Now 3D printing is no an accessible technology. With loads of applications and 3D printing boat parts is emerging as a trend. No surprise at all, in fact.
It is easy, cheap, repeatable and very accurate.
Do you need a low-cost, easy to make prototype for a new solution on a yacht? Or perhaps a mould for fibreglass or carbon fibre casts? Or a plastic replacement part for an old component that is otherwise in great working condition? Easy peasy.
We just stumbled in our first use case…
The problem
Among the several 2021 upgrades, there is a brand new tiller steered Pelagic Autopilot aboard Veloce. After some thinking I decided that the best position for the control head was within reach from the drive unit, aft on the coaming. Pelagic Autopilot comes with a “bow facing” control head option, exactly for this purpose.
However, the control head, that contains a 9-axis solid state sensors, requires to be perpendicular to the longitudinal centerline. Calibrating the autopilot compensates for a few degrees misalignment. Alas, the aft coaming on the Sun Fast 32i has a 24 degrees angle to the ideal alignment positioning.
I needed a holed wedge with a 24 degree angle as support to my Pelagic control head. Other requirements? Nice to look at, cheap to realise, as light as possible.
The solution
I considered a wedge in teak, a case in fibreglass and a piece of rubber. In the end, the idea to try out 3D printing stuck with me. Completely ignorant on the subjects of what type of plastic, type of process, type of equipment, detail of CAD design, I got in touch with Anders Ryberg at Premium Composites. He helped me out with the design and, after a few prototypes, realised a final piece, fitting perfectly both the control head and the coaming.
The mount is a finished product. However, how will it hold up outdoors in marine environment? If it deteriorates considerably under 2021, I will use the mount as a mould for a carbon fibre cast.
I am not new to the idea, but I never really realised how accessible 3D printing is and imagination is the only limit to how many problems it can solve on boat!