Excited to Join as a New Alibre User

[Welding Empire]

Hi everyone,

I'm Kieran from Welding Empire, newly diving into Alibre for bringing my fabrication projects from concept to reality. With 25 years in welding, I'm excited about the possibilities Alibre opens up in design and fabrication.

If you have questions about welding processes, selecting the right consumables, or how to sequence your fabrication project, feel free to reach out. Happy to share my experience!

Looking forward to learning and contributing here.

Best, Kieran

 

[Joseph_L]

Hi Kieran,
Welcome to the forum. I think this community has some of the best people you can find on the web, and I'm grateful for how much help you can find here. We can always use skilled fabricators such as yourself that are willing to help! I think that video where you were TIG welding aluminum cans was amazing.

A warm welcome, and we are excited to spend 2024 with you!

 

[Welding Empire]

Thank you for such a warm welcome to the Alibre forum! It's great to be part of a community that values skilled fabrication and mutual assistance. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the TIG welding video with the aluminum cans.

I have a project in mind and would like your input. In my spare time, I'm planning to fabricate a turbo manifold for my SS Commodore (the 4-door version of the Pontiac GTO). I'm considering using the Creality CR-Scan Ferret to scan the engine bay and LS1 engine. I enjoyed your video, and now that you have spent more time with it, how effective do you think this scanner would be for creating a detailed environment to model a manifold accurately?

Looking forward to your insights.

Best regards, Kieran

 

[JimCad]

Welcome to the forum Kieran.
If ever you need any "Pigeon Poo" from Mig, Tig, or Stick then I'm your man.
I was a turner but have friends who weld. It's a work of art when done properly.
Jim

 

[JimCad]

Let the members know if you have Atom, Pro, or Expert. It helps them to help you as each have different tools available.

 

[GIOV]

If you have questions about welding processes, selecting the right consumables, or how to sequence your fabrication project, feel free to reach out. Happy to share my experience!

Looking forward to learning and contributing here.

Welcome australian to the Alibre forum!
Here is the future..

Push systems

Consistent quality, high system availability, minimal maintenance requirements and easy handling are benefits of the Fronius Push system.

www.fronius.com

GIOV

 

[Ex Machina]

Thank you for such a warm welcome to the Alibre forum! It's great to be part of a community that values skilled fabrication and mutual assistance. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the TIG welding video with the aluminum cans.

I have a project in mind and would like your input. In my spare time, I'm planning to fabricate a turbo manifold for my SS Commodore (the 4-door version of the Pontiac GTO). I'm considering using the Creality CR-Scan Ferret to scan the engine bay and LS1 engine. I enjoyed your video, and now that you have spent more time with it, how effective do you think this scanner would be for creating a detailed environment to model a manifold accurately?

Looking forward to your insights.

Best regards, Kieran

Welcome to the forums, Kieran! I hope you can help us with your wealth of knowledge and we can help you too with our "Hive Mind", lol.

Welcome to the forums and when you get round to it, post a pic of that engine bay!

 

[Stu3d]

Thank you for such a warm welcome to the Alibre forum! It's great to be part of a community that values skilled fabrication and mutual assistance. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the TIG welding video with the aluminum cans.

I have a project in mind and would like your input. In my spare time, I'm planning to fabricate a turbo manifold for my SS Commodore (the 4-door version of the Pontiac GTO). I'm considering using the Creality CR-Scan Ferret to scan the engine bay and LS1 engine. I enjoyed your video, and now that you have spent more time with it, how effective do you think this scanner would be for creating a detailed environment to model a manifold accurately?

Looking forward to your insights.

Best regards, Kieran

If I was fabricating a manifold I would measure and draw the mating surfaces and 3d model from that.
I'm not familiar with the Creality scanners but have 3 of the Revoscan equivalents and while they do a good job accuracy wise the problem is reverse engineering the scan so it is usable in Alibre. Best case scenario, that is affordable, is a dumb solid STEP file to work with.
I used to do engine conversions. I wish I had a 3d scanner & printer back then as scanning an engine and 3d printing a lightweight model of it would have been perfect for offering it up in an engine bay to work out engine mounts, drivetrain, fuelling, cooling etc.

 

[gwbruce]

Welcome to the forum. If you have any Alibre questions this is the place to ask.

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Welcome!

 

[Welding Empire]

Welcome to the forum Kieran.
If ever you need any "Pigeon Poo" from Mig, Tig, or Stick then I'm your man.
I was a turner but have friends who weld. It's a work of art when done properly.
Jim

Hi Jim, Thanks for the welcome. Learning machining is high on the wish list for me. The possibilities are endless if you have a lathe or a mill.

 

[Welding Empire]

Welcome australian to the Alibre forum!
Here is the future..

Push systems

Consistent quality, high system availability, minimal maintenance requirements and easy handling are benefits of the Fronius Push system.

www.fronius.com

GIOV

Cheers GIOV, I remember when I did my welding course close to 25 years ago there was a Fronius AC/DC TIG it was well over 10,000 back then and state of the art. Clearly, they haven't rested on their laurels.

