Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on Cruisers Forums. Advertise Here
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 24-11-2016, 12:43   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 4
3d printed boats?

I've always had a mediocre interest in gadgets I guess so this seemed pretty cool

Apparently, now they have these '3d printed' water crafts that can be created through a computer known as a 3d printer.

Oar-some! Fully-functioning plastic boat is created using the world's biggest 3D printer | Daily Mail Online

Looks pretty solid.

I've heard of 3d printed yachts (Actual luxury ones as well) and their designs are available online. Like this one:

https://pinshape.com/items/13446-3d-printed-row-boat-by-wesvh---free-download


I like the idea but is it actually usable? Or just a way of showing how this
tech MAY benefit us in the future.

Has anyone 3d printed any of their own parts for their boats or what not?
Flyaway is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-11-2016, 21:35   #2
Registered User
 
krisb007's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Everett, WA
Boat: 2019 TBD
Posts: 60
Re: 3d printed boats?

I work in aerospace and the technology is used often on planes but the size of items you can make is limited due to the size of the printers. I am sure that will change with time as the technology matures. Pretty neat to watch. The first demonstration I saw the operator took a 3D scan of his head and made an exact recreation of himself. Took all day to finish so I could only imagine how long it would take to print a large scale boat.
__________________
"To reach a port we must set sail- Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift." FDR
krisb007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-11-2016, 22:16   #3
Registered User

Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 797
Re: 3d printed boats?

Great for prototyping. My daughter is an engineer for one of the major car companies and they use it to print prototypes for optimization. She says some industries use it to manufacture but usually incredibly expensive parts that have odd shaped that are difficult to cast and expensive/impossible to mill.

For a boat I don't see the appeal in a hull. They can't print fiber reinforcement and infusion is quicker. Printable plastics also often have properties not suitable for UV/marine/oil exposure and you can't gelcoat it like a female mold.

Maybe metal components like a hollow foil/unique bowsprit that an extrusion won't do and you'll want to avoid welds.
SV DestinyAscen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-11-2016, 22:27   #4
Registered User
 
krisb007's Avatar

Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Everett, WA
Boat: 2019 TBD
Posts: 60
Re: 3d printed boats?

You never know, if the value equation ever makes sense it may happen. And there are multiple types of media they can print with already, and new formulas coming out monthly. If you think about it only less than 40 years ago they started playing with carbon fiber on the U2 spy planes and now they are building 110' wings made of almost entirely carbon fiber for twin aisle commercial airplanes as well as the majority of the 787. I don't think a 40+ foot 3D printed boat is beyond belief. Would be an interesting thing to see.
__________________
"To reach a port we must set sail- Sail, not tie at anchor. Sail, not drift." FDR
krisb007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 05:40   #5
Registered User

Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 17
Re: 3d printed boats?

yes every mariner has his boat to be well designed ...And these 3d stickers makes our boat looking very well rich and aesthetic..
hariandro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 06:53   #6
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,139
Images: 241
Re: 3d printed boats?

FWIW ➥ Boeing's new spacecraft to use more than 600 3D-printed parts - Technology & Science - CBC News
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 13:32   #7
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: May 2012
Location: New Orleans
Boat: We have a problem... A serious addiction issue.
Posts: 3,974
Re: 3d printed boats?

It's coming, but you are far more likely to see 3D printed parts than hulls. I don't have the numbers in front of me anymore, but the company I used to work for did some 3D printed titanium parts. If I remember correctly the printers could generate about 5mm^3 a second or 300mm^3 a minute. At 4.5g/cm^3 thatmeans the machine was printing about 1.5grams/minute, 90grams and hour. Aluminium is about half the weight of titanium, so if you wanted to print a metal boat figure you are printing 45 grams an hour, let's call it 1kg a day.

If the hull is 10,000kg, that means it will take 10,000 days to print. But it's a large project, so we could easily use multiple print heads, let's say 100 (at $250,000/head the cost adds up). So that's 100 days to print the hull give or take, and the equipment cost for it would be $25m.

You could print 3.5 boats a year, 10% ROI on the $25m is 2.5m/year, so you would need to be able to sell each hull for about $700,000 just to cover the machine time. Add in material cost, labor, land, electricity, and other overhead and figure you need to sell a bare hull for about $1m for a 40' aluminium hull.

So in short, possible now, but far from economical. As the price of machines comes down (and they will) it becomes more and more likely. Particularly for one off and custom boat where the lack of molds will really help.
__________________
Greg

- If animals weren't meant to be eaten then they wouldn't be made of food.
Stumble is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-02-2017, 13:35   #8
Marine Service Provider

Join Date: May 2012
Location: New Orleans
Boat: We have a problem... A serious addiction issue.
Posts: 3,974
Re: 3d printed boats?

As an addendum, manufacturing small metal parts via 3D printing is already here. Compkicated shackles, small furling bits, and the like are already economical. I was involved in a scheme to try and sell 3D printers to megayachts so they could print hardware on site instead of waiting to fly parts in. It was economical, but the realities of operating on rocking ships was at the time insurmountable.
__________________
Greg

- If animals weren't meant to be eaten then they wouldn't be made of food.
Stumble is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
"Ohm's Law & Boats" GordMay Construction, Maintenance & Refit 37 02-08-2021 09:29
Outstanding Boats - A Special Selection of Unusual and Noteworthy Boats I Find Steadman Uhlich Monohull Sailboats 232 10-11-2019 11:47
Production Boats vs Custom Boats seaturkey Monohull Sailboats 64 07-01-2015 07:23
Power Boats/sail boats Seagull111 Our Community 17 06-08-2013 10:16
An Obituary Printed in the London Times ... CharlesFCook Flotsam & Sailing Miscellany 4 20-01-2012 15:08

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:28.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.