carusoam Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) The power of MS... Very impressive! Plan C, consider using UV curing inks. They stick to plastics pretty well and chemically solidify initiated by a UV light source. The cured ink resists wear moderately well. Wear resistance is improved by being below the surface that finger actually touches. http://www.sunchemical.com/product/suncure-for-gravure/?gclid=CLTT15D1z9ECFYeFswodT74DFw Packaging / commercial polymer engineering 102, not the ordinary PP stuff I usually go with... Best regards, -a- Edited January 20, 2017 by carusoam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AH-1 Cobra Pilot Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 1 hour ago, "Chocks" said: Why dont you print the buttons and let me laser engrave the letters with color. It will save you lots of printing time and I can get super clean cutouts. Let me know Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk What color(s) do you want to try? What material? I have ABS, PLA, PETG, Nylon, CF-ABS, GF-PETG, and CF-Nylon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocks Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 The voids in the core of the substrate dont affect my process as long as your surface layers are thicker than .0010. I don't dig that deep. The best for me to engrave and color is PLA or PETG. ABS is pretty toxic and doesn't really cut very well, more melts than anything. Lets do the primary flight deck colors for now. Black, Grey and White. Send them toSquawk Shoppe LLC1320 Cabelas DrUnit 1333Buda, Tx78610Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) Chocks, how are you etching the surface? polymers often have a softening temperature or range. It might help if you can use a stream of air to help cool the surface while 'etching' it. Polylactic acid? Great for bio-degradable applications (what else does PLA stand for?) PETG is often used for thermoformed outdoor signs. Glycolated polyester terepthalate, a modified version of the soda bottle plastic... ABS known for good impact resistance. Styrene butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer. A rubber molecule is on the polymer backbone. strong aromas are not necessarily a sign of toxicity. Being aroma free doesn't mean they are safe. Use good ventilation with any of these. No need to breath any of it... Most often polymers are a blend of chemicals that aid with stability, processability, fire resistance and color. Chemistry that is best not ingested. Safety levels of the finished product are different than the safety levels of the dust, and heated or burnt materials... This is from old memories that may not be very accurate. It is intended to demonstrate that some basic caution should be used to avoid breathing the chemistry when possible. The chemical industry has a history of using things like heavy metals and asbestos without telling the public what's in there. Materials coming from outside the U.S. may not follow the same safety guidelines that are usually expected from inside the US. Trying to be helpful even if it doesn't seem that way... Best regards, -a- Edited January 20, 2017 by carusoam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcastor Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 43 minutes ago, "Chocks" said: The voids in the core of the substrate dont affect my process as long as your surface layers are thicker than .0010. I don't dig that deep. The best for me to engrave and color is PLA or PETG. ABS is pretty toxic and doesn't really cut very well, more melts than anything. Lets do the primary flight deck colors for now. Black, Grey and White. Send them to Squawk Shoppe LLC 1320 Cabelas Dr Unit 1333 Buda, Tx 78610 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I only have white and black in ABS and Red and Blue in PLA. I will send a couple in red and blue so you can experiment with those and maybe pick up some black and white if I have another need for it and your results are good. I've been more impressed with the printing results from ABS, it just seems to flow better, but I'm excited to see what you can do. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 Chocks, how are you etching the surface? polymers often have a softening temperature or range. It might help if you can use a stream of air to help cool the surface while 'etching' it. Polylactic acid? Great for bio-degradable applications (what else does PLA stand for?) PETG is often used for thermoformed outdoor signs. Glycolated polyester terepthalate, a modified version of the soda bottle plastic... ABS known for good impact resistance. Styrene butadiene acrylonitrile copolymer. A rubber molecule is on the polymer backbone. strong aromas are not necessarily a sign of toxicity. Being aroma free doesn't mean they are safe. Use good ventilation with any of these. No need to breath any of it... Most often polymers are a blend of chemicals that aid with stability, processability, fire resistance and color. Chemistry that is best not ingested. Safety levels of the finished product are different than the safety levels of the dust, and heated or burnt materials... This is from old memories that may not be very accurate. It is intended to demonstrate that some basic caution should be used to avoid breathing the chemistry when possible. The chemical industry has a history of using things like heavy metals and asbestos without telling the public what's in there. Materials coming from outside the U.S. may not follow the same safety guidelines that are usually expected from inside the US. Trying to be helpful even if it doesn't seem that way... Best regards, -a- Well, it appears this part of your memory is intake or you spent hours "googleresearching". Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted January 20, 2017 Report Share Posted January 20, 2017 I only have white and black in ABS and Red and Blue in PLA. I will send a couple in red and blue so you can experiment with those and maybe pick up some black and white if I have another need for it and your results are good. I've been more impressed with the printing results from ABS, it just seems to flow better, but I'm excited to see what you can do. Dave Dave - thanks for doing this. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotarPilot Posted January 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I recently bought a cheapo label maker from Staples for $25 and spent another $22 for white on black tape. I used some Shapeways 3D printed switch covers and I think the result isn't half bad. