3D Printing & Model Railroading: Presented by Catzpaw Innovations, LLC

3D Printing & Model
Railroading
Presented by CatzPaw Innovations, LLC
Copyright © 2014 CatzPaw Innovations, LLC • All rights reserved.

Who are We?
• A relatively new company dedicated to

designing and 3D printing scale replica’s.
• We are a creative and technology savvy group.
• All work is done in-house by us, from design

through manufacture, and shipment.
• And of course - we are railroad enthusiasts!

What Kind of Things  
Do We Make?
• Scenery Details
• Animals
• Figures
• Small Buildings
• Vehicles
• And more…
“And More” Teaser…
Where Can You Find
CatzPaw Products?
• Model railroad layouts
• Toy farm displays
• Slot car layouts
• Die cast dioramas
• Historical dioramas
Sasquatch in the Woods
• School projects AJ Murphey
Liquid Tanks Loaded Up
Out of Fuel - Mark Vicker
Chris Vickers
Ready for Winter !

Shaw Implement Sales Time for a Potty Break - Mark Vicker
Courtesy of Tim Kuzdrowski
Courtesy of Tom Barker

How Do We Create This
Awesome Stuff?
3D Printing Technology
What Do We Use?
• ABS Plastic 
Same plastic as Lego® Building Blocks
• MakerBot Replicator Dual
• MakerBot Replicator 2x
• Both have dual print heads; allowing us to
print objects in two colors simultaneously.
How Does 3D Printing Work?
• 3D printing is an additive manufacturing process
that builds an object layer by layer.
• More traditional methods utilize:
• the removal of material; such as milling or

machining which grinds away excess material
leaving just the desired object,
• creating a master and then casting duplicates

from molds.
• The 3D printing process works by melting ABS plastic
filament which is deposited a layer at a time through a
heated extruder onto a movable build platform.
• Each layer hardens as it is deposited and bonds to the

previous layer.
• Building objects by layers requires
support structures for any objects
with overhanging geometries.
• The supports are removed

manually by snapping and/or
cutting them off the part.
• This process can be slow and

sometimes painful.
• New filaments are becoming

available that dissolve in limonene
or water; making support structure
removal an easier process.
• Some objects need additional finishing steps.
• Sanding
• Acetone Wipe/Vapor Bath 

used to chemically melt the ABS plastic and provide an
even smoother, glossy surface.
Benefits of 3D Printing
• Unlimited creativity: some say “if it can be drawn in a 3D
computer program, it can be 3D printed.”
• 3D printing is a tool-less process that reduces costs and

lead times. Whereas milling and mold making both require
specialized tools and die making before a part can be
manufactured.
• Complex objects can be designed as a single piece or

multiple pieces that can be assembled later.
• The use of ABS, nylon, and carbon infused filaments can

yield lighter and stronger objects.
• The price to print an intricate or complex piece
can cost roughly the same as printing a simpler
piece of similar size and volume.
Both are 18 grams, take 2.5 hours to print, and cost $18.
The Impact on  
Model Railroading
• Design and create items previously unavailable.
• Ability to create and print replacement parts for broken or

missing pieces for current models.
• Scalability - design in one scale (S Scale) reduce or

enlarge to additional scales (N, HO, O, & G scales).
• 3D items printed in multiple colors reduces the need  

for painting.
• Products can be personalized according to individual

needs and requirements.
Replacement
New & Unique Items
Parts
N, HO, S, O, & G
Scales
O, S, HO Scales Personalized
• As mentioned earlier, 3D printing eliminates the
need for tool production; thus reducing costs,
lead times, and labour associated with a part’s
creation.
• Creating prototypes for testing can be done

quickly and cost effectively.
• Products can be produced on demand, as few or

as many as needed. No minimum orders required.
• Items are locally manufactured here in the USA.

