Dec 2014
Bluewater Bulletin
Bluewater Model Engineering Society Sarnia, Ontario
Vol. 30 No.3 December 2014 Editor John Lovegrove
Our next Meeting will be on
Monday January 12th, 2014 @ 7:30 pm
Northern Collegiate Machine Shop (Rm. 148), Indian Road, Sarnia.
The December Meeting
After the Treasurer’s report (we are solvent) Bruce Mannerow started to follow up on business from the last meeting. The main item was who has the various pieces of club property: Kasey Schuilenberg has the big air compressor, I have the small one. Bruce asked us to fill out a form with details and gave us labels to attach, identifying the items as club property. We know that there are some Sievert propane torches that belong to the club but no one seems to know where they are. If anyone has any information please let us know.
A problem has arisen with arrangements to visit Maveric in Walaceburg. Peter Esser will now try to re-schedule for January and aim for the Saturday following our meeting that month (i.e.17th.) I agreed to run my CNC demo ahead of this (December 20th) as an introduction to the basics of the technology.
The next item of business was the old "tent" that we used to display our models at shows. We now have two newer ones that are easier to erect so the original is no longer needed. It was decided to give it to Komoka to use when they need a shelter of some kind.
Bruce did mention the club website that he is trying to set up; so far there has been no further progress.
After dealing with club business the usual free ranging discussion occurred and one subject was 3D printing: One application discussed was using the technology to make the wax patterns for investment casting. There has been significant hype about the possibility of using this technology for making patterns both lost wax or conventional, so that a metal component can be generated starting with a 3D CAD file – more later.
Doug Angle from Kingston was in town on business and came along to the meeting. He mentioned a company called Shapeways who operate a 3D printing service available to essentially anyone: http://www.shapeways.com
Tony Koolen talked about a company in Blenheim who make die plates for pellet mills. Apparently it is an impressive process starting with a stainless steel billet that is heated and forged to make the basic shape. He has contacts there and can arrange a visit. Several people were interested and Tony will make arrangements to go sometime in the New Year (preferably when the worst of the winter weather is behind us.)
Bruce has been into 3D CAD for some time and brought along some sheet metal development drawings for Tony Koolen’s next traction engine. There was discussion about how the cost of 3D software has dropped dramatically from the $1M dollar range to a few hundred $ for basic systems like Alibre used to offer (now Geomagic.) There is even freeware available to download (Sketchup, Freecad.) There is no doubt that in the manufacturing world 3D solid modelling has revolutionized the process of going from a design concept to having product going out through the door. Again - more later.
Show and Tell
This time it was all stand-up show and tell:
Rick Nickels had a couple of vintage books to show: One was a 1945 edition of the American Machinist’s Handbook. It had some interesting items such as how to check the accuracy of machine tools. This probably came about because when it was published all sorts of equipment was being pressed into service as part of the war effort. The other book was from 1952; the 14th edition of Machinery’s Handbook.
Rick’s Books
John Sibbick had one of those "what the heck is it" items. It had a glass tube with a piece of wire running through supported by a fork type frame. This was attached to a slide and could be moved up and down with a metric micrometer arrangement.
If anyone has any idea what it was for John would very much like to know.
John Sibbick’s Mystery Item
Stu Brownlow brought along a rather nice model locomotive and gave me a written description: It is a Reeves 5" Gertz Tank Engine, based on a Great Eastern Railway locomotive and was built by a professional model engineer; A. E. Hawkins in 1974
It was purchased by George Gilpin in 1976 and used on a regular basis. The boiler was pressure tested in 1986. George’s son Mike brought the locomotive to the USA in 1998 but it has never been used since.
Mike gave it to Stu to show at NAMES, Hobbyfest etc. to help promote model engineering. Stu intends to show the locomotive and help generate donations to the prostate cancer cause he is involved with. It is a very nice model but it is a pity that it is 5" gauge since tracks around here all seem to be 4 ¾".
Tony Koolen had the control set-up for his Case traction engine, with the clutch, throttle and reversing levers along with the boiler feed pump casting, all mounted on a base.
Tony's control set up
I brought along the trial (wooden) steering chain shaft that I machined as a try out for Tony’s traction engine. I set up and cut a double start 4 ½" lead helix following the lay of the chains on his original steel shaft.
Tony will see whether it does the job before I machine one in steel (which will take much more effort.)
The Trial Machining of a Helical Groove
for Tony’s Traction Engine Steering Chain Shaft
I also brought along the completed crankshaft for my 4 cylinder Sealion engine together with the partly machined cylinder block.
The Crankshaft for my Sealion
And the Partially Machined Cylinder Block
3D Solid Modelling and 3D Printing
When designing with a 3D solid modelling system one can readily see what the finished item will look like.
One can also see whether components will fit together properly, check to find out if there will be any interference between parts when they move and generally assess out the viability of the design without the extensive prototyping previously necessary.
Once the geometry of parts is defined, properties like weight are readily determined and a mesh can be generated enabling finite element analysis to be used to determine stresses in critical items. When some kind of prototype is necessary, the various forms of 3D printer technology now available can produce quite large objects for people to look at and ponder over.
When it comes to manufacturing, several technologies are available to help translate the "drawings" into hardware. The obvious one is CAD/CAM where CNC machining code can be generated either to machine actual components or to make dies, moulds, patterns etc. that can be used to make the parts.
All of this is now commonplace in the real world of manufacturing but what is not clear to me is how much of this technology will trickle down (and how quickly) into the world of model engineering.
Tormach who pitch their CNC machines to the lower end of the market, including hobbyists, promote CAD/CAM packages such as Vectric Cut2D and Cut3D as well as the more advanced SprutCAM software. These allow one to produce CNC machining code from drawing files. I have seen some of their demos at exhibitions and it is all very impressive.
3D printers that basically extrude plastic to build up an item can now be bought for less than $1000 and many are finding their way into the hands of hobbyists. Printers to make parts in metal are some way off so far as hobbyists are concerned so what has received quite a lot of attention is using the technology to make patterns that can then be used to cast parts in metal.
Going back to the 50’s, affording a decent lathe was a stretch for many hobbyists. Nowadays all sorts of high tech "toys" are within our reach. The real problem I see is that all of them have a significant learning curve. To make any true 3D object using the newer technologies one must have a 3D CAD drawing. I got up-to speed with 2D CAD several years ago but I have not yet made a serious attempt to move up to 3D. So far as I know Bruce is the only one in our club who has done this and in the model engineering world not many have.
For me, making model engines is my real objective and I have got into CNC as a means of producing difficult/repetitive parts. I think what really matters is striking a balance between getting on with making things and spending time learning new techniques/technologies that will hopefully help in this.