SolidWorks Expert? Make a part...

31 Woody

31 Woody

Senior Member
I need to make a part, a new hubcap for my Model A accessory wood wheels. I made new lugnuts recently and a friend used SolidWorks to draw it up for the machine shop. Now I want to make hubcaps but this is a bit beyond my friends ability. Are there any SolidWorks experts in here who can help?
 
Thanks Brent,
I do have a sample. I have questions for someone in the know first—As they are just hubcaps can they be printed in 3D in silver and look OK? I have heard that it can, but I need someone with the skill to sketch them then they need printing. PM me if you have contact info to share. Thanks!
Dave
 
Without seeing the shape, I cannot speak of the durability. The resins quality for a printer is much like paint in that there are all qualities. A cheaply printed piece will likely crumble as the intent is to only have a sample printed that can be used aesthetically. Better quality machines produce better quality materials but come at a greater price.

Depending on what you are wanting the end result to be, I would look towards metal spinning and use annealed brass. If you need logos or a specific symbol, then have that CNC milled out of aluminum where you can use a shop press to emboss, then use a lathe and wooden forms to spin against. If you need tabs to attach, then have those rings cut on a laser or waterjet, and either crimp or silver-solder to the brass cap.
 
No, they won't look OK printed in silver PLA. If paint is an option they can be printed, sanded, primed and painted to turn out very nice. If money is no issue they can be printed in titanium and finished very nice. As Brent noted above, there are many ways to the end goal depending on the complexity of your part.
 
AZ_Nick said:
No, they won't look OK printed in silver PLA. If paint is an option they can be printed, sanded, primed and painted to turn out very nice. If money is no issue they can be printed in titanium and finished very nice. As Brent noted above, there are many ways to the end goal depending on the complexity of your part.
Click to expand...

agreed, also remember just because the original snapped in doesn't mean the replacement has to - could use small tabs and mold insert holes to press in a brass insert so they can be screwed on from the inside.
 
I would consider myself an expert in 3D modeling and proficient in CNC/manual machining.

In order for me to make this as close to perfect in the first try, and if you can't draw it up on a computer, you'd need to provide me with a fully dimensioned and cross-sectioned napkin sketch. For any complex logos or designs, I'd prefer to have a clean image file of just the logo, but I could make something work from a dead-on straight-ahead shot of the logo.

Depending on the complexity, I may or may not do it for the hell of it. You're close enough you could buy me lunch sometime.

I could provide a solid model in most any format, but if you're taking it to a machine shop, I imagine .stp would work fine. For me to provide a minimally dimensioned 2D drawing would take a little more time/effort, but your napkin sketch would suffice for inspection.

3D printing any sort of plastics would not work except as a paperweight. Laser-sintered 3D printed titanium might be out of your budget.

Complex reverse curvature may cause difficulty in machining and raise the price considerably. Bending over tabs of a CNC machined billet would probably not work well, either. Machining a pattern that you stamp a sheet onto seems tricky but would be cool to see. I envision a sort of billet plug that is positively captured with some set screw or other external mechanical means.
 
31Woody: I have quite a bit of experience with CAD, part design, laser scanning, and 3D printing through my day job as an engineer. I don't own Solidworks (wish I did), but I used it at a previous company. I do have another CAD program at home. At the least, maybe I can provide some advice. This sounds like an interesting project, and over the years I have though about how I can apply my experience to antique car parts. Feel free to message me.
 
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