Can 3-D printers make TF toys?

[Tigermegatron]

Can 3-D printers make TF toys?

I don't own a 3-D printer due to the huge price tage,So i'm clueless.

If I had to speculate,I'd assume 3-D Printers can create Transformers weapons,heads,hands & stuff like that.

As far as making scratch built TF toys using a 3-D Printer. I'd imagine one would have to first create the parts & pieces using molds,then after that's done,then scan the parts & they'd basically get KO'd/Repro.

As far as i'm aware these high quality 3-d printers can only create plastic parts/pieces. If one wants metal parts such as screws,pins,pressured springs,electronics,wires,lights,they have to go to various home improvement stores,radio shacks,arts & crafts stores,collectors type toy shops,etc....

With the complexity of the average TF toy especially in the much bigger sizes like voyagers,ultra's & leader class sizes. I'd assume 3-D Printer COULD NOT make a bigger sized TF toy that transforms back & forth----> Mainly due to all the inner metal springs,electronics & metal screws that 3-D printers can't create due to them only being able to make plastic parts. AT BEST ONE WOULD have to go to a hardware store or collectors type toy shop to buy all the pressured springs,metal rivets bars,metal screws & maybe head on over to radio shack to buy the electronics.

I think it's possible for a exspensive high quality 3-D printer to be used to KO liscensed hasbro/takara TF toys. all the guy has to do is take apart the TF toy into all of it's parts,then use the 3-D Printer to repro/KO the TF toy. HOWEVER One would still need to find a few stores that sell pressured springs,metal screws,metals rivets bars,electronics. I 'd imagine one would also need to top notch higher quality power tools to drill holes into the 30D parts in order to get the metal rivets bars & screws to be put into the 3-D Parts.

I think it would be a lot easier to use a 3-D high quality exspensive printer to KO/Repro those Takara TF PVC'S,TF Myclone,Kreons,TF Kreo build it sets parts,TF Legends,basics,minicons types smaller sized TF toys. Once one tries to KO/Repro TF toys using the bigger sized TF toys like deluxes,voyagers,ultra,leaders,than things get super complicated,frustration & harder.

I think it's possible if one has exstensive CGI computer modeling training to construct CGI images on their computer. Then have 3-D Printer use those CGI Computer constructed models to print up & create TF toys.

I wonder if it's possible for a high quality exspensive 3-D Printer to scan & enlarge parts to make the toy bigger. Example: Taking apart in all the parts, a deluxe Sized TF toy like Classics 2.0 Galvatron in then scanning all the parts,then going into a program in the 3-D Printer that allows the user to enlarge the parts to create a voyager or $27 USA Ultra sized 2.0 Galvatron toy.

[Shockwave]

Yes. There's a guy over on TFW who offers such things in his sig.

[Tigermegatron]

Yes. There's a guy over on TFW who offers such things in his sig.

What's his user name & do you have a link to a thread over at TFW that he posted in?

[Almighty Unicron]

Obviously you can't make an entire tf with a 3d printer, he'd have no joints and thus wouldn't really "transform". But you can probably machine the individual parts for a larger transformer and then buy screws and rods to assemble it... or you can make a figure that stays together entirely using ball joints, but he probably wouldn't be bigger than a legion commander figure.

[BWprowl]

Dave van Doleman has a section on some 3D-printed TFs he got through Shapeways, a couple different Frenzy/Rumble models. They're rather small, and take a definite bit of work to get them de-flashed, detailed, and assembled, and these are things printed out on super-high-end 'cost as much as a small house' 3D printers, so I'd say there's definitely a ways to go before you can just print out a whole, retail-level TF on one of the $1000-or-so 'average' 3D printers. It's an interesting look to the future, though.

[Shockwave]

Yes. There's a guy over on TFW who offers such things in his sig.

What's his user name & do you have a link to a thread over at TFW that he posted in?

I was trying to find one but I haven't been able to yet. The pieces he makes are add on bits for combiners. I think his username is megamoonman but I could be wrong.

Obviously you can't make an entire tf with a 3d printer, he'd have no joints and thus wouldn't really "transform". But you can probably machine the individual parts for a larger transformer and then buy screws and rods to assemble it... or you can make a figure that stays together entirely using ball joints, but he probably wouldn't be bigger than a legion commander figure.

The plastic parts would be able to be produced and can generally be any size so long as you have the dimensions on computer file. That's the tricky part. The method I've used so far has involved making a rubber cast of the original part and then pouring a 2 part epoxy into it to replicate said part. And even then, I've had VERY mixed results. The one thing you can say about a 3D printer is that at least the result is consistent. The downide is not being able to choose the color of the plastic.

[Shockwave]

Dave van Doleman has a section on some 3D-printed TFs he got through Shapeways, a couple different Frenzy/Rumble models. They're rather small, and take a definite bit of work to get them de-flashed, detailed, and assembled, and these are things printed out on super-high-end 'cost as much as a small house' 3D printers, so I'd say there's definitely a ways to go before you can just print out a whole, retail-level TF on one of the $1000-or-so 'average' 3D printers. It's an interesting look to the future, though.

With the cheaper ones it's a matter of patience. I saw one at Sac-con back in September and the guy using it made an Admiral Ackbar head in about 2 hours. He said that he could get a much more detailed version but that it would take about 6 hours.

[andersonh1]

3-D printers can make working guns, so it seems like a Transformer wouldn't be out of the question.