3D Printed HuCard Case Development (NOW AVAILABLE!)

[jelloslug]

The cheapest North American producer I found wanted $11000 for the back case mold and most of them wanted $20k for the mold.

...which is why I was looking at a generic square mold with silicone molding compund.
Now if I could just find a nice, cheap injection machine....

http://www.mediummachinery.com/

[TheOldMan]

http://www .mediummachinery. com/

Cheap being under <$500 . I didn't see a price there, but with a $100 discount, I'm betting its still out of my price range

I was looking at a drill-press style one, but the shot size was too small for a plate

But if one of you guys wants to pick this project up....
...maybe the next game will some with a nice molded tray.

[Necromancer]

I didn't see a price there...

$2,887 + $92 shipping

No lube.

[jelloslug]

http://www .mediummachinery. com/

Cheap being under <$500 . I didn't see a price there, but with a $100 discount, I'm betting its still out of my price range

I was looking at a drill-press style one, but the shot size was too small for a plate

But if one of you guys wants to pick this project up....
...maybe the next game will some with a nice molded tray.

Be aware that a large, flat part like a tray is most likely going to need a heated mold or you will most likely get a short shot every time.

[Pcenginefx]

I think we can all agree that no matter how you go about it, it isn't cheap.

[jelloslug]

I think we can all agree that no matter how you go about it, it isn't cheap.

Yea, that's why I got as far as printing a prototype and hit the money wall.

[Pcenginefx]

Small update - need to resolve issue with the print warping on the build plate.  The case has so much surface area that there are some warp issues on the thicker end of the model.  Nothing I've not already had experience with before.

[Mathius]

This is sweet! I can't offer any expertise but will gladly be cheerleading on the sidelines.

[jelloslug]

Small update - need to resolve issue with the print warping on the build plate.  The case has so much surface area that there are some warp issues on the thicker end of the model.  Nothing I've not already had experience with before.

Can you heat the chamber on your printer?

[Pcenginefx]

Small update - need to resolve issue with the print warping on the build plate.  The case has so much surface area that there are some warp issues on the thicker end of the model.  Nothing I've not already had experience with before.

Can you heat the chamber on your printer?

I have a heated build plate, but not a sealed chamber.  I just added the hollow rectangular sections to the spine area so I'm guessing that will fix the issue.

[Pcenginefx]

I think the warping has been solved - ended up upping the build plate temp by 10 degrees C and last 2 prints not warping any longer.

Doing some final tweaks to the base model for exact sizing with the HuCard top case and adding a few more details to the design before moving on to finally modeling the area where the HuCard will sit.

[Pcenginefx]

Everything is fitting nicely now - current stage of modeling/print/fit-testing:

[Medic_wheat]

My loose hu cards thank you

My wallet not so much

[Pcenginefx]

Not failure, but progress.

[Pcenginefx]

STILL tweaking/fixing fit issues with top case but am really close to finishing.  Modeled HuCard case arm and now in process of fitting both pieces.

Final print times:
HuCard Arm: ~10mins
HuCard Case: ~2h30mins

(below, using timer to alert me when prints are done)


The design of my case will be extremely close to the original, with minor differences to facilitate faster 3D printing.......more to come.....