3d printer

[lesinutah]

Hey
I read a few threads a few years ago. I noticed someone mentioned a person who 3d printed vacuum parts.
I have looked and believe it's true. I'm not naming anyone or any machines.
Its happening I was wondering what everyone feels about it.
You can't tell the difference between real and these items.
I get it but if you are selling a machine should it be discolsed to buyer. It could also be considered fabrication which is accepted.
This isn't a thread to bring up names or machines. It's a thread how you feel about it. If you bought a machine would you want to know.
Les

 

[huskyvacs]

Don't blame the person doing it - blame the vacuum company for not making spare parts - or too many people throwing them out for no reason instead of selling them on eBay and making common parts rare.

If you do it properly (proper temperature and high quality plastic mold used) - 3D printed parts are just as durable if not more then the OEM.

If the OEM part is available then use the OEM part, but if you've been like me and hunting for 3 years for a cleanout port cover for a Hoover Z700 and having Sears steal your money then a 3D printed part is preferable.

 

[lesinutah]

Blame

I'm not blaming anyone. I just asked for opinions.
You make a very valid point. It's not like parts grow on trees. It's like fabricating parts for a car they don't make anymore.
Les

 

[madman]

No... 3D printed parts are very obviously 3D printed. Unless you have a printer that costs $10k - or are using one via a print service - the finish quality and dimensional accuracy will not be that good. And even the good prints usually *look* like they've been printed. Prints can be doctored with many methods to make them look better, but then you start getting into time consuming manual finishing, and if somebody's spending that much time making it perfect, it's probably going to be made well.

Resin prints are supposed to have better surface finish, but I've yet to see any IRL. A friend of mine has a resin printer, but like all of these 3D printers, it's finnicky and he barely has the mechanical aptitude to figure it out.

 

[lesinutah]

True

I had someone test make a part. It was sub par grainy not even close. I guess if you want high quality items you probably could afford to buy any item you could make.
The process of duplicating a part would highly outweigh the value of the part.
Les

 

[madman]

That's basically always true. Part are only cheap when they're mass produced. Sometimes, though, there are no replacement parts left to buy.

 

[gregvacs28]

3D printing is, like other technologies, improving in quality and availability.


 


Imagine being able to print all the parts for an entire vacuum, then just snap or screw them together for a complete vac.

 

[jrdavis]

well...

I thought about gettting a 3d printer too. I'm sure I could practice making the bumpers an wheels and experimenting. it'd be another thing I could do besides printing masks and stuff. I can't figure out how to make a mold of old parts or I would just do that. Merry Christmas everyone.

 

[lesinutah]

Hey

Jrdarvis email me I'll tell you how to do it.
Les

 

[kirbyklekter]

Opinion:

I think it's a good thing. Can only imagine how much has been thrown out simply because of a missing and not available part. People get tired of storing otherwise perfect equipment, appliances you name it waiting for a part or two that may never be had.Definitely a valuable tool (?) for the "resto-mod" industry.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I’ve been toying with the idea of printing Electrolux G/L wheels. However, I don’t have the dimensions of the wheel. Does anyone here know the outer diameter and bore diameter of those wheels? I’m going to redesign them to be stronger than the OEM wheels.

 

[crazykirbydude]

I’ve been toying with the idea of printing Electrolux G/L wheels. However, I don’t have the dimensions of the wheel. Does anyone here know the outer diameter and bore diameter of those wheels? I’m going to redesign them to be stronger than the OEM wheels.

 

[crazykirbydude]

Sorry for the double post.

 

[betam64]

I'm someone who 3D prints parts for my vacuums. I think it's an excellent tool for restorations that would, otherwise, not be possible. In addition to that, you can create new parts to improve functionality further.

For example, I recently bought eight vintage Hoover vacuums that ALL had flattened wheels that were too far gone. I could put together enough good wheels for two machines, but that still left six cleaners (24 wheels) that I would absolutely never be able to find replacements for. So, the 3D printer came to the rescue here.

I also use the 3D printer to create disposable bag conversions that slip under the original bag, so that it gets preserved.

Any other miscellaneous/less important parts can be printed as well, such as spacers, cord clips, and more.

Like someone else said, if you have an otherwise perfect machine that just needs something like, for example, new wheels, 3D printing helps immensely.

I believe it should be mentioned in a description if being sold, just like you would a cord or a bag.