Make Custom Bead Roller Dies with 3D Printing

In a strange stroke of luck (has to be luck, can't be intelligence) I tried 3D printing some bead roller dies. Dies are very expensive, and in my home shop I do not require pro-level equipment, so why not experiment? I designed these in Fusion 360, printed them in PLA on my Original Prusa MK2S, stuck them on my Eastwood bead roller, and tried them out. The results were FAR more exciting than I expected.
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[@PaulsGarage]

The bead roller used in this video: amzn.to/3Z7g6dx

[@ChevTecGroup]

When you said 10% infill I was like "whaaaat?" I print all my tools and functional things in practically 100% infill. Its super strong. No nylon needed

[@throngcleaver]

Yes, I'm late to the party, but I had to toss my 2.3 cents in. Mild steel is softer than most heat treated aluminum, especially that really thin stuff used for duct work. If you can bend it pretty far and it springs right back, you'll need to anneal it before running it through your dies. Also, you can send your files to Shapeways or some other printing outfit, and they can print them in a variety of metals. It's not as expensive as it sounds. Lastly, I LOVE your sense of humor!

[@dfross87]

Coming up next week, Paul tests his PLA 3D printed anvil! I'd use 20% infill on that, for extra strength ;).

[@LonersGuide]

Definitely PETG, for the ultimate in strength.

[@corysoura4652]

Can you share the STL files so we can print some and have awesomeness as well

[@robertoteri4395]

3D printing and Metal Work. Truly awesome.

[@adrianglessner5979]

Note something I learned the hard way on was that different infill amounts will change your overall dimensions of said part. More infill it will grow ever soo slightly. Something to keep in mind. Nice work btw.

[@PaulsGarage]

Interesting, I hadn't considered that. Thanks!

[@evanhale7296]

it looks like the only thing needed is to fix the flex in the bead roller. but I am glad its doing that since i feel it would add stresses to the wheels that a solid roller wouldn't show. i see this as a great way to make one off or "one project" set of wheels for car bodys and you can mirror nearly any factory bead just by printing it off.

[@PaulsGarage]

Good point! This bead roller definitely flexes a lot. There are modifications to help stiffen it for sure, but these plastic dies work surprisingly well

[@mrgreenswelding2853]

You should cast them in aluminium bronze so they are better

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Wow, very kool! I saw someone making dimple dies 3D printed. It said 3mm wall thickness that’s .118 inches. thanks for sharing.

[@joebywan]

It worked better on steel than ally because your ally's been welded on & is thin. It's less ductile due to the welding and with how thin it is explains the tearing. Either way it's a cool experiment to give a bash & save some coin.

[@jothain]

Thanks for the experiment. I don't own bead roller and don't own lathe, but I've thought that PLA rollers might work for some odd custom shapes. Thanks again for testing. Now I know it could work. This immediately increased probability of me getting one some day :)

[@bulletproofpepper2]

Oh and 3D printed letter stamping in sheet steel on the “classic-car-tv” channel it’s in Germain but my iPhone CC in English. I think the newer videos are narrated in English now.

[@GetSquarewTomJolley]

WOW I am impressed!!! way to go Paul! I never though that would work, I thought maybe you would cast them in aluminum... but now I'm thinking alumabronz, might be perfect. This video definitely has pushed up the priority for picking up a 3D printer for me. I love your channel, started watching for the casting videos stayed for the rambling and text comments. Would love to do a collabe video with you some day when I get my life back and can start producing content on a regular basis, mostly for an excuse to hang out and do something cool. Keep up the good work! Thanks for the inspiration and insight.

[@dannywiley4072]

That’s awesome. I just Printed a 1.5in dimple die. I’m ready to try it on some 18g steel. I printed in PLA as well but different settings.

[@C3DPropShop]

I forgot how much I love this channel. Changed to "All notifications". Super stoked to see what's next.

[@DKTAz00]

Now cast them in bronze :D if there's one thing i've learned about PLA, it's that it gets brittle over time, in about a month they will likely crack if you tried it again. I'd try coating them.

