3D printed baits

[DomQ]

Just watched a video going behind the scenes with berkley and they are using 3D printers to make some pieces. Anyone else try to make baits from a 3D printed before?

[Munkin]

Can you post that video link.

 

Allen

[SummertimeCarl]

When I first started 3D printing at work they asked me what I'd like to print for my first test and of course I chose a little crankbait design I found online.  Just went through my phone and unfortunately don't have a picture of my exact one... 

 

Mine is this same design but is more of a tan color.  I never added hooks or an eyelet to mine so am unsure how it swims in the water.  

 

Livetarget I believe uses 3D scans for their lure designs too.  Using 3D scans are a great idea.  3D printing as an entire technology though is more suited for one-off custom things more-so than mass production.  It'd be cool to start  a custom lure shop taking special requests or making limited editions of say 200 fancy baits.  Selling tens of thousands of them though seems impractical.  

[DomQ]

1 hour ago, SummertimeCarl said:

When I first started 3D printing at work they asked me what I'd like to print for my first test and of course I chose a little crankbait design I found online.  Just went through my phone and unfortunately don't have a picture of my exact one... 

 

Mine is this same design but is more of a tan color.  I never added hooks or an eyelet to mine so am unsure how it swims in the water.  

 

Livetarget I believe uses 3D scans for their lure designs too.  Using 3D scans are a great idea.  3D printing as an entire technology though is more suited for one-off custom things more-so than mass production.  It'd be cool to start  a custom lure shop taking special requests or making limited editions of say 200 fancy baits.  Selling tens of thousands of them though seems impractical.  

That's so cool, ya it would be pretty cool if companies did something like that. Just something cool and different right 

1 hour ago, Munkin said:

Can you post that video link.

 

Allen

Just YouTube behind the scenes berkley 

[Comfortably Numb]

I would think best application is to make a master for a soft plastic mold.

[Bdnoble84]

What about jig molds. I dont really know much about 3d printing myself, but would it be possible to make a mold for jigs with one. 

[SummertimeCarl]

14 hours ago, Comfortably Numb said:

I would think best application is to make a master for a soft plastic mold.

 

8 hours ago, Bdnoble84 said:

What about jig molds. I dont really know much about 3d printing myself, but would it be possible to make a mold for jigs with one. 

Yes, molds would be the best application probably because one print would lead to an unlimited amount of production.  You could make molds for soft plastics and jigheads too I would imagine.  Maybe one day I'll design a soft plastic mold that has tons and tons of little ligaments to be funky.  

 

I usually don't do the design stuff though, just the actual printing and repairs.   

[MassYak85]

On 9/25/2017 at 10:43 PM, Comfortably Numb said:

I would think best application is to make a master for a soft plastic mold.

This, I've toyed with the idea of trying it myself for soft plastics. You could print a master, sand out any imperfections, and then make a mold. That would almost be an entirely new hobby in and of itself though I probably don't have time for lol. But really all you need is the mold making supplies, the plastic you want to pour, and most importantly the CAD skills to make what you want. 

[DomQ]

5 hours ago, MassYak85 said:

This, I've toyed with the idea of trying it myself for soft plastics. You could print a master, sand out any imperfections, and then make a mold. That would almost be an entirely new hobby in and of itself though I probably don't have time for lol. But really all you need is the mold making supplies, the plastic you want to pour, and most importantly the CAD skills to make what you want. 

Sounds fun!

[DomQ]

3 hours ago, John Loughlin said:

Great thread,  As 3D printing becomes more affordable and accessible this could create a whole new surge of innovation 

If someone out there is willing to make a mold of some sort plastics I'd be first in line to purchase some!! 

[Baitmaker]

As someone who builds my own baits, my first thought after seeing this technology some years ago was that it was going to completely change the game. Not only for fishing, but other industries as well. Now that I understand it a bit more, it's easier to understand why it's still a long way from keeping up with the current speed of mass production. Still, it's fascinating to me and I have enjoyed looking at 3-D baits and prototype designs. Thanks for posting! 

