3D Printed Randoms - Pond Beaver 2021
Titanum's 3D printed pedal is crazy light, and works better than expected.
Ever since I started messing around with 3D printing, I see it everywhere. It's either Baader-Meinhof, or the algorithm just knows me really well at this point.
An industry friend of mine has been giving me a hard time with all the weird 3D printed stuff I've been checking out, suggesting that we're so spoiled for good, normal products these days. That's probably true, we've gotten used to the smooth taste of traditional manufacturing and engineering, and it sometimes takes depraved, sketchy stuff to pique my interest.
So yes, while some of the promises of additive manufacturing are a long ways from viability, there are a lot of cool things being experimented with right now. Here are a few of them.
Would you ride a 3D printed direct mount stem?
GAMUX'S SPECIAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The hybrid design house/manufacturer/distributor from Switzerland has been busy. They have been dialling up selling their line of 3D printed tools, accessories, and small parts while putting in a lot of work bringing some bigger additive projects to market.
They're jumping right into the deep end, working on making a direct mount stem, brake levers, and more. For these products they use selective laser melting to achieve much higher strength than traditional "sausage print" consumer FDM setups.
Garmin mount, stem spacer, & dork disk. I don't know much about their plastic parts, but the surface finishes are really, really good.
Making a direct mount stem using additive manufacturing is a daunting task.
Several iterations of brake lever prototypes.
On top of the projects they're working on, Gamux also now offers custom component design. While this is mostly aimed at the B2B side, the ability for additive manufacturing to scale means that even small companies with basic napkin sketches can access it.
More info at gamuxbikes.com.
TITANUM'S ULTRALIGHT 3D PRINTED TITANIUM CLIP-IN PEDALS
We covered Titanum's ultralight, 3D printed 'MyTi Ultra' pedals back in March, but I have a prototype set in my hands now. Titanum's design uses a leaf spring rather than a traditional clip-in mechanism, with the idea being that with fewer parts means fewer failure points and less weight. On my scale the pedals are a mindblowingly light 102g for the pair, and the cleats are lighter than standard SPD cleats as well at just 46g for the pair. Combined that's over 70g lighter than the most anemic road pedals out there. Wild.
The pedal bodies are 3D printed using Cold Metal Fusion (CMF). I'm sure someone smart will find one hundred ways I'm explaining this wrong, but as I understand it, cold metal fusion takes a bunch of titanium powder, and integrates it into a plastic "binding" material; the part gets printed into shape with lasers being shot through the powder bed at lower temperatures that only melt the plastic, and then the whole part gets sintered/heat treated to finish it. The advantage being there's only one high-heat process, and the tolerances are quite good. And it's titanium.
These pedals are still in the prototype stage and I haven't logged any real rides on them yet, but my first impressions after a few laps up and down the alley are that they feel less weird than I expected. There's not a lot of progression in the float, they feel pretty "on ice," like old Speedplays (to be fair, I haven't tried a Speedplay pedal in about 15 years). Clipping in feels confident and intuitive, and clipping out works just as you'd expect. Definitely a little harder to clip out of than a typical SPD, but not scary.
I was disappointed to see a lot of "pffff my SPDs are proven" comments in the original story about these pedals. I think that misses the point. There were lots of "my v-brakes are proven" comments too back when disc brakes made their way onto mountain bikes. And to be clear, this system almost certainly isn't an SPD-killer, but it's also not intended to be. It's a boutique, ultralight system that's early in its design. With additive manufacturing they'll be able to iterate much more quickly than traditional manufacturing methods, and I'm excited to see what Titanum can achieve with this project.
More info at titanum.bike.
Little fellas.
Their super-low stack height means some shoes require trimming.
Photos: 76 Projects.
Still cheaper than toner cartridges.
76 PROJECTS' NEW PRINTER
76 Projects make mounts for pretty much every possible combination of Garmin, GoPro, lights, etc. on almost any bike. They're all designed and 3D printed in the UK, and in my experience they do excellent work. I use one of their toptube mounts on my hardtail and it's been great.
They just announced on Instagram that they've bought a new HP Multijet Fusion printer. They must sell a boatload of 3D printed accessories, because those machines go for upwards of a quarter-million dollars. It'll be exciting to see the possibilities it opens up for 76 Projects.
In other news, they recently started shot-peening their 3D printed products, improving surface toughness and making them look better. They've also secured Canadian distribution through Mountain Exposure.
More info at 76projects.com.
A Garmin on a Cotic seems blasphemous, but it's my XC bike.
Here are the world's lightest full-size platform pedals. Are they sketchy? Yes. Have they broken after four reasonably punishing rides? Shockingly, no.
MY OWN SKETCHY EXPERIMENTS
My interest in additive tech kicked off over the winter when I got a Matterhackers Pulse XE 3D printer and started trying to make things. Some of them even work.
95mm wide by 120mm long.
Turns out you can make things really light when you don't have to achieve any safety standards.
I've increased their strength by printing them flat (see left above), but the first set hasn't broken yet so we'll see...
