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3D Printer: Ideas for Repro Parts?

Started by WEBellSystemChristian, October 30, 2016, 10:12:16 PM

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WEBellSystemChristian

My family is looking into getting a 3D printer as well as a 3D scanner. I have some ideas about some of the things I can produce, such as repro phone parts that are otherwise impossible to replace.

I was thinking about making repro 10 button and early 12 button faceplaces (complete with correct ribbing on the back), 10 button filler pieces, various plunger types, and even clear housings eventually. I was wondering if anyone else had ideas about other repro parts I can make?

The criteria that I have to meet are: it has to be plastic, it can't contain deep threads (an alternative would be using a brass insert instead of threading into the plastic), it can't be an open-center or closed-center fingerwheel (way too small and complicated), and it can't be molded in a specific color. I could build parts in any basic color, but there's no way of making them in a specific matched color; I would probably offer parts in black, transparent, and white. Faceplates would be transparent, and painted the factory specific color on the back (like the originals).

Of course, any part I would make would be easily identifiable as repro (maybe a signature or marking somewhere), and I wouldn't make a part someone else is already building.

Any ideas?
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

TelePlay


WEBellSystemChristian

#2
Quote from: TelePlay on October 30, 2016, 11:48:10 PM
Can that be done cost effectively?
A spool of transparent PLA (the go-to 3D print plastic) is around $50, and weighs 750 grams, or over 1 1/2 pounds. A 1500 faceplace is a very small fraction of a pound, and a repro piece made out of that plastic would probably weigh even less. If I sold each repro faceplate for around $50, I could make a profit many times over the cost of materials. Custom paint is a different story, but if I found someone who has a perfect paint match, I could just buy it in bulk very cheaply.

Works out pretty nicely actually! ;)

I wouldn't be the only one using the equipment in my family, so the initial cost of the printer and scanner would be made up for very quickly.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Kenton K

How much is a decent 3D printer? Also, is a a 3D printer able to print clear material? I've never printed clear plastic before. Also, the cheaper 3D printer I've used has a tendency to make kind of warped pieces, but thats probably just bad plastic. The finish of 3D printers is kind of warbly/wirery. Worth more research though.

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: Kenton K on October 31, 2016, 02:26:52 AM
How much is a decent 3D printer? Also, is a a 3D printer able to print clear material? I've never printed clear plastic before. Also, the cheaper 3D printer I've used has a tendency to make kind of warped pieces, but thats probably just bad plastic. The finish of 3D printers is kind of warbly/wirery. Worth more research though.
The one we're thinking about getting is around $3000, and the scanner isn't much less. A BIG investment, but probably very worthwhile. This is a brand new model and top-of-the-line, so a lot of the problems less expensive or older printers have are worked out with this.

Does the printer you used have a heated printing surface? The heat is used to make the part bond to the surface during printing for accuracy. Cheaper models are known for little pieces of extruded plastic to go haywire, but this one doesn't have issues like that, especially not on simple, basic-geometry parts like I would make.

The plastic I would plan to use is PLA, and transparent is one of the color options. The great thing about PLA is that it apparently isn't affected by the heat bed it sits on during printing, which causes the other type of plastic used, ABS, to warp during printing and shrink afterwards.

One of the new features of this model includes two print heads, which means I can print two different types of plastic, and/or two different colors on the same part. If it's feasible to print housings, I could even make half-and-half black-and-clear housings for 302s/500s.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Kenton K

Nice! I used a 3D printer a 2 years ago, so they have definitely gotten better. It had a heated bed. I think we used ABS, which I remember now having warping problems. I've never tried PLA. I hear that PLA is easier to work with, but ABS is stronger. Then again, I did this two years ago so my memory is certainly weak. Keep us updated, I'm excited!

Ken

twocvbloke

One thing to bear in mind is that 3D printed parts may not be as durable as injection-moulded parts, as you basically have a criss-cross lattice forming the shape of your part, but, the tensile strength may not be enough to stand up to anything more than just something to look at...

TelePlay

I was under the impression that there is a material that could be used that when finished was cured in some fashion to make it very durable. I'm not into this technology but I seem to remember hearing that some time ago, where 3D printed parts could be as strong as some metals. Anyone know?

Dave F

A great candidate for 3D printing would be some W.E. 123A Mouse Hole adapters.  These are small, not subject to much physical stress, and do not need to be visually perfect in order to be quite useful.

DF

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: TelePlay on October 31, 2016, 04:52:02 PM
I was under the impression that there is a material that could be used that when finished was cured in some fashion to make it very durable. I'm not into this technology but I seem to remember hearing that some time ago, where 3D printed parts could be as strong as some metals. Anyone know?

I haven't heard anything like that. I believe the secret to durability may be higher printing plate heat. By melting the strands more as they are applied, the finished product would be more one-piece as opposed to being strandy.

The plastic itself is already pretty strong, at least ABS seems to be. Here's an article where someone was testing printed tarp tiedowns, and he was testing one-piece vs multiple-piece parts for strength. The point is; supporting a several-gallon bucket of water probably proves that it's a pretty strong plastic, even though it's printed. Now it may be a matter of tensile strength as opposed to impact resistance or rigidity, but the printing style he used was specifically for tensile strength. I would be building my parts in the traditional criss-cross pattern that probably fits rigidity better.

http://3dprintingforbeginners.com/stop-3d-printing-everything-in-one-piece/
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

TelePlay

This may be a different type of printer or material but it what I remembered in general, specifically they use UV light to cure the printed object to make it stronger.

https://formlabs.com/support/finishing/post-curing-prints/

I don't know enough about this technology to know what I don't know. Must be many variations in materials and printers to choose from.

WEBellSystemChristian

IF I end up receiving a 3D printer, and IF the 1500 faceplates turn out great, I could try reproducing the missing faceplate on Paul F's speakerphone prototype.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=14416
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Kenton K

A laser cutter might be nice for some simple flat parts. My university has 3D printer and laser cutter and I can use them if I pay a small membership fee.

Ken

WEBellSystemChristian

#13
Quotehttps://formlabs.com/support/finishing/post-curing-prints/

I don't know enough about this technology to know what I don't know. Must be many variations in materials and printers to choose from.

Yes, a HUGE variation in types of materials. I believe the plastics used by that machine are all UV-curable, the plastics used by the one I'm looking at are not.

This is the one I'm looking at, the Ultimaker 3. The 3 was released this month, and looks pretty nice!!

https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-3
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: Kenton K on October 31, 2016, 08:08:03 PM
A laser cutter might be nice for some simple flat parts. My university has 3D printer and laser cutter and I can use them if I pay a small membership fee.

Ken
I thought about that already, but it would be difficult or impossible to replicate the dial card and latch indents in the faceplates.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford