I decided to make the plunge into 3D printing with the super-deal on Bambu Printers. I posted the link in the mega-deal thread, it's valid until 12/5. Creality is also discounting printers and maybe a few other brands. With a large collection of 70's-80's stuff that's mostly plastic, I thought I could make huge headway into completing missing parts. I was even seeing car parts like brake air ducts and speaker pods, that tend to fall off or apart, being available online. I haven't done serious CAD for over 25 years so it will be an adventure but hopefully we can get some parts going. Feel free to post any projects, information, files online or anything that will help.
The first project was a Lasonic 931 Volume Button found on most of the free online file libraries. This is only my 2nd print so nothing is dialed in yet but it came out fine. I'll eventually try my own original version, the original has raised bars on the grip surface and there's a fillet on the base. You can see the main part is 90 degrees off the base on this version, a fillet would round this area. Yep, I know they say it's hard but I also got clear PETG, can't wait to try to make some doors but that might be much more involved. There's a ton of cool videos online walking through the process of making parts, post anything cool that might help.
OK so I finally found the mega-deal thread you were talking about! Great to hear you are getting into 3D. I have been toying with the idea for many years. Always waiting for the printers that can do metal to come down in price My fantasy would be to scan in plastic parts and make aluminum ones to replace haha. What about 3D scanners so parts can be quickly replicated without too much work? Did you get the P1S model?
I've been passively following 3D printing since the beginning and I think were heading into an explosion of cool stuff now that printers are affordable and software is plentiful, although 3D scanners are still expensive. If you need aluminum and the parts are small something like the JET Mill Drill might be a better option. I used one of these when I was working for a cassette media company making jigs for holding shells for secondary operations. The photo shows a drill bit chuck but it will also use machining tools with a different tool holder. You can also machine most plastics. https://us.store.bambulab.com/pages/black-friday-sale? https://store.creality.com/pages/black-friday-mega-sale? I did buy the P1S with AMS, knowing little about them I decided I wanted an enclosure, air currents can ruin some extrusions. I also wanted the automatic feed system, it's a good way to keep the plastic drier and make it a little more "idiot" proof. The enclosure will also help with ventilation if I step up to nastier plastics; I have also worked with plastic distribution and fabrication and those fumes from cutting and welding can be very nasty and deadly.
Hello mr X, Very cool I am getting a Prusa Core one 3d printer at work for last 8 years I used flashforge 3d printers and I even made a replacement part for few radios . Sincerely Richard
Nice one X, been tinkering with the idea myself to get a 3D printer. Same reason as you, small plastic items missing from gear, or broken and need replacing. Looked at the link you posted and that P1S is reasonably priced and will do the job for what i need. What kind of software did it came with? I'm thinking of switching to Solid Works because i also need to make larger casings/frontpanels etc. Your second print came out nice, looks a lot like a knob from a Roland TB303
Hello Black Fingers, I found the flashforge in the classroom really handy since I repair audio gear and since 8 years ago when first started using one they really have improved . Sincerely Richard
My advice is try to get the hang of making gears after you get comfortable with modeling basic parts. Makes life a lot easier if you get making those down before you need to make one. Ive gotten a little better at them but im still far from perfect, wish I spent more time learning to make them years ago. (Some random Aiwa gear someone asked i make for them Fusion 360 might have better tools than the software im using to make them (Onshape) sorta applies to anyone working with vintage tape players, since 99% of our problems with plastic parts historically can be summed up with "broken gear"
Hello Squiggly, how do like using on-shape the one issue with fusion 360 it's resource hog . but I do like it and it's baby brother Tinkercad which we use in the classroom . Sincerely Richard
I've found most information/software on the internet. I'm just using Bambu Labs Studio for slicing and printing. You have to "slice" the design for the printer, each slice is the squirted out molten layer. I tried downloading TinkerCad but it goes to some weird gamers search engine when you hit the download button, not sure if it's been compromised since it does it on any computer I have. I figure knobs and sliders are pretty basic so TinkerCad should do it fine. Back in the old days I worked with AutoCAD and CadKey and a very early 3D program. Most were pretty easy once you knew the basics and I think they're even more intuitive now.