 

[Welding Empire]

Welcome to the forums, Kieran! I hope you can help us with your wealth of knowledge and we can help you too with our "Hive Mind", lol.

Welcome to the forums and when you get round to it, post a pic of that engine bay!

Hi Konstantinos. I get a lot of value out of your YouTube channel. I have watched and rewatched the sheet metal video Rookie to Rocking It. It has been invaluable to my latest build, so I really appreciate you posting the videos to help others. The engine bay is empty at the moment. The motor spun a bearing. I am slowly picking up performance parts when they are on sale. I have two cars I am working on to flip to make some room. It will be a full build, so a year or so away. But I am sure you know how the ideas about your cars are always floating around in your head.

 

[Welding Empire]

If I was fabricating a manifold I would measure and draw the mating surfaces and 3d model from that.
I'm not familiar with the Creality scanners but have 3 of the Revoscan equivalents and while they do a good job accuracy wise the problem is reverse engineering the scan so it is usable in Alibre. Best case scenario, that is affordable, is a dumb solid STEP file to work with.
I used to do engine conversions. I wish I had a 3d scanner & printer back then as scanning an engine and 3d printing a lightweight model of it would have been perfect for offering it up in an engine bay to work out engine mounts, drivetrain, fuelling, cooling etc.

Hi Stu, Thanks for your comment. I see there are a lot of car guys on here. Many people think engine conversions seem easy if the engine bay is big enough, but the real work comes when it's time to make everything work better than the previous powertrain. Fuel systems, instrumentation, and drive line. Hats off to you. I worked in NZ doing American car conversion to righthand drive for 2 years. It was a cool job, with all the vehicles being brand-new. The 3D scanners and 3D printers would speed up the R&D so much. I'm not sure if you have ever seen the YouTube channel Retro Power. They are a UK company that does amazing builds with weekly updates on the cars. They are heavy into the scanning and prototyping in 3D prints before a CNC is used.

 

[Welding Empire]

Welcome to the forum. If you have any Alibre questions this is the place to ask.

Hi gwbruce, Thank you. I'm sure I will try and save my hair and reach out to the group if I get too stuck.

 

[Welding Empire]

Welcome!

Hey Nate, Cheers for the welcome.

 

[Ex Machina]

Hi Konstantinos. I get a lot of value out of your YouTube channel. I have watched and rewatched the sheet metal video Rookie to Rocking It. It has been invaluable to my latest build, so I really appreciate you posting the videos to help others. The engine bay is empty at the moment. The motor spun a bearing. I am slowly picking up performance parts when they are on sale. I have two cars I am working on to flip to make some room. It will be a full build, so a year or so away. But I am sure you know how the ideas about your cars are always floating around in your head.

Oh mate, do I ever... But it's our love, and our hobby, and it is our friends ultimately. The project car is the campfire we all gather around. And as we start to get older and can't do it as often because of limited time, we never forget to reminisce about it with the gang.

As for the spun bearing, I feel ya. Been there, done that... Rock to the sump. By the time I figured out what was going on the damage had been done.

P.S. Forgot to thank you for the comment on the Rookie to Rocking it video. I'm glad it's helping, it was one of the hardest ones to make. Still, you need to check out Harold_L's channel as well. He is the true Master of the Sheet Metal!

 

[Welding Empire]

Yes, Harold_L has some advanced sheet metal videos. He started busting out the f(x) formulas in one of his videos and at that stage, it was in the outer atmosphere above my head. But have now tried to use his style when it makes sense. You mentioned him in a YouTube comment so I am grateful for that. A rock to the sump... was that rally driving?

 

[JimCad]

Hi Jim, Thanks for the welcome. Learning machining is high on the wish list for me. The possibilities are endless if you have a lathe or a mill.

I have both.
Just a hobby lathe.
&
A CNC Router for wood.
Not interested in machining metal any more.
I spent most of my life soaked in mineral oil & soluble oil.
I prefer the smell of wood.
I think you've made the perfect software choice for creative designs for your projects.
It's inexpensive, it works, and it's yours.
Keep us posted with your creations please.
Jim

 

[Welding Empire]

I have both.
Just a hobby lathe.
&
A CNC Router for wood.
Not interested in machining metal any more.
I spent most of my life soaked in mineral oil & soluble oil.
I prefer the smell of wood.
I think you've made the perfect software choice for creative designs for your projects.
It's inexpensive, it works, and it's yours.
Keep us posted with your creations please.
Jim

I bet owning both a lathe and a CNC router has opened up a world of possibilities for countless projects. Pictured here is the render of my latest endeavor. I've been fascinated by the idea of creating a cyber truck-inspired pizza oven. Currently, I'm in the process of designing molds for casting the dome out of refractory cement. The key challenge lies in designing this project in such a way that it's achievable using simple box pan folders, making it accessible for others to replicate.