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Thread: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

  1. #11

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    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    Quote Originally Posted by MartinP View Post
    Sounds like a job best approached with thick matboard, or perhaps 3mm black foamboard?
    Ohhh, yes, sounds like a fun weekend project.
    --

  2. #12

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    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    Outgassing? Not going to happen after the filament's been heated to 200+ Celsius.

    Materials can be an issue-- PLA is fine, but anything over about 115-120F can cause it to start deforming, and in Florida, it's not hard to hit those kinds of temps in a car in the sun. Personally, I prefer PETG, which is slightly more obnoxious to print, but more durable, has a small amount of flex, and a much higher "slump" point.

    A flat surface is easy enough to create, and if you're worried about ridges, some fine-grit sandpaper will take care of that pretty quickly. The biggest issue is tolerances-- get the two pieces too tightly fit together, and the ridges from the layers will catch on each other, and you'll need a crowbar to open it. Get it not tight enough, your box falls open. Again-- sandpaper is your friend.

    As for opacity, there are opaque filaments out there-- I'm using one for a camera I'm printing (I need to finish that... maybe this weekend) that is totally opaque even at one or two layers 0.2mm thick.

    As for the box, while there are three part boxes out there (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4119828), I'll probably print and use this one instead:
    https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4213771

    Which is a two-part box with a full-height light trap between the two boxes.

    So far, I've printed a two-roll case for 120 film (very light-tight, and probably water tight), a crank for my Bronica SQ-A, a copal-1 lens board, and most of the parts for a 6x12 camera. 3D printing is a very useful tool when used correctly.

  3. #13

    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    I recently 3D printed a triple box for holding Polaroid 600 film cartridges, since I was peeling them out individually and loading them in 4x5 holders. It seems to work pretty well for what it is, and if I was more concerned about light leaks I would spray paint the outer surfaces black.

    That being said, it takes a long time to print and it would almost certainly be faster to make a triple box out of cardboard and tape...

  4. #14

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    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    Quote Originally Posted by grat View Post
    Outgassing? Not going to happen after the filament's been heated to 200+ Celsius.

    Materials can be an issue-- PLA is fine, but anything over about 115-120F can cause it to start deforming, and in Florida, it's not hard to hit those kinds of temps in a car in the sun. Personally, I prefer PETG, which is slightly more obnoxious to print, but more durable, has a small amount of flex, and a much higher "slump" point.

    A flat surface is easy enough to create, and if you're worried about ridges, some fine-grit sandpaper will take care of that pretty quickly. The biggest issue is tolerances-- get the two pieces too tightly fit together, and the ridges from the layers will catch on each other, and you'll need a crowbar to open it. Get it not tight enough, your box falls open. Again-- sandpaper is your friend.

    As for opacity, there are opaque filaments out there-- I'm using one for a camera I'm printing (I need to finish that... maybe this weekend) that is totally opaque even at one or two layers 0.2mm thick.

    As for the box, while there are three part boxes out there (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4119828), I'll probably print and use this one instead:
    https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4213771

    Which is a two-part box with a full-height light trap between the two boxes.

    So far, I've printed a two-roll case for 120 film (very light-tight, and probably water tight), a crank for my Bronica SQ-A, a copal-1 lens board, and most of the parts for a 6x12 camera. 3D printing is a very useful tool when used correctly.
    Wow, those plans are pretty cool! I need to befriend someone with a 3d printer!
    --

  5. #15
    Drew Bedo's Avatar
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    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    I have4 not6 looked, so this is just a guess . . .

    Are there nesting box sets not available from Clear Bags or some other container supplier? I would think some art supply company would have something like that.

    I thought 3D printing every-day items could get expensive. Another thought: Can they be made light-tight and totally opaque with 3D plastic's? Expense and opacity in D additive manufacturing were issues that mandated injection molding for the TravelWide project.
    Drew Bedo
    www.quietlightphoto.com
    http://www.artsyhome.com/author/drew-bedo




    There are only three types of mounting flanges; too big, too small and wrong thread!

  6. #16

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    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    Quote Originally Posted by Drew Bedo View Post
    I have4 not6 looked, so this is just a guess . . .

    Are there nesting box sets not available from Clear Bags or some other container supplier? I would think some art supply company would have something like that.
    Probably. I spent a little time looking, because as a new-to-the-format photographer, all of my 4x5 film boxes have unexposed film in them. Eventually, I'm sure I'll be tossing them out left and right, but for now....

    I thought 3D printing every-day items could get expensive. Another thought: Can they be made light-tight and totally opaque with 3D plastic's? Expense and opacity in D additive manufacturing were issues that mandated injection molding for the TravelWide project.
    It's mostly time. Properly maintained, the hot end will last for a dozen spools or more, and even then, it's a few dollars to replace the nozzle.

    My particular printer holds calibration pretty well, so I don't have many false starts-- if the first layer completes OK, the rest of the print usually will as well.

    Another point, is that most objects aren't printed completely solid-- the slicer will recognize "internal" spaces, and fill them with a structure that creates support and stability, but doesn't fill the entire interior. Saves on weight and plastic.

    Filament cost varies, but is usually around $10/lb (~ $23 per kg). The two-spool 120 film holder I printed weighs 43g, or about $0.45. Round up for wastage, although in the case of this print, there was virtually none. The downside, though, is that it probably took about 2-3 hours to print, and another half an hour cleaning up any rough bits and smoothing out the top to where it opened and closed easily.

    As for light-tight, that depends on the filament used-- a lot of filament (especially PETG) is translucent by nature. However, I've found that the "black" filaments tend to be very opaque. Amusingly, the black PETG I'm using right now is Kodak branded.

    Said film spool container is totally dark even with a 1700 lumen light inside it, and the lens board I printed is also opaque, even though it's only 2.5mm thick, and has open spaces inside.

  7. #17

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    Re: Thinking out loud, why doesn't someone just 3d print a triple LF box?

    I'm actually printing a 2 part box of my own design as I type this. PLA is very durable and as long as you don't leave it in the direct sun of summer, it shouldn't deform. Depending on how you configure the slicing profile for the object you can vary the density of the infill, infill pattern, and how thick the surface layers are. I use a very opaque PLA from eSun that works well, so well in fact that I printed a 6x12 curved back pinhole camera with it.

    The real drawback is print time. The camera (as an example) took 23 hours just for the body. The box I'm printing is roughly 10 hours for each half.

    I also have a resin based MSLA type printer but the print bed is relatively small and the liquid resin is messy as well as costly (in comparison to FDM filaments).

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