I've Dipped My Foot In 3D Printing Technology

[easysurfer]

Sometimes while going about my daily business, I think, would be nice is a simple part was 3D printed to solve a need. Such is the case recently.

I bought this old point and shoot camera (as is, parts not working category from ebay) that works fine except the built in lens protector broke off and is not replaceable. So, I ordered (an overly priced one) lens cap. But that didn't fit. Off by maybe a mm or two. So I returned that.

Then I got to thinking, if I had a 3D printer, maybe there's a file out there of the right size I need.

After finding there wasn't one, I thought maybe I could design my own. That's where I temporarily hit a wall. I've discovered that 3D CAD software programs, though several are free and no matter how "easy" the descriptions and tutorials claim are not easy.

Over the past couple of days I must have tried about 6 different programs and end up struggling with just trying to make a design of a simple lens cap .

Do most folks who have 3D printers make their own designs? Or do they use to print out ready made ones?

 

[Route246]

There is a serious learning curve to use CAD for 3D printing. I have no time to do this so I print from online sources, both free and paid.

I have used CAD to do simple things like name plates, Chinese and Japanese characters and basic shapes but nothing custom or fancy.

 

[easysurfer]

There is a serious learning curve to use CAD for 3D printing. I have no time to do this so I print from online sources, both free and paid.

I have used CAD to do simple things like name plates, Chinese and Japanese characters and basic shapes but nothing custom or fancy.

Good to know at least it's not just me than that finds the "learning curve to use CAD for 3D printing" a bit overwhelming.

 

[Ronstar]

I use sketchup. I have many years of CAD experience as a designer/ reviewer of relatively simple designs, so the learning curve was minimal.

So far I'm just designing/making little storage bins and simple shop items. Most of my designs take me less than a half hour to complete. I export to an .stl file, then import into Ultimaker Cura, slice the model and create .gcode file to print.

I downloaded Fusion360, but haven't started using it

 

[CRLLS]

I've been using Fusion 360 and Cura for a few simple things. I've used 3D design software in the past. I find Fusion to be fairly simple but not very intuitive. Perhaps it is my old design habits getting in the way. A snug fitting lens cap should be fairly simple project to learn on.

 

[upupandaway]

I would guess the majority of people just grab things off of thingiverse. I have been printing for many years now and I can make or edit most things in tinkercad. If I'm making something bespoke I get out the calipers and precision rulers then model it from the broken piece or whatever its going to be used for. However most often I find something that is similar and rework it. I have used fusion360 but it is a much larger learning curve and for simple parts tinkercad seems to be easiest for me. For instance I just printed a picture frame that looks like a log and plays a song. I got the log from thingiverse and imported it to tinkercad. I resized the model to the correct dimensions. I used negative spaces to make the cavity for the electronics, switch, and wire run. Next just export to STL and print with a slicer like cura. If you have any questions I would be happy to try and answer them. I just bought my 3rd printer last weekend. This one has a direct extruder and can handle very flexible filament. In fact for a lens cap I would print in TPU for the flexibility which can normally be printed on most printers.

 

[easysurfer]

I looked at tinkercad and that still got me flustered despite supposedly being one of the easiest design tools to use. I also looked at some tutorials and tried on Blender, FreeCAD and a couple others but just got lost.

I did find something that with some trial and error, think I can make a lens cap design. It's called BlocksCAD (I guess it's used in grade schools. I suppose that's my CAD level ). I did design rough draft lens cap that after I polish up I think will work. I don't own a 3D printer but found out a local library allows for 2 free 3D prints a month.

 

[skyking1]

I need to make some headlight bezels for the dump truck, and if I had access I would print them. It is pretty cool what you can do.

 

[dixonge]

when we were RV-ing a few years ago I actually bought one and took it with us on the road. Ended up printing a few different brackets to mount phones, weather displays, etc. on the wall, also made brackets to mount a small portable bluetooth speaker under the TV. Also made brackets to hold the Mac Mini in place behind the TV. Each of these had screw holes. Also made some neat spools for various cables.

