SoliForum - 3D Printing Community — 3d printed gas tank

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-19T00:37:40Z

Pure PLA by itself will leak unless done stupidly thick, and theres also the whole 'will start to degrade mechanically at >60°C ... which in any automotive environment wont be hard to get to. Even just ambient on a warm day will cause lots of issues...

If I was planning on doing it, ABS, or more important, ABS+PC for added strength.

THEN on the Inside, assuming the ABS/PLA doesn't react with it, just use some Motorcycle Tank Liner product such as "Kreem".. Most are two-part process that you basically pour in, swish round, let cure for a week... and voila, re-lined tank... http://www.ebay.com/bhp/motorcycle-gas-tank-sealer ....

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-18T20:14:09Z

i dont think pla will work as well as abs but there are tanks already made out of abs so I dont see why not

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T06:14:18Z

Ahhhh. that takes all the fun out of it

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T06:05:15Z

Why not just do it the right way and get one tig welded to fit?

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T06:04:20Z

^^ Yeah, you could make a printed mold then either 'blow mold' it or 'roto mold' it, there are a few other techniques also but these two are fairly easy to do for the average 'builder' the key thing would be the type of plastic used... I think the toughest would be polyethylene.

As for the legal side of things.... I know people who run non-dot parts including tires on bikes and they usually don't have a problem... but if you do get inspected and they really go after you I am sure they will make it worth 'their' while.

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T05:43:14Z

I read some posts referencing bikes with oem abs tanks but I doubt that this means any plastic would be ok. Even for the oem plastic tanks, the posts mentioned dot approval though.

Legalities aside, personally I wouldn't risk using a printed tank for fear it would crack and leak. Id feel safer with a container molded in a more flexible plastic like some food or drink storage containers and would look into adapting one of those.

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T05:17:44Z

ronsii wrote:

I believe the plastic tanks would have to be DOT approved.....

Crap I didnt think of that... Ill do some reasearch and come back to this

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T05:14:32Z

I believe the plastic tanks would have to be DOT approved.....

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T04:15:54Z

Plastic gas tanks are legal. In fact they are whats most widely used right now. I figured I would print the Tank in two pieces, spray the inside with some type of treatment to resist the gas, then use a liquid gasket (also gas resistant) where the two pieces connect, and then bolt them together at that seam.

Re: 3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T03:53:27Z

Fiberglass tanks aren't legal but you want to print one out of biodegradable plastic?

O_o

3d printed gas tank

2014-04-13T02:58:26Z

So heres the deal. I have a Tomos Moped I use for work. The gas tank only holds .85 gallons. So I was hoping there was some way I could utilize my solidoodle to 3d Print a shaped auxiliary tank to go into my FAKE gas tank. The fake gas tank is a large storage area. The main question is, would PLA break down from the inside because of the gas? Or is it something I dont need to worry about? I planned on Sanding it down and spraying it down it some kind of sealer as well, even AFTER I make sure its "Watertight". Any advice is welcome! Thanks guys! And before someone suggests it, no I cant 3d print a mold to use to make a fiberglass gas tank. Fiberglass gas tanks arent legal anymore. Thanks!