I was reassembling my targa panels, now I have a set of exterior body panels the same colour, and was attempting to reaffix the weather strips after wrapping them in vinyl. The problem is the little white clips that sit in the weatherstrip channels are basically past their best and it's not going to enable a proper weather tight seal.

 

So I'm thinking ... why not 3d print some new ones? Or even better, print new ones of a better design ...

 

http://makezine.com/2013/07/17/3d-printed-parts-to-the-rescue-please-share-your-stories/

 

Surely this kind of thing will be the way forward ... anyone got access to any 3d printing kit? :)

The 3D printers I have seen don't produce finished articles just rough finishes, perhaps they can be rubbed down and sprayed, but i'd be surprised if they have any integrral strength? I guess it depends on the model... however potentially it seems you can make anything small if your a good CAD designer!

Edited September 2, 201312 yr by SteveE
Talking Bo~~~cks

i think the best thing you could do with a 3d printer is make the item you require, but use it as to make a mould piece and make one out of something stronger.

Didn't somebody in America recently print a working gun? I'm sure I read that somewhere.

Im your man for this one, not only do I have my own design consultancy, I use 3D cad for a living and I also have access to a 3D printer.

As mentioned before it depends on the printer parent material properties as to how robust your components are but the plastic / resin we use is pretty useful.

I agree the surface finish can be an issue as the part is built in slices so leaves lines on the part but you can sand them down and spray them up.

If you want I can model a clip up for you and have it printed just to see what we can achieve.

 

The gun your thinking of I think is the one that Red Jacket Firearms on Skys Sons of Guns programme they printed a Strock and casing that screwed on around an assault rifle mechanism. They used it in the field so the plastic parts would have to be tough to withstand that.

 

Also FYI I believe that a good number of parts in the Eurofighter and the American F22 Raptor are 3D printed !!!!!

Edited September 2, 201312 yr by Iangreenfield

I use 3D printers all the time for prototyping. And the only thing I don't use them for is clips.

Of course this depends on the type or prototyper, but basically they are rubbish for clipping.

As for weatherstrip clips, and most generic clips. You will find an endless supply of them at sub-suppliers all around the world, probably no need to prototype them. If they are anything like Toyota ones, I have a handful in my desk drawer.

 

3D printer would be good though for something like, nose panel, mirror covers, dash pods gauge holder, maybe things like that, which can be covered, or filled and painted. Someone should definitely get on it! For sure we have the expertise on this forum.

Edited September 2, 201312 yr by olliezx

Interesting ... so a simple clip wouldn't necessarily be an easy win? The original clips are likely mass produced in the first place so have a relatively low unit cost ... to the manufacturer. I can't imagine how much these clips would cost as an end consumer if I were to buy replacements. If I can find a part number we shall have to find out! They're only a centimetre big in each dimension.

What exact clips are you talking about?

Roof moulding retainer or weatherstrip pins?

Little cube like ones which go in the t-top moulding strip, very difficult to get to because you have to dismantle the entire panel.

Hi guys, I have a 3d laser scanner that can produce detailed cad files from an object, which can then be fed into a cad programme for modification or direct to a 3 d printer.

 

If anyone wants to collaborate on a few parts to see how viable this is get in touch...!

 

M

Hi guys, I have a 3d laser scanner that can produce detailed cad files from an object, which can then be fed into a cad programme for modification or direct to a 3 d printer.

 

If anyone wants to collaborate on a few parts to see how viable this is get in touch...!

 

M

 

And I can do the 3d modelling if anyone is interested, happy to help with a project or two.

It was these white clips I was referring to, so I guess they are retainer clips. There is 5 of them per t-top weatherstrip.

 

How does one get a part number / cost for something and insignificant as this? :blink: