What it takes to produce my own aftermarket parts???

[uninterrc]

Hello everyone, this is a question i wanted to ask for a long time now.
What do i actually need to produce my own aftermarket parts? lets say an aluminium erevo bulkhead.

This is something i have been dreaming from the day i got into this hobby.....to make my moneys living by producing parts for rc cars but i do not really know what i require for this task, i guess if i actually did knew then i would realise that i could never do it, but who knows i am still 25

I have been searching around the internet for CNC machines to try and understand what type of a machine or machines is up to the task and my main question is....can i do this with a single CNC machine or do i need several machines because from what i understand these days there are certain machines that can actually carry several tasks which in the past would require several machines.

Please have a look on the link below and let me know if these machines can actually produce a part such as an erevo bulkhead without the need of any other machine.

http://www.auditcnc.com/images/new_c...brochure_2.pdf

I know my question can only be answered by certain people but i dont really know who to ask for this therefore i decided to post it here and other forums.

Thank you.

[Timber211]

Ok I'm a machinist by trade with that do you have any idea how much money you are talking...machines you will need drill press basic then a mill 3-5 axis which can cost average decent one around 250 grand.. a machining program like mastercam which is ten grand just for the program school to learn it and how to use it tooling cost ie 1/2 carbide endmill 50 bucks each I would venture to day to start you going to need about 500 grand before its all said and done...that's my 2 cents

[Timber211]

I wish you luck though cause it would be pretty cool to be able to do that...

[BUFF_dragon]

Personally, I would start with learning 3D Cad, then finding a local machine shop to make you some prototypes, then go from here.

I am a Solidworks user and plan to design some stuff and have it 3d printed, then once the bugs are worked out, contact some shops to get quotes.

Machines can really get out of hand with cost, and not already being a machinist, you will have a lot of breakage which will cost more money.

[Timber211]

The 3d printing is some neat stuff sen something similar last year at the imts show in Chicago

[Nitronaught]

Personally, I would start with learning 3D Cad, then finding a local machine shop to make you some prototypes, then go from here.

I am a Solidworks user and plan to design some stuff and have it 3d printed, then once the bugs are worked out, contact some shops to get quotes.

Machines can really get out of hand with cost, and not already being a machinist, you will have a lot of breakage which will cost more money.

+1, let the machine shops do the machining, the designers do the designing.... Very few do both....

[danielhr77]

I found it easy to make my own CNC parts, I own a "Sable 2015" machine from "lukechan66" on eBay, I draw things in Microsoft Visio (2D) because I don't know and I don't have time to learn how to draw in 3D, export them to DXF (Autocad), import them with Cut2D (to make them 3D and create the "G" code) and use Mach3 to drive the CNC machine... Is it hard? No; Is it expensive? More or less; Takes time to learn? Yes, a few months to get it right...

[uninterrc]

And i thought no one would reply to this thread as i knew the whole thing would sound silly to most of you but i had to ask this question to get a better idea and everything now seams a lot more complicated than i thought.

I have posted the same thread in other forums too and i realised that a lot of money is required for this task, a lot more than i thought. Also the process is a lot more complicated. However their suggestion as BUFF_dragon suggested was to first learn 3d drawing and if a have a good idea for a part i should get my drawings to a shop where they can do the rest. Therefore this would get me started but i doubt i would ever be able to buy such machines. But isnt this the way most companies work? they dont really own their own machines right?


Now i realise that its not possible to just draw a part using a 3d drawing software, put it in the machine and it will do the rest right? it also requires programming?

[uninterrc]

This machine is really impressive......i will be getting one of these

How much do you think this one costs?

[uninterrc]

I found it easy to make my own CNC parts, I own a "Sable 2015" machine from "lukechan66" on eBay, I draw things in Microsoft Visio (2D) because I don't know and I don't have time to learn how to draw in 3D, export them to DXF (Autocad), import them with Cut2D (to make them 3D and create the "G" code) and use Mach3 to drive the CNC machine... Is it hard? No; Is it expensive? More or less; Takes time to learn? Yes, a few months to get it right...

You can actually control that machine with a computer? However you are not able to produce any complex parts with that one right?

[uninterrc]

Its really funny that while i am studying for an exam which is tomorrow i drift for a while and start thinking about making rc parts. Well i was thinking that if a manage to learn how to right the code for certain parts in addition to drawing the part on a CAD software, this means that when i take my drawing of a part together with the code to a CNC shop, the cost of buying that part would reduce significantly. Am i right? Isnt coding a big part of this process?

[danielhr77]

You can actually control that machine with a computer? However you are not able to produce any complex parts with that one right?

Basically, you can do this... Those are my projects... E-Maxx chassis and chassis braces... ANd, I have other things too...




So, yes, nothing complex, those are not 3D, they are 2D with height... Which is different...

And, this is my custom made, CNC table with pockets, to replace the stock one on the Sable 2015 which allows me to machine a 20x40cm part instead of 20x20cm...



Once you start doing things with a CNC machine and you're dream projects come true, it's amazing...

[uninterrc]

You have done an amazing job there, those are great looking parts.....i can see there is a lot you can do even with 2 axis machines. post more pictures, i really like looking at custom works like that. I think i have seen your braces before (right picture) they look really strong, what type of metal are those and the chassis? Nice nice really nice.......i like the braces, they look professionally done. bravo

[uninterrc]

double posting

[eschmitt4]

This machine is really impressive......i will be getting one of these

How much do you think this one costs?

That is sooooo sweet! Wouldn't surprise me if it was a good $100,000,000....btw we're you serious about getting one????

[Stephan81]

This machine is really impressive......i will be getting one of these

How much do you think this one costs?

Wow, that was amazing, super cool . I have thought of asking the machinist at work to make me some RC parts. I should head over to there shop one day and see what they say.

[Timber211]

I seen that helmet up at the IMTS show this year it was pretty wild they had a guitar and a couple of other things, machines are crazy in what they can do now. We make alot of parts on the m240 m249 and 50 cal machine guns for the US Military.

[danielhr77]

You have done an amazing job there, those are great looking parts....

Thanks! I try to make nice parts, some of them took me a couple of years to design them up to a point where I like them and I don't want to change anything else...

what type of metal are those and the chassis? Nice nice really nice.......

I use only aluminum 7075 because you don't need to add "oil" to machine it... For the chassis I used 4mm thick aluminum sheets...

i like the braces, they look professionally done. bravo

For the chassis braces I used 8mm thick aluminum sheets...

On all of them I have to hand finish a few spots were the parts are fixed to the sheets, if you take a closer look you will see 4 bumps on each parts on the flats sides...

A few more parts... This is the battery box for the Traxxas vintage SRT...



I have several more but I don't have pictures of them right now...

[warwagon98xj]

CNC is all fun and games till some one puts the decimal too far to the right or puts g00 in instead of g01

[TRXnewbie21]

CNC is all fun and games till some one puts the decimal too far to the right or puts g00 in instead of g01

Then you're breaking bits! My professor for my one class would make us watch the entire process with our hand on the stop button just incase that was done. Thats one thing I dont understand about why when code was created g00 and g01 are so similar in writing but not in the actual movement. I was always afraid of bits meeting the table or vice.

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