3D printing

[smunro622]

Odd topic here ...for those who have a 3D printer what do you suggest and why?

There are a few items I want but would prefer to 3D print them myself. Do we have a sticky note or pin on printables for Rivian?

Would a 3D printer section be out of scope?

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[IGR]

It depends how involved you are trying to get. You can get something expensive but works right out of box. Or something less expensive but requires some tinkering, and more of an open source kinda deal.
There are just too many options for me to just say here is what you need…

 

[cjbot3000]

https://www.printables.com/model/759646-rivian-air-vent-hook

We have a little bag for trash and such and needed to hang out

Can use it for other things, too

 

[smunro622]

https://www.printables.com/model/759646-rivian-air-vent-hook

We have a little bag for trash and such and needed to hang out

Can use it for other things, too

That is exactly what I am looking for..along with the fob case..https://www.printables.com/model/603064-key-fob-case-for-rivian

 

[Riff]

I have a Bambu Labs Carbon X1 and love it. It was easy enough to setup and start printing right away. They have some cheaper options available if you are going to tinker. I model with Fusion 360 and print prototypes for some small work projects, but mostly I use it for printing home organization items. I printed the dual MagSafe charging tray with PETG and it holds up well with temps well over 120F everyday.

 

[RWerksman]

I've created a whole bunch of stuff for the R1T and R1S over the last 2+ years. Everything (including items that I've decided not to produce in-house, or since superseded) is available on the Printables page here: https://www.printables.com/@RobOpenSource_519281/models

Speaking of Rivian models, there are more that are on Printables. you can find them here: https://www.printables.com/search/models?q=rivian&o=latest

There are a few other really, really good creators there. Todd Stansell has made a bunch of great stuff (I batch produce and sell his cup holders, for instance). Our own Kelvin Lee produced some items for the R1S, and even the folks at S00nish released the earlier version of their wireless charger there.

For me personally, here is what I roll with every day, all of which is 3D printed:

• Center console organizer and tray
• A wireless charging pad replacement
• A phone mount
• Seat back tablet mounts (when ferrying around my kids)
• A replacement for the Bluetooth speaker (Camp Drawer)
• A sunglasses holder (with IMO is tremendously underrated)
• An extra cupholder for when I need it

Each of those is publicly available, and remixable for personal use.


Regarding printers - it depends on how deep you want to go, and materials that you want to produce items in. I'm a HUGE fan of the Bambu labs stuff. When I decided to bring production of my items inhouse in 2023, I invested capital in purchasing more of their equipment. As it sits, I have a print farm of five of their printers. Most of which have required minimal maintenance and no repairs. (except for my really early kickstarter unit that has 3000+ hours on it)

Bambu's top end consumer printer is the X1 Carbon. It's great. I love it. I have two, each has over 2000 hours. They will literally print anything and do it in a drama-free way.

The also make a less expensive P1 series. The P1S is enclosed, the P1P is open air. I have a few P1S printers and they do 95% of what the X1 does, at about 60% of the cost. The P1P isn't as good of an option due to the newer models that they have.

The newest being the A1 series -- an A1 and A1 mini. These are also as drama-free as the X1 and P1 series, but are a different design, which makes them much less expensive. The A1 mini, for instance, is selling for only $199, which is a steal. I ended up picking one up and print a lot of TPU on it.


All of these printers have the ability to use what they refer to as an AMS - it's a hopper allowing automatic swapping between 4 different spools of filament. I opted for an AMS on all of my printers so that it will automatically swap to a second roll when the first runs out. The, unfortunately, do not work with soft materials like TPU.


Unless you're looking to print with ABS or ASA, I would likely recommend the Bambu A1. It's a full sized printer, on sale right now for $339. ($150 more with the AMS) It's tremendously capable and very, very drama-free. Pair that with a high-quality PETG filament and you'll be golden to print whatever you want to, for use inside or outside the house.

 

[beatle]

Another Bambu fan here. I bought my P1S almost a year ago as a total newbie and I love it. The A1 series is a great gateway and should hold its value relatively well if you decide it's not for you, or if you decide to upgrade to a more advanced machine. The A1 is not enclosed so you won't be able to print nylon or ABS/ASA which are popular automotive materials, but PETG is a good filament for auto use as well. (SnapPlate makes their license plate mounts out of PETG.) The A1 can handle PETG no problem.

