So I was curious, as some other folks here were, about the strength of the 3d printed parts (Shapeways has a material data sheet online, but that doesn't always tell the whole story). I also wanted to verify the strength of the bond to the acrylic part, as some plastics don't bond particularly well. I had a little time the other night, so I set up a simple load test.
I bonded a spare pilot to a 0.5" wide brass strip using gap filling CA glue. I prepped both surfaces by gently wire brushing with a dremel, followed by an acetone wipe. I then applied the adhesive, clamped the parts, and let the assembly cure overnight. I installed a steel lanyard around the central post in the kadee gearbox, with which to apply the load. The kadee was mounted using the shim and four screws and described above. The test setup looked like this:
On to the test! I figured I'd go in five pound increments up to failure. Here is the setup with the first five pounds hanging on it:
And with ten pounds (you get the idea...)
By the time I had hung a 35 lb plate on it, I got bored and called it quits. That's enough for any train I have, lol.