[@PaulsGarage]

I'm shocked the PLA didnt crack instantly! I'm thinking of trying PETG next, then nylon. Then maybe casting some

[@OlivierLopezCh]

@@PaulsGarage Put that forge to work buddy :D

[@KermitGTT]

@@PaulsGarage I use ST-PLA for power hammer dies. They don't last, but gives me the option of changing parts that might not work as well as it should and then reprint and test. Once you have it dialed in, you cast it in kirksite or whatever variant is available. Much tougher than bronze and easier to re-melt and re-cast.

[@SoloRenegade]

it's not about thickness of the metal, it's about the Material itself.

[@MetalMagoo]

I had some 3d.printed yesterday. 3/8" bead, 1/2" bead, 1/2" round tipping die, and a 1/4" offset die. They're 1-3/4" diameter and 100% infill out of PLA.... And they work. 18 gauge crs..

[@firebird8600]

Super cool, Paul! I thought that PLA would probably be alright, but am surprised that 10% infill could handle shaping the steel.

[@834he8ds3]

Nylon has one big issue as a 3d printing filament, it absorbs water from the air. At my work we have a printer for nylon the filament is in a sealed box with desiccant and a tube to the printer, the printer software is setup to run all the filament that is in the tube before starting printing the part, if you try to print with filament that has water in it you get steam bubbles that will ruin the print.

[@836dmar]

A lot of these issues happen with steel dies as well. Once the technique is figured out it’s not an issue. I’ll bet these would be fine.

[@PaulsGarage]

This bead roller flexes a lot too, that's some of the issue

[@WoodFrontier]

Wait... super stoked is obsolete!?! That’s not rad news.

[@chrissavage5966]

Hi Paul. I see you shared the STL for the crank handle on MyMiniFactory - any chance you'd be willing to share the fusion models & STLs for the dies? You've certainly inspired me to try printing some dies for the roller I just bought. Same one as yours I think, and I could do with a die to round over on a 19mm radius. Needs to go a full 90 degrees though, so not sure it's possible yet. Amazed they worked at 10% fill in PLA too.

[@dakotawashington6994]

Since you have them on solid works find a CNC and mill them on there out of aluminum or steel and try it then. Or try over sizing on solid works and reprinting those and make molds and cast them yourself and tune them down on a lathe

[@PaulsGarage]

I wish I could do that! No lathe for me, but I do have some friends with machine shops...

[@VincentGroenewold]

Impressive! Didn’t think that would work that well. Nylon would be great yes but that stuff is expeeeensive again. Factor in testing that to print nice and you might almost have the steel versions. :)

[@adubz54]

any plans to share them @paulsgarage

[@ankitmr47]

Good work bro .. It's really a proof of concept it will surely work.. Thanks for sharing this video

[@askquestionstrythings]

next up... lost PLA casting of these dies in aluminum bronze... ;-)

[@SianaGearz]

I don't know why people keep underestimating PLA, it's a wonderfully strong material!

[@PaulsGarage]

Yeah I was shocked, makes me want to print a whole bunch more of these things. They work surprisingly well

[@martinwhite3005]

How about heat treating / anealing the pla parts,.. they might be a bit tougher...

[@slappynutsphd]

We have been 3d scanning floor pans and pressing out repair panels

[@PaulsGarage]

that's awesome. I haven't tried scanning with a full size car yet but i scanned a whole powerwheels mustang and then printed out a fitted body that looks like the ford delux from greased lightning. That was a fun project. video eventually on that one

[@mrfoameruk]

for the cutting cant you put a large metal washer on the end the same diameter of the plastic bit.

[@GuyBrown]

Can you do a video on your 3d printing set up for us guys that want to get into it? Thanks Paul love your videos!

[@ztynzo]

If you can print ABS it is a better choice of plastic for this type of application than PETG.

[@LooseChange7325]

Awesome job Paul!

[@maxsinventions8913]

PLA is actually one of the stronger plastics I thought.

[@PracticalRenaissance]

I'm constistenly surprised/impressed with the strength of PLA prints, I've been playing with printing a casting pattern for a part for my South Bend lathe over the last few weeks, and now I wonder if I shouldn't just use the dang printed part instead lol...

