1/6 1943 Stuart M5

[midlife306]

If any printing is needed I’m your man, I’m currently printing tracks for my 1/6 scale fully 3D printed Soviet T35-A. I’ve got 100 printed of the 300+ required, I most definitely have the patience of a saint, they take 2.5 hours each lol
Cheers
Wayne


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[PainlessWolf]

Good morning, Wayne,
How do you rate the sheer strength of your links for the tracks? Super strong? I'm definitely ready to talk about a set of the tracks for the Stuart. 66 Links per side w\connectors are called for. I would need maybe a dozen extra for spares. Bob Steinbrunn used cast tracks for his Stuart which was a long and labor intensive and expensive process.
regards,
Painless

[Tech-Com]

Someone has already made them in 3D. I loaded them up. It takes 20 hours to print 132 of the links. I think I will make a run of 33 just to see how it goes.

[PainlessWolf]

Good morning, TC,
Sheer resistance on the track links will be critical, especially for the end connectors. The original stock tracks were injection molded. Too bad that those guys didn't just go for the correct links and running gear ala HOOBEN and TAIGEN, etc... They have spawned a Cottage Industry at any rate.
regards,
Painless

[midlife306]

Sheer strength, hmmm.
The tracks I’ve been printing for my T35-A have been printed using PLA, they are solid ie 100% infill. Using 3mm stainless pins to join a length of track it is incredibly strong, I can’t break them & believe me I’ve tried lol
For real world strength it also depends on the design of the actual track, if I can be provided with a 3D model in either stl or obj format I can have a proper look.
PLA is the most widely used filament but there are plenty of other filaments out there with varying properties, perhaps if you have a look on YouTube there are lots of comparison videos.
Cheers
Wayne


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[PainlessWolf]

Good afternoon,
This is a discussion for you and Tech-Com. There are models for the links and connectors on Shapeways. I've seen those and they are beautifully done. Solid with 3mm pins sounds promising.
regards,
Painless

[Tech-Com]

I'd be concerned with pla becoming brittle over time. It sure prints nice, but even in my climate controlled room the once flexible filament will snap after a few weeks sitting out.

I prefer ABS and PETG for mechanical parts, and PLA where detail is more important.

TPU is really hard to break because it is so flexible. One day I'll print some shoes out of it, but it's even more of a pain to work with.

[midlife306]

To be honest I think PETG is the right way to go for tracks, we’re not talking about a particularly heavy tank, dependant on the design of the tracks you may get away with PLA, my tracks are a big lump so they are nice & strong.
The models may be on shapeways but there’ll be a price next to it, just make sure your sat down when you look!
Like I said if I’ve got a model I’ve got a spare printer
Cheers
Wayne


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[midlife306]

Someone has already made them in 3D. I loaded them up. It takes 20 hours to print 132 of the links. I think I will make a run of 33 just to see how it goes.

I need to see this design, 20 hours to print 132 links? The T35-A tracks take 2.5 hours each, I get 10 off per day. 100 done, 200 to go....
Cheers
Wayne


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[Tech-Com]

Hopefully painless doesn't think we are hijacking his awesome thread, but hopefully we can contribute to his tank.
This is the link for the files I found and loaded.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2788557