One of the things I have wanted to do for a while is to share the linkage between classical machining and 3D printing as they basically are the same thing. Where CNC or classical machining is subtractive and 3D printing is additive the work-flows are still the same from CAD (Computer Aided Design) to CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture) and finely production. With this I stumbled across That Lazy Machinist (see more here: http://www.thatlazymachinist.com/) who made a series of blueprints available online (see more here: http://diy3dtech.com/thatlazymachinistblueprints to download them) so I decided to convert them to 3D prints to demonstrate the interrelations of the disciplines. So the first project I selected was the Bench Block or Anvil.

This is a multipurpose bench tool and in fact converts well to 3D printing as the idea is this used punch out pin (i.e. the hole in the top) as well as hold round stock with the 45 degree bevel across the top. You will find them used quit a bit in gun-smithing and the like where there are a lot of pins which have to be inserted or removed. With this the plastic reduces the chance of marring the object which the pin is being either removed or inserted.

This one was printed in PETG (see more here: http://diy3dtech.com/petg) with the top annealed with a heat gun to strengthen. I would also suggest Bridge Nylon (see more here: http://diy3dtech.com/bridge_nylon) for extra durability, yet if does fail after a while. Simply print a new one! That is the beauty of additive manufacturing!

If your looking for the Open-SCAD code you can find it here: http://openscad.diy3dtech.com/open-scad-that-lazy-machinist-bench-block/ as its easy modifiable to create any kind of bench block you would like!

Want to see more on how we created the code? Well check out this video on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/pEfEG7FMiXg