3D printed transparant case - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: Wilson__
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 10:50:11 am
content: Whichmaterial/resin/processis good for3D printed transparant caseto be ordered from mail-order print-company? Not for lens use, need good (not perfect) transparency.Laser resin or filament? What ball park price for cube box of 1 to 2 inches. Assume laser resin for better finish???Which print company is good (consumer device quality level)?Many thanks

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 10:59:29 am
content: Well it ain't going to be filament. I have clear filament and it does let light out but it's a far cry from beingtransparentwhen printed in any sense of the word. I don't know about resin tho ...

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 11:19:46 am
content: Clear is only possible with SLA printing. And it will not be clear in UV wavelength, for obvious reasons.Other methods will result in a translucent part.You can get free automated quotes from protolabs or pcbway.Expect 20-50 dollar per piece.

author: squadchannel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 01:17:41 pm
content: I have not tried it, but JLCPCB has a transparent resin. It is quite transparent, and according to the twitters around me who have tried it, it was a very transparent resin, you could even see the letters on the OLED module. It may yellow, but I don't know. get a quote. it's free.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 02:19:21 pm
content: For a box shape, sides made of laser cut plastic sheet is the traditional option.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 05:19:55 pm
content: For filament, the best you can do is probably translucent, even if you go perimeters only (no infill), you're going to see lines at the seams between layers and together, they will make it look a little hazy even with completely clear filament (actually, standard prints of a couple mm thick work pretty well as diffusers, especially if they have some raised geometry for texture.)Resin printers can do a better job, and especially for thinner walls and flat sides would probably do a nice job. With the right AA and small enough pixels, you can get pretty good results on curves or lines that don't match up with the LCD's grid too, but there will be that surface microtexture from the edges of pixels. An option here could be printing and then lapping the sides, but this isn't so easy on internal edges.As someone else mentioned - laser cut acrylic may be perfect. It will be the most clear and should be able to handle flat sided geometry really well. Using an acrylic welding glue and some clamps/forms/jigs (probably nothing special), you should be able to assemble precut pieces and have next to no visible marks at the seams, plus better clarity of the plastic itself.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2024, 06:21:16 pm
content: If you search around the internet you can find folks that have achieved pretty good clarity with filament printing, but it isn't easy. As I recall you start with solid fill, setting extrusion rates higher than normal to "squish" the layers quite a bit, followed by some post print densification by sintering, vacuum filling with some clear material or something else I don't recall. All of those things aren't compatible with really fine detail and dimensional accuracy, but if you require a complex shape might be worth chasing.I will add my vote to laser cut plexiglass. Perhaps filament printing for the box frame with window frames for plexiglass windows would let you get complex geometry with visibility to the important things. You could even get a little complex on the windows. Plexiglass is not overly difficult to bend into simple shapes and with a little more effort can be bent into complex curves as long as the local bend to thickness ratio isn't very high. Think of things like aircraft canopies. Something simpler like a window that wraps around a corner is easy.

author: Wilson__
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2024, 11:50:41 am
content: How laser cut work? Straight edge on different plates or "square wave edge" interlocking teeth?Will the edge on plate very sharp and can hurt finger OR we can round edge up with fine file or sand paper? The box houses electronic project and requires normal handling by handWe are talking about Acrylic, right? It has many name as wikipedia, Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is used as an engineering plastic, and it is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Hesalite, Plexiglas, Acrylite, Lucite, and Perspex, among several others (see below).

author: Wilson__
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2024, 11:52:21 am
content: Do you meant 20 to 50 US dollars? Quite expensive

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2024, 03:08:29 pm
content: Quote from: Wilson__ on August 01, 2024, 11:50:41 amYes that is the material. You can make the edges interlock, which eliminates alignment problems, but can be a bit fiddly getting the fit right. My experience is that the edges are not sharp enough to cut, but probably not ergonomically correct for a commercial product. There are a number of ways to soften the edges. Perfectly possible to file or sand, but without a further polishing step the edge will have a frosted look

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2024, 03:24:07 pm
content: I have a laser cut case from an Adafruit project which assembles with interlocking fingers. I found it perfectly fine. Acrylic is a soft material, so no chance of hurting fingers during handling. The angular edges and corners are at worst a cosmetic issue. The case holds together by friction, so I didn't even bother to glue it.

author: MLXXXp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 01, 2024, 03:45:57 pm
content: As mentioned by@Jeroen3, PCBWay can do transparent SLA 3D printing. They can apply a spray varnish coating that helps improve transparency.For example:https://youtu.be/H0zClKuiSeQ?si=upstnq8uqUxX_H9o&t=479