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3D printed water concrete drum for Power Potentials

A 270 mm water concrete drum demonstrator for Power Potentials, reviewed for printing, then 3D printed with its mechanism parts in three rounds.

Client
Power Potentials
What it is
A water concrete drum demonstrator and its mechanism parts
What we did
Design for manufacturing reviews, then 3D printing
Materials
PLA+, carbon-fibre nylon and carbon-fibre polycarbonate
Start a prototype (opens WhatsApp) Send a brief
Diameter of the drum
270 mm
Volume, de-bossed on the drum's label
0.74 litre
Parts 3D printed across three orders
15
Design for manufacturing reviews on the client's CAD
2

What we brought

  1. What we can do

    We review your CAD before printing

    Two reviews, on 07/02/2022 and 12/03/2022, marked up every part with the changes that make it print cleanly.

  2. How we look after you

    Fits worked out for real bearings

    We changed two diameters so the drum planetary fits its 40 mm and 4.9 mm bearings with clearance.

  3. What you get

    The right material for each part

    PLA+ for the drum and supports; carbon-fibre nylon and polycarbonate where a part must not flex.

The build

How we built it

5 steps, from the brief to the finished piece. Pick a step to jump to it.

The brief

Step 1 of 5 · 07/02/2022

Drum
270 mm across, yellow with a translucent middle section
Label
Water Concrete Drum (Buoyancy + Gravity), 0.74 litre
Finish
A light waterproofing coating
First parts
The drum, a support and a bar, one of each

At Additive Inn, our 3D printing studio in Singapore, we reviewed and 3D printed a water concrete drum demonstrator for Power Potentials. They needed their own CAD made into printed parts: a 270 mm drum with a translucent band, plus its arms and supports.

Design and prototyping

Step 2 of 5 · 07/02/2022

Power Potentials designed the parts; we reviewed each one for printing and marked up the changes. Our drawing set the colours: yellow outside, translucent through the middle band.

  1. First design

    Yellow outside, translucent through the band.

    Drawing

  2. First review · 07/02/2022

    Split the cover to print flat, de-boss the markings, teardrop holes and chamfers so fewer supports are needed.

    Render

  3. Second review · 12/03/2022

    Bearing fits on the drum planetary, fillets turned into chamfers, and carbon-fibre materials for parts that flex.

    Render +2 more

Production

Step 3 of 5 · 12/02/2022

The drum printed on our FDM printers in yellow and translucent PLA+, with the support and bar in light blue. Two more rounds followed in March: six parts each, including the drum planetary in PA-CF and arms in PC-CF.

The drum ring printing, supports around it.
Part-way through the drum.
A second printer on the job.

Build and assembly

Step 4 of 5

Off the printer, the supports were cleaned out of the drum's openings and edge, and the drum was given its light waterproofing coat. The de-bossed label sits in the top, as the review suggested.

The drum lifted off the bed.

The final build

Step 5 of 5 · 30/03/2022

Power Potentials received the drum with its label, the support and bar, and two more rounds of mechanism parts in PLA+, carbon-fibre nylon and carbon-fibre polycarbonate.

The finished drum, label up.

More product development

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