Making Custom (Very Close to Original) Faceplates for Gauges

[Call Me Ahab]

The guy in the shop ran the machine at lowest possible resolution - they came out looking pretty gnarly, but conceptually, it worked... I'm going to revise the STL files a little bit, tweak the resolution on curves and send them back to him to run on max resolution. The printer should have NO problem churning these plates out. If this fails, I'll try stepping it up and heading to a shop with a professional printer.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Updated files are at the shop; I'll have new photos Thursday when they finish printing. Max resolution, 100% infill.

Will be a step up from the 1/8" max resolution, and 10% infill.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Just by way of showing you all, that first go around was REALLY gnarly... but, lowest possible resolution with lowest possible infill will do that!

Pics of the new ones due thursday.

ALSO! I FIGURED OUT HOW TO POST PICTURES! GREAT SUCCESS!!

 

[Crankthat]

Nifty! ��☺��

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Hey guys, I haven't abondoned this! I know I'm late to the party, but I'm actively working on alternatives.

The 3d prints came out WORSE on max resolution and max infill!

I'm in touch with a gent who owns a laser cutter, we're negotiating material based on type, application, exposure to elements etc - doing the 'strength of materials' part first... Narrowed it down to a few good plastics. My first choice was acetyl resin, but it will not take paint and cannot be safely cut on this machine. PETG might be an alternative, still researching the properties and chemical comp - chlorinated material is completely off the table... Irritatingly, acrylic may be the way to go... We'll see.

I'll post updates the moment I have a prototype cut!

 

[Ace07]

Hey just out of curiosity what kind of printer are you using? I know pla material will deform at a fairly low temp. I left a pla part in my car on a 95 degree day and it disformed pretty bad. I am currently designing my own storage box and air box for my gs550 and the best material I found to use is colorfabbs ht material. It can stand up to 212 degress before it starts to deform. The only problem is you have to have a printer that can have a nozzle temp of 260 degrees celcius and a build plate temperature of 115 degrees celcius. I was using an ultimate 2 extended, but I am wanting to save up for an ultimaker 3. Ha ha that's a ways out though

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Hey there - thanks for the input Ace!

I'm working with a Makerbot 2 (pro?) Gen 5. It's actually running ABS on the most recent set of plates - but PLA on the first ones.

As a general update - the guy who own the laser cutter is moving shop, so he's got my files, my drive, etc... Once they get set up in the new building he'll get the parts cut. he's going to assist in setting up a silkscreen operation as well, so it shouldn't be a problem getting original - or close to original - appearance out of this. Sorry for the delays guys; the city council is voting TODAY on his new building... We'll see what happens!

 

[Call Me Ahab]

The gent who's ledning me a hand got the approval from city council for the new location! They're finishing the move and hosting their grand reopening later this week, so my project will be one of the first for the reboot and the super sexy new building; also used a showcase for recruiting... yikes :/

Anyways, I hope to have a legit update SOON!

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Still working on it guys, glitches to iron out with the laser cutting software. Not abandoned, not forgotten, just lax on updates. Pics soon, as soon as we figure out why the software destroys scale.

 

[roeme]

This thread has inspired me to try to work out what's needed to create complete gauges from scratch. So I'm eagerly watching your progress.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Another update. Unproductive week. Some one who was unauthorized to run the machinery started a fire and ended up costing the shop their laser cutter. Repairs are under way. Sorry for the delay. Ball is in their court - they are actively seeking to help me find alternatives while they conduct repairs.

In other news, I'm repainting the bike because this is taking so long. Very frustrating.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

The headache continues. Been in touch with the owner of the shop; he insists a the machine will be online by the end of next week. Sorry guys, I was really hoping to hammer this out in a couple of days... not months. *sigh*

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Not abandoned; health issues arose. Enforced medical leave of absence, no income presently. Will resume work on the project as soon as I can.

 

[SVSooke]

Not abandoned; health issues arose. Enforced medical leave of absence, no income presently. Will resume work on the project as soon as I can.

