Solved Where is the best place I can get my parts 3d printed and what material is best?

[TheCATDocter]

Hey I am just starting my research on building wii portables and I am think of building a G-Wii or a Xii-Boy. I do not own a 3d printer and I am trying to look for a good 3d printing service that will print my case and any other parts I need. I am also curious on what is the best materials for portables that I could maybe get printed in indigo, since I am trying to make my portable gamecube themed. I am extremely new to this type of stuff so any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[JamesPi]

Hey so right out of the gate, for the Xii-Boy Ultra beta kits we're using JLC3DP's Nylon SLS and Resin SLS services for our shells. We're looking into a process for the final kits that gets a result similar to injection molding, but it's not reasonable for single quantities. Another service I'd recommend is @cy's 3d printing service. All of his prints look incredible, and while I have never ordered from him personally, from what I've seen his service seems to be truly amazing for FDM prints.

 

[cy]

Hey so right out of the gate, for the Xii-Boy Ultra beta kits we're using JLC3DP's Nylon SLS and Resin SLS services for our shells. We're looking into a process for the final kits that gets a result similar to injection molding, but it's not reasonable for single quantities. Another service I'd recommend is @cy's 3d printing service. All of his prints look incredible, and while I have never ordered from him personally, from what I've seen his service seems to be truly amazing for FDM prints.

Thank you for the vote of confidence James!

Hey I am just starting my research on building wii portables and I am think of building a G-Wii or a Xii-Boy. I do not own a 3d printer and I am trying to look for a good 3d printing service that will print my case and any other parts I need. I am also curious on what is the best materials for portables that I could maybe get printed in indigo, since I am trying to make my portable gamecube themed. I am extremely new to this type of stuff so any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

STEP RIGHT UP TheCATDoctor because CY has a DEAL FOR YOU! For just $40 (plus shipping) YOU TOO can have your very own G-Wii shell printed including all the 3d printed brackets, buttons and doohickeys your heart desires!

Here's an Ashida shell I printed for reference:

Now that I'm done going full paid advertiser on your ass, I'll say this:

My service is a good way to go if you live in the U.S. and want something that's non-transparent and colored. The print quality of my shells is very good and has received consistent praise by the community, but they do sometimes contain minor flaws in them. It's also worth noting that I only print in PLA and PETG due to the current limitations of my printer, so my shells aren't going to be nearly as durable as a something you get printed in nylon. That said, even really thin 0.5mm walls of PLA can be surprisingly durable.

If you're looking for a shell that's reasonably durable and of decent print quality, my 3d printing service has you covered. PLA's only real shortcoming is that it has a lower melting temp than a lot of other plastics, but it certainly won't melt if you leave it in a hot car on a sunny day. And if you're worried about durability, my shells aren't going to break if you drop them onto the pavement. If you're seriously worried about durability, I'd steer clear of resin shells since while they are really nice with how smooth they are (and can even be transparent!) they're incredibly brittle, and can break very easily.

If you're looking for something that's cheap, durable, good quality, printable in any color, and you live in the U.S. My 3d printing service is probably the way to go. I've made a thread you can read through here for more information and glamour shots.

 

[JamesPi]

Thank you for the vote of confidence James!

Of course!

STEP RIGHT UP TheCATDoctor because CY has a DEAL FOR YOU! For just $40 (plus shipping) YOU TOO can have your very own G-Wii shell printed including all the 3d printed brackets, buttons and doohickeys your heart desires!

Here's an Ashida shell I printed for reference:

Gosh, every time I see one of your prints, I'm always so impressed from every aspect. Honestly, amazing looking stuff.

 

[cy]

Of course!

Gosh, every time I see one of your prints, I'm always so impressed from every aspect. Honestly, amazing looking stuff.

Thank you! People say that newer printers blow the Prusa MK3S+ out of the water so I imagine you can probably do a lot better than this. I don't know of anyone else in the community right now who offers 3d print commissions. I imagine there's probably someone you could message who'd be happy to print you a shell on their bambu printer though. This doesn't even cover the crazy multi color prints you can do with them either.

I like offering my printing service up to people though since I know what it's like to not have a printer. It's really nice to have someone you can rely on to print you a shell.