3D Printed Fender Tags

[Dano 1]

I've got my flame-suit at the ready for this one but figured it was worth bringing up for discussion...I've heard enough stories of fender tags being stolen at car shows etc. to be concerned about displaying my car with its mint condition original tag. I'm an engineer using CAD software/3D printing on a daily basis and try to find as many unique applications for the technology as possible working on my cars. My fender tag solution was to create a 3D CAD model of my tag and 3D print it for display purposes; it should look good enough to the average person or mopar enthusiast who likes to check out options at a show but not be worthwhile to steal. I was trying to walk the tightrope of not trying to pass this off as the real-deal while making it look good enough for display.

3D Model:


Printed tag ready for paint:




My initial thought was to open this up to other people who wanted an inexpensive display-only fender tag that they didn't have to worry about being stolen, but still looked reasonably accurate for show purposes. Is this opening a massive can of worms that should be left alone? I really don't want to have any association with anyone even attempting to fraudulently represent a car but to me these tags aren't close enough to pass as the real deal, they're not even made of metal.

*flame-suit on* Anyone have thoughts? 

[Troy]

It's definitely not going to fool anyone...

Honestly,if I worried about anyone stealing mine I'd just take it off (or glue it on). Maybe put the info on one of those sign boards.

I think it's neat but not sure of the usefulness. If you're intent on making a 3D copy, try to get the letters filled in instead of just an outside wall and work on making the base smoother (not sure which slicer you're using). Also, PLA doesn't like heat so it will likely flatten itself out after a nice drive or a weekend at the Nationals.

Troy

[stripedelete]

Looks better than the pencil rub I was considering. Put me down for one.

It might be fun to mess with some of the experts by including some mutually exclusive codes.

[Kern Dog]

I'd buy those!
I lost the tag to my XP and never got one with the XH so I'd like to use a custom one with fake codes to reflect the NON stock changes that I made.
E93 for the 493 engine for starters....

[Mopar Nut]

I'd buy one too.

[smithenhiven]

Try printing that in a resin based printer rather than an extruder, Im sure then it would come out closer to paint ready.  If you dont have one, there's places that will print and mail for a small fee.

[tan top]

I've got my flame-suit at the ready for this one

that funny 

  interesting idea !  looks ok ! 

[66FBCharger]

I like it!

[garner7555]

My car is a 318 XP car that is now a pro touring car, so I would also like a bogus tag with non-existent codes on it just to be funny.  That's a good idea Kern Dog.     

[Dano 1]

Thanks for the positive response guys I was prepared for the worst.

Troy - There's definitely room for improvement in the quality, this was first pass with geometry and settings etc. I printed this one at work on our Stratasys F-series printers in ABS @.005" layer thickness. I think I can improve the fill of the letters and corner radii a bit with some geometry tweaks to make it look a bit more presentable. Printing in ABS allows for vapor polish post processing which i think would smooth things out pretty well, that's the next step. Good point on heat resistance too, ABS should be better than PLA.

smithenhiven - I plan on getting a small resin based printer in addition to an FDM style for that exact reason. Resin printing comes with its own set of challenges but the print quality is definitely way better.

The idea for custom codes is great, I hadn't thought about that! This is part of a larger side-business I'm in the process of establishing so once I get everything set up I'll happily take orders. The benefit to 3D printing these is you can very easily make any letter/code/geometry you want with simple CAD changes and print them quickly/cheaply.

[Kern Dog]

My car is a 318 XP car that is now a pro touring car, so I would also like a bogus tag with non-existent codes on it just to be funny.  That's a good idea Kern Dog.     

Thanks...
My intentions would be to reflect the changes in a way that does not come across as deception.
If the tag isn't stock appearing and the option codes are numbers the factory never used, it would not appear like I am lying or trying to clone anything.

[Homerr]

I like it.  I'd personally even go one further and after the END code put something like 'COPY' or 'REPRO'.

[stripedelete]

Or

GET YOU RHA NDS OFF MYC ARD
IRT BAG

[Dano 1]

I like the idea of adding a clear mark to designate it as a repro, just in case someone who REALLY didn't know what they were looking at came across one.

[Mopar Nut]

Or one of these.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Agreed, that tag ain't fooling anyone.

[Homerr]

Agreed, that tag ain't fooling anyone.

They'll get better though, give it a year or three.

[Dano 1]

Bringing this one back from the dead a bit with progress. I ended up switching my printing method from filament based to resin based with MUCH better results. I'm getting close to offering these up for sale to anyone interested, I'm thinking $40 for a pair of tags (one for the car & one for the wall or just a backup) and can be customized to show any combination of options, original or not.  I'm still playing around with how to add 'display only' or similar text to eliminate the ability to pass one of these off as real but at the end of the day it's made of plastic. This project has become part of a side business I'm putting together to bring 3D printing technology to the classic car world so stay tuned for some more info on that as well.

[CRW-FK5]

Bringing this one back from the dead a bit with progress. I ended up switching my printing method from filament based to resin based with MUCH better results. I'm getting close to offering these up for sale to anyone interested, I'm thinking $40 for a pair of tags (one for the car & one for the wall or just a backup) and can be customized to show any combination of options, original or not.  I'm still playing around with how to add 'display only' or similar text to eliminate the ability to pass one of these off as real but at the end of the day it's made of plastic. This project has become part of a side business I'm putting together to bring 3D printing technology to the classic car world so stay tuned for some more info on that as well.

They look very good.  I am interested.

[Kern Dog]

Me too. The font and spacing look different enough to not look like you are trying to misrepresent anything.

[Mopar Nut]

 

[Wakko]

Someone should add a ZL1 or LC9 code to mess with people's heads. 

[Alaskan_TA]

Earlier you said;

I really don't want to have any association with anyone even attempting to fraudulently represent a car

Now you say;

I'm thinking $40 for a pair of tags (one for the car & one for the wall or just a backup) and can be customized to show any combination of options, original or not. 

So pick one or the other, the second option leads to fraud. 

[DAY CLONA]

 .....o'brother

[Dano 1]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I have a bit more actual under-hood testing I want to do to make sure the resin behaves itself at higher temperatures but I'm optimistic.

Alaskan_TA - I completely understand what you're saying and the way you quoted my posts does appear to show two very different attitudes. What my intention was in bringing this idea up here first was to get everyone's help to figure out how to offer what I think is a pretty neat product without crossing any legal/ethical lines. This is why I'm looking at different ways to add "display only" language to further prove that these are not intended to be factory tag replacements but merely affordable representations for the safety of your original tag or to display something when the original tag was lost.  My comment about options being original or not was intended for people who may have added a stroker or tremec 6-speed and want to have fun creating their own option codes to match the modification they've done to their car, not to help a scammer create a hemi 4-speed r/t from a 318 shell.