Aluminum part job needs cnc

[mcraig79]

Am looking to have this part machined. I can supply the material if needed and i can also supply the tool paths already programmed.
I would like to have this quoted with you supplying material and programming and also a quote if i supply material and programming.
Look it over let me know what are the best ways and most cost efficient ways to machine this.
Right now i need 1 done but there will be many many more.
I can supply additional drawings if needed

I have also added another zip file which was sent to me and saved as an *.igs file. i have no way to make changes to it. but it will give someone something to go by atleast

[Runner4404spd]

best bet is to supply an iges file for this type of work to be quoted.

[mcraig79]

i can do that. i will add an igs file also...only thing is i dont have a way to make changes in it...and the mounts on the back are differnt locations in the cad file then in the igs file.
File uploaded

[mc-motorsports]

did you want that machined out of billet? I would just fabricate it. I'm sure when your ready for production you will be casting them?
That is a trac-hoe shovel or blade, right?

[mcraig79]

its a dozer blade for a fully functional 1/14 scale hydraulic dozer.
And it can be machined out of 6061 or something like that.
i dont have the means to fab something like this. If someone has other suggestions i am open to them

They wont be cast...they will be machined from solid chunk.

[Donkey Hotey]

You're going to need to find some method, other than machining.

I'm not going to actually do a detailed cost estimate of a job like that, but I'll give you some rough numbers. Some guys are going to chime in and say they wouldn't even take the job at these prices:

One piece: $4,000
Ten pieces: $10,000 ($1000 each)
1000 pieces: $100,000 ($100 each)

Personally, I think the 1000-part estimate is too low but I think I could get there with a few thousand dollars invested in workholding. The other two are in the ballpark.

You're talking big-time, aerospace complexity there. There are too many angles, too many details, too many setups. That's a very complicated part to hold and machine. It's just not feasible for what I believe is a hobby-market product.

For the hobby market, your only hope is to cast them, simplify them or build them up out of simpler components (bent pieces, held in a jig and welded together--the way the real parts are made).

[ncmrfixit]

Does this part need to have the structural integrity of metal, or just the look?

If this is a show piece, it may be a better option to have it 3D Printed and then metal plated. It would cost a lot less and be much quicker to do it that way. We would need an IGES or STL file to provide a firm quote on 3D printing....

Another option is to make a mold from a 3D printed master part, and then resin cast them. These can also be either metal plated or pigmented to look like metal.

Many of our clients choose this route. We can help you with either of these options.

For more about 3D printing check out these links:


http://www.touchstone3D.com
http://www.zcorp.com

Hope this helps!

Allen Moore
TouchStone 3D Services

[Donkey Hotey]

Allen brings up another very good option. You could have one 3D printed from an .STL file, then send that off to be duplicated in metal.

The parts could be cast from a lost-wax process or other similar casting method. Low numbers will seem pricey but the cost would quickly drop as your units went up.

Do a search for zinc casting. I recently got something in the mail about zinc casting technology and it seemed ideal for what I think you're trying to do here.

[TOTALLYRC]

That part is what we call a labour of love. Either somebody will make it because they like the challenge, or you will learn how to make it yourself.

You could always have it made in pieces, and then welded together, as sombody suggested, but it will still cost a lot.

Mike

[ncmrfixit]

Greg's point about 3D printing a master to have wax models made for metal casting is a good one. Actually, Z-Corp has material that can 3D print a direct cast mold. (http://www.zcorp.com/Products/3D-Pri...ons/spage.aspx)

They also make a material that can be 3D printed out and then dipped in wax to use as a pattern in lost wax metal casting. I don't have any direct experience with these, but would love to try it out if the right project presents itself.

[mc-motorsports]

Originally Posted by ncmrfixit Another option is to make a mold from a 3D printed master part, and then resin cast them.

Probably his only chance of getting this done at a decent price!


Or try MFGQUOTE!!! (they need a smiley that's commiting suicide or blowing it's own head off, insert here)

^^^ That was a joke, atleast the first part, the part about MFGQuote

MC

[mcraig79]

would a mold still give me the detail that i need? And also be strong