3D Printed Vent Ring Covers

Well done!

 

Just sanded them and threw on a coat of bed liner spray so we'll see what they look like soon!

 

The ones I just printed sanded smooth with little effort (used PLA filament @ 200C extruder temp). If there are still gaps or layer lines you can spray it with a filler primer spray after sanding to get it smooth then paint.

 

I printed mine on a glass bed, so it has a somewhat shiny texture. The type of 3d filament you use also affects the final look. The first one's I tried with a transparent shiny red plastic. It was..... not good

 

You've got a couple options for a smooth print:
Print using abs and then give it an acetone vapor treatment, but you've got to be careful you dont loose too much material
Primer, sand and paint. It doesn't really work to just sand down pla.

 

If you're able to locate some free time I'd love to buy a set of black off you.. consider it please

 

I don't have a lot of experience with 3D printed items, but the ones that I have tried to sand did not work well. You will have to sand and paint. If you have time to sand and polish to a shine without burning it, which is very difficult, you might be able to get it acceptable without paint. As awesome as 3D printing is, I just don't like the unfinished texture. Unless of course it is designed to have a rough surface intentionally.

 

I'm in for a set of black when you run these.

 

When you use the 3d slicer software to generate the the gcode file for the printer, there's a lot of ways you can adjust the settings to tweak the final look of the print. I used Cura (https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura) with mostly default settings for PLA. I may twiddle with the settings some more to get a more refined look later on, but I'm pretty happy with the looks for now.

 

Have you tried these in something other than PLA? I'm worried that PLA might deform a bit in the heat of the car in hotter climates. I'm going to run some test prints now with ABS to see how much it shrinks and adjust from there. ASA might be the best material to use for its heat and UV tolerance. Just ordered some from Amazon since I wanted to mess with it anyway but have to wait until the end of the week for it to show up.

 

My only experience is from a local science lab and a friend's printer. I have been thinking about getting one to play with at home. I like CAD and design work and would enjoy making stuff like this. What is a good printer to get for home/hobby use (i.e. budget printer) ?

 

Not sure since I haven't looked at buying one in years but the Creality's look like a good deal for the build size.

 

So ABS test came out fine at 100% ... no noticeable shrinkage but slight warping that I’ll have to work out.

Gonna run the PLA ones I printed since I already sprayed them with bed liner. Also did the shift gate and cup holder surround while I was in a painting mood

 

I'd love to buy a set, keep us updated.

 

I'd recommend the Creality Ender 3 pro

$170 Official Creality Ender 3 Pro 3D Printer with Removable Build Surface Plate and Branded Power Supply, 3D Printers for DIY Home and School Printing Size 8.66x8.66x9.84"

https://www.amazon.com/Comgrow-Crea...=1&keywords=ender+3+pro&qid=1597172450&sr=8-3
Inexpensive but very well made. It also has a huge amount of community support

 

That looks sharp

 

I'll have a few sets available that i've been running as tests (probably 5 sets or so). These will look like the pics I posted in post #29 so I recommend a light sanding, spraying with filler primer and then spray the color of your choice. Just cover shipping and i'll send them off. PM me if interested.

EDIT: All 5 sets are spoken for.

 

I'll buy a set

 

Ok got some printed tonight. Gonna test fit and run them on the truck for a day to see how they do. I’ll keep everyone posted on the progress.

 

Thank you OP for offering up the file, it's very much appreciated.

 

Gonna try them on a textured bed as well. Using
ORIGINAL PRUSA I3
MK3S
for the prints.

 

I just want to give the op a big shout out. Really nice job on the file it’s very well done. It is pouring rain so I’m not rushing outside to test them but they look pretty damn good. I’m hoping that a sand primer paint approach will also work out.

 

The print bed adds a gloss to them so you would need to sand prime paint to the color you want. I am going to paint some in the next few days I also have a bunch of bed liner as well so I’ll try that.

 

gloss wouldn’t be too bad.

how much?

 

Did you have to apply some primer first? I've not tried painting PLA yet

 

Priming and painting pla now.

 

Going to print some with Prusament PETG black today also. Got a test run done with PLA these are really cool. It’s all about a good file with a good printer. The only thing I see is a little chrome on drivers side so I will switch them around and see what I get but it’s really hard to see.

 

I didn’t but I was just using bed liner. I would prime them if I was painting though.

 

Did some driving around today for a bit and noticed that mine are now a bit looser than they were yesterday when I first installed them. I'm assuming that this is due to them being PLA and that the temp in my truck got up to around 150F sitting in the sun (tossed a thermometer in there yesterday with a max temp reading). They now pop off a bit easier but still seem to be on there pretty well so not sure if this will be a problem or not (TG temp for PLA is around 60-65C (140-150F) so this makes sense).

Gonna test these when my ASA filament gets here this weekend. That ought to solve the problem since ABS/ASA don't start to soften until 100-105C (212-220C).

 

looking good. What kind of 3D printer do you have? I know nothing about this and would like a quick education if you have any extra time ? Is this your first printer you have owned?
why did you buy the one you own?
That’s all my questions. Thanks in advance.