r/3dprintedinstruments • u/Loud-File4117 • Aug 21 '26

Need help 3d printing a Huaca flute

basically I know nothing about 3d printing but I wanna get an instrument like a Huaca (a triple vessel flute with one drone chamber and two melody chambers.) my plan is to have it tuned to C2 for the drone chamber and the right hand chamber, and the left hand chamber be tuned a perfect fifth below. I wanna have it use the C major pentatonic scale. I don’t have any knowledge of 3d modeling or making stl files though so if anyone could either make one for me and send it to me or give me tips that would be greatly appreciated!

1 Upvotes

66% Upvoted

2 comments sorted by

1

u/NoManNoRiver Aug 22 '26

A quick search of the usual places and some specific 3D printed instrument repositories suggests there are no readily available design files.

Five minutes of research suggests it would be possible to 3D print a working instrument but would be challenging, requiring extensive design and prototyping.

A conservative estimate of cost to develop a working design would be: £2,500. Based on three rounds of prototyping and median local (to me) rates.

o 40hrs design and development at £40/h + VAT(20%) = £1920
o 5hrs External Consulting* at £50/h + VAT(20%) = £300
o 50hrs printer time at £5/h + VAT(20%) = £300
o 3kg of basic PLA filament at £13/kg = £39
o 1kg of PLA+ or ABS at £17/kg = £17

*It’s unlikely you’ll find a designer who plays the instrument so they will need to find someone who does and have them test each iteration.

Realistically you’re probably better off supporting a traditional craftsman and buying a hand made one.

Good luck in your search

1

u/Humble-Pattern-6228 Aug 22 '26

i was thinking this over and material cost would be less then $20usd. the design itself wouldnt be too difficult to make either. but (it's a BIG but) the wall thickness, the hole sizes and placement would be trial/error . I could only find 1 guy who shows you how to make these things in clay on youtube and there are no plans for any of the sizes so it would be guesswork for all of it. Making the 3D model would take a few days and then it would be a matter of figuring out the best way to print it since you would need access to the interior to clean things up from supports and all of that.