largest size / texture example?

hello! i am currently trying to produce a replica of a famous videogame sword. for strength, i'm planning on doing the hilt and the blade separately, and assembling them permanently post-printing.

my question is, what is the max length of a single piece that shapeways can print, does anyone know? is there a doc out there? the final blade length would be 30", if that helps!

secondly, i was curious about a real-world example of one of the materials, the PA 2200, Selective-Laser-Sintered (SLS) link . is there something that people could harken this material to, say, the same sort of material vinyl toys are made of, or is it harder plastic like a mold-injected cellphone case? shampoo bottle? haha, i'm just trying to get a sense of what its like. i suppose i could get the sample kit, but if anyone here has a comparison that would be helpful!

the idea is to make it out of plastic, so that it could be carried in public (think: halloween in NYC), and possibly geeked out at a con of some sort.

thanks so much for taking the time to help out, it is VERY much appreciated!

A

I'm not sure, but I think it'll not be very stiff.
If that's your intention, make a hollow hole in the 'blade' and insert a aluminium tube. That'll improve rigidity greatly.

hmm, so is there any sort of material that mimics, say, the same sort of plastic as an action figure? something that has the rigidity without being metal ?

just bumping..anyone out there know the largest printable size?

Hi,

Material specifications can be found here:
https://www.shapeways.com/materials/

PA2200 / WSF is up to 70 x 38 x 56 cm.

There is a sample kit of materials available (including a coupon for use later)

https://www.shapeways.com/model/133452/shapeways_materials_sa mple_kit.html

Cheers,

Stijn

thanks! this is helpful, though i hope that planning on printing it as 2 solid pieces (as opposed to being hollow like a lot of examples) wont be a problem.

i didn't see anywhere on there that explained what the max dimensions are, though. does anyone know that spec per machine?

thanks again for your time!

The reason that objects are usually hollowed out is because the price is base on the actual volume of material used, so solid is more expensive.

If you click on the more details links on the material page, you should be able to find all the info you need.

There is also may tutorials and and faq that should answer most of your questions.
Links under "Support" both in the navigation and in the footer of each page.

Cheers,

Stijn