3D printing of the Cannon. Two of my mechanical engineers are pinheads and have done some work with 3D printing. I pulled the cannon out of my BR, modeled it, implemented significant changes around the hinge (common point of failure) and then printed 3 test articles.

The fit up and functionality of the design is spot on. The bad news is that the printing composite we used did not hold up well in the game. Specifically at the cannon edge / play-field area. We noted micro chipping in the material and were concerned that the debris could get bonded to the balls in play, damaging the play-field graphics.

We have a dialog going with the distributor we use for 3D printer support and materials.

There are plenty of materials to choose from however, the selection is not so good when it comes to transparent / clear material, which is how the original cannon was produced.

More details to follow in a few weeks