[DomQ]

2 hours ago, Baitmaker said:

As someone who builds my own baits, my first thought after seeing this technology some years ago was that it was going to completely change the game. Not only for fishing, but other industries as well. Now that I understand it a bit more, it's easier to understand why it's still a long way from keeping up with the current speed of mass production. Still, it's fascinating to me and I have enjoyed looking at 3-D baits and prototype designs. Thanks for posting! 

If love to get into making my own baits like jerkbaits and crankbaits, do you think designing a new bait and having it printing to use it as a guide would help you create or would it be kind of redundant for the process? 

[BASS302]

I'm not familiar with the capabilities of 3D printers.  Would you be able to print your lure around a wire frame or would you put screweyes in after the lure is printed?

Also, with the current technology, does your printed object have to be one color, or could you build a lure with a clear bill and a fire tiger body.

Anyway, sounds interesting.

[DomQ]

2 hours ago, BASS302 said:

I'm not familiar with the capabilities of 3D printers.  Would you be able to print your lure around a wire frame or would you put screweyes in after the lure is printed?

Also, with the current technology, does your printed object have to be one color, or could you build a lure with a clear bill and a fire tiger body.

Anyway, sounds interesting.

Is assume you'd be able to design it so that you can leave a spot for a bill to go. As for colour probably only one colour but paint is always an option. 

That's from a quick Google search 

[BASS302]

10 hours ago, DomQ said:

Is assume you'd be able to design it so that you can leave a spot for a bill to go. As for colour probably only one colour but paint is always an option. 

That's from a quick Google search 

 

@DomQ,

Thanks for the photo.

[Baitmaker]

On 10/2/2017 at 9:51 PM, DomQ said:

If love to get into making my own baits like jerkbaits and crankbaits, do you think designing a new bait and having it printing to use it as a guide would help you create or would it be kind of redundant for the process? 

Yes, It may help you to have a finished body to look at as a reference. I began by tracing the outlines and taking measurements of my favorite baits and trying to duplicate them. 

18 hours ago, DomQ said:

Is assume you'd be able to design it so that you can leave a spot for a bill to go. As for colour probably only one colour but paint is always an option. 

That's from a quick Google search 

Interesting. This bait appears top heavy. The weight of the bearings is above the lateral line which makes me wonder how it looks in the water. 

[Munkin]

9 hours ago, Baitmaker said:

 

Interesting. This bait appears top heavy. The weight of the bearings is above the lateral line which makes me wonder how it looks in the water. 

 

I was wondering about that myself? Unless they plan on adding a heavy belly ballast I don't see that bait running correctly.

 

Allen

[BASS302]

Does a high center of gravity cause the lure to be more erratic, or will it just flop over and not run properly?  

[DomQ]

21 hours ago, Munkin said:

 

I was wondering about that myself? Unless they plan on adding a heavy belly ballast I don't see that bait running correctly.

 

Allen

Ya kinda odd, I never even realized that til you guys pointed it out! I'm a fan of bigger but fewer ball bearings in my jerk baits and cranks.

[Munkin]

8 hours ago, BASS302 said:

Does a high center of gravity cause the lure to be more erratic, or will it just flop over and not run properly?  

If fished as is without any ballast I would expect this bait to run about 2' before flipping upside down on retrieve.

 

Allen

[Uncle Arnie]

On 10/3/2017 at 2:09 AM, BASS302 said:

I'm not familiar with the capabilities of 3D printers.  Would you be able to print your lure around a wire frame or would you put screweyes in after the lure is printed?

Also, with the current technology, does your printed object have to be one color, or could you build a lure with a clear bill and a fire tiger body.

Anyway, sounds interesting.

I have a few dual extrusion machines, so yes can do multiple colors on a single print.

 

 

Im really not a crank bait guy though. I use my printers for soft plastic molds. It has been a really great tool.

[Munkin]

2 hours ago, Uncle Arnies Tackle said:

 

Im really not a crank bait guy though. I use my printers for soft plastic molds. It has been a really great tool.

Good, make me a multi cavity Jackal 4.8" Flick Shake mold with individual injection ports for each piece. I don't plan on selling them but I REALLY could use a couple custom colored Flick Shakes. 

 

Allen