3D printed parts

[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.