Today I designed and printed some custom bead roller dies that I will need to fab my tailgate on my F100. It only took numerous tries to both design the right profile, but also to get the print settings right to make a part strong enough to shape metal. Plus, it forces me to learn something new, which is generally a good thing, as long as it's something I want to learn or so my bosses have told me. For me, I will only need those dies once, so it was a better deal to buy an inexpensive 3d printer and get some free software that it would be to have a custom set of dies made. Plus I can make another set relatively quickly if needed to include any new shapes.
The profile shows v11 on it. That is the 11th version (after I started keeping track). I had a profile gauge that I was using, but it could not get tight inside radius accurately, so I ended using the tried and true method of creating a cardboard template and then making the digital version to print.
The two profiles are to create the body side profile on my truck to extend on to the tailgate I have envisioned.
I used the Creality Ender 3D pro with Hatchbox white PLA to print my dies.
