[3D Printing News] 3D Printing of Bicycle Casting Parts - Part 2

[3D Printing News] 3D Printing of Bicycle Casting Parts - Part 2

Previous articles have introduced the manufacturing process of bicycle parts castings. This time, we will also share the finished products of other related bicycle parts.
The same process applies: first print it out using the Ultimaker3 3D printer , and then use industrial-grade Polycast filament to send it to the foundry for mold making!
Wire trivia: PolyCast is a material specifically designed for metal investment casting (lost-wax casting). It can be polished with an alcohol polisher and can be completely melted during casting to ensure the integrity of the mold cavity.
This time we have three small bicycle parts, let's take a look!

First, there's this connecting component. We almost always bring various material samples of this component's design for every exhibition, and they always look quite impressive lined up!

The freshly printed product shows some slight 3D printing marks, which we will then polish using a Polysher alcohol polishing machine .

Place it in an alcohol polisher and steam for about 10 minutes.

After steaming, the parts are sent to a foundry for processing. Initially, they will be gray castings (as shown in the picture below), before they have been polished.

Once polished and buffed, it will be incredibly shiny and eye-catching. Let's take a look at more beautiful photos from different angles!




Next up are the bicycle pedals. Everyone knows bicycles have pedals, but you've probably never looked at them so closely before. Actually, the pedals have a lot of detail and a very nice design. First, we see a 3D printed photo of the pedals.


Final pedal parts after casting and polishing



The last one is the connecting part for the bicycle pedals, which looks a bit like a wrench (I always mistook it for one and almost used the finished metal part as a tool).


front

back

Cast and polished parts



Finally, a group photo!

Those interested in bicycle parts can also refer to our previous article - 3D printing of bicycle casting parts .
The finished product is truly beautiful, in no way inferior to the real thing. Now you can save the expensive cost of making molds by using this method, and you can also make metal products at a lower cost even before the design is finalized.
Please note that all printed items in this article were printed using Polycast with the Ultimaker 3D printer . Polycast's filament properties allow for polishing with an alcohol polisher and the molds can be made by completely melting the filaments during casting.
Are you tempted by this casting method? Want to try it yourself? Feel free to contact us with any questions about materials, polycasting , or crafting!