3D printed foams or?

[craddock35]

Does anybody know anything about the 3D printed foams I have been seeing in multiple videos? I am getting back into crawling along with some friends and we are coming across new things. I would normally go with Crawler Innovations closed cell foams but people seem to be bragging on the 3D printed foams. Any pros or cons opinions of anybody with experience? Thanks in advance.

[Goro Majima]

Originally Posted by craddock35

Does anybody know anything about the 3D printed foams I have been seeing in multiple videos? I am getting back into crawling along with some friends and we are coming across new things. I would normally go with Crawler Innovations closed cell foams but people seem to be bragging on the 3D printed foams. Any pros or cons opinions of anybody with experience? Thanks in advance.

+ They won't degrade, especially if running vented tires and they get soaked.
+ Tires keep their shape under sidehilling or any lateral movement.
+ The different options are plentiful, and you can even find some that are tire specific.
- In certain ways they are unnecessary when you can have just as much fun with stock foams, especially if needing to be budget minded.

[ferp420]

i just installed my first set I have 2 runs on them they feel good but were they really shine is on the sidehill
mine feel a little stiff but I think they will break in some and soften up a little
if you have a ultra light you might want to stick to CI foams but other than that there great for a average weight scaler

[smog]

Are these foams you home print?

CI makes the best closed cell foams imo, so I can see why you buy them. As pointed out, 3d printed foams are great in being impervious to water(which I occasionally enjoy) . Better yet, home printed would make them cheap and readily available.

This is another solid reason to pick up a printer

[Col_Sanders]

I have been running CI two stage foams in my comp rigs forever and I have had quite a bit of luck with them. Traction is awesome. I do however have some complaints about them, especially once they start to degrade from getting wet. Sidehilling they will fold over and send your truck tumbling. Tight turns they will also fold over and hurt turning radius. 3D printed inserts have the potential to fix that so I am currently trying some out. First set didn't work out so well for me, but it was on a new type of tires on a new build so too many variables to solely blame the inserts for the subpar performance. I put them in a proven truck with a good set of tires and will give them a shot this weekend at a cash comp. Some of the local guys have had pretty good luck with them so I know they have potential.

I have a 3D printer but have not attempted to find any inserts to print. I doubt the folks with good designs upload those STLs for everyone to use.

[themountain]

Originally Posted by smog

Better yet, home printed would make them cheap and readily available.

Thats a wrong impression(pun intended) that a lot of folks have .....good TPU filament doesent come cheap

[smog]

Originally Posted by themountain

Thats a wrong impression(pun intended) that a lot of folks have .....good TPU filament doesent come cheap

I actually have no convincing impression of 3D printing what so ever. However I do occasionally look towards its possibilities. This might be the most curious possibility yet.

All said, I would love to be impressed with your knowledge of what the great cost of printing 4 tpu foams would be...

[themountain]

Originally Posted by smog

I actually have no convincing impression of 3D printing what so ever. However I do occasionally look towards its possibilities. This might be the most curious possibility yet.

All said, I would love to be impressed with your knowledge of what the great cost of printing 4 tpu foams would be...

For a set of four 1.9"s you looking at 150-180gr of filament plus some you need for test prints, electric power, printer cost. A kilo of decent TPU is at least 35$....if you want to print some for the scx6 you probably need almost a full spool.

[Col_Sanders]

Originally Posted by themountain

For a set of four 1.9"s you looking at 150-180gr of filament plus some you need for test prints, electric power, printer cost. A kilo of decent TPU is at least 35$....if you want to print some for the scx6 you probably need almost a full spool.

Well, I dont think he was saying to buy a printer specifically to print your own inserts. It is just another thing you could print for yourself if you have one. Even so, just taking your numbers there, one would be able to print 5 full sets off a $35 roll of filament. 35/5= $7/set. Electric cost is negligible but just for the sake of argument, lets say $3 for electricity and printer maintenance per set, bringing your cost to $10 for a set. A single set of foams would cost anywhere from $30-60. The 3D printed inserts usually run $50-100 for a set. Looks like printing your own would save some $$ if you already have a printer.

[ferp420]

i payed $35 for my set I have the guy I bought them from shared a link to the file he used to print them and
the material he used I looked it up and it was $25 a role the way I see it I could pay for the the printer in no time at those prices lol
but I have no experience with 3d printing I have no idea how long they take to print 1 insert but I think printing time would be the deal breaker for me I would only be able to run it during the day when I have extra power I don't think my solar system will support another 400 watts all night
i do want a 3d printer though I just don't know if it will work for me

[Col_Sanders]

Average printing bed is a 255mm x 255mm square so you should be able to print (4) 4.75" one piece inserts at a time. The inserts with an inner and outer would have to be done differently.

Solar only? You must really be out in the middle of nowhere. You running swamp coolers during the summer?

[ferp420]

Originally Posted by Col_Sanders

Average printing bed is a 255mm x 255mm square so you should be able to print (4) 4.75" one piece inserts at a time. The inserts with an inner and outer would have to be done differently.