How We Do It
• First - the spark of inspiration.
• Next - research: our items are

true to scale and as realistic
as possible.
• We also verify that our items

are unique and not infringing
on anyone else’s copyrights
or trademarks.
• Then the design process
begins; recreating the
prototype in a 3D drawing
computer program.
• Refining the design for

printability comes next.
• For two color prints this

includes separating the
object into pieces and
separate drawing files, one
piece/file for each color.
• Then the file is converted from the drawing file’s
format (obj, 3ds, etc.) to a format that the printer
understands, an STL file.
• STL - Standard Tessellation Language
• An STL file describes only the  

surface geometry of a three- 
dimensional object without  
any representation of color,  
texture or any other attributes.
STL vs OBJ
• Next another piece of software "slices" the image into the layers that will
be printed; creating the objects “gcode.”
• Layer thickness can set to 0.1mm, 0.2mm, or 0.3mm. The thinner the
layer the greater the detail and the longer the print time.
• The quality of a print is also determined by the slicing software used.

Depending upon what is being created we use: ReplicatorG, MakerWare,
or Slic3r. Each slicer has its strengths and weaknesses.
• Finally, we “3D print” the object.
• Unfortunately the process does not end there.

It is rare that an object prints successfully the
first time.
And sometimes no matter what we do, we get this…
Or this!
We are not sure which we have more of:“A ha” or “Oh shit” moments.
So…
• We go back to the drawing program and tweak the
design of the object itself.
• Next we modify the revised drawing for printability;

creating separate objects/files as necessary.
• Then we repeat the conversion, slicing, and printing

process until we get a successfully printed part.
• And the final finally, we print at least five (5) of each item
to make sure it is stable and reproducible.
• Only then will we offer the item for sale.

And Yes, Our Items Are
Protected by Copyright Law
• It was recently brought to our attention that there
was an attempt to use CatzPaw's 3D printed
products as the basis for molds to create resin
castings. !
• Our products are protected by US copyright laws.!
• Each piece is marked with a  
“paw print” the CatzPaw Logo.
Make Sure It Is a CatzPaw
3D Printed Product
• Look for the CatzPaw mark.!
• Purchase from one of the following:!
• CatzPaw’s website!
• A CatzPaw eBay action; we have them
occasionally!
• One of CatzPaw’s authorized distributors:  
Hoquat Hobbies, Patch Farm Toys, JK Customs
3D Printing in Action
This object actually took two and half (2.5) hours to print!
Questions & Answers

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3D Printing & Model

Copyright © 2014 CatzPaw Innovations, LLC • All rights reserved.

• A relatively new company dedicated to

• We are a creative and technology savvy group.

• All work is done in-house by us, from design

• And of course - we are railroad enthusiasts!

• Toy farm displays

• Slot car layouts

• Die cast dioramas

Ready for Winter !

Courtesy of Tom Barker

• MakerBot Replicator Dual

• More traditional methods utilize:

• the removal of material; such as milling or

• creating a master and then casting duplicates

• Each layer hardens as it is deposited and bonds to the

• The supports are removed

• This process can be slow and

• New filaments are becoming

• Acetone Wipe/Vapor Bath

• 3D printing is a tool-less process that reduces costs and

• Complex objects can be designed as a single piece or

• The use of ABS, nylon, and carbon infused filaments can

• Ability to create and print replacement parts for broken or

• Scalability - design in one scale (S Scale) reduce or

• 3D items printed in multiple colors reduces the need

• Products can be personalized according to individual

• Creating prototypes for testing can be done

• Products can be produced on demand, as few or

• Items are locally manufactured here in the USA.

• Next - research: our items are

• We also verify that our items

• Refining the design for

• For two color prints this

• STL - Standard Tessellation Language

• An STL file describes only the

• The quality of a print is also determined by the slicing software used.

• Unfortunately the process does not end there.

• Next we modify the revised drawing for printability;

• Then we repeat the conversion, slicing, and printing

• Only then will we offer the item for sale.

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• Acetone Wipe/Vapor Bath 

• 3D items printed in multiple colors reduces the need  

• An STL file describes only the  