I designed these platform pedals using aluminum M3 hardware for pins (5mm sticking through on the outside pins, 4mm on the inside ones), and some titanium Nukeproof Sam Hill axles. The platform is 95mm wide by 120mm long, a decent amount longer than normal pedals. I offset the two sides slightly, built in a little ramp for rock strikes, and placed the pins roughly where you'd expect.
I'm sure someone with actual engineering skill could optimize them a lot, but they're literally the grippiest pedal I've ever used already. Honestly maybe too grippy. And I'm pretty sure that at 195g they're the lightest full size platform pedals in the world. Dangerholm, if you're willing to sign ten pages of waivers...
Being able to match the radius of my downtube was pretty satisfying.
On a less sketchy note, I'm really happy with this inline pump holder.
Pump holders that mount under your bottle cage make perfect sense and work well, but something about them being offset and on the side of the frame bothers me for no good reason. My Cotic SolarisMAX has about a hundred extra bottle mounts on the downtube, so I put two of them to good use and mounted my OneUp pump/tool inline. The way the pump snaps into place is super satisfying.
The ability for someone with zero formal engineering or CAD experience to be making functional parts after just a few late nights of figuring it out is one of the most exciting things about the technology. We won't living in a world where anyone can download and 3D print their own titanium pedals in the garage anytime soon, but we're already in a world where designing and producing your own spacers and mounts is way easier than you might think.
Alright, that's it for this round of additive manufacturing oddities. Since I'm dorking out super hard these days it probably won't be the last one of these. Sorry in advance!
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Not done anything too extravagant, just things like cassette spacers, 10 - 7 speed converter and a chain guide.
www.pinkbike.com/forum/listcomments/?threadid=30987&pagenum=660
I'm an engineer specializing in 3D printing metal. Sometimes I print bike parts...
Powder Bed Fusion produces material on-par with forged/billet/cast standard materials. Depending on the alloy heat treatment is required, but this is true of 'standard' processes as well. I.e. heat treatment is not unique to the printed material.
Please do not confuse powder bed fusion with Bnder Jet, FFF, ect. those processes have a lot more trouble producing material comparable to 'billet'.
Metal printing (Additive manufacturing) is new and scary to alot of companies. It is sometimes more expensive, sometimes cheaper- it just depends. Adoption is increasing every day.
I'm aware of the different techniques though and I do FFF but know a local jeweler who has a DLP printer for when I can't get the details I want. The DLP printer has little functional strength (in and of itself) unless you do an investment cast but is insanely accurate (20 micron layer heights).
I honestly hope to see more of it in the future, so much potential!
Did you notice the 120%ish upscaling necessary? Thats a lot of shrinkage to factor in. I can't imagine how many parts will turn out bad before you get the scaling right.
That's the wrong question. Shouldn't matter how it's made, should matter if it can handle the job. The right question is:
"Do current additive manufacturing techniques yield the same strength (for whatever type of "strength" applies for that type of product) as existing manufacturing techniques?"
Or simply:
"Does it pass the same tests?"
"Would you ever choose to use this thing that's minorly different but provably does the job just as well or better?" is always a f*cking stupid question.
People are still scared of carbon frames _just because they're carbon_, despite modern CFRP being demonstrably strong enough in impact testing (if not stronger than similar weight thin-walled alloy tubing), because in the past people spent a lot of time asking the stupid question of "Would you ever ride a plastic bike?"
Modern materials-science & manufacturing-techniques are simply amazing and often results in noticeably better products, but the media likes to use the simple fact that it's "different" to stoke "conversation" (which is really just clicks which is really just advert sales) about whether its good enough, ignoring the long term effects of continually implying that something is not as good just because its different.
3d printed is not so consistent and predictable. And how long is with us? 15years? I know it is similar to welding but weld will be always risky part of constructions due to imperfections.
More expensive material is not always solution for everything.
I guess if you think 3d printing is so cool you want to buy products made that way, all power to you, but I look at stems like I look at my cleats, I just need them to work.
Whether that is the wrong question depends entirely upon which department you work in....
As you rightly point out, it shouldn’t matter how it’s made....
Ask the head of the Focus Group Project Team in Marketing though, and, well.....they may well say it’s THE most important question of them all (unfortunately) ...
As for aluminum recycling, I’m far from an expert, and not necessarily an environmental additive evangelist, but the potential for much lower energy impacts with additive are well documented. Is that all marketing spin? Honest question, it just seems reasonable from what I can see. You’re not shipping big billets and chips all over, you use all the material you receive. And the energy to run most additive setups is (from my limited understanding) as low or lower than traditional subtractive methods.
I can’t tell if you’re frustrated I’m a proponent of additive or mad I’m holding additive back. Either way, this stuff is cool and I’m always curious to see what people think.
Custom products, short lead times, massively reduced transportation.
I don't ride a DH bike so I'm not the market but... Opinion
My problem with that part/design is not it's 3d printed nature, it is the one piece design. Reminds me of the 90's trying to get my high rise azonics world force riser bars through the stem, screwdriver prising the stem open as much as possible but still scratching the hell out of my brand new bars. I hate anything that goes on the bars that isn't a 2 piece or hinged design.
