Anyone have experience 3d printing parts?

[Jeezer]

I just got a 3d printer and I'm just curious what is out there to build for our cars. I'd be interested in a maf adapter so I could slap a cone filter on my car. Or maybe an organizer/tray for the glove box or center console.

Before anyone asks or accuses, NO I do not wish to sell anything I build. I just want to mod my civic

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[Tennessee-Z]

I just got a 3d printer and I'm just curious what is out there to build for our cars. I'd be interested in a maf adapter so I could slap a cone filter on my car. Or maybe an organizer/tray for the glove box or center console.

Before anyone asks or accuses, NO I do not wish to sell anything I build. I just want to mod my civic

I have been 3D printing at home for a couple years now. One of the first things I learned is that PLA (the most common 3d printer filament) is a poor choice for most anything automotive. It has a glass transition temperature of around 50°C (approx 120°F). Above this temperature (which is much lower than the melting point of PLA), the polymer will transition from the hard/glassy state to a more rubbery state. I once printed a cell phone mount for my car that, on a hot sunny day, sagged and warped into a useless chunk of plastic On a hot day, or under the hood of a car, a more temperature-tolerant filament will be needed.

ABS or nylon filaments fit this requirement, but are often more difficult to print unless your printer is in enclosed due the need of a higher ambient to prevent part warping.

PETG is a only slightly more difficult to print than PLA but has a glass transition temp closer to 80°C. This will more than enough to deal with a car's interior temps on a sunny day. As for under the hood, this may or may not be enough, especially for turbo cars that tend to have higher underhood temperatures.

If you haven't signed up for a "makers" license for Fusion 360, you should do so. It is a powerful CAD software with a relatively small learning curve that is free as long as you sign up as a maker/hobbyist.

Have fun with your new printer!!!

 

[rwsmith123]

I wanted my auto dimming mirror to always be dim so I designed and printed this:
https://www.civicx.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-civic-today-ii.14492/page-269#post-388375

I also made a mount for my radar detector.

I used PETG for both. The mirror dim thing clips on and has some tension to hold it in place and I had to reprint it after each summer because it warped and lost enough tension to not stay in place anymore. I think I might be able to tweak the design so it's more durable.

The radar detector mount was also done in PETG and was a complete failure, the weight of the radar detector and heat caused it to warp and fail within a day or two.

I also did a center console organizer to hold some gas rewards cards, flash drives, some coupons etc. The center console has sloped sides and I didn't get the shape quite right but it was close enough that I didn't redo it. Since it isn't supporting weight or under tension it has held up fine over a couple years.

When I removed the rear taillight assembly to install LED backup lights I broke one of the pins that screws into the assembly and pops into the car body. That particular connector pin isn't sold by itself and I couldn't find anything like it, so I printed a replacement which has worked great.

Oh, I also did some tire valves with a honda logo and licence plate screw covers with a honda logo. I did both of those with TPU since I had a color that kinda matched the car color. Those have held up well over time.

 

[Jeezer]

ABS or nylon filaments fit this requirement, but are often more difficult to print unless your printer is in enclosed due the need of a higher ambient to prevent part warping.

PETG is a only slightly more difficult to print than PLA but has a glass transition temp closer to 80°C. This will more than enough to deal with a car's interior temps on a sunny day. As for under the hood, this may or may not be enough, especially for turbo cars that tend to have higher underhood temperatures.

If you haven't signed up for a "makers" license for Fusion 360, you should do so. It is a powerful CAD software with a relatively small learning curve that is free as long as you sign up as a maker/hobbyist.

Have fun with your new printer!!!

Thanks for the advice! Yeah I wouldn't trust PLA in the engine bay, but I think I can make ABS work with my setup with a little bit of innovation and creativity. I'll give PETG a try too. I'll certainly be signing up for Fusion360. I keep seeing it pop up and I know I need something for CAD if I want to create my own things.

I wanted my auto dimming mirror to always be dim so I designed and printed this:
https://www.civicx.com/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-civic-today-ii.14492/page-269#post-388375

The radar detector mount was also done in PETG and was a complete failure, the weight of the radar detector and heat caused it to warp and fail within a day or two.

I also did a center console organizer to hold some gas rewards cards, flash drives, some coupons etc. The center console has sloped sides and I didn't get the shape quite right but it was close enough that I didn't redo it. Since it isn't supporting weight or under tension it has held up fine over a couple years.

Yeah I worry about things warping. I'm going to brainstorm on options. If nothing else I can make molds and cast some things. I'll delve deeper into this stuff this weekend, but thanks for the response!

 

[rwsmith123]

I redesigned my license plate screw caps and uploaded the files to thingaverse, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3947230

 

[dioenqnp]

In fact, the 3D printer does not consume much electricity. Recently, my brother gave me a new printer for $ 1,000 and the it worked just amazing, but this printer used an unrealistic amount of energy. after that I also purchased a 3D printer because I needed to continue working with it, and then I realized that usually laser printers consume much more energy. So this is just a common fake. My new printer from mrdepot consumes a lot more electricity than the coolest 3D printer. Despite the consumption of electricity, this is an amazing printer and it works very fast and the print quality is awesome!

 

[kehres83]

I was hoping to find something to print covers for the marker lights to get rid of the orange.

 

[360glitch]

I was hoping to find something to print covers for the marker lights to get rid of the orange.

Replacement side marker lights are readily available. This one seems expensive for what it is, but here is an example:

https://www.amazon.com/REVi-MotorWerks-Bumper-Marker-2016-2018/dp/B073X69N7D

 

[Velonici]

Replacement side marker lights are readily available. This one seems expensive for what it is, but here is an example:

https://www.amazon.com/REVi-MotorWerks-Bumper-Marker-2016-2018/dp/B073X69N7D

I got those, and while expensive, the fit and finish is OEM quality.

 

[M16]

you want to print with ASA.
higher glass transition temp than ABS(112c), stronger than ABS, more weather resistant than ABS, more chemical resistant than ABS, easier to print than ABS.

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