mmx_2 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share #41 Â Posted December 1, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Sorry amigo, I wasnt very clear what I was visualizing.... I can just imagine the communication problems Id have if I had my own 3d printer. Â ;-) Â I was picturing single caps, but the top of it (the flat part on the outside) possibly some modification so it could thread or interlock with another cap. This way, you could use the cap as a single, or clip it to another cap for "stacking" 2 lenses together. Actually a very interesting idea, hmm, I'll look into it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 1, 2015 Posted December 1, 2015 Hi mmx_2, Take a look here Having fun with 3D-printer. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Exodies Posted December 1, 2015 Share #42 Â Posted December 1, 2015 On second thoughts, a clip together pair of caps would probably be too unsafe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted December 1, 2015 Author Share #43 Â Posted December 1, 2015 Todays project was to make a front cap to Super-Angulon. It printed very nicely: Â Â Quite keen on trying to print a hood for it also (I do have the original one, but just a fun project). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoinC Posted December 1, 2015 Share #44 Â Posted December 1, 2015 I'm impressed, mmx_2. What all raw materials have you tried to date? What differences did you find in printing with them? Â Good work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted December 1, 2015 Share #45 Â Posted December 1, 2015 What's about trying to have also the classic Leitz logo on the cap's front ? A boring CAD task with 2D splines... but ought not to be impossible... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrödinger's cat Posted December 2, 2015 Share #46  Posted December 2, 2015 The issue is that I would be carrying it in my pocket with only one lens attached.  I need the divider so as to keep pocket lint out of the lens.  A commercial version already exists with no center divider, and I are not really sure it is deep enough to accommodate lenses with large back focus. OK, I just got your samples from the postman  Thank you very much.  Initial observations are very positive.  Fit, finish, and function appear to up to commercial standards.  It's expected to be bright and sunny tomorrow and I have a photo outing planned.  I'll experiment with the double sided versions and see if field performance measures up to their fine appearance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EoinC Posted December 2, 2015 Share #47 Â Posted December 2, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) What's about trying to have also the classic Leitz logo on the cap's front ? A boring CAD task with 2D splines... but ought not to be impossible... Or your own logo - Take credit for your creations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share #48 Â Posted December 4, 2015 What's about trying to have also the classic Leitz logo on the cap's front ? A boring CAD task with 2D splines... but ought not to be impossible... I already thought of both this and also putting my own logo, but I wasn't sure if I could use the Leitzlogo or not. Don't want to be in trouble . Actually Adobe Illustrator is great for that kind of task, there is a function called "follow bitmap" which creates a really nice 2D-spline was can be exported as .svg and extruded in FreeCad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share #49  Posted December 4, 2015 OK, I just got your samples from the postman  Thank you very much.  Initial observations are very positive.  Fit, finish, and function appear to up to commercial standards.  It's expected to be bright and sunny tomorrow and I have a photo outing planned.  I'll experiment with the double sided versions and see if field performance measures up to their fine appearance. Thanks for the encouraging words . I hope you enjoy them. I ordered some black PLA, but I'm having some troubles getting the right finish at the moment so prints are coming out somewhat mixed. My long-term solution is to go over to ABS instead (a bit more durable) but that requires some modifications to the printer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share #50 Â Posted December 4, 2015 I'm impressed, mmx_2. What all raw materials have you tried to date? What differences did you find in printing with them? Â Good work! So far I've only tried PLA and TPU but they are very different, PLA is very much like ABS but much easier to use in a 3D-printer (and much more environmental friendly) it is not as durable (but really not bad) as ABS and cannot withstand as high temperatures as ABS (PLA starts changing it's shape at around 60-80 degrees celcius). TPU is more like rubber and is very flexible. Not ideal for caps, but I'm thinking about designing a half case in this material, would be cool to try at least. It requires more tweaking to the printer but I think it should be doable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted December 4, 2015 Author Share #51 Â Posted December 4, 2015 Â This is my latest draft, we will see in 2 hours if it also printed well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrödinger's cat Posted December 4, 2015 Share #52  Posted December 4, 2015 Ok, I spent all day yesterday on a photo excursion.  The double sided version worked as expected and meets my needs perfectly.  Fit and function are up to commercial standards.  I used it to carry a second lens in my pocket and facilitate lens changing  while walking, but it would also be very useful for saving space in a camera bag by stacking two small lenses vertically.  The only issue is the one you had already mentioned, the brittle material produces a small amount of dust particles when used extensively.  For the test run I carried a bulb blower and cleaned the lens and cap frequently, but without doing that I suspect some dust would infiltrate the body or lens.  My assessment is that a change of material to something less brittle would completely solve all the issues.  I don't know what you will need to charge in order to make a commercial version a viable proposition, but I suspect this will be a large hit on eBay.  In any case, if you get a material working that does not produce dust particles please advise me of the price, I'll need two of the final product.  Thanx again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vladik Posted December 6, 2015 Share #53 Â Posted December 6, 2015 An interesting exercise to 3D print lens caps, but I would not leave it on lenses for prolong time as you do not know what nasty fumes this cheap plastic emits that could affect the optics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted December 7, 2015 Author Share #54 Â Posted December 7, 2015 An interesting exercise to 3D print lens caps, but I would not leave it on lenses for prolong time as you do not know what nasty fumes this cheap plastic emits that could affect the optics. Fair point, but in this case, the plastic is extremly "friendly" and will not produce any fumes. The other type of popular plastic used in 3D-printers, ABS is exactly the same type of plastic used by all camera manufactures (including Leica) so also in that case I wouldn't be worried at all. The main advantage with PLA (except that it is slightly cheaper than ABS) is that it is much easier to work with than ABS in 3D-printer (no need for heated bed, hard to get warping etc) and that it completely harmless when you print it (no nasty fumes which actually is the case with ABS). Â To get back to my little project, the next step will probably be a new printer which is also capable at printing ABS. I feel that PLA is just a little to brittle to be a good long term solution for caps and hoods. I will post again in this thread when my new printer arrives and is up and running . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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