I'm an IT manager for a living and a medieval armor maker in my spare time. I am trying to prototype some tools which are multi-part and in use will be under load, what material would you recommend? thanks, Steve
Welcome! The Shapeways response is that all items are for decorative purposes only. What kind of load will they be under? WSF (White strong and flexable) is strong, but flexable. So under a load it will flex. Stainless, is Steel so it's very strong and won't flex much.
Thank you for the reply. I am prototyping a pair of compound force pliers. I don't need them to "work" but i do need to be able to apply force and not have them flex to test the proportions and/or fitment. Thanks again, Steve P.S. I have been "whoring" this site to everyone i know.. love it.
Hmmm yea, I'd only use steel for that. Maybe with a antiqued bronze finish? https://www.shapeways.com/materials/stainless_steel_finishes# finishingpricing4
Thank you for your feedback.. If I could afford the uptake in cost between the grey robust and the steel i would do it in a heartbeat would Grey Robust or Alumide be more rigid?
Alumide is just WSF with aluminum powder. Grey robust would be more rigid, see down the right side here https://www.shapeways.com/materials/grey_robust . But as you can see in the pictures, the build layers are a little more noticeable.
The Grey Robust material (ABS) is used for hand tool prototypes in industry, and sometimes even for direct tooling with certain forming operations. Keep in mind that it is weaker along the layer plane, so you may have to compensate for that in your design (and hope it is printed in the correct orientation). To get a good fit and realistic clearances, I recommend printing the parts separately and using metal for the hinges, fasteners, etc. You can also reinforce the part with a metal rod insert, blend the layer grain with a solvent, and a variety of other post-process tricks.