[@scooz14]

Print it 100% infill out of petg and itll most likely survive

[@juliobriseno8176]

looking to sketch some Bead rollers myself.

[@QuentinKarmark]

question: have you possibly made tweaks to these models or your infill etc in order to improve the quality or effectiveness of the 3D printed dies?

[@PaulsGarage]

nope i didn't change them at all after this video. I haven't used them in a few years, though. i'm not sure how well the plastic stands up to the years in the hot garage.

[@chaotic_goodness]

Bake those PLA prints! Another rabbit hole to go down...

[@PaulsGarage]

That's what I hear! I'm interested in the increased strength but I worry about any deformation. This is pretty exact clearance to the shafts and any wobble in the outside would transmit to wavy beads in the sheet. I dont have a lathe to true them up either

[@chaotic_goodness]

Deformation is definitely going to happen. It can be designed for, but that's only one piece of the puzzle. Wait, I said it was a rabbit hole. Which is it, a puzzle or a hole? Or a whole puzzle? All I really know is that rabbits give you tularemia.

[@ifell3]

Hey this is good stuff!!

[@DukeOfMarshall]

Very cool!

[@swdweeb]

10% infill?? Wow, I've never gone that "hollow" and I don;t print anything that would be that stressed.

[@PaulsGarage]

I never use more than 15% infill, haven't really had anything break yet either

[@swdweeb]

I'll have to give it a try. It'll save print time and filament

[@evanro2396]

I believe CNC kitchen has a video about testing 3d print strength and he found that the wall thickness is mostly where the strength comes from. He found that infill really doesn't do as much as people think and if you want something stronger, thicker walls help a lot.

[@askquestionstrythings]

@@evanro2396 yep... this video by CNC kitchen. More perimeters are more important than a higher infill percentage. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d56okoF3rKuGnKs

[@scooz14]

I came here to say that. When I print anything that will see stress I print 100%.

[@whoeveriam0iam14222]

aww I was hoping for a blue explosion of PLA

[@Lurker1979]

You could use these parts and use it to cast metal versions.

[@stime6472]

Impressive!!!

[@universalsolar1564]

Very nice 👌 and useful video.

[@jonanton2377]

Have you shared the files anywhere?? Great video, learned exactly what I was hoping to.

[@PaulsGarage]

I haven't shared them, no. I wanted to do some adjustments because they were a little off, then share them, I just haven't gotten around to it. I still have the original files though somewhere

[@shannonguffey274]

I'd love the files to try them

[@bretthays2674]

Did you ever share the STL files for these?

[@monoceroxbeast]

Nice hashtag hahaha Thx for the video. Good stuff.

[@ChristCenteredIronworks]

Always enjoy your videos man ! Keep up the great content :-)

[@askquestionstrythings]

awesome channels I know following awesome channels I know... what's up with that? ;-)

[@bentoombs]

I love printing with pla It smells fairly decent when printing. Vinyl stinks up the house but it definitely would be way stronger. Have you thought about trying the carbon fiber filament they came out with?I bet that will be pretty tough. Then there's all types of different metals that they've come out with.stainless steel, bronze, brass pretty crazy what we can do with a 3D printer anymore. 👍👍great vid Paul

[@PaulsGarage]

I've heard the carbon filament screws up brass extruders, otherwise sounds like a cool idea

[@bentoombs]

@@PaulsGarage I would imagine all of those metal filaments screw up the brass tips also

[@marcsenteney3160]

As a few have said ...... cast them ! you can do eet!

[@521farmer]

Howdie awesome workmanship ya can make it happen thks for sharin your ideas keep them coming ya got my vote wondering how much wood ya sell these for just asking cause l,m building a Bead roller and Don,t hav alot of cash so just asking if ya did and do ya have to have the centre hole open ? Cause thinking mine is 1 inch shaft if that helps hopefully we can come up with a sale price ? from Canada 🇨🇦 SK later keep me posted thanks for your time need these for car body's for kids toys if it Don,t break me later Paul

[@PaulsGarage]

I don't have these posted anywhere and i don't have the files anymore. This is a pretty old video and i had a computer fry on me a couple years ago lol. They were made with fusion 360. You just make a profile and revolve around an axis, cut out the center hole to whatever size you need. it's very easy to do and hobbyists can use fusion 360 for free i think.

