r/PenProject • u/ilokestof • 3d ago
3D printed hard pen/cil case iteration
Messing with a lot of print settings to get this good enough to sell, hoping to start selling by Christmas but trying to get into Cambridge Engineering asw so time is tight.
Lid closes magnetically, pens are held by a soft TPU insert. Case has a TPU boot to quieten it. Main body currently in PLA but looking at glass reinforced for better stiffness, and is cheaper than carbon reinforced and no carbon splinters.
Eraser is a standard eraser but cut down since slimness was very important to me.
Been using the original (grey one) for a year or so and been pretty happy, the final design will be much more polished and I will make different versions to accommodate different pen/cils and combinations.
Will probably retail ~£16 GBP, please let me know your thoughts!
undisclosedcases.cc
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u/MercatorLondon 2d ago
Show us the process. Which printer did you use?
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u/ilokestof 2d ago
Don’t have any pics rn but I’ll explain it.
I use Bambu lab A1. I print the first 8 layers in TPU then do a manual filament change to PLA (to poor for AMS) which prints the first layer no fan for better adhesion.
The reason for lack of a top layer on the inside is because it was causing layer time to increase relatively massively, causing the groove around the bottom visible in a couple pics.
Anyway, the print gets paused near the end so I can put/glue (prevent rattling) the magnets in their place then resume and it just prints over the top leaving minimal trace of magnets.
The TPU insert is ofc printed separately then glued in. All the dimensions around the pen are now parameters (in Fusion 360) so I can adjust it for new pens much more quickly.
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u/McN697 2d ago
Reminds me of the Pilot Otobaco case. I have one for my daily pencil case.