Sounds all to familiar,get better soon.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

First step forward in a while - proof in the pudding, as they say. Working on revisions to the DWG files and preparing to send them back over to the Space. Acrylic baseplate, power on the laser was set just a little too high, or maybe my focal depth was off, so we had some re-deposition of material which caused some defects, but all in all not a bad first pass. Discussing ways to improve the final product with the specialist on staff, he seems quite optimistic. More updates soon.

On a personal note - thank you SVSooke. Things are coming along nicely, the first round of testing threw up numerous alarms, all of which are now resolved and quieted. I will not be returning to my previous employer. Going into business for myself, effective immediately. Doctor throwing around words like 'hypertensive crisis' and 'imminent stroke' woke me up to how sh*tty my job was. Not killing myself over that godawful paycheck for those horrible people.

On track to getting healthy again. Updates should roll out more often, I'm relocating my shop and all my equipment closer to home, no more worrying about time and fuel + operating expenses.

NOTE: In the higher resolution image you can see where the laser overheated the material, causing that ghost effect. Also, note the distortion in the right bore.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Second pass saw little improvement; suggestion was to step down to a thinner material or to make multiple passes. Have procured a .0625" sheet, will try that this coming week. We are also considering silkscreen as a viable possibility, but the laser cut version allows for unique customization options.

Photo of 2nd and 3rd cuts to follow, as soon as my camera decides to Lazarus itself.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Link to Current photos and revisions

Link to Current photos and revisions

Third pass offered improvements - looks like I have quite a few options available. Etching the clear plastic w/ a welded on black plate behind allows me to side-light the gauges and illuminate letters in an interesting manner. Alternatively, I can back light using translucent colored films.

The creatorspace president also suggested remaking the indicator plates for oilpressure / neutral / brake light etc. that are clear plastic and etched with white ink / paint smeared in. Will be drafting one of these up as a trial, as these would be far more simplistic than the gauge indicator plates.

Another 'Space member is going to assist me in setting up a small silk-screen operation, so it looks like we can quite easily make 100% authentic looking plates after all! I'll actually be scanning the original image rather than approximating it using AutoCad and measurements by hand. This is getting interesting.

As soon as I have a finished product available I'd be curious to see how many people want OEM look vs a newer style. Nothing extravagant or flashy, just... different. Sorry for the slow progress up till now guys, life has been relentlessly punishing me these past few months.

Link to album where you can see all available pictures of plates: http://s1355.photobucket.com/user/CallMeAhab/library/GS Misc/Gauge Rebuilds?sort=3&page=1

Etched plate:

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[Guest]

No need to apologize, the fact that you're will to put all this time and effort in is amazing, thanks. Hope your life settles down a bit in the near future.

 

[Call Me Ahab]

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates.

I just wanted to poll general opinion real quick.
Presently, the design I am working with (for simplicity's sake, cost effectiveness, and to reduce potential for wear and fading) is as follows:

Transparent Acrylic Disc.
Reverse-side is rasterized (etched with laser) with all lettering, numbers, arcs, details, etc.
Reverse side lettering, numbers, lettering, numbers, arcs, details, etc. are filled in with UV-proof white pigment.
Reverse side is coated with UV-proof color matched brown paint.
Profile edge is coated with UV-Proof red pigment.
Lighting is achieved via side-light. Light is picked up by red-pigment edge and refracted through the plate, striking and illuminating white etching.
Effect achieved (prototype plate was destroyed by careless 'guest' at the workshop, new in is in the works) is excellent night-lighting, more consistent spread. Daylight still allows for visibility of white lettering.

I'm still toying with designs, and as things return to normal after hurricane harvey, I have more time to put back into this project. I just finished some TLC on the 850 this past week, engine and carbs took in water. I was fortunate enough to be able to rescue the bike and get to high ground, drain the water / oil / fuel and flush the system. Battery was cooked, but a small price to pay, knowing the entire vehicle was at risk. All in all, very fortunate. Runs like she just rolled off the assembly line.