3D scanning and producing new parts

radialMelt · Oct 18, 2024

Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has undertaken the project of 3D scanning and either 3D printing or simply machining new parts for a camera? I have a broken advance lever that I would like to replace but sadly no spares exist. I was considering having it 3D scanned and something machined. It seems like there's services for this in my neck of the woods, but I have no idea if they are prohibitively expensive, or if they will even take "one off" projects.

Any of you folk out there done something like this before?

vandergus · Oct 18, 2024

I've done some fabrication of camera parts. I haven't used 3D scanning but rather just the old fashioned calipers and CAD. If it's a part with a complicated profile, I will make a tracing, take a photo, then import the tracing into some CAD software and use it as a guide. Here's an example.

For fabricating parts, I've found the lost wax casting process to be really useful. You get nice brass or bronze parts for a pretty reasonable price. I used to use Shapeways but their US branch stopped operating. I'm currently putting together an order from i.Materialize to trial their lost wax process.

For an advance lever, you might want something stronger than brass, which typically means a machined aluminum or steel part. I haven't found any prototyping services that will do machining for a reasonable price (i.e. sub-$100), but there may be something out there.

radialMelt · Oct 18, 2024

Interesting video, and promising to know this is possible. Thanks!

Dan Daniel · Oct 18, 2024

vandergus said:
If it's a part with a complicated profile, I will make a tracing, take a photo, then import the tracing into some CAD software and use it as a guide.

FYI, I've used a scanner to make an image of a part. Then in Illustrator used live trace to generate a vector of the shape. Fine tuning always needed, but it's a quick and dirty way to start on shapes that lend itself to this.

radialMelt · Oct 18, 2024

Has anyone tested the durability/strength of any of the 3D printed substrates? If a milled/machined part ends up costing $400-500 I'm not entirely sure it will be worth it.

OAPOli · Oct 18, 2024

I've designed a bunch of 3D-printed parts for cameras. As @vandergus said, often all you need is some calipers. If the part has complex contours, you can even take a photo of the part, import/scale it then trace it directly.

For metal parts, I've used PCBway in the past. For fancy sintered 3D-printed plastics I've used Forged Labs in Canada.

For an advance lever, I would print it in plain ABS or PLA just to test it out. You often need a few prototypes before getting it right. It would probably be fine but you can then check the cost for machining or 3D-printed metal.

ic-racer · Oct 18, 2024

Making A New Plastic Film Advance Lever Tip

One of the Rollei SL35 cameras I bought to fix came to me without the little plastic tip on the end of the film advance lever. It seems these levers are hard to come by on the used camera parts market. So I decided to make a new one.

www.photrio.com

radialMelt · Oct 18, 2024

OAPOli said:
I've designed a bunch of 3D-printed parts for cameras. As @vandergus said, often all you need is some calipers. If the part has complex contours, you can even take a photo of the part, import/scale it then trace it directly.

For metal parts, I've used PCBway in the past. For fancy sintered 3D-printed plastics I've used Forged Labs in Canada.

For an advance lever, I would print it in plain ABS or PLA just to test it out. You often need a few prototypes before getting it right. It would probably be fine but you can then check the cost for machining or 3D-printed metal.

I was also looking at PCBway... you've had good luck with them? I am also in Canada.

Thanks for the info!

koraks · Oct 18, 2024

radialMelt said:
a broken advance lever that I would like to replace

3D printing is not an optimal manufacturing method for this. It's a part that's subject to fairly large force. Especially filament printed parts aren't all that strong, although it helps to increase infill to make them more solid. Even so, I'd expect the odds of failure especially in low temperature conditions to be unacceptably high.

radialMelt · Oct 18, 2024

koraks said:
3D printing is not an optimal manufacturing method for this. It's a part that's subject to fairly large force. Especially filament printed parts aren't all that strong, although it helps to increase infill to make them more solid. Even so, I'd expect the odds of failure especially in low temperature conditions to be unacceptably high.

Yeah, that was my thinking as well.

OAPOli · Oct 18, 2024

radialMelt said:
I was also looking at PCBway... you've had good luck with them? I am also in Canada.

Thanks for the info!

That was 3 years ago, no complains then.

Truzi · Oct 18, 2024

Here's a dumb idea if you still have the pieces... are you able to find a chunk of metal somewhere? I save old computer hard-drive parts, heat sinks, random bits of metal from things that broke (I scavenge things before throwing them out).

If it's not too complex, you may be able to trace the lever onto some material and use a drill, coping saw, files, etc., to make the part you need. It can be tedious and take some time, but is theoretically doable. (Of course, take this suggestion with a grain of salt, because patience is not one of my virtues.)

radialMelt · Oct 18, 2024

Truzi said:
Here's a dumb idea if you still have the pieces... are you able to find a chunk of metal somewhere? I save old computer hard-drive parts, heat sinks, random bits of metal from things that broke (I scavenge things before throwing them out).

If it's not too complex, you may be able to trace the lever onto some material and use a drill, coping saw, files, etc., to make the part you need. It can be tedious and take some time, but is theoretically doable. (Of course, take this suggestion with a grain of salt, because patience is not one of my virtues.)