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I recently bought a cheapo label maker from Staples for $25 and spent another $22 for white on black tape. I used some Shapeways 3D printed switch covers and I think the result isn't half bad. Thoughts? They look pretty good. You should have told me you were doing the white on black labels. I have a Brother label maker and tons of that TZ tape.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 On 1/19/2017 at 8:53 PM, dcastor said: I thought you all would like to see my latest revision. The text looks a bit streaky because it's just a magic marker (its a prototype), but the text is actually raised. I may try to do recessed letters and fill with paint (similar to the originals). This may be motivation to upgrade my 3d printer to two extruders so I can print in two colors. Please don't buy the ones for from this NDesign company... I can do better than their prints now and while I can't promise they would come out quickly, I would be glad to provide them for half what they are charging. Dave Just out of curiosity, what Printer and filament are you using? My son saved up his money and bought an entry level printer. It's really fascinating to me, and I've seen some of the end result issues that have plagued these covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcastor Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I have a Makergear M2, using 1.75mm ABS filament. Keep experimenting and reading there are lots of settings that can mess up a print, I've done a lot of trial and error. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotarPilot Posted January 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Just an idea but have you tried sanding or filing the surface in order to get a nice smooth surface so the paint won't run between the lines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N601RX Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 (edited) 5 hours ago, dcastor said: I have a Makergear M2, using 1.75mm ABS filament. Keep experimenting and reading there are lots of settings that can mess up a print, I've done a lot of trial and error. I have 2-M2's at work and a personal one at home. They are one of the better 3d printers available. One has the factory dual head, the other has a custom dual head. The factory dual head leaves a lot to be desired, mostly due to the second print head dribbling as it hovers over the print area. The ooze shield also slows the printing time considerably. Edited January 28, 2017 by N601RX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 Expanding on that idea... The UV senstive inks are actually a paste to keep from running. Other inks are more solvent than pigment... Choose a 'thicker, ink... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcastor Posted January 29, 2017 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 (edited) 17 hours ago, NotarPilot said: Just an idea but have you tried sanding or filing the surface in order to get a nice smooth surface so the paint won't run between the lines? As I said...it's just magic marker, it was a prototype. Sanding isn't an option with this design because the letters are raised. If I do a version with recessed letters I might try that. I'd also like to try some of your UV ink idea, but I haven't been able to find a suitable source. So far I've only find UV ink for printers. Edited January 29, 2017 by dcastor Adding detail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 29, 2017 Report Share Posted January 29, 2017 Additional printing ink ideas... 1) The UV ink for dry offset printers is a paste. Comes in a can. You might be able to get a sample tube for testing purposes...? 2) Pad printers are a small scale version of the dry-offset printer. They are used for printing on golf balls. Same inks as dry-offset... ink is available on a small scale this way... 3) rubber stamps are the most basic form of printers. The common solvent based inks are not as durable as the UV curable inks. See if this is helpful...? Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTaylor Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 has anyone sent some to: http://www.engravers.net/rocker-sw.html Also, NotarPilot; How do the printed ones fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocks Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 Let me know when you send those switches over so I can get them engraved and shipped out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helitim Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Once you gentleman get this process figured out, please put me down for a set as well. Mine are a mismatched, ill-fitting set of covers really right now. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbridges Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Is mooney the only company that used these particular switches? I'm a little surprised that there is absolutely no one that sells these covers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcastor Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Klixon sells these switches with blank operators for a lot... They won't sell the operators apart from the switch. Maule also used these switches in at least one of their airplanes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 Somewhere around here a post contains the switch cover part numbers. Decoding the CB switches and their covers... Best regards, -a- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotarPilot Posted January 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 15 hours ago, TTaylor said: has anyone sent some to: http://www.engravers.net/rocker-sw.html Also, NotarPilot; How do the printed ones fit? The ones from the Oshkosh guy fit snug. 8 hours ago, rbridges said: Is mooney the only company that used these particular switches? I'm a little surprised that there is absolutely no one that sells these covers. You can get some covers from Shapeways right now. They are decent but just don't have any recessed labels which is what I would really like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 So, what is the game plan here? I would like to buy a complete set. I know others would too.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chocks Posted January 31, 2017 Report Share Posted January 31, 2017 I don't care where you guys get the covers from. Just send me the blanks with the copy request. My role here is to make them look factory labeled. I can 3D print them, but I like the collaboration work!Just let me know. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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