Small parts manufacture

[pcatterall]

I would like to get the above part made for my car club members and believe that we all may have similar small part requirements for our yachts.
The part is actually a rather complex hinge and of course is no longer available as a spare.
The material is a glass reinforced nylon ( PA 6 GF30 I believe) . The production run would be 50 to 100. Moulding / Injection moulding/ 3D scan and 3D print/ 3D scan and 3D cad ? all seem possible and I will value your opinions

 

[Ink]

I would try 3d printing in the first case. Injection moulding would be in the £0000's


Ink

 

[prv]

I’m sure you could make the same shape with normal 3D printing, but doubt it’ll be as strong as the glass-filled nylon original (which apparently wasn’t quite strong enough itself).

Maybe there are more exotic materials available for printing.

Pete

 

[howardclark]

I started 3D printing in lockdown as a project and have found it surprisingly useful.
However you start to run into the buffers with parts that don’t print easily from a base upwards and those that require to be strong! Looks like this one fulfils both!But there are professionals who can print in metal and heat treat for strength. You would need to get a designer to accurately draw the part and find such a printer- I suspect there are some who offer a one stop shop. It won’t be cheap but probably cheaper than the alternatives.

 

[prof pat pending]

I would be probably start looking at Carbon Fibre filled Nylon using Selective Laser Sintering. It’s not cheap, but for the numbers you’re looking at it will be cheaper than injection moulding.
Try looking for a company called Graphite in Aylesbury, if we can’t do it in-house, they’re one of our go to suppliers