Solar only? You must really be out in the middle of nowhere. You running swamp coolers during the summer?

yup in the middle of nowhere and im lovin it
and yes the house runs a swamp cooler

I have a truck camper I keep all my rc stuff in till I finish the second house and I run the AC unit on that but only during peek hours it gets shut off after 5 when the solor starts tapering off

running the AC and the swamp cooler at the same time do take there toll of the battery bank though but this year we only lost 1 battery only$50 so this year our electricity was $50 for the year


the 3d printer would need to live in the hobby house and Its gonna take a long time to get enuff battery power to run it but if the sun is out I should be able to run it off just the panels

[Col_Sanders]

You can have that lol

I had enough of the desert for now. Moved back to green trees and clear water last year.

[ferp420]

Originally Posted by Col_Sanders

You can have that lol

I had enough of the desert for now. Moved back to green trees and clear water last year.

i spent 20 years living on the ocean then moved to Yosemite thenTahoe the desert seemed like a locical next step
besides I like having lots of room to play on and when my property isn't enough I'm next door to 188000 acres of awsome offroading and world class crawling and if that's still not enuff the trail system links up with other trails systems and so on

[Greatscott]

Originally Posted by smog

I actually have no convincing impression of 3D printing what so ever. However I do occasionally look towards its possibilities. This might be the most curious possibility yet.

All said, I would love to be impressed with your knowledge of what the great cost of printing 4 tpu foams would be...

3D printing has really change this hobby for me. I do a lot of custom builds, and having design software like Fusion 360 allows me to quickly and accurately whip out various custom parts like chassis brackets, winch mounts, and other various parts and pieces. So far I have only done FDM printing, but resin printing is faster and offers a cleaner part with little to no finishing. Given that resin printing is a fairly toxic process, I'll stay away from it until I can properly vent the fumes.

With that, TPU printing of foams offers a lot of tuning possibilities. It all depends on the specific flavor of TPU used, the print pattern and infill as to how it will react.

[smog]

Originally Posted by Greatscott

3D printing has really change this hobby for me. I do a lot of custom builds, and having design software like Fusion 360 allows me to quickly and accurately whip out various custom parts like chassis brackets, winch mounts, and other various parts and pieces. So far I have only done FDM printing, but resin printing is faster and offers a cleaner part with little to no finishing. Given that resin printing is a fairly toxic process, I'll stay away from it until I can properly vent the fumes.

With that, TPU printing of foams offers a lot of tuning possibilities. It all depends on the specific flavor of TPU used, the print pattern and infill as to how it will react.

The ability to home print foams to that level of tuning sounds enjoyable. It's great to hear how much use you are getting out of it.


I am of the understanding that the Bambu x1 carbon is printing a very clean product. It appears to be the printer those with experience are gravitating to. Iwould definitely prefer a printer that requires less polishing.

[Greatscott]

Originally Posted by smog

The ability to home print foams to that level of tuning sounds enjoyable. It's great to hear how much use you are getting out of it.


I am of the understanding that the Bambu x1 carbon is printing a very clean product. It appears to be the printer those with experience are gravitating to. Iwould definitely prefer a printer that requires less polishing.

A VERY big consideration here is price. I am using a Creality CR-10, and a Mini Prusa, which are both good printers in their own right. But, but they ran ~ $500 each, and produce acceptable results. The prints can be cleaner, but I mostly use them for brackets, supports and mounts, which are normally hidden, so as long as the part is functional, I am good. If I felt like investing a bit more, I would go with a Lulzbot Taz, we use these at work, and they produce a very good product, that needs little finishing, but it is also $3k.

Another consideration here is how fiddly the printer is. One of my main goals to getting into 3D printing is not making it a hobby, but a tool to support my hobby. There is a balance here between price and how much you will have to dork with the printer to good work out of it. My CR-10 requires a bit of work, but for the most part, the biggest chore is leveling it, for the price, I accept that. My Prusa Mini had a couple of issues, but they are well documented in the Prusa community and were easily solved. With just about any sub-$500 printer, you will have a certain amount of fiddling, I that can be said for the sub-$1000 printers as well. But, when you go north of $1k, the printers are basically designed to take care of themselves (breakage no withstanding).


I have heard good things about the Bambu x1, but have no experience with it.

[MAGNUMB]

Originally Posted by smog

I actually have no convincing impression of 3D printing what so ever. However I do occasionally look towards its possibilities. This might be the most curious possibility yet.

All said, I would love to be impressed with your knowledge of what the great cost of printing 4 tpu foams would be...

Finding a TPU that performs well in most temps and getting your printer to print this type of material is quite difficult, but once mastered very enjoyable.

[Gula]

Slow and cold

[Timmahh]

Got a set of YZZR inserts. 35 for the 4. Great side hilling and so far, Ive not had much use on them as of yet, they do really well in non sidehilling function. They allow for a good bite. Provide adequate rear support that they don't crush down when climbing up so they help keep the rear end pushing the front up.

I think all foams will have their own benefits and downsides, but for what it's worth, so far so good with the YZZR 3ds I have.
Not tried any others.