Cost - 3D printed enclosure vs Project box?

[kalel]

Once you do have a 3D printer (they are still a bit expensive but getting more affordable with time), how much would it cost to build an enclosure for your project?

I'm interested in the price ratio of 3D printed boxes versus purchased boxes. I know this might be a complicated comparison, since 3D printing can give you an exact fit for your project, and project boxes cannot match that.

But if there is any way to compare the costs, I would like to know.

[sleemanj]

Raw material cost only, a Kilo of filament runs, for cheap PLA from Aliexpress, about $30 USD.

A typical project box for my projects, would be maybe 100g, including support material, so you get 10 to a kilo.  30/10 = $3 USD. 

[kalel]

Raw material cost only, a Kilo of filament runs, for cheap PLA from Aliexpress, about $30 USD.

A typical project box for my projects, would be maybe 100g, including support material, so you get 10 to a kilo.  30/10 = $3 USD.

So not exactly free, but relatively cheap, especially considering it's custom. About how large in dimensions is that 100 box? When looking at plastic project boxes from China, I usually don't look at the weight.

[sleemanj]

This is 73mm deep, 60mm high, 125mm wide, and according to cura would require about 100g of PLA and take 6 and a half hours with my current settings.

[CatalinaWOW]

Don't forget that the 3D printed one can eliminate a lot of standoffs and other mounting hardware, so in terms of material will have  a large advantage.  But something somewhere has to pay the cost of the printer.  Chalk it up to learning and the cost to the box is nothing, but if you make only a few boxes a year you have dozens of dollars in printer cost.

The six hours on the machine actually doesn't compare too badly with the time required to cut square holes, drill mounting holes and other machining on a project box.

[Rerouter]

sleemanj, your screw holders should probably be more triangular, curved overhangs don't turn out well for me.

as for the op's question, If you can machine your holes and openings easily, then project box is the easiest,
If your not willing to drill and file out odd shaped holes or openings, then 3D printing can be an option.

3D printing takes some creative thinking to make, e.g. my comment about sleemanj's case. overhangs and voids are things you need to plan around, subtle changes in wall thickness can change the properties of the case dramatically, past a certain thickness it behaves like a lump of plastic and is very hard to damage, and below a certain thickness acts like the wall of a balloon with some very odd flexibility,

A final point, non black PLA in my experience is significantly transparent to IR light, if your using IR, you may need to spray paint your case.

[sleemanj]

sleemanj, your screw holders should probably be more triangular, curved overhangs don't turn out well for me.

This was printed long long ago, just took it as an example.  The overhangs were printed with support :-)

[frozenfrogz]

If your primary concern is money, then that is not really the selling point of a 3D printer. (-> FDM desktop printer such as RepRap / Ultimaker / all the other clones and derivates)
Also, compared to the industrial style boxes you can buy that are mostly injection molded from high quality plastics such as polycarbonate (PC) - often even the glass fiber reinforced stuff - you will have significantly less robustness in the (home) 3D printed part.

The unique selling point of getting a 3D printer is the ability to get the case fitted exactly to your needs, with neat features built in you would not find in any of the shelve case and you get the part you want more or less instantly (printing still takes quite some time, depending on your printer, 3D model and material).

Another thing to point out is that generating the 3D model comes with a lot of things to learn. That is a good thing if you are curious and want to really get to know your printer, its features and limitations, the features and limitations of different materials and last but not least CAD software. It’s a bad thing if you are impatient and "just want to get things done". There will be a lot of frustration along the way.

If you are not afraid to really dive into something new (don’t know your background ), then the printer will not only provide you with custom built solutions, but a whole lot of new possibilities for a variety of things.
If you want to try out some things, you could start with the CAD modeling part and send your parts out to someone that already owns a printer. There are a lot of people offering 3D printing as an affordable service via 3dhubs.com and similar sites.
I am a big fan of PETG Filament. It is not too expensive, prints very well and is pretty robust. I have never looked back at using PLA again.

[stmdude]

Another thing to point out is that generating the 3D model comes with a lot of things to learn.

That's a truth if I've ever heard one. It's a lot of work learning how to bring a design idea into something that can be printed, houses a PCB, stays together somehow and looks nice.

Actually, I think learning it has improved my professional life. I can hang with the lingo that the MCAD guys use, and I have a much greater understanding for the wierd shapes and holes they keep insisting on putting in my PCBs.

Right now, my skill-set is MCAD (poor), ECAD (medium), SW (expert). Being able to (in theory) develop every part of a product _at home_ is pretty darn cool. However, the amount of _time_ required to do it is pretty preventative.

If you think drawing up a schematic and routing a PCB takes time, designing a nice enclosure will take about the same time. You should think long and hard about if you have that amount of time to spend, and if the time/reward ratio is good enough.

That being said, decent 3D printers are really cheap now, and fun to just play around with, so if you got enough loose change, you should give it a go.

[ElektroQuark]

3D printing is all about customization. For simple standard boxes, off the sell ones win.
But for customized ones 3D printing shines.
Take a look at this video of my channel, at about minute 7:30.
The showed case would cost a bunch of money. With the 3D printer it's about 5€.

https://youtu.be/bk86r1qcdow

[tooki]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

[Monkeh]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

Use ABS and smooth it. Just.. please don't put mains powered stuff in regular ABS prints.