Most of these I started w/ an online template then modified as needed. While it did save some time and money, it was also a fun hobby. In the end when we moved back to Mexico I sold it to a guy in Tuscon who had a whole business printing things for people. I think he had 20-30 printers...

 

[Slotracer]

I used cad software for several decades, so I model using Fusion360 (available free for hobbyists). Even for me there was a learning curve as I had used a different software when w•rking. Unless you are going to use a modeling program regularly, it would be tough to learn and remember what you learned.

Perhaps the person at the library who babysits the 3d printer may know of someone willing to do simple models for you. Another option may be Fiverr, which has people who do cad work. Some show a pretty low cost (I would guess the low cost providers are offshore).

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I am another Sketchup Pro user. Does everything I need and far easier than CAD. I have made over $200k with my 3D Printer since ~2016 designing drone parts. I do not do so much these days though as drones are pretty much complete compared to the early days. I now make anything plastic I need around the house that I cannot buy at HomeDepot. I only print in ABS.

I use a customized (by me) Flashforge dual head (I only ever use 1 and alternate).

 

[upupandaway]

I am another Sketchup Pro user. Does everything I need and far easier than CAD. I have made over $200k with my 3D Printer since ~2016 designing drone parts. I do not do so much these days though as drones are pretty much complete compared to the early days. I now make anything plastic I need around the house that I cannot buy at HomeDepot. I only print in ABS.

I use a customized (by me) Flashforge dual head (I only ever use 1 and alternate).

Some people hate ABS because of the fumes but I love how sturdy the parts are. I actually use TPU a lot now because the stuff is almost indestructible and layer adhesion is amazing. I just printed with wood PLA the other day. That stuff is pretty neat but with the gritty wood texture I see why it eats brass nozzles.

Note about people printing for you online -
As far as having others print parts for you if you are going for a friction fit just be aware your finished part can be out of tolerance with your drawing. For instance a cylinder with 25mm OD and 10mm ID might print at 24.98 and 9.8. A good printer operator would correct for this but a random on internet may not. This would be important for something like the ID of a lens cap.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Some people hate ABS because of the fumes but I love how sturdy the parts are. I actually use TPU a lot now because the stuff is almost indestructible and layer adhesion is amazing. I just printed with wood PLA the other day. That stuff is pretty neat but with the gritty wood texture I see why it eats brass nozzles.

Note about people printing for you online -
As far as having others print parts for you if you are going for a friction fit just be aware your finished part can be out of tolerance with your drawing. For instance a cylinder with 25mm OD and 10mm ID might print at 24.98 and 9.8. A good printer operator would correct for this but a random on internet may not. This would be important for something like the ID of a lens cap.

I will have to look up TPU, I am not sure what the printing characteristics are, but I may try it. Is it stronger than ABS. Some of my parts hold multi thousand-dollar cameras to large drones. I do not want them breaking and falling off.

 

[Sunset]

OP - If the lens cap was too large, couldn't you just put a thin bead of silicone around the inside edge to allow it to grip ?

 

[upupandaway]

I will have to look up TPU, I am not sure what the printing characteristics are, but I may try it. Is it stronger than ABS. Some of my parts hold multi thousand-dollar cameras to large drones. I do not want them breaking and falling off.

I like it for its impact resistance. I use it for things like bicycle light mounts because it won't fracture when the light impacts the concrete. I'm speaking of TPU with a shore hardness of 95A. If you get something like ninjaflex that's around 85A its similar to printing cooked spaghetti. It makes neat prints but not for a functional item. As far as for your purpose I'm not really sure. If you hit an ABS part and a TPU part with a hammer the TPU part won't take damage. It is cheap enough to experiment with but if ABS has been working I wouldn't change anything.

