No power supply, table, driver's stations, lap counter, etc.) My cost for an HO scale 4-lane finished track, 4 x 8 feet, painted, routed and braided, charging my labor at US$20 per hour, was about US$300. Last time I purchased MDF a 4 x 8 foot sheet, 3/8 inch thick, it cost me US$20. The old saying is, 'It ain't brag if you can do it.' I can also print in TPU and make indestructible track that is flexible. The joiner system IMO is more robust than scalextric track.

Stepcraft sells cnc equipment that can print large sections if I didn't feel like making my own printer. If I were to go into business making custom tracks (and I am thinking of it) I can easily make a printer capable of printing any size track. Yes, mdf is cheaper, but the labor isn't. I think if you held my test sections of track in your hand, you would easily retract that statement. I think it will be a while before it becomes a practical way to do more than that. But short term all I think we will see are a few interesting examples of custom 3D printed track sections with limited utility. I'm sure the economics of 3D printing will improve along with the technology. Smooth surfaces, fine detail, and strength in thin sections is where injection molding has it all over 3D printing. Even so, I'm not sure current 3D printing technology can produce snap features with the tolerances and strength to be practical.

If you want to create custom track sections that can snap together with conventional plastic track sections, 3D printing is probably your best hope. But while it is possible to CNC rout an entire 4 x 8 foot sheet of material in one piece, I don't think anybody outside of the aerospace industry can 3D print parts that size.Īs for the complexity of the parts - that is probably the issue.

There are contractors that can produce custom-designed parts using either technology. And it is probably a horse race as to whether it is quicker to program a 3D printer or a CNC router. The traditional methods of routing and forming sheet stock - like MDF or Sintra - are indisputably cheaper. 3D printing of plastic track would allow the creation of track sections that you can't currently buy, but with current technology and materials it will be both slow and expensive.

3d printed slot car