There's a few basic prints out there, this is from 2018 and looks like it could be improved. WM-11 Battery door, I'm not sure why they didn't radius the corner instead of the bevel. The relief print/ridges looks like they could be sharpened as well. Thingiverse
Have to agree some of the ones ive seen do like they could have been refined a bit more, but i guess hobbyists wanting to get something functional arent too concerned with the fine details like we might be (we prioritize cosmetics more on here than most average people just wanting a functional player). Ill admit taking a ton of time to refine them can take ages tho. I was at a point i was making revisions at 0.1-0.05mm scale just to get everything as 1:1 as possible. Making something that "just works" is a lot less time consuming (especially if using resin, takes much longer) Example design im sorta testing atm which is a wm-10 cover redesign to work as a full part and get around broken latch issue (top cover is sort of a placeholder until i make an actual matching cover). uses metal springs in place of the plastic version which would surely break made of resin so i had to make a new design for them Ive spent probably a few days total in designing this which ill probably have to remake partially again anyways (itd make the 2nd time now). Good as details and matching parts may look, they take a long time. Cant fault people for not wanting to sink as much time into it as we might.
I have zero free time right now but I'm trying to get some education. I printed this cool little "sign." It's just an internet file, I didn't do it but when I move from wood shelves to cooler displays, I'd love to do a hollow 3d version with lights.
The printers are really affordable now, the Bambu A1 Mini is $199 USD! It's 180mm x 180mm x 180mm, it might be a better option if you want storage options. I'm starting to do test projects for the Multiboard.io Storage System. My thoughts are I can cover a wall with it, add some brackets, signs and LED lights and display players and accessories properly. Another popular option is the IKEA Skadis (photo from Reddit) which also has a huge maker's accessory following.
I had a little free time to jump into the Multiboard Universe, it seems to be a maker's dream with all kinds of cool storage ideas. The core of it is the panels with hexigonal holes that work with inserts. There's also uniform holes that match traditional peg board brackets. This is the left side of my display wall, that's why the right looks unfinished, I'm printing that section now. The white side bracket and big bolt under the shelf are from the sample project, just to hold the board up to see how it works. It will be screwed to the wall when done. My only concern is how to keep the player from falling off, I could use black zip ties or small clips.
Hello Squiggly, I agree with you and using the tools in Fusion 360 I can improve on that design . Anyway after recovery I am back at my day job teaching . one the toys I want to get this coming up year is my Prusa Core one 3d printer ! MrX that is cool that Sony Logo . I wish I would keep some of my Dealer Sony signs and I had to Sony display racks too . Sincerely Richard
I know very little about the printers but I've been watching a ton of YouTube, Prusa and Bambu seem to be the heavyweights. The Bambu has been almost effortless, I think the biggest thing is how long it takes. My little 8" x 8" tiles (the gray part above) take three hours each. You have to remove them to start the next one or you can stack them by printing a softer plastic layer between sections, I haven't gotten that far yet. I was involved with plastics for a long time so working with the different types is really fun although I've only used PLA (Bambu) and PLA+ 2.0 (Sunlu) so far. I want to vent the machine before moving to potentially harmful filaments but I did buy a few so I'm ready. I just watched this video while doing dishes, yea it looks easy but I'm sure they spent a ton of time doing it but he says he had a ton of fun. With all the new industrial designers, we're starting to see a new era of cool designs after 20 years of minimalism. 3D Printed C64 Inspired Retro Laptop (PI + EMULATION) - The Portable 64 (Concept Design)
I have a Creality k2, works pretty well. for cassette stuff I’ve printed belt clips and a box for AA, AAA batteries, just some simple stuff.
