3D printed parts

[frcguy]

Are 3D printed parts allowed? My team has heard stories of 3D printed parts catching on fire and such, and are unsure about their usage in FRC.

[soundfx]

3D printed parts are legal for use on the robot. My team used them for a few applications last year and while they worked, we had to have lots of replacements available, especially for the smaller pieces. They still performed well during matches as long as they were checked frequently, though.

[orangemoore]

Originally Posted by frcguy

Are 3D printed parts allowed? My team has heard stories of 3D printed parts catching on fire and such, and are unsure about their usage in FRC.

3D printed parts are certainly legal as long as you use safe materials(that follow the rules).

Are you sure it was 3D printed parts catching fire and not the actual 3D printer.

[Mechvet]

Originally Posted by frcguy

Are 3D printed parts allowed? My team has heard stories of 3D printed parts catching on fire and such, and are unsure about their usage in FRC.

So. 3D printing has two major uses in FRC, as far as I'm concerned anyway.

Use scenario 1: Rapid prototyping. For example, designing a component to check the intended function for defect, without concern for longevity of the device.

Use scenario 2: Extremely low stress components.

We use scenario 2 printed components all over. We've figured a way to mount the CTR SRX Mag Encoders to a printed housing which makes getting accurate speed sense both easy and cheap.

We're also planning to print custom wire harness anchors to allow rapid and custom anchoring of our harnesses.

If you've got more questions about 3D printing, please fire away.

[homerun33ss]

Another good use of 3D printing is for making custom sensor mountings. That's what our team does the most 3D print jobs for.

[ehochstein]

There are stronger FDM materials available that could work functionally in FRC. However, I would check the spec sheet for mechanical properties before just printing something.

http://www.stratasys.com/materials/fdm

[SenorZ]

Originally Posted by frcguy

Are 3D printed parts allowed? My team has heard stories of 3D printed parts catching on fire and such, and are unsure about their usage in FRC.

Not sure about fire, but I'd definitely keep 3D printed parts away from heavy-use CIMs. They get hot and can possibly weaken the print.

[rsegrest]

Originally Posted by SenorZ

Not sure about fire, but I'd definitely keep 3D printed parts away from heavy-use CIMs. They get hot and can possibly weaken the print.

Or melt the print. Quite possible. This year we are printing wheel hub spacers and last year we made limit switch brackets. Of all the material we have used the best so far has been the carbon fiber reinforced ABS. Gives a super clean print.

[tab1a]

3D printed parts are definitely allowed and can be used in interesting ways. For last year's Recycle Rush we 3D printed hooks that we put on a belt and used to lift and stack totes. They're not the most durable, but they worked fairly well provided we checked for and replaced broken ones. And as for fire hazards, I know that you're supposed to be nearby when parts are being printed just to make sure everything is going okay.

[mrnoble]

We are currently printing parts that will see significant wear, such as wheels. We've used 3D printed wheels before, though I agree with the other posters that their primary use is with small custom parts such as sensor mounts ( which we used extensively in 2015). Never caught a part on fire, and I've been 3D printing since 2007.

[Michael Hill]

We used some 3D printed parts last year on our robot. The air tank mounts we bought didn't fit the tanks we bought (even though they are supposed to, http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2479.htm), so we printed up some. We also printed a spindle for our elevator constant force spring.

[SpadeSeveren]

I have never heard of 3D printed parts catching on fire, but they are definitely legal. One thing to note: Acetone has a negative effect on many 3D printed parts, so be careful.

[D_Price]

Yes as long as they are "safe materials". We use them for a multitude of applications and parts on our robot

Originally Posted by frcguy

Are 3D printed parts allowed? My team has heard stories of 3D printed parts catching on fire and such, and are unsure about their usage in FRC.

[brianbond]

If 3D printed parts were illegal, we would have a lot of problems....

[dominik.daners]

Our robot uses a not small number of 3d printed parts. These include a custom wheel for extending a tape measure, intake rollers, bearing blocks, various spacers and belt drive pulleys (3d printed version of these: http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2813.htm). All of this stuff was printed in yellow ABS plastic.
In case you are worried about our belt drive pulleys being on our drive train, so far we haven't had a single issue with them, even without being solid infill.