Depending on what it has to be printed out if your local library might be a good choice if they offer the service.
this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2024
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Just be sure they can print in the desired material. A part for a car is going to need to be resistant to heat and potentially UV in ways that the most common material, PLA, is not.
your local library
That's where I did my printing for about a year before I bought my own printer.
They only charged for the gram weight of the filament used.
You can maybe post something on local marketplaces. Something like Kleinanzeigen (Germany), Facebook Marketplace (US I think) or something similar. Or local groups.
There are a lot of hobbyists who have a printer that stands still for 99% of the time, who can print it for cheap.
Or, as someone else already has suggested, your local library.
I checked the library today, no such service unfortunately. However, I could get my husband to go on Facebook and post something there. Thank you!
I would try local library first, then your local Discord community, and then maybe Nextdoor.
I know Nextdoor can be a real shitshow of paranoid street watchers and bad political takes. But I have found it very helpful when it comes to stuff like this (and getting recommendations on local services / shops in general). Be sure to say you have the STL and are willing to pay a reasonable amount for help with it.
Works only in the US*
I don't think there is a local Discord community for my area, but I can search around. I can check out Nextdoor, I forgot about that site! Thank you!
Please continue to forget about that cancer site.
Will do lol.
JLC3DP
Seconding. I have a 3D printer. A couple of them. And I use JLC for PCBs and 3D prints because they have AWESOME printers and it's just as fast to push the button and have it show up from them as it is for me to find the time and baby a print.
Wow! I might just try it! It seems crazy cheap and they have word wide shipping. I have wanted some pieces of geek decor (master sword, firefly ship, etc) and I dont have a machine. So I will make a list of stuff and see if I can place an order.
Where are you located, as in what country? That will probably change the answer a lot.
I would advise finding a local nerd to print it for you rather than using a commercial print service. For functional parts, it may take multiple attempts or some fiddling to ultimately get it right, which is going to be a massive pain in the ass if you're ordering parts by mail and paying for each one.
Added to the post, located in the US.
A local individual is a good idea, unfortunately I live in a very rural farmland area, not many "local nerds" to speak of. But I could do some traveling.
I see. Yeah, that could pose a problem.
For use in a vehicle I would definitely recommend printing out of ABS at minimum (which is what most OEM plastic car components are made out of anyway, at least the ones I've looked at in my life that were marked as such on the back), so you'll need someone who can do that with their machine also. PLA and probably even PETG will deform in a car sitting in the sun.
I'm probably not local but I am a nerd, and my machine can indeed print ABS. Post the file and I'll take a look at it?
It looks like ABS was the recommended material on the forum that the part was posted on. Here is the forum it was posted on and here is the Thingiverse page for it. It would be the "modified" file, out of the two listed. I am not sure about how the specifications work, like measurements, but it would be meant to fit a 6.5" car speaker if that makes sense. I know just about nothing about 3D printers.
Doesn't look too tough. I'm quite certain I could print that out of ABS for you. Any color you want as long as it's black (which is all I have in stock right now).
Re: the dimensions. .STL files inherently have their dimensions baked in, as drafted by the designer. If you print it straight up without modification it will come out at the dimensions at which it was designed.
Ah I didn't know that about the file! That's good to know, I just remember seeing files before that said something about metric vs imperial, but maybe I am mixing up something else.
Would it be alright if I message you about the part? I really appreciate the offer.
Go for it.
There's a very popular YouTuber that does his 3d printing on his goat/sheep farm in rural Sweden (I think that's where). Point is, you don't know who has a printer. I personally drive around a lot for my work and would certainly be willing to drop something off if you're in Indiana and I can. Just post the nearest bigger city and see if anyone responds.
That's a fair point. I'm a fair shoot off Indiana, unfortunately. There appears to be someone else in this post that wants to help! If that doesn't work out I will ask my husband to get on Facebook and post on one of those forums there. Thank you. (=
I'm in the US, east coast. Could probably print and ship it if you haven't found a service yet
Thanks for the offer, I've been in contact with someone in this thread and they helped me out with it already. Very generous of both you and them. Thank you!
Is buying a 3d printer cost prohibitive? If not, this might be your time. Even if you tell yourself this is probably the only time you'll ever need anything 3d printed, I bet you'll find yourself printing all kinds of stuff. I think every household should have a 3d printer. You can geek out with them for sure just like you can with cars or brewing coffee, but they can also be useful and fun for everyday users like coffee and cars too. Nerd level knowledge is no longer necessary for entry.
Unfortunately a 3D printer is not in my budget. I could afford one, but it would come at the expense of some upcoming costs I have to account for. Maybe in the future when I have a better living situation it would happen! I have always wanted one. It would be fun to mess around with.
Don't buy anything you can't afford. Sounds like you already got that part right. :)
If so good 3D-printer are lower cost than ever. Sure you could pick up an used Ender 3 and the like for $50 and put in the elbow grease to learn like it was done in the old days. Alternative is spending $200 on an BambuLab A1 and skip most of the learning curve.
If you can handle frustration than a cheapo used printer could be a good option. Please ask before purchasing as not every $50 printer is a good deal/option and as a newbie you can't distinguish the good from the bad.