Does A 3D Printer Figure In Your 944’s Future?

CAD rendering of custom tubular control arm for 944 – by Aaron of fabworkZ.com

If guns can now be fabricated with 3D printers, why not parts for your 944? 

A while back I ran across an intriquing project in which a 3D printer was used to fashion an adaptor to fit an inexpensive Camaro (!) windshield washer motor to replace the much more costly but inoperative Porsche part. You can see pix and read about it here:

• http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:29641
• http://piratefish.blogspot.com/2012/09/3d-printing-for-porsche-parts.html

Further exploration turned up quite a few 3D CAD models and renderings for 944 parts and paraphernalia, like these from GrabCAD.com and MakerBot Thingiverse:

• http://grabcad.com/library/software/solidworks?per_page=20&query=944+porsche
• http://grabcad.com/library/software/rendering?per_page=20&query=porsche+944
• http://www.thingiverse.com/search/basic?q=porsche

A lot of 944 components would seem to have potential for 3D-printed replacements. This is an area I must keep my eye on …

Here’s a good introduction to 3D printing basics in the meantime.