While the mini gets you a lot for your money, if you're just going to have one printer, I'd look for something with at least a 250x250 print bed like the P series. A lot of designs seem to target that size as a soft maximum. The camp speaker drawer is a good example - and probably one of the first things I'll print for my truck when it arrives.

I waffled on whether to buy an AMS with my printer when I bought it, but I'm glad I did. I now have 3 of them. Since my printer is in my basement, it makes printing so much more convenient, and multi color prints can be very cool.

 

[ksujeff99]

I waffled on whether to buy an AMS with my printer when I bought it, but I'm glad I did. I now have 3 of them. Since my printer is in my basement, it makes printing so much more convenient, and multi color prints can be very cool.

I’m considering upgrading to the A1 with the AMS. I wonder though do you have any issues with moisture and PTEG sitting in the AMS. Does it cause issues sitting in your (probably more humid) basement?

 

[jeeden]

The Bambu was slightly out of our price range when buying for my son. I think if you want the best, it is the one to get.

That said, my son's flashforge has been excellent as well

 

[beatle]

The AMS for the P1/X1 machines is "sealed" and loaded with dessicant so it is always dry. You don't need to print PETG from a dry box, however. People run print farms with open PETG spools. I have printed things from PETG stored in cardboard boxes and then chucked it in the printer and they have been usable, though I am not selling them and they are not decorative, just functional.

Many people store their unused filament in sealed containers with dessicant. That's a bit less convenient than having it "on tap" in a sealed AMS, but you need to upgrade to a P1 or X1 for that.

 

[smunro622]

Thanks I was thinking the Bambu P1S machine...it is on sale right now

 

[Zoidz]

I started with a Kickstarter one-off build it kit about 5 years ago and bought a Bambu X1 Carbon with AMS about 18 months ago. It’s been great. I design and print some semi-custom, low volume industry specific items that I sell, my old printer was not up to the quality. I use Fusion 360 for most of the design, and I also use Adobe Illustrator for graphics objects and export to SVG for extruding in Fusion.

3D printing has come a long way and Bambu has simplified some aspects. But you still have to be able to dig and and figure things out or troubleshoot. It’s not a “toaster” appliance.

 

[dradam]

I have printed and created a number of things from printables and a few other places.
Things I downloaded and like and use:
Tall dash cell phone mount-combined with mag ring from Amazon
Center console trays: I mixed an matched a few people’s versions and made a three tier set that I like.
I have printed sunglasses hooks that hang on the front vent and use them all the time
Printed a camp speaker drawer-have never used the camp speaker
Printed a gizmo that removes the second row head rests very easily.
printed hitch plate cover bolts so you can take it off using your fingers
Printed strips that fill the gaps in the cargo bars

Designed and uploaded a trash bin that fits into the yee pin floor organizer from amazon. Sits under the dash and is rock stable
Designed and uploaded a tow hook license plate holder that uses the plate holder provides
Created an hov sticker plate for Maryland that attaches to rear plate bolts so no sticking to paint
Remixed and posted a trailer hitch tool box that I shortened for the R1s

so many toys….

 

[defcon888]

What we are looking for (probably to big for 3D printing) is what I am calling a "BED SPACER".

We have the R1T and when my wife drives it to get groceries, she will sometimes have to put some in the truck bed. Obviously, when driving, the groceries (or whatever she puts in the truck bed) will shift and it is tough for my 5'1" wife to reach it.

We looked on EVSportline but nothing.

 

[EveryAmp]

PETG is a great safe and durable material to print with. It's what we have been using for SnapPlate since we started in 2019 and have had zero heat related issues for exterior use.

Cabin interiors baking in the sun with windows rolled up can reach much higher temperatures than outside (waiting on that cabin overheat protection...) and may become an issue with any load bearing print. We learned this last year with the Dash Anchors and Seat Back Anchors. We have since switched to a higher temperature material without any issues since.

So just be sure to choose what's right for your application.

We're fans of Prusa machines if you cant tell:

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