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Re: 3D printing and clarinets

Author: jdbassplