DanSavage

Howdy!

Like many here the **** for my HUD dimmer slider had gotten lost at some point in time.

I'd like to replace it, but this item has been discontinued.

I could go on a search to locate another one, but after some thought I decided maybe a better course of action would be to simply print a new one out.

I am a capable 3D CAD designer and have the software to do the job. I have an account with an online company called Shapeways.com who is able to print out parts using several different materials and technologies. Materials include everything from plastic to ceramic to brass, silver and even stainless steel.

Below are a couple of parts I've already had them print. The first is a holster for my cell phone and the second is a set of hub caps for the landing gear for an R/C model of an F-111 I was building.

So, this brings me to the HUD ****. I can measure the slider for the back of the HUD ****, but what I really need is to see what the back of the **** itself looks like.

It would also be nice to see what it looks like from the side view so I can get an idea of the basic size and shape. Measurements of the height, width and length would also be great.

Droid RAZR holster printed in laser-sintered nylon, dyed black (Strong & Flexible Plastic):





F-111 Main Landing Gear Hub cap printed in hard plastic (Frosted Detail Plastic):

TOP:


Bottom:


Printed, painted & installed:

dadaroo

Damn impressive hubcap. I must be way behind on the knowledge curve. I did not know that metals could be printed out. I will have to do some research. I don't have a spare **** but if not one else sends you one to duplicate I will just remove mine and send it to you to measure. At your service, Mr. Sam

PS: Love the hat too. It works for you.

DanSavage

Thanks!

I don't really need to have anyone send me a ****. A photo or two and a couple of measurements is all I really need.

A photo of the back showing the recess and a side and top view so I can see the radius would be great.

Then, just a measurement of length, width and height and I can take it from there.

Vetteman Jack

Good luck with this. I know there are members that have posted they need a new dimmer **** for their car so they will be very interested in how your's turns out. Please post up the results.

Suthunman

The 3 D printing has caught my attention. It appears to me it could be a blessing where some of these parts that become discontinued are concerned. I understand the car companies not wanting to have a bunch of spare parts, for all the cars, filing up parts bins. But with 3 D printing it should be cost effective for someone to keep the cad files and be able to quickly print out parts.

Since you have had other things printed, do you have an estimate on what it will cost to have this part made? What kind of discounts do they offer for multiples of the same part?

seansz28

shapeways is pretty reasonble. something the size of the dimmer **** would be like 20$ish

dadaroo

Well I went by my shop and pulled off the ****. Naturally it popped off, grew legs, and ran off. I did after a few minutes track down there it was hiding. It has more curves than any **** I have seen. I will take pictures and dimensions and email them to you Dan. These pictures will be big in pixels to give you the ability to better view than posting compressed images. Once you have everything you need let me know.

PS: I can still send you my **** anytime you want.

DanSavage

Thanks!

I will post the results.

DanSavage

Yep. That's kind of what I was thinking. As long as I have a photo and at least one dimension, I can pretty much make any part. For example, the photo below is what I started with to make the F-111 hub cap.

Shapeways charges by the actual volume of the part being printed.

The cost can be reduced by hollowing out the part, which is what I did on the F-111 hub cap.

I reduced the cost of the RAZR phone holster by making it only 1/16" thick. I've been using it for over a year now and it's still going strong.

The F-111 hub cap was actually a two-piece unit. The outer hub cap, painted white, is diameter is 2". The inner hub, painted red, is just under 3/4" (.73")

The RAZR holster cost me ~$40 including shipping and the two-piece hub cap cost me ~$53 including shipping for two hub cap sets, or about $26 per set.

DanSavage

Yeah, they are pretty reasonable.

The **** is pretty small, so I would guess it would cost between $5 and $15 to make.

The cost is mostly determined by what material you select and how much material it takes to produce it.

DanSavage

Thanks, I appreciate it.

What I'll do is see how close I can come to duplicating the **** in CAD, then post screen shots.

If it's too weird, then maybe I'll take you up on your offer to have you send me the ****. I would send you a SASE, of course, so it would be no cost out of your pocket.

Lee DeRaud

The only critical dimension is the post it fits on: if the hole isn't tight, the new one will get lost just as fast as the old one.
If it comes to that, PM me: I'm a lot closer and the **** on mine is kind of useless until I feel like pulling the dash to fix the HUD.
I don't suppose you have a 3D scanner laying around, do you?

