RPM-Built Nerf Blaster
Proving myself and others wrong
Introduction: Since I started nerfing, the idea of a viable nerf blaster being built by a Rapid Prototype Machine has been put down. I tried before, but never seemed to get the project off the ground. After that, I jumped on the wagon that it couldn’t be done. Recently, a friend of mine managed to push me off of that wagon and get started again. Needless to say, my project was a success. Of course, not everything in the blaster was made using an RPM, but the majority of the hard to manufacture parts are. The only things not made using the RPM are the cylinder, piston rod, and barrel for obvious reasons. In other words, the plunger tube, plunger rod, and barrel still come from elsewhere. I understand the people like boltsniper have made components such as magazine wells for his blasters, but I wanted to take it a step or two above by actually making crucial components from an RPM. Anyways, on to the meaty goodness.
RPM Talk: For this project, I used Autodesk Inventor 2011 and Catalyst to design and process my blaster. The machine used is a Dimension SST768 and the model material is P400 ABS. I used a sodium hydroxide/water solution in a specialized bath set at 70°C to remove the soluble support material as well as to somewhat strengthen the bond of the model material. All of the parts built used a solid material setting for maximum strength and longevity.
Design: The blaster was mainly designed as a proof-of-concept build, so almost anything can be changed design-wise. I designed it to use 1-½ PVC as the plunger tube. The plunger rod is ⅝ round Nylon rod, but that can be easily swapped for square rod with small changes in the design of the catch base, catch and plunger head. I chose to make use of the many tools available at my school, so I used a rounded catch face design and a lathe to carve the catch face itself. This can easily be substituted for a nitefinder-style catch system.
Strength: I have yet to range test it, but that’s not really a big concern for me. My main concern is for how long it will last. So far, the parts has withstood many hours of dry-firing without any padding of any sort, any there is still no sign on any physical damage. I am currently using what my friend tells me is plus-bow spring to power the main mechanism. Half of these springs plus a normal LS spring pushes longshots to around 100’.
Pictures: Well, this part is pretty self-explanatory.
Stripped:
Printed parts only:
Grip:
Trigger:
Grip AND Trigger:
Catch:
Catch inside catch base:
Piston head:
Cylinder Head:
Primed:
Notes: If anyone wants the designs or files, I can send it to them via email, just PM me. You guys are welcome to the knowledge. To be honest, my designs aren’t the greatest, and some do have trouble understanding them. If those who request the files are willing to wait a short while, I can make revisions of my designs that are much clearer and easier for everyone to understand.
Video Is Up!!!
Files are up!!! http://www.mediafire...l99ncxy0e3d0nua
Edited by SorrowX, 16 February 2011 - 11:31 PM.
