D print anything... ever.
How long do these take to print?
Are the materials reasonably cheap?

I wonder if there is a market for these things once you get the files right.

 

[Spksh]

They look better every time!
Curious, because I don't 3D print anything... ever.
How long do these take to print?
Are the materials reasonably cheap?

I wonder if there is a market for these things once you get the files right.

Thanks!

A pair of the brackets takes 2.48 grams of filament. Filament is ~US$15 per kilogram. So, 4 cents of filament. Right now, I'm still playing with print settings, but I'm looking at 25 minutes of machine time.

The rubber was about ~US$15 for a sheet that I could get 25 pairs of mudflaps easily. Maybe double that if I decided to do a big run with nesting. But right now, 60 cents of rubber. Machine time on the cutter is about 25 minutes. Post-laser clean-up requires some scrubbing for a few minutes.

Gluing the brackets is messy and fiddly with RTV, not sure what the results look like yet.

Lasering the rubber is the messy part of the process. Generates a lot of smoke and ash. If I was productionising this, I'd probably make a mold and cast them in silicone.

 

[Spksh]

Still no joy with the RTV. I'm left with a high-quality silicone mold of the 3d printed bracket

However! I've had an epiphany (one that makes me feel like a total idiot ). You know what other situations in RC call for gluing rubber to plastic? Here's a hint:

 

[Doom!]

Gotta love those DOH! moments. but the tire glue is a great idea.

 

[Spksh]

Gotta love those DOH! moments. but the tire glue is a great idea.

The best ideas are obvious in hindsight, or something...

 

[Spksh]

Print settings almost dialed. The infill pattern on the surface is almost invisible. I'm printing these upside down, with the "show" face against the bed, which means I can't use ironing and cheat. Switched to black ASA because I found a partial spool, and the "snap" feeling is much more positive.

Mostly I'm now just procrastinating before committing to the tire glue test.

 

[WickedFog]

Not sure how I missed this, but let's pretend I saw this thread back in Oct....

Hey, try some tire glue!

Those look fantasic. What laser are you using? I thought about buying one a few years ago, but I was kinda reluctant to jump down another rabbit hole.

 

[Spksh]

Those look fantasic. What laser are you using? I thought about buying one a few years ago, but I was kinda reluctant to jump down another rabbit hole.

It is for sure another rabbit hole.

I went with a 20W diode laser paired with a vinyl cutter drag knife (XTool M1 Ultra). The laser is only good for engraving the silicone, but the drag knife does a great job of cutting. I'll be using the drag knife for vinyl stencils and stickers for body and paint work.

 

[Spksh]

I can stop any time I want.

 

[Spksh]

I think I've finally nailed the print settings. I want to roll out the "Mission Accomplished" banner for this one.

Don't let anyone tell you not to follow your dreams.

Tire glue is next, once I come down from this high.

 

[Beer_Goggles_RC]

Tire glue is next, once I come down from this high.

A lot of the tire glues I've used will end up leaving a white dust/resin type coating on the rubber and plastic. I tend to use super thin TLR or JC glues. What will you be going with?

 

[Spksh]

A lot of the tire glues I've used will end up leaving a white dust/resin type coating on the rubber and plastic. I tend to use super thin TLR or JC glues. What will you be going with?

Oh that’s interesting, do the TLR or JC glues not leave that residue? That would be great. My experience with cyanoacrylate glues is that they all leave that residue behind.

I’ve got some generic off-brand tire glue. Plan is to use as little as possible, try to minimise squeeze-out entirely.

 

[Beer_Goggles_RC]

Oh that’s interesting, do the TLR or JC glues not leave that residue? That would be great. My experience with cyanoacrylate glues is that they all leave that residue behind.

I’ve got some generic off-brand tire glue. Plan is to use as little as possible, try to minimise squeeze-out entirely.

No the tlr and jc certainly do leave residue lol