 

[easysurfer]

OP - If the lens cap was too large, couldn't you just put a thin bead of silicone around the inside edge to allow it to grip ?

Not sure if that would have worked. The cap was about .5 mm too small. It would go on the lens but come off too easy, like if left sitting for a couple hours then barely touching.

The cap was over price anyhow. About $17 total. Figured I'll take a stab at the 3D route.

 

[upupandaway]

Not sure if that would have worked. The cap was about .5 mm too small. It would go on the lens but come off too easy, like if left sitting for a couple hours then barely touching.

The cap was over price anyhow. About $17 total. Figured I'll take a stab at the 3D route.

Here is a simple solution to your current dilemma.

1. Go to this link

2. Click on the customize button

3. Login or create a free account

4. This will take you to the customizer page that has the following options. Thickness, Inside Diameter, Height, looseness factor

5. Customize it how you like it and click Create Thing

6. Take file to the library and have them print it

Below is a link to the page with all of the different customizable lens caps if you want something different. Same steps as above.
Customizable Lens Caps

 

[easysurfer]

Here is a simple solution to your current dilemma.

1. Go to this link

2. Click on the customize button

3. Login or create a free account

4. This will take you to the customizer page that has the following options. Thickness, Inside Diameter, Height, looseness factor

5. Customize it how you like it and click Create Thing

6. Take file to the library and have them print it

Below is a link to the page with all of the different customizable lens caps if you want something different. Same steps as above.
Customizable Lens Caps

Thanks much! Might be just what I'm looking for. I will have to look at for sure.

In the meaning, I was tinkering (pun intended) a bit more with tinkercad. After some poking around, I do feel less loss .

 

[easysurfer]

I went ahead a generated a customized lens cap from thingverse using the post upuapandaway posted. Of course, I won't know for sure of the fit until the lens cap is on the camera lens.

But the process of generating the file for the customization is sweet .

My "order" is in the hopper at the library.

 

[Tadpole]

Sounds like a good use for AI in the future. Just show it the lens it needs to cover and tell it to design and print a new cover. Also, could show it a cover similar to the one you prefer.

 

[easysurfer]

Got my 3D printed lens cap from the library today.

Lens cap was about .5mm smaller than the design but even with that was way too loose for my camera (doesn't stay on at all).

Unfortunately, I think this may be a purely trial and error fitting process if I want to try again and get another cap printed.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Got my 3D printed lens cap from the library today.

Lens cap was about .5mm smaller than the design but even with that was way too loose for my camera (doesn't stay on at all).

Unfortunately, I think this may be a purely trial and error fitting process if I want to try again and get another cap printed.

Expansion and contraction play a big part in 3D Printed design, also the calibration of the printer. Those who own a good printer know it's limitations and adjust their designs accordingly, I know I do. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries but ABS filament is very cheap.

 

[easysurfer]

Well ... That Did Not Go Well

I was contemplating how to approach my 3-D lens cap print being too big so was thinking, let me see how much flex is in the lens cap should send another print to the library but a bit smaller.

Then, the material just broke after a slight push .

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I was contemplating how to approach my 3-D lens cap print being too big so was thinking, let me see how much flex is in the lens cap should send another print to the library but a bit smaller.

Then, the material just broke after a slight push .

Super Glue will glue it. This means the rim is too thin. 1.5mm minimum for ABS which is what I use with a 255*F Nozzle Temp. But you cannot specify this when ordering from a third party.

 

[easysurfer]

Super Glue will glue it. This means the rim is too thin. 1.5mm minimum for ABS which is what I use with a 255*F Nozzle Temp. But you cannot specify this when ordering from a third party.

The cap was too large anyhow so I won't be using superglue.

Think I will submit one more print try. Just take my best guess to make a bit smaller and thicker sides. Have no idea how could a fit this will be but worth at least one more shot on goal .

If that doesn't work, the trial and error can get old really fast though without my own 3D printer.