How I saved old thing with 3D printing
Once I got an old car radio that was missing the main volume knob. Doomed to be put int trash bin. I decided to try for a first time a 3D printing. The result is amazing. It works! How I did that?
CADding
There is many ways to prepare a model for a 3D printer. In Linux you can use e.g. FreeCAD. Not the most well known software, but very well usable. Drawn a few basic shapes with merging and cutting..
knob.fcstdexported the STL
knob.stlSlicing
Slicing is a procedure of preparing instructions for 3D printer. This is very much depending on a printer you are using. I have used a Prusa I3 printer. For slicing I got a prepared printer definition file from my collegue and used a Linux slic3r software. This imports STL and exports a Gcode for a 3D printer.
Black magic
3D printing is a kind of magic. Setting temperatures, filament speed and diameter, suitable feeding, correct Z plane, adhesives for the bed... luckily I already had a tuned printer, with knowledgeble collegue around. This makes me only do this on second attempt correctly.
Result
Not a rocket since, but after polishing the knob, I found I measured incorrectly the length, but saw fixed it. Here is the result
Could be better, right, not a master piece, may cut it from the other side too... but it works. This is it! Saved the thing.