I think you're holding it back. There is no need for you to ask the wrong question. That only reinforces those who are already asking that wrong question, and might even plant doubt for others. It is cool, but if lots of folks are scared or dismissive of it based on what it is made of, instead of how it performs, it will be less cool as companies might decide not to pursue that path.
Justin, whether one likes it or not, whether it would be better to do so or not, Brian is doing no more than expressing one of the major tenets in behavioral economics.
Humans are resistant to change.
Human inertia, loss aversion, status quo bias, cognitive dissonance; regardless of the name, when it comes to product development, one would be a fool to ignore its significance.
www.behavioraleconomics.com/resources/mini-encyclopedia-of-be/status-quo-bias
Although it’d arguably be ’better’ if there were no need to ask the question, it still is an essential one.
It is not Brian’s fault that the question needs asking.
Yes, everything you said and quoted and cited is great. But it helps to reinforce what I was saying. If resistance to change is the norm, then why would you want to reinforce that resistance by asking leading questions? Especially if you claim to be a proponent of the the new thing?
I disagree. I think it needs to be asked for the reasons stated regarding the well established nature of human behavior when it comes to decision making, and furthermore, in this case because, being a journalist, Brian may wish to engage with the audience.
If I were in his position, I would do the same.
You disagree with his decision; fine. Debate is good. I understand why you feel as you do, and actually tend to agree with you that there are advantages to trying to overcome status quo bias, not only in the field of product development, but in the wider world.
The initial reason I started making points here was purely the tone of your words, and I quote “it’s a f&cking stupid question’.
I am on a bit of a personal mission to try and encourage people to be a little more open, and polite. I think online communities could do with that.
I have attempted to show you why, from a different perspective, it may be an essential question when developing a product.
You still seem to suggest there is no other perspective.
In that case, I wish you a good day and we will have to agree to disagree.
Regardless, product development managers working across countless industries worldwide are likely to still be asking the question,
Anyways, I hope your upcoming weekend is a good one☝️
bikerumor.com/2014/01/28/empire-cycles-x-renishaw-worlds-first-3d-printed-complete-bicycle-frame
Or are they more of a standard item?
Sturdy are killing it in the looks department!
One thing I do know from other people using 3D printed lugs and metal tubes is the advantage of butted tubing is negated somewhat by the lugs, since that's most of the butting would happen where there's now a lug. At least that's my layperson's understanding of it.
But if you want to try it, here ya go: www.dropbox.com/s/v2ll4uef3gt8opn/Cotic%20SolarisMAX%20-%20OneUp%20Inline%20Pump%20Holder.stl?dl=0
I read that this Topeak one works OK too: www.bike-discount.de/fr/acheter/topeak-mountain-morph-turbo-morph-g-holder-763047
And these look like a nice solution: www.planetbike.com/micropro-mini-pump-bracket
May I ask, what material did you use for the pedals for now?
My Raptor Jesus sits on the dash of my truck and protects me from danger.
You then missed the unique point about them being longer then usual.....
www.pinkbike.com/photo/20443328
here are my parts one you cant buy anywhere so i had to make my own and went with the lightest option on the other because i can will be printing in nylon right now there are in a higher psi petg for prototyping
www.zefal.com/en/pumps/264--universal-mounting.html
www.zefal.com/en/pumps/373-doodad-.html
Warm regards
I chose the Nukeproof Sam Hill ti axles and bushings/bearings/seals since they're pretty widely available in both ti and standard steel. I used 10mm aluminum M3 nuts and bolts, but the hardware was insanely expensive. If anyone knows a good place to buy metric aluminum fasteners let me know...
How did you fit the pump adapter to your bike and where did you get that rubber tie for securing the pump
Back in the 90s every twat with a lathe and or mill in his garage or spare time on a machine thought being a machinist meant they were also a metallurgist, structural and mechanical engineer, test engineer and manufacturing engineer.
Were you around in the 90s when all these f*ckturds thought billet machined was the same as forged engineered parts? Now any mouth breather with a 3D printer thinks he can make bike bike parts. It will be funny watching people eat shit in PB fail videos when their shit 3D parts fail. History repeating itself with a whole new generation of fools failing is why old timers laugh hardest. It could be so easily avoided but no the young and stupid forge ahead history be damned.
I'm waiting on my bike made with 3D printed headtube!
As MaplePanda says you then step up to Solidworks or Inventor....at £3000ish a year...they make Creative Cloud look like a bargain...
Isn't that a spacer to run smaller cassettes on normal freehubs? Pretty sure no one anywhere has ever called that a dork disk; which has always been a pretty shitty name anyway. Way to alienate new folks who literally don't yet know any better!
(Which by the way, always seems kind of stupid. They pretty much used only on DH bikes, which usually have 150 or 157 hub spacing already, which means they're probably not swappable with trail bikes, so why not just make a wider hub shell with a shorter freehub, for better bracing angle and less asymmetry? Like e13 did...)
(yeah yeah Super Boost, but potential wheel swaps should not be a factor in building the strongest wheel for DH racing)