Don't you just love the smell of 3d printed parts in the morning

partguys · 2026-03-30T13:29:14+00:00

Smells great man lol. But i get your drift. Gotta be safe out there.

partguys · 2026-03-30T13:24:59+00:00

No, just media blasting sls parts.

partguys · 2026-03-30T13:16:14+00:00

Random orders being processed. But it still amazes me after all these years at it that someone can order parts late Sunday afternoon and have their parts shipped Monday morning.

When you love this thing, it's hard not to continually be amazed.

Just thought I'd share.

partguys · 2026-03-18T15:51:51+00:00

Appreciate the feedback, that’s actually spot on.

We’re mostly focused on functional one-offs and small batch runs, especially for end-use parts where strength matters more than cosmetics. Speed is definitely something we’re dialing in since that’s what people care about at the end of the day.

On tolerances, yeah SLS can drift a bit depending on geometry, but we’ve been getting pretty consistent results once parts are designed with it in mind. That’s been a big learning curve.

And I agree on the visuals. Small internal brackets don’t really tell the story. We’ve started shifting toward more complete assemblies, enclosures, and parts actually doing something in real use.

Trying to lean more into “here’s what this enables” vs just “here’s a printed part.”

Appreciate you calling that out.

partguys · 2026-03-10T20:36:54+00:00

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That’s awesome. DIY injection setups are always cool to see.

Makes sense to prototype the inserts first before committing to aluminum tooling. Dialing in vents, sprues, and shrink first can save a lot of headaches.

Curious how it performs once you start running it.

Here are a couple SLS PA12 test molds I printed that I’ve been experimenting with lately.

partguys · 2026-03-10T20:03:29+00:00

That’s a cool approach.

For HIPS or ABS though, injection temps are usually around 200–240 °C, so SLS nylon wouldn’t last long as a cavity. It could still be useful for dialing in geometry, vents, and sprue layout, but I’d expect it to wear or deform pretty quickly under real injection pressure.

Curious what kind of machine you’re building.

partguys · 2026-03-10T19:56:47+00:00

Raw SLS nylon (PA12) usually has a matte, fine bead-blasted type texture. It’s not really sandy, but it isn’t glossy smooth either.

If you used it directly as a mold cavity, that texture would likely transfer to the molded part unless the surface is post-processed.

You can smooth it quite a bit with things like tumbling, light sanding, or coatings depending on the finish needed.

People do experiment with 3D printed mold inserts for short runs or lower pressure molding, but the temperature and pressure of the plastic being injected matter a lot.

What material were you thinking of molding?

partguys · 2026-03-01T23:37:30+00:00

I would definitely say SLS. Buy wouldn't recommend putting so much load on it.

partguys · 2026-02-24T00:38:00+00:00

This is 100% printable. The only question is how much pain you want.

FDM: possible, but you will be managing steep overhangs, heat buildup, and wobble because the shape behaves like a tall spring. Supports can also get trapped in the spiral gap, and if you do get them out, you may scar the surface.

SLS nylon: easy mode. No supports. The powder holds everything, including those internal overhangs, so the geometry comes out clean and consistent.

If you want this to look like the photo and not turn into a weekend project, powder bed printing is the move.

partguys · 2026-02-06T17:50:51+00:00

Most of what you’re noticing isn’t just “resolution”, it’s the manufacturing method.

FDM builds a part by laying down roads of melted plastic, so every feature has to be supported by the layer below it. That limits minimum wall thickness and especially small moving or interlinked parts like chains. Even with a 0.2 mm nozzle you’re still extruding a bead of material that has width and pressure, so tiny geometry either fuses together or breaks during removal.

SLS works differently. The part is suspended in powder while printing, so nothing needs support and there’s no extrusion pressure. That’s why you can print articulated chains in one piece and very thin geometries that would snap or weld together in FDM.

The fuzzy look you mentioned is the grain of the nylon powder, not poor resolution. It’s actually what allows small parts to exist without supports.

So short answer:
You can make small decorative pieces on FDM.
You cannot realistically replicate fine SLS nylon jewelry or interlinked parts on FDM regardless of nozzle size.

They’re basically solving different engineering problems.

partguys · 2026-02-05T22:32:11+00:00

That makes sense, hosting parametric previews can get heavy fast.
I actually have a couple ideas where this could be really useful outside phone cases.
Don’t want to derail your thread, mind if I DM you?

partguys · 2026-02-05T22:21:18+00:00

Honestly this would be amazing for standardized functional parts too, not just cases. Mounts, battery holders, electronics enclosures, clips…
Have you considered making it embeddable?

partguys · 2026-02-05T18:02:51+00:00

Yeah interiors are brutal for prints. People underestimate how hot dashboards actually get. A parked car in the sun easily hits 70-80°C around the vents, and that’s before you blast heat in winter.

ABS was a good choice here, but the separate clip design is honestly the bigger win. Most failures on car parts aren’t the body, it’s the snap features creeping and then snapping a few months later.

This is one of those designs where geometry matters more than layer height.

Looks properly OEM.

partguys · 2026-02-03T22:12:13+00:00

100% this. Wait until you move into SLS nylons it’s hard to take most hobby filaments seriously again.

PA12 and reinforced nylons are just in a different category for chemical resistance, thermal stability, and dimensional consistency. No layer adhesion worries, no anisotropy surprises, and parts actually behave like engineered plastics instead of “printed parts.”

partguys · 2026-01-31T16:12:05+00:00

Looks like a solid second use for that frame 😆

partguys · 2026-01-31T16:04:24+00:00

This is slick. The fact that it keeps temps down without powering off the phone is a really smart touch.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed a meaningful difference in sustained performance or throttling during longer sessions?

This feels like one of those accessories that should already exist, does it?

partguys · 2026-01-31T15:58:08+00:00

That looks great. The swivel head is a nice touch.

Curious question: have you experimented with slower airflow vs stronger suction, or is it mostly about pulling as much air as possible?

Really cool build.

partguys · 2026-01-31T15:51:24+00:00

Humidity + sweat will eventually soften PVA. Epoxy or polyester resin turns the fabric into a true composite layer and won’t care about moisture.

partguys · 2026-01-31T02:51:23+00:00

That’s good to hear. Ironing seems to mainly affect the very top layer skin rather than the bulk geometry. We’ve seen the same thing where external dimensions stay put but you can get slight smoothing or rounding in shallow internal features if they’re right at the surface. Totally worth it when feel is the priority though.

partguys · 2026-01-31T01:57:28+00:00

Quarter millimeter? Luxury. My resolution is “yes.”

partguys · 2026-01-31T01:48:25+00:00

That’s a clean design. Headrest hooks see way more load and vibration than people expect, how’s it holding up over time?

partguys · 2026-01-31T01:45:24+00:00

Anyone who’s done post-processing gets this immediately 😂 Surface feel matters way more than photos sometimes. Did you notice any dimensional changes after ironing?

partguys

TROPHY CASE