Though this caught a perfect image of the outside of the propeller, the insides had to be CAD engineered by Sarah of Idea Beans.

Before 3D printing, they first made a 3D scan of a 15HP Yamaha outboard motor using the EinScan-S 3D scanner (also known as the ScanMaster Plus). вЂњCom'on really, a wooden boat propeller!вЂќ they said. The Wood/PLA composite was added for a laugh, and both didnвЂ™t expect it would add anything. On that machine, they 3D printed four well-regarded filaments: ABS, Wood/PLA, Polycarbonate and Carbon Fiber PLA. Though this did limit their material choices, it still proves that you can achieve a lot on a regular machine. Carefully mimicking the hobbyist environment, they ignored the industrial strength 3D printers they have available, and instead turned to the well regarded UP BOX desktop FDM 3D printer. вЂњThe huge array of materials and myths that float around them is definitely a minefield, not to mention the environment some materials require to printed in, heated bed, heated chamber and separate support materials are in some cases a necessity for a successful print,вЂќ they say. Drawing on past experiences and contacts in the marine industry, they set out to look at the strength of various materials when used for boat propellers: very thin, technical components exposed to the motorвЂ™s great power and the oceanвЂ™s harsh, salty environment.ДЄs they explain to, they were trying to get to terms with the misconceptions that surround the wide variety of 3D printable filaments currently available. This interesting, if slightly unscientific test was carried about by veteran 3D printers Bruce, from 3D Printing Systems, a major 3D printer reseller in Australia and New Zealand, and Hayden from 3D printing service provider Clone3D. To illustrate that point and show that there are genuine differences between various materials, two makers decided to set up a challenging test: can you 3D print boat propellers? And if so, what material works best? The results might surprise you.

But the truth is that those are only guidelines and real results depend completely on what you use it for and what geometric shapes youвЂ™ve designed. When looking at new filaments to use for a particularly challenging 3D printing project, youвЂ™ll often read about certain qualities, such as durability, high strength and so on.

Scanmaster plus 3d scanner