"La Madrileña" - N scale steam locomotive

After a week of patient waiting, thanks to UPS amazing customer service, at least I've got in my own hands the wonderful piece of art and lucky winner of a second price in "prototype to product" contest:

The early spanish steam locomotive in N Scale, "La Madrileña".

A picture worth more than 1000 words, so I won't say any more:







But, before I end this post, I'd like to ask Shapeways crew, what's actually the point of PIA?

I really thought that PIA was going to serve both of us, Shapeways and designers to get more information about printing process, but this is the umpteenth model I print under PIA 'mode', and I havent' received any kind of information about anything any time with any model.

Most of the time, models are printed succesfully, or that's what I guess when I open the box, so I don't question it (I received a note of appreciation from Shapeways even, but not additional information about printing process, indeed) but this time is different.

The model is here, it actually seems ok, despite the fact that a part in the tender is broken (nothing a drop of superglue can't fix), but I haven't received any email confirmation during the printing process (as it actually happened with the other two models I ordered at the same time), also there is no information about 'succes rate' and the model doesn't appear even as printed, so there is still the 'First to try' flag in the product description.

Maybe PIA is very useful for Shapeways, I don't really know, but I think we deserve a little more of care with this sort of information because this way its impossible to improve modelling process.

So, after being printed, is this printable or not?

I'm not even a train fan, but the detail on this piece is extraordinary. Absolutely lovely!

As for PIA, I've never done it...I always take shapeways' advice on where the thin spots are and fix them (myself, in Blender, not with the shapeways software).

Glad to learn that the parcel finally found a way home. Can you post a picture of the breakage on the tender (and/or email it to service just so they know something slipped through QA ?). Hard to tell if it was something not obvious to someone not familiar with early steam designs, or something that might have broken during packaging.
Of three PIA models (in FCS) in my latest order, only two show a success rate, the third only has the check mark for the manual inspection. Perhaps this information is still not always communicated back from production - either a training issue or a fundamental problem with orders fulfilled by production partners. Still the advantage remains that you can get them to print marginal designs (for unique gifts or similar things that one does not plan to sell), which can be fixed with a bit of glue if necessary.

I don't mind the wheel has broken. I think that cleaning the model involves manual work, and even if I have broken the left railing while fitting the chassis to the body in my beloved locomotive, everybody can happen the same while manipulating this kind of fragile objects.

The wheel was in a bag with the other tiny parts accompanying the locomotive so I've glued back to the tender and it's perfect.





The question is the common lack of information and clarity around printing process.

If this part has broken, should I reinforce it, or it have been just an accident and it can be printed with this size?

This is the kind of information I'd like to know.

So, have I to print the same model again to check if it happens the same again?

But I think that this is not such an important matter to cancel printability of a model, thus, is there any other reason because the model doesn't appear as succesfully printed and printable?

There was a time when I had to ask by email to print a model 'under my own responsability', and ask by email to get an answer about printing issues (that have never been answered with useful information I must say).

And now, we've got PIA and I have to ask for information by email too.

So, what's the difference then?

Remember model kits ? You must make it like this http://cdn.visualnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Austin- Martin-DBR-Full-sized-Model-Kit-1.jpeg

That way or similar way you must make the smaller parts fit to transportation and hand by hand handle ...when they move it.

Or it will end to "print it anyway" . Meaning receiving a bag with broken little things.

Sorry, but maybe I've not explained too well because english is not my native language.

The point of my considerations are excusively about PIA and information about printing process that we the designers receive from Shapeways.
This is not about modelling or printing issues. Please forget the wheel that was broken.

Thus, this is the actual success rate of my locomotive after being printed:



So, why doesn't appear the success rate?