I need to print a discontinued part for my car, I have an .stl file for the part, I just don’t have a 3D printer. It’s a speaker mount.
What online print service have you used that you can recommend? Thank you!
Edit: located in the US.
Depending on what it has to be printed out if your local library might be a good choice if they offer the service.
You can maybe post something on local marketplaces. Something like Kleinanzeigen (Germany), Facebook Marketplace (US I think) or something similar. Or local groups.
There are a lot of hobbyists who have a printer that stands still for 99% of the time, who can print it for cheap.
Or, as someone else already has suggested, your local library.
JLC3DP
I would try local library first, then your local Discord community, and then maybe Nextdoor.
I know Nextdoor can be a real shitshow of paranoid street watchers and bad political takes. But I have found it very helpful when it comes to stuff like this (and getting recommendations on local services / shops in general). Be sure to say you have the STL and are willing to pay a reasonable amount for help with it.
I don’t think there is a local Discord community for my area, but I can search around. I can check out Nextdoor, I forgot about that site! Thank you!
Where are you located, as in what country? That will probably change the answer a lot.
I would advise finding a local nerd to print it for you rather than using a commercial print service. For functional parts, it may take multiple attempts or some fiddling to ultimately get it right, which is going to be a massive pain in the ass if you’re ordering parts by mail and paying for each one.
Added to the post, located in the US.
A local individual is a good idea, unfortunately I live in a very rural farmland area, not many “local nerds” to speak of. But I could do some traveling.
I see. Yeah, that could pose a problem.
For use in a vehicle I would definitely recommend printing out of ABS at minimum (which is what most OEM plastic car components are made out of anyway, at least the ones I’ve looked at in my life that were marked as such on the back), so you’ll need someone who can do that with their machine also. PLA and probably even PETG will deform in a car sitting in the sun.
I’m probably not local but I am a nerd, and my machine can indeed print ABS. Post the file and I’ll take a look at it?
It looks like ABS was the recommended material on the forum that the part was posted on. Here is the forum it was posted on and here is the Thingiverse page for it. It would be the “modified” file, out of the two listed. I am not sure about how the specifications work, like measurements, but it would be meant to fit a 6.5" car speaker if that makes sense. I know just about nothing about 3D printers.
There’s a very popular YouTuber that does his 3d printing on his goat/sheep farm in rural Sweden (I think that’s where). Point is, you don’t know who has a printer. I personally drive around a lot for my work and would certainly be willing to drop something off if you’re in Indiana and I can. Just post the nearest bigger city and see if anyone responds.
