I somehow got addicted to making phone cases for friends and family since I successfully printed TPU the first time.
I somehow got addicted to making phone cases for friends and family since I successfully printed TPU the first time.
The other ones:
And today evening I will print a case for my recently upgraded trusty old iPod:
Update:
After a few changes the second prototype came out great, files also available for free now on my printables:
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Word of warning, 3d printed cases are a bad idea. The plastics don’t actually absorb the impact like a real case would, and so they break often and don’t actually absorb the impact and protect your phone. Every time I’ve used one I’ve ended up with damage.
Did you use TPU for the prints? If you used PLA, that really was a bad idea. With TPU my drop tests (not on purpose) were successful and the phone without damage everytime (so far)
I used nylon carbon fiber.
That sounds durable, but not flexible. Am I right?
It’s durable, and is not inflexible but is quite brittle. I have also tried in pla and got similar results. It just never ended well.
I get your problem, yes. I also tried printing a bumper for my work phone in PLA a couple times before I was able to print TPU and it always took like 2 weeks until it broke. Those materials don’t like being put under pressure permanently. I didn’t try PETG, could imagine it to be a little better, even though it won’t absorb any impact if dropped.
It depends how thick and soft the tpu is. If you have a thick enough and soft enough case, it will absorb an impact. Just like silicone cases do. And they are also solid.