[@521farmer]

@@PaulsGarage Thanks so much for your feed Bk will give it ago take care be safe from Canada SK Later will rember that Name Thks so much

[@SeanTHirsch]

People that say they are not crazy... are usually crazy. But I'll take your word this time. Lol

[@PaulsGarage]

I'm not crazy you're crazy who's talking?

[@johnmccanntruth]

Very cool you can make a tool to use...

[@PaulsGarage]

I agree, lots of possibilities here if the plastic can hold up

[@shoelessb4515]

This is something I need. Ive printed gears for my lathe. They work great and are even quieter. The problem is with the design and files. 3d design software is way over my head. How about a link to the files ??

[@dpforth]

McMaster-Carr catalog has free downloadable 3d models for parts like gears. Depending on format they can be sliced. Opens a lot of possibilities...

[@dallaswoiken7533]

Next up cast some from the printed ones

[@itonylee1]

print these with polycarbonate, you will be surprise how durable they are

[@damionbotello7523]

Cast them

[@lalonmondal8189]

Hi

[@73superglide62]

Pug one beefed his up ,because benned

[@Argosh]

Yes you can. It costs a lot more than an injection molded one. Now I'll watch the video.

[@PaulsGarage]

Yes indeed! These printed ones are cheap for me, already owned the printer. Of course the cost of the printer could buy a nice bead roller...

[@Argosh]

@@PaulsGarage then again it's not about cost optimization, right? 😁

[@SianaGearz]

Depends. Just because something can be made for pennies, doesn't mean that anybody will make that and sell that to you for pennies. Particularly things that are not needed in million quantities. Besides, with that low infill ratio, these were cheap prints, and weighing even a useless print agains the benefit of excercising your modelling and slicing skills and learning from failures and successes about the properties of materials that you work with and how to deal with mechanical loads, i think if you ask the to print or not to print question, printing tends to win if you own a 3D printer.

[@woodwardmotors6758]

Do you have the files for sale?

[@philbyrd5561]

why would you not cast them?

[@PaulsGarage]

Takes time, I just wanted to test fit plastic models and see what happened if I tried them. Turns out they work great

[@0623kaboom]

stoked ... lol old slang ... um since when is the 90's consideered old school heck they dont even know what the building looked like let alone what old school is ... if it aint before 1970 its modern slang

[@ts3dprints732]

Did you do a revolve feature?

[@PaulsGarage]

Yep, sketched the profile and revolved around an axis.

[@brianpeterson8908]

Have you printed anything in nylon? Not easy. Make a video!

[@73superglide62]

Just a thing

[@MattAnonymous]

Who wants to spend a hundred dollars on louver dies, well I do, but I die-gress.

[@watahyahknow]

it actually worked better then i expected when i saw the title of the video , was pretty curious to see how they did might not be a bad idea to use some sort of wax type filament and use those parts to cast them in harder material just came across this kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6Tchpx3lr98aqs dimple dies made from the innerraces of big bearings they seem to work verry well

[@lalonmondal8189]

Mobile nambar do

[@AllodialTitle]

Will you be sharing the files?

[@PaulsGarage]

Yes! At the moment I'm working out some details on different designs, already came up with an updated louver die for example. I'm also working out a system with shims to allow better side to side adjustment, will be uploading the files to myminifactory and probably thingiverse for free when I get it worked out

[@AllodialTitle]

@@PaulsGarage Many thanks.

[@the_bearded_backyard_engineer]

@@PaulsGarage have you managed to make any print files for these since you posted 2 years ago?

[@gregj4857]

How much $ hahaha

[@daos3300]

yeah, eastwood.. wouldn't buy anything from those shameless hucksters. nice job.

[@sealpiercing8476]

Use a whole bunch of perimeters for strength, infill doesn't do nearly as much.

[@PaulsGarage]

Not many perimeters here, 6 only if i remember right. Shockingly strong stuff