3D printing keytops/buttons etc...

[TimeSwan]

Perhaps my questions might be more suited for a 3D printer forum rather than here but let's see. A friend and I are thinking about going in on a 3d printer together. I'm very enticed by the idea of being able to print a replacement for a keytop or a button or a switch as needed rather than try to hunt one down. I've dug through the forum a bit and found some people have printed parts for their accordion in the past but I haven't seen anything about parts that have more physical interaction with the player.

Does PLA hold up to being handled a lot? Some people have very corrosive body oil, I've seen keys that have large pock marks because of it (you can tell when a player never strayed far from the key of C). I've even seen valve casings on trumpets that have heavy corrosion because of the same issue. Obviously, that is a specific body type and isn't always going to be the case. I'm just wondering if PLA might be more or less susceptible to this sort of thing?

I know printed objects don't come out as smooth to the touch as one would want their keys to feel. Is it a huge pain to sand things down to a smooth finish?

Any experiences with 3D printing would be very helpful in my decision making, please and thank you!

 

[debra]

I have printed some small parts like accordion feet and chin switches. I mostly printed things because I then have the parts quickly and don't have to wait for a shipment from Italy. When printing with 0.1mm resolution the results are pretty smooth and with a bit of sanding and then painting they look good enough to use.

 

[petch]

would a SLA/DLP printer be better for this sort of thing? little to no post-processing (sanding) required

 

[TimeSwan]

would a SLA/DLP printer be better for this sort of thing? little to no post-processing (sanding) required

I have read that some materials are more toxic than others. I'm unsure about SLA/DLP, I will do some more research. Does that material require a certain type of printer or is it as simple as changing out the filament? This is where my naivete shows.

I would think the best choice would be some kind of resin print but, again, I have read that it is pretty toxic and I don't really want to go through the fuss of making a ventilation system.

I've watched some interesting videos on youtube of people mixing wood filler with acetone and applying that paste to the print to fill in the inconsistencies and then sand and finish it with an acrylic paint. Acetone would be a problem with ABS of course but from what I'm reading it isn't an issue with PLA.