DanSavage

True enough. What I'm planning to do, once I've had a chance to review the photos of the OEM **** is to make it slightly undersize so it has a fairly tight, friction fit.

Thanks for the offer, Lee. No, I don't have a 3D scanner. That would be a very handy tool to have, though.

Lee DeRaud

Here's a scan of the back side:
HUD **** (back).pdf
The hole is 0.24"x0.12" overall, pretty much centered on the ****. As a dimensional reference, the width (vertical in that scan) is exactly 0.350". (The upper edge of the **** as it's installed is actually the bottom of the scan.)

That blurred area on the left is a back-bevel on the **** body. From the front, the **** is symmetrical, beveled just a bit from the back edges so it will release from the mold.

The post it fits on is actually two squarish posts, but you can measure those on your own car...unless you broke them off, in which case a new **** won't help much.

Dave68

I typically check Ebay or Amazon, first before reverse-engineering anything like a phone holster. For example, here's one that is similar to yours:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Motorola-Droid-RAZR-XT912-Shell-Holster-Combo-W-Kick-Stand-/370911806514?pt=US_Cell_Phone_PDA_Cases&hash=item565c110432
It's $8.22 with free shipping.

3D printers are certainly useful if a part cannot be easily purchased or machined (for those who have machining equipment and need simple parts), but with the prices I see on ebay, sometimes designing a part is just not worth the effort.

However, like you, I consider 3D design as mostly fun, not a burden.

DanSavage

Like you, I normally check around to see if what I want is commercially available before I resort to making it myself. I bought the same holster/shell when I got my RAZR.

I like the phone shell because it has a kick-stand, but I didn't like the holster clip. After wearing the holster for a couple of months I found that the clip kept digging into my side because it sticks out almost 3/4" from the back of the holster. The clip is a style that squeezes at the top to open the bottom and it was this part that kept digging into my side.

Because it pushes the phone out so far away from my body, it also kept popping the phone out of the holster when I was sitting down in my car seat or on the couch at home.

The belt clip on my holster is only ~3/16 thick. Because it's very thin and there's nothing sticking out above my waistband, it nestles nicely next to my body when I'm sitting down so it's a lot more comfortable to wear than the stock one.

In this case, the comfort and security I get from my own design holster was worth the time, effort and cost.

DanSavage

Thanks for the scan & dimensions, Lee.

The scan and measurements will really help.

Luckily, the posts on my HUD dimmer are still there, so all I need is a new **** and I'll be good to go.

Suthunman

Makes sense they would charge by the volume of material. Less material equals less passes to lay the material down. I'm guessing if you just sent them a sample part it might get pricey for them to make the 3D CAD file to do the printing and make the part.

This interest me because, as a machinist, I typically take a "hunk" of material and machine away material until what is left is the part. Seems much more efficient to just "print" out the material you need to form the part. 3D printing may never completely take the place of plastic molding but it certainly has its place. I do think it will eventually drastically cut into the traditional methods for making metal parts. I should search out the leading companies and buy a little stock!

DanSavage

They recently added a forum to their site where people who are CAD-challenged can contract with 3D designers. I have no idea what other folks would charge, but I think the final cost would depend a lot on the complexity of the part, itself.

One of the cool things about 3D printing is that you can build a fully-working item with all the moving parts at once.

Imagine printing a crescent wrench with all the parts in place.

3D printing is good for one-off parts or prototypes where it would be prohibitively expensive or extremely difficult to machine.

Not a bad idea, really. It is the wave of the future.

Dave68

I did have the same issue with a holster and my HTC 8X. On a rainy day in China, as I was getting out of the taxi, my phone fell to the ground. Luckily, I realized it was gone after about 30 steps and quickly retrieved it. Since then, my solution has been to pocket the phone which, like many others, has Gorilla glass (very tough and scratch-resistant). Smart phones are just too valuable to lose because of a flimsy clip. Your belt solution will certainly prevent that.

By the way, nearby is a local shop called "MakerPlace". It contains almost everything a hobbyist could want, including electronics stuff like Oscilloscopes, variable power supplies, soldering equipment and even function generators. There are CNC mills, lathes, sheet metal presses/sheet metal equipment, abrasive machines, woodworking equipment, 3D printers, laser cutters, spray booths, fabric and sewing equipment, etc, etc. You pay daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, I believe, although I don't have pricing. Our local SME chapter will be planning a tour of this place, soon. I'll be sure to attend.