3D printing for boombox parts

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Northerner

Northerner

Boomus Fidelis
An ASDA supermarket near me is trialling a 3D printing service...think its £60 per job so ain't cheap but might be worthwhile for a grail part :)
 
BoomboxLover48

BoomboxLover48

Boomus Fidelis
Northerner said:
An ASDA supermarket near me is trialling a 3D printing service...think its £60 per job so ain't cheap but might be worthwhile for a grail part :)
Click to expand...
When things are farly new, prices will be high. It says printing costs around the $20 mark here in Chicago. Not bad at all...

Let us hope the cost will come down in a few years.
 
kraftmatic

kraftmatic

Member (SA)
Miles (ML) has printed a few parts on his 3D printers. I've been meaning to hook up with him to try printing some stuff.

Miles knows more than I do, but from what I've learned the biggest hurdle to getting something printed is creating the 3D model. You have to build the model with measurements taken from an original part, or estimate them if you don't have an original.

The other method is to use a 3D scanner to scan the original part, but these scanners are not very common yet and the results they produce are mixed.

I think we're still some years away from 3D printing as something that a normal consumer can do easily. Right now they still require quite a bit of tinkering and trial and error, with results that aren't all that great. That's my opinion, anyway. Others may disagree.
 
BoomboxLover48

BoomboxLover48

Boomus Fidelis
kraftmatic said:
Miles (ML) has printed a few parts on his 3D printers. I've been meaning to hook up with him to try printing some stuff.

Miles knows more than I do, but from what I've learned the biggest hurdle to getting something printed is creating the 3D model. You have to build the model with measurements taken from an original part, or estimate them if you don't have an original.

The other method is to use a 3D scanner to scan the original part, but these scanners are not very common yet and the results they produce are mixed.

I think we're still some years away from 3D printing as something that a normal consumer can do easily. Right now they still require quite a bit of tinkering and trial and error, with results that aren't all that great. That's my opinion, anyway. Others may disagree.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the information! Now we know one of our member is into this.
 
Sazeus

Sazeus

Member (SA)
I was thinking about this before Ira sold me an original M90 volume knob. I'm sure between us we could get the measurements for just about any knob out there.

I hear an adequate 3D printer goes for about $1300. Now we just need someone to invest...
:frankenstein:
 
=ml=

=ml=

Member (SA)
Rick mentioned this thread to me, so here I am! :-)

I've been involved in the 3D printing community for awhile now and have several 3D printers.

Here's my perspective on DIY 3D printed boombox parts in late-2013:
  • The first step to 3D printing anything is creating or obtaining a 3D model of the part. There are very few models of boombox parts available at this time.
  • Many boombox parts are too small for all but the most expensive 3D printers to print accurately, and even then they may not be cosmetically correct.
  • Service bureaus (Shapeways, Ponoko, etc.) may be able to print a better quality part, but creating any accurate replacement 3D printed part is an iterative process. Having a 3D printer is a shortcut to getting the part right with the fewest iterations.
  • Right off the printer, 3D printed parts can be great for non-cosmetic applications. Think gears, adapters, mounts, etc., but most are not as durable as molded parts.
  • With finishing (acetone bathing, sanding, etc.), a 3D printed part can be used as a pattern for a molded part which can be more cosmetically accurate, stronger, and produced more quickly.
Summary: functional 3D printed boombox parts are a reality today (with some post-printing finishing), but cosmetically correct 3D printed parts are still in the future. Molded parts are stronger, and 3D prints can be used to create them.

I recently gained access to a 3D scanner and will be evaluating the quality and accuracy of scanned boombox parts. I'll share my findings. :yes:

Go!

=ml=
 
Sazeus

Sazeus

Member (SA)
=ml= said:
Rick mentioned this thread to me, so here I am! :-)

I've been involved in the 3D printing community for awhile now and have several 3D printers.

Here's my perspective on DIY 3D printed boombox parts in late-2013:
  • The first step to 3D printing anything is creating or obtaining a 3D model of the part. There are very few models of boombox parts available at this time.
  • Many boombox parts are too small for all but the most expensive 3D printers to print accurately, and even then they may not be cosmetically correct.
  • Service bureaus (Shapeways, Ponoko, etc.) may be able to print a better quality part, but creating any accurate replacement 3D printed part is an iterative process. Having a 3D printer is a shortcut to getting the part right with the fewest iterations.
  • Right off the printer, 3D printed parts can be great for non-cosmetic applications. Think gears, adapters, mounts, etc., but most are not as durable as molded parts.
  • With finishing (acetone bathing, sanding, etc.), a 3D printed part can be used as a pattern for a molded part which can be more cosmetically accurate, stronger, and produced more quickly.
Summary: functional 3D printed boombox parts are a reality today (with some post-printing finishing), but cosmetically correct 3D printed parts are still in the future. Molded parts are stronger, and 3D prints can be used to create them.

I recently gained access to a 3D scanner and will be evaluating the quality and accuracy of scanned boombox parts. I'll share my findings. :yes:

Go!

=ml=
Click to expand...
Thanks for the info, it's good to know. I was hoping printed parts would be stronger than molded.

What do you use your 3D printers for?
 
hollyrockets

hollyrockets

Member (SA)
ML:

You should start an off-topic room thread to talk about your 3-D printing adventures. That is so interesting to me and a lot of others here.

I watch Project Runway, not because I care about fashion, I just admire the creativity under pressure these designers have, especially when they have to make things out of non-conventional materials. Those ones are the best. At the end of last season, a couple weeks ago, one of the designers used a 3-D printer for a major component of his collection. He was deaf and the story of his collection was his experience in getting a cochlear implant and what it was like for him to go from hearing nothing to being exposed to a VERY NOISY world. His 3-D pieces represent sound waves and they were jewelry and belts, etc used for styling his models to go with his fashion collection. http://www.3ders.org/articles/20131014-justin-leblanc-earns-spot-on-project-runway-finale-using-3d-printing.html

Obviously, resin pieces like this are much easier to successfully produce, because you're not necessarily trying to scan and reproduce something that is already made with all the expectations attached to it. It's just super neat to consider all the possibilities this could open up creatively!
 
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