dpgibbons Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 I'd like to 3D print a dome and chimney for a saddle tank loco. How might I accurately determine the dimensions of the curved surfaces that they will sit upon to ensure a perfect fit? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGO Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 23 minutes ago, dpgibbons said: I'd like to 3D print a dome and chimney for a saddle tank loco. How might I accurately determine the dimensions of the curved surfaces that they will sit upon to ensure a perfect fit? I'm going to assume that the curved surfaces are on an existingg loco rather than one drawn by yourself otherwise you would already have the dimensions, I would use geometry to get a rough starting point say I worked out that it was roughly a 20mm radius, I would then (depending on the size) get a set of radius gauges or print off a radius gauge and compare, Your problems arrise only if it's an oval surface rather than a circular one however it is still possible to get close using a contour gauge and a micrometer to take a series of points across the surface, then create some custome 3dprinted gauges to match, or get it laser scanned David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpgibbons Posted May 26, 2022 Author Share Posted May 26, 2022 Thanks - putting names to the necessary tools is half the battle! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DGO Posted May 26, 2022 Share Posted May 26, 2022 3 hours ago, dpgibbons said: Thanks - putting names to the necessary tools is half the battle! It certainly is, but don't forget if you have a 3D printer you can print your own test equipment so you don't need to know the name just have an idea of what it needs to do. I once improvised a measuring setup to allow me to transfer body sizes onto a manequin using a long steel ruller a couple of set squares , some cardboard and duct tape, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EDDY100 Posted May 28, 2022 Share Posted May 28, 2022 Not sure if this will help, used it a few times to get measurements. https://www.blocklayer.com/scale-fixer.aspx Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium ianmaccormac Posted July 19, 2022 RMweb Premium Share Posted July 19, 2022 If you can measure a diameter, you can use that to draw a cylinder of the correct dimension in the 3D cad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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