# 3D Printing of Car Bodies Questions



## jimkelsey (May 7, 2013)

Hi:

It has been months since I have been on the site. I have been totally out of racing since this past spring. A lot of life changes, with my wife's dad's passing and her mom moving in with us. 

Anyway, I hope to set up shop soon (as soon as my hobby room gets cleared of boxes) and begin carving some new bodies. A friend of mine just got a 3D printer and is allowing me to use it to make a few bodies. I have accessed www.blueprints.com for many of the 3-views that I have carved, but the vector drawings can be expensive for just one car. Here are a few questions for ya'll:

Has anyone on the forum made slot car bodies using a 3D printer? 
If so, which program do you use? 
Will Adobe Photoshop work? 
Can I find 3D blueprints of cars inexpensively (preferably free)?
Is it possible to take pictures of a car (several angles) and digitally convert 
them into a 3D file?

Thanks.

- Jim


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

hey Jim, welcome back.
condolences.
I cannot answer your questions.there is someone on eBay making 3D printed bodies. they are kind of rough with a surface similar to an alligator.

it is my understanding that a CAD (or something similar) program is necessary to get good results.
hope this thread takes off with some real info.
looking forward to seeing some of your carved classics.


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## carlosnseattle (May 12, 2009)

Hi Jim, thoughts and prayers for your family. Losing a parent is always tough.

A good friend of mine who lives close to both of us acquired a 3D printer this summer. He began printing things, but not slot car bodies yet. Like Alpink says; the product has a textured finish. So it's not nearly as smooth as what you have hand-made. Guys are making 1/32 chassis and chassis parts, with few using them to print bodies, and that's because of the rough finish produced by the process.

I can swap your contact info with him if you like.

And let me know if you still want that intersection track.


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

They have made huge advancements with 3D printing, but for anything that prints high resolution, you'll still have to pay big bucks. The lower resolution stuff is getting cheaper, but so far I haven't run across anything that prints decent for under 6 figures, and the first number isn't a 1. 

My condolences of you family member loss. Glad to see you back, and getting started back up again.


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## highwingpilot (Jul 22, 2015)

There is a company called FormLabs that makes 3D printer which uses light-cured resin. It prints at astonishing high resolution and produces some very smooth models from what I've seen. I think it costs around $3,000. But there are commercial services that can print your models for you at reasonable prices. I have found its cheaper and better to just pay for printing than shell out for a printer which will likely be obsolete within a year or two.


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