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Thread: Has anyone considered making a powder measure using 3D printing?

  1. #1
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Has anyone considered making a powder measure using 3D printing?

    I'm thinking it is doable, I would sure want to design it very carefully though. Some parts could be metal (the adjustable screw to set powder amount), but PLA should do well for the rest?

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy
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    Someone made one awhile back. they got ahold of some 3d cad files for the hornady powder measure and basically just printed them. I know they had to make some changes. I had the files at one time. I never did go through with printing it. I lost confidence it was worth the time. The files may still be at thingiverse.

  3. #3
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    I'm in "Toying with it" status on this, have something about half designed, not in a huge rush to do it but it sounds like a fun winter project.

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    Boolit Buddy Rooster's Avatar
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    How hot can this printing material go? How much is a printer, and uh, matrix, and uh, uh can you feed it lead? Making your own molds at home would be another rabbit hole Alice!!! WooHoo!

    ETA: Hot dang, Mrs. Minerva, there's a whole forum on it here!!!
    Last edited by Rooster; 05-11-2021 at 08:26 PM.
    Looking for USGI M1 and carbine rifle parts, please PM me.

  5. #5
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    You can heat the filament up enough to vaporize it, so that question may not get the answer you were after?

    PLA+ filament usually is extruded at 200-220C, and has a glass transition temperature of about 90C, vs 60C for PLA

    But there are many other filament materials, we don't have "One filament to print them all" - YET

  6. #6
    Boolit Master dbosman's Avatar
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    I've hand lapped the measurement cylinder to the body. The hole in the cylinder doesn't match the button that will be the adjustable bottom. The piece that fits into the cylinder that the threaded rod screws into.
    I've not been able to figure out how to fit the actuator tube into the body.

    https://www.stlfinder.com/model/horn...k2bAfR/166841/

    Fixed URL
    Last edited by dbosman; 05-12-2021 at 07:38 PM.

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    How expensive is the filament? Seems it used to be pricy. Wouldn't it be just as cheap to buy one, or have they become unobtainium?

  8. #8
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    dbosman, not sure what you are asking, that is a stand for a powder measure, it there a piece missing or ??

    Finster101, they are sorta rare but findable, I just like a challenge I guess

    Filament is variable in price, regular PLA+ and so on run about $20-$30 for a kilogram (2.2#), carbon fiber or TPU etc. filaments would cost more though. You can control how much air is in the printed piece though, if set to be less solid the slicing program fills the interior of your parts with hexagons, so they can be very light and really strong, so you don't have to spend as much as you might imagine.

  9. #9
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I could see a copy of the old and very popular Belding and Mulls made by 3 d printing. Or a rotary similar to the little dandy. Maybe a cross between the 2.

    A block of steel brass or aluminum big enough for the B&N body would be expensive and most would go in the chip tub. Not to mention the set ups and time machining it. Could steel or brass plates be incorporated for the wear surfaces?

  10. #10
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    how hard is 3d print plastic?

    wouldn't stick powder tear it up When cutting the sticks?

  11. #11
    Boolit Master dbosman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Finster101 View Post
    How expensive is the filament? Seems it used to be pricy. Wouldn't it be just as cheap to buy one, or have they become unobtainium?
    $10 a kilo and up, and up, and up. One spool makes more than one.

  12. #12
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    country gent, good thoughts. Maybe could find a brass cylinder for the rotor that would be suitable and needed minimal lathe work? Cheaper to use just metal wear surfaces, of course this requires metal shop access, which I don't have...

    Conditor22, if you printed that in carbon fiber filament it'd be pretty tough, the stuff wears out brass print nozzles I'm told. Takes a lot of filament to do that though. Every plastic has different characteristics, you'd want a pretty smooth and fairly hard and strong plastic for this.

    And clear or at least translucent for the hopper would be nice

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Filament is - I think - cheap - I'm using $22 PLA off amazon with no availability issues. A spool can last a long time.

    A powder measure though - I'd be concerned the texture of the print is not smooth, and would catch flakes. undesired if
    you switch powders... I like smooth.

  14. #14
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    ABS can be smoothed with vapor treatment, or the rotor / shuttle can be metal with a printed insert.

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    Boolit Master dbosman's Avatar
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    It looks like PVB might be the right filament for many items. Polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is a material designed for easy smoothing with isopropyl alcohol (IPA). Thanks to its transparency, it's suitable for printing vases, lamp shades and other design objects. Print settings are similar to PLA, while its mechanical properties are slightly better.

  16. #16
    Boolit Grand Master In Remembrance
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    Hadn't heard of that material, interesting! TY

  17. #17
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    Thingiverse has powder droppers. Manual and auto.

    Sent from my SM-N970U using Tapatalk
    "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."
    ~Theodore Roosevelt~

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    Great

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