kimosabi Posted September 11, 2018 Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 Hi, Apologies if this has been discussed before, or is a bad idea (probably), I was just wondering if 3d printed brake pads (i.e. for HS33 brakes) might be something to explore/try? I read that some synthetic thermoplastic 3d printer filaments might work? E.g. eSun eLastic and Taulman PCTPE. Would be interested in your thoughts on this. Other bike parts would be a no go probably, but if you get a material that is strong enough, maybe it might make an interesting experiment? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canardweb Posted September 11, 2018 Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 That could be a very good idea yes! Just needs to get the right material but I would be tempted to try it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted September 11, 2018 Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 Certainly worth playing around with if you have the kit and fancy having a go, but there are cheaper/more efficient methods of manufacture so it's unlikely we'll ever see it as a "mainstream" process as such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimosabi Posted September 11, 2018 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 I think the first step is to understand what material current pads are made of. Anyone know exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Rainbird Posted September 11, 2018 Report Share Posted September 11, 2018 Typically a polyurethane/similar. I've forgotten which durometer range off the top of my head, though 85A rings a bell. I may well be thinking of automotive applications there though, have a play with the forum search and you should find some good info from when every man and his dog were making their own pads BITD 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyseemonkeydo Posted September 12, 2018 Report Share Posted September 12, 2018 Gut feeling is it wouldn't work and there's no benefit unfortunately. The beauty of 3D printing is the ability to make complex shapes that would be difficult/expensive to make any other way. A brake pad is basically a cuboid of PU. Even if you printed in PU the resulting pad would most likely just delaminate quickly (i.e. shear along the build layers) and fall to pieces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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