[sokoloff]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

Look at the video above. Click to around 8m30s. The surface quality on that looks pretty damn good to me.

Use ABS and smooth it. Just.. please don't put mains powered stuff in regular ABS prints.

Why not? A quick Google search didn't turn up anything obvious.

[Monkeh]

Use ABS and smooth it. Just.. please don't put mains powered stuff in regular ABS prints.

Why not? A quick Google search didn't turn up anything obvious.

It burns. Really rather well. Normal filaments have no flame retardants added.

[tooki]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

Look at the video above. Click to around 8m30s. The surface quality on that looks pretty damn good to me.

Only because the video compression is smoothing it out in the embedded YouTube (it’s clearer if you load it in the YT app or website). Look at around 41:37: the surface looks like shit. And even at the 8:30 you suggest, look at the edge of the main chassis: it’s totally ragged.

[NiHaoMike]

Didn't Micah Elizabeth Scott take a 3D print and coat it in epoxy to get something that looks nicer and is stronger?

[Mr. Scram]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

Yes, I feel the same. It's okay for prototypes, but it screams hobbyist hour for anything else.

[kalel]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

Yes, I feel the same. It's okay for prototypes, but it screams hobbyist hour for anything else.

I assume that different materials and maybe even different printers or settings give slightly different results, but I have noticed the outside texture in some videos/photos. I don't think it's a big issue personally.

The only thing still slightly high is the prices of 3D printers, but those are going down.

As for project boxes, they are also aimed at hobbyists as far as I understand.

[stmdude]

The only thing still slightly high is the prices of 3D printers, but those are going down.

No kidding. Just the other day I ordered a 3D printer for $130. I'm not expecting it to output super nice prints, but according to the reviews, it does print nicer than you'd expect for that price.

I'm going to play with it for a bit, and then it's becoming a test-mule for a controller-board I'm starting to design.

Btw. Am I the only "EE" here that gets nauseous when they look at the existing controller-boards for 3D printers?  Disregarding that they all look like mutated Arduinos, pretty much all of them look like they were designed and laid out by complete beginners? Poor thermal planning, very little to no protection, much too thin traces, etc, etc. And these are boards we're running 100+ watts through..

( So far, the only semi-decent board I've seen is the Smoothieboard v2 pro )

[Nusa]

3D printing is invaluable for prototyping or one-off projects.

For production purposes, 3D printed parts of any size are only practical for low volume or for items that are simply unobtainable by any other method. Rarely is it cheaper when there are alternatives.

[sleemanj]

Am I the only person who, despite understanding the aforementioned advantages of custom 3D printed enclosures, just can’t stand the look of them, since the surfaces come out so terrible? (I know that professional 3D printing can achieve much better quality, but that’s not what we are discussing here.)

Eh, who cares if the  layers are visible, it's funvtional apparatus, not a beauty contest.  I print at 0.3mm and i find the finish just fine.  Obviously print orientation needs to be considered, but for my functional prints i don't do cleanup other than removing support. 

For more aesthetic stuff to steal a phrase, filler and paint makes it the printer it ain't.

[Mr. Scram]

Eh, who cares if the  layers are visible, it's funvtional apparatus, not a beauty contest.  I print at 0.3mm and i find the finish just fine.  Obviously print orientation needs to be considered, but for my functional prints i don't do cleanup other than removing support. 

For more aesthetic stuff to steal a phrase, filler and paint makes it the printer it ain't.

Sorry, I just like nicely made stuff.

[PlainName]

Sorry, I just like nicely made stuff

You do realise that most 'nice' things you buy are 'finished' in some way? Surfaces will be deburred, machined, painted, all sorts of things. You could do the same with a 3D printed part if you could be arsed, but you want it to be a magical replication box where you feed in some anonymous material and out pops a fully formed and completed product. Making things just isn't like that, regardless of the medium.

[Mr. Scram]

You do realise that most 'nice' things you buy are 'finished' in some way? Surfaces will be deburred, machined, painted, all sorts of things. You could do the same with a 3D printed part if you could be arsed, but you want it to be a magical replication box where you feed in some anonymous material and out pops a fully formed and completed product. Making things just isn't like that, regardless of the medium.

I would appreciate it if you don't belittle me by lecturing me about expectations I don't actually have.

Home printed parts are structurally and often functionally inferior to traditionally manufactured parts. There are printers that do better, but you definitely don't and won't own those. FDM is a great technology, but not even the most vigorous post processing can change its nature. As you say, it's not a magical replication box. It's a printer that squirts coarse plastic approximations.

[Mjolinor]

The first two 3d printers I bought were Stratasys model 768. One BST and one SST. I quickly sold the BST and bought a broken Wabhao for £80.

I then spent several months making the Wanhao print as well as the SST and sold the SST.

The parts it makes are of course identifiable as 3d printed but they were with the Stratasys. They are good looking boxes that take no effort to make.

This is about as rough as they get with no effort put into cleaning the bed or levelling it, just draw (15 minutes using Openscad) and print (20 minutes). Control panel for my spot welder.