Hi everyone, I am Bex and live in SW Wales, uk. I find myself here to learn so I can try my hand at casting. my core hobby is RC trucks and construction vehicles. Some parts are at times too expensive to manufacture out of a lump of metal so thought this might be the best avenue to go. indesign and print/CNC my own parts and I’ve now got a project that could do with this type of manufacturing. basically one of these is a 800mm telescopic boom for an RC crane ️. I love my detail. Anyways hope to learn loads and thank you for allowing me in
Hello Bex, welcome. Is 800mm the size of the part or is it 2-3 telescoping section than make up 800mm as deployed? Do you have a metal and process in mind?
thank you. It’s just the first main section. There’s 5 in total. The wall thickness is 1.5mm so am hoping aluminium will work.
Welcome Bex, One of the things that keeps my interest here is the various hobby interests of others. I'm personally just enamored by the casting process and make widgets and decorative stuff, but enjoy the company and watching other members' progress. Perhaps you could start a thread to discuss your crane/boom project showing your idea with drawings, etc. I'm sure you'll get useful input. (1.5mm is pretty darned thin). Also links or pictures of some of your other projects would be welcome too! Pete
Also, if they are telescoping tubes you wish to cast, they need to be very round, very straight, and very tight tolerance on the diameters. Without secondary machining that might be quite a challenge for any casting process. Increased clearance between tubes might get you there at the cost of the accuracy and precision of the tube extension. A sketch would be helpful. Best, Kelly
Hiya, I will do so soon, once I figure out how to upload photos lol The 1.5mm is something I’m wary of. I heard of Zamak as a substitute material but only recently found out about it. Apparently better flow and strength. Am not beholden to aluminium so will see what I’ll end up with. Steel is an option as is stainless. The result is key.
Hiya, I totally agree. These are things that I am conscious of and wonder what I can do to mitigate these concerns. I know the casting won’t be perfect and anticipate further work to get close to the desired finish. the shape is like a half round tube at the bottom and a square top that’s got filleted corners. Image isn’t great but it’s the main section. Will have a degree of adjustment for the inner sections.