An admirable idea but one I think would be incredibly difficult to execute. Thanks for the suggestion though!

reddesert · Oct 18, 2024

There are now websites / services where you can upload several 2-D photographs and it will reconstruct a 3-D model of the object. I haven't tried this yet, but a colleague did and was pretty impressed. It will obviously do better on some shapes than others (I would expect voids/concavities to be difficult).

You can get 3D models printed in metal alloy, it presumably costs more than plastic and is somewhat stronger, but not as strong as an original metal part.

Many wind levers have a flat metal core with a more complex plastic outer shape. Depending on the lever, you may be able to reduce the complexity of the strong part. If nothing else, design it out of plastic with a metal rod to reinforce the arm, or something like that.

OAPOli · Oct 18, 2024

Funny coincidence, I ran into this sign in my neighbourhood today.

radialMelt · Oct 19, 2024

OAPOli said:
Funny coincidence, I ran into this sign in my neighbourhood today.

View attachment 381256

Nice! Thanks for sharing!

250swb · Oct 19, 2024

I think success or failure centres around how expensive is it to just buy a new old camera compared with the cost of the part and having it fitted. There is the case for new parts by identifying common failures (as with the replacement catch for the F100), but so few cameras have common failures, most things that don't work are solved by a CLA. That isn't impossible, I'm sure there would be a market for replacement Leica rewind cranks as an example, but the 3D part would need to meet the aesthetic requirements of the average Leica owner and from what I see home 3D printing hasn't got there yet.

reddesert · Oct 19, 2024

It depends on the part and the strength / accuracy requirements. There are some cameras, probably more from the 80s/90s than earlier, where some critical bit of plastic is important and 3D printing offers a solution where it was previously impractical. For example, the mirror stop on one of the later Mamiya 645 (Pro or Super) is replaceable with a 3D print design.

Other examples include battery holders and wind knobs, that often go missing or get broken. I made a 3D print design for a battery holder for the Bronica SQ-AI, which is a small part that often gets lost, and it is freely available on thingiverse. I would like to make designs for battery holders for the Nikon N8008 and N90, where the existing holders are often damaged, and the supply of NOS ones has more or less dried up; but they are fairly complex shapes and it may be useful to scan an intact holder vs trying to draw it from scratch.

Dan Daniel · Oct 19, 2024

You might write to Miroslav Francruz. He has an operation in Canada-

Custom Camera Building

3d printed, custom made photo accessories. Film adapter, pinhole camera, 35mm, 120, 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, helicoid, bellows focusing cameras. Large format lens boards, adapters and standards for DIY camera building. Hasselblad cameras, accessories and service, panorama, medium format, 645, 6x6, 6x7...

customcamerabuilding.com

Although his focus is large format, etc., I think that he would take on a small project. Since he knows cameras, he will understand what is at stake. And he might be able to give you a realistic idea of what such parts will take to make, strength, cost, etc.

I've dealt with him on a couple of parts and he was knowledgeable and the parts were just what I needed.

Of course your project could far outside of his interests, hard to say.

Light Capture · Oct 19, 2024

What's the camera that needs a new winding crank?
Is it plastic or metal?

radialMelt · Oct 19, 2024

Dan Daniel said:
You might write to Miroslav Francruz. He has an operation in Canada-

Thanks, great suggestion.

Light Capture said:
What's the camera that needs a new winding crank?
Is it plastic or metal?

It is for a Plaubel Makina 670. Made of metal.

Light Capture · Oct 19, 2024

radialMelt said:
Thanks, great suggestion.

It is for a Plaubel Makina 670. Made of metal.

Thanks. I'll message you directly to get more details.
Outer shape seems to be machinable. Not sure about the coupling part that engages with winding mechanism.

radialMelt · Oct 20, 2024

Thanks all for the suggestions and help. Hopefully this thread will be useful for others looking to replace parts for cameras for which no spares exist.

On my side, I literally just now dropped the camera by accident and it has suffered catastrophic damage. I'll no longer be attempting to produce the advance lever and have to sell it for parts. Such is life....

MFstooges · Oct 21, 2024

OAPOli said:
I've designed a bunch of 3D-printed parts for cameras. As @vandergus said, often all you need is some calipers. If the part has complex contours, you can even take a photo of the part, import/scale it then trace it directly.

For metal parts, I've used PCBway in the past. For fancy sintered 3D-printed plastics I've used Forged Labs in Canada.

For an advance lever, I would print it in plain ABS or PLA just to test it out. You often need a few prototypes before getting it right. It would probably be fine but you can then check the cost for machining or 3D-printed metal.

How good is the cost from PCBWay? I tried to upload a model of a simple spur gear @ xometry and they quoted $200+ each for 3D printing with sintered material.

MFstooges · Oct 21, 2024

radialMelt said:
Hi all,

Wondering if anyone has undertaken the project of 3D scanning and either 3D printing or simply machining new parts for a camera? I have a broken advance lever that I would like to replace but sadly no spares exist. I was considering having it 3D scanned and something machined. It seems like there's services for this in my neck of the woods, but I have no idea if they are prohibitively expensive, or if they will even take "one off" projects.

Any of you folk out there done something like this before?

Advance lever is usually made from a flat bar. Maybe you can recreate it with hacksaw and file. The most difficult part is probably to broach the square hole.

3D scanning and producing new parts

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