3D Printing Stocks

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Mach, I'm not a wood worker by any standards.

1894, I'm an engineer in training. (So not an engineer, correct). The more I think about this the more I think I should test this on a simple design (the 870 comes to mind).

alexander, yes you are very true. But I also enjoy tinkering a lot (which has a major hand in this)
 
Mach, I'm not a wood worker by any standards.

Neither am I, but I can tell you based on my background/experience with machining and molding, including thermoplastics, that unless you have the ability to injection mold this stock (and I do mean injection mold, not pour molten polymer into a female cavity), the result is likely to be very weak and ugly as sin.

A milled piece would have the strength, but still be fugly and take at least as long as hand carving wood. Trust me; I have milled buttstocks from ABS and Acetyl stock.

Conversely, if you spend as much time shaping and sanding a piece of wood as you will trying to get this design done right in CAD/CAM for a 3D print, you'll have a very functional and much more aesthetically pleasing finished product.

The problem I see is that you are looking at material strengths based on data sheets, but not really accounting for how the manufacturing process affects that. Just as there is a substantial difference in strength with alloys based on whether they are cast, sintered PM, MIM, extruded, forged, etc, so is there a big difference with polymers. Heated filament printed pieces are about the equivalent of lead soldering steel wire to form a 3D shape.

3D printing has it's place, but this ain't it. It's great for prototyping a design before going production with conventional molding or machining processes, but even using higher strength materials, the manufacturing process results in strength that is far inferior to injection molded or machined pieces. Cody Wilson was using a $60K printer with high strength nylon filament to make his printed lowers, and still had to reinforce the heck out of it to withstand the same forces that injection molded lowers have handled with far less bolstering.
 
Neither am I, but I can tell you based on my background/experience with machining and molding, including thermoplastics, that unless you have the ability to injection mold this stock (and I do mean injection mold, not pour molten polymer into a female cavity), the result is likely to be very weak and ugly as sin.

A milled piece would have the strength, but still be fugly and take at least as long as hand carving wood. Trust me; I have milled buttstocks from ABS and Acetyl stock.

Conversely, if you spend as much time shaping and sanding a piece of wood as you will trying to get this design done right in CAD/CAM for a 3D print, you'll have a very functional and much more aesthetically pleasing finished product.

The problem I see is that you are looking at material strengths based on data sheets, but not really accounting for how the manufacturing process affects that. Just as there is a substantial difference in strength with alloys based on whether they are cast, sintered PM, MIM, extruded, forged, etc, so is there a big difference with polymers. Heated filament printed pieces are about the equivalent of lead soldering steel wire to form a 3D shape.

3D printing has it's place, but this ain't it. It's great for prototyping a design before going production with conventional molding or machining processes, but even using higher strength materials, the manufacturing process results in strength that is far inferior to injection molded or machined pieces. Cody Wilson was using a $60K printer with high strength nylon filament to make his printed lowers, and still had to reinforce the heck out of it to withstand the same forces that injection molded lowers have handled with far less bolstering.
Fair enough. I'm still interested how one would hold up on an 870 though, for science reasons.
 
I'm still interested how one would hold up on an 870 though, for science reasons.

Well, an 870 isn't above it. lol.

If you can tweak the CAM to get the strands oriented the right way, a completely solid stock would probably take the recoil.

I haven't personally played with the CAD/CAM systems used in 3D printing, don't know what kinds of options you have. I know that CAM for conventional machining is pretty limited for the end user, though. You can select from certain tool paths, but often end up having to complete pieces with many "blocks". From the viewpoint of a manual machinist, CNC tool paths often make very little sense. Lots of wasted movement and counter-intuitive maneuvers.
 
My apologies. Onewound. My engineering training involves duct tape and WD40. I will respectfully read more than post on this thread (and in general) henceforth.
 
Well, an 870 isn't above it. lol.

If you can tweak the CAM to get the strands oriented the right way, a completely solid stock would probably take the recoil.

I haven't personally played with the CAD/CAM systems used in 3D printing, don't know what kinds of options you have. I know that CAM for conventional machining is pretty limited for the end user, though. You can select from certain tool paths, but often end up having to complete pieces with many "blocks". From the viewpoint of a manual machinist, CNC tool paths often make very little sense. Lots of wasted movement and counter-intuitive maneuvers.
...That's not how 3D printing works. 3D printing works by importing an .stl file. A software (not CAM/CAD) then slices the layers into thickness of .1-.4MM (this can differ per printer). The printer then extrudes each layer, therefore creating a 3D part. (This is why large parts can take over 24 hours to print). This is why 3D printing it would be so quick and nice for large companies, because an engineer can just send a file off to the machine shop and the slicing software will automatically create the geometry and be given back in a day or so.
 
My apologies. Onewound. My engineering training involves duct tape and WD40. I will respectfully read more than post on this thread (and in general) henceforth.
Hold on there 1894, no offence taken at all! I was mere making a light joke against myself. On a side note, duct tape and WD40 do fix a lot of things...except electronics :p.
 
OneWound - thank you. Had I to do it over again, I'd be studying engineering too. All of it. The idea of starting my 9th grade math classes over... Let's just say I'd need more spare time than I have left.

Your side note is duly noted. Seriously though, Please do this. In some form or another. Perhaps you have a 10/22 to serve as a test platform. 3D printing is advancing in leaps and bounds. Maybe you'll make the next one. I'd love to see your build thread pics.
 
OneWound - thank you. Had I to do it over again, I'd be studying engineering too. All of it. The idea of starting my 9th grade math classes over... Let's just say I'd need more spare time than I have left.

Your side note is duly noted. Seriously though, Please do this. In some form or another. Perhaps you have a 10/22 to serve as a test platform. 3D printing is advancing in leaps and bounds. Maybe you'll make the next one. I'd love to see your build thread pics.
Don't you worry. I have a couple ideas (not just for stocks, but for a hand guard for a M92 PAP as well). Oh as an FYI, I did a quick Google search and found this http://www.guns.com/2013/05/21/introducing-the-warfairy-p-15-3d-printed-ar-stock/.

P.S. You could still out engineer me. Experience over education (trust me!)!
 
OK. whatever you do make it look a little better than that one.
 
A software (not CAM/CAD) then slices the layers into thickness of .1-.4MM (this can differ per printer).

Don't mean to nitpick, but it's still CAD/CAM, just not the same variety you'd use in CNC cutting/machining operations.

Anything that you design using a computer program is CAD, and any machine that manufactures things using computer programs to drive servo motors is CAM. It doesn't have to be a recognized software like Solidworks or Mastercam to qualify.
 
Don't mean to nitpick, but it's still CAD/CAM, just not the same variety you'd use in CNC cutting/machining operations.

Anything that you design using a computer program is CAD, and any machine that manufactures things using computer programs to drive servo motors is CAM. It doesn't have to be a recognized software like Solidworks or Mastercam to qualify.
Fair enough
 
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