3D Printed ProVari Case/mod

[Krythis]

I bought a 3D printer back in April and finally getting some free time to make some ecig stuff with it. I made an ecig desk caddy and battery holder a couple months ago, but that was about it. Here is a ProVari case(?) I designed and made today. I need to tweak the measurements a little, but all-in-all I'm pleased with it. My ProVari mini screws onto a male connector in the right tube which is wired to a female connector on the left. Below the female connector is a small tube that holds a spare 18350. I wanted a more box mod feel while making less elongated and easier to carry.

As soon as I have the time I plan on designing a e-pipe and printing it with Laywood filament. I also recently upgraded my printer to be able to print in Nylons, Polycarbonate, and other materials.
3ders.org - Wood filament LAYWOO-D3 suppliers and price compare | 3D Printer News & 3D Printing News

http://i.imgur.com/oddohB6.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZHt0s9K.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Jfb9hzq.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LVz7YOQ.jpg

 

[kscoggins]

Great, another reason I have to have a 3d printer
Seriously though, very nice!

 

[juggalotus]

i wants a 3d printer!
Smoothing 3D Prints with Acetone Vapor
i read this awhile ago on hack-a-day may be something for you in there to smooth out your next mod

 

[kas122461]

That last picture, of your formally black provari, looks like it has been threw hell, wow first time I have seen one, that looks like that. Impressive work though, I don't think I could do any thing like that.

 

[Krythis]

i wants a 3d printer!
Smoothing 3D Prints with Acetone Vapor
i read this awhile ago on hack-a-day may be something for you in there to smooth out your next mod

Those images are actually after a vapor bath. I didn't sand before hand so the lines are still visible, but you can tell by the shiny surface. I have a revised print that I'm working on now, should have images tomorrow after another acetone vapor bath. I haven't done too many pieces that needed smoothing so I'm still working on my process.

That last picture, of your formally black provari, looks like it has been threw hell, wow first time I have seen one, that looks like that. Impressive work though, I don't think I could do any thing like that.

LOL yea. I've had my black Provari for two years. It's a well used unit, but doesn't look as bad as in the picture. The flash makes it look worse than it is. The mod isn't as light blue as it appears in that image either, its actually a darker blue.

 

[aarik]

Isn't the plastic used to print these have a low melting point?
I wonder how it will handle the temperatures of vaping.

 

[Krythis]

It's been working very well for 2 weeks now.

Printing temperature depends on the material. ABS plastic is printed around 230º c, where materials like Nylon can require ~245c, and Polycarbonate at ~265c. Not all machines can reach these temperatures, but I've replaced my hotend with one that can handle 400ºc or so if there was ever a reason to need it.

 

[aarik]

Thanks for the info.

 

[Teh Dude]

Where can I find a good reasonable priced 3d printer for personal use. Have some great ideas. Like yours a lot. Keep us posted on future projects.

 

[DrMA]

Nicely done!

 

[Arielbroner]

This is crazy awesome!!

 

[gokusnimbus]

respect for designing and printing your case/mod! what program did you use? and could you point me to a few resources? im interested in rapid prototyping.

 

[Underwhelmed]

That last picture, of your formally black provari, looks like it has been threw hell, wow first time I have seen one, that looks like that. Impressive work though, I don't think I could do any thing like that.

I have one that looks like that as well. Turns out the black chrome finish isn't as durable as what they are using now.

 

[cadcoke5]

I have recently done a lot of research for a small company looking to buy a 3D printer. The world of the 3D printer is EXPLODING. A year ago in the world of the affordable 3d printers (i.e. under $20,000) there were only a few models you could buy that were pre-assembled. Now there seems to be over 100, and the kits are too numerous to count. Note that going to a service bureau will certainly save a lot of time and hassle, and if you only will ever do a few prints, will save money over buying a machine. Here are a few pointers, and a few models to look at;

All of the printers, even the professional level ones, are not trouble free. Many of the hobby level ones really require a great deal of tweaking and effort... even some of the pre-assembled ones. The kit versions tend to require so much effort, that they are often not worth the savings over a pre-assembled ones. The versions that print two different materials are often labeled "experimental". This means they haven't worked out how to make it work well. The water soluble material that can be used as support materials is particularly problematic to get working right. This site has a great chart of all the current models, and seems to be very up to date.
3ders.org - price compare 3D printers

Here is a very brief sampling of the range of machines,

Makerbot Replicator 2X. $2,800.
A very mature company that was purchased by an even larger high-end 3d printer company.
Note the lead time on this model is 10 weeks. Print area is 9.8 L x 6.3 W x 5.9 H in
This particular model can print two different materials at once.
http://store.makerbot.com/replicator2x.html

This one has been around for a while, and is at the low-end of the pre-assembled machines;
Their 3rd generation version is $800. Print area is 8" x 8" x 8". Note that the older 2nd generation version is only $500, but suffers from a serious design flaw, in that you must totally remove the enclosure to fiddle with the extruder.
Solidoodle

Here is a low-end kit printer.
$300, Print area, 4" cube.
http://printrbot.com/shop/printrbot-simple/

-Joe Dunfee

 

[Teh Dude]

Thanks for the info

 

[Krythis]

After months of research I wound up with a Solidoodle 3. All around decent machine, but like every other sub $20,000 printer it requires upgrades and a lot of time spent calibrating. I've build an enclosure, replaced the heated printbed, hotend, extruder assembly, and power supply to name just a few. I have material for replacing some of the rails and Z axis threaded rod. My original parts list is probably much smaller The great thing about 3D printers is many of the upgrades can be printed themselves. For instance the extruder assembly, platform for the heated bed, wire chain etc.

As for software I am using primarily Google Sketchup, though my latest project (ePipe) requires more organic modeling so I've started working in Blender.

I just got in some new food safe PETT filament in this week and currently playing around with ideas for a new cap and tip for my DID.

 

[Krythis]

respect for designing and printing your case/mod! what program did you use? and could you point me to a few resources? im interested in rapid prototyping.

Resources for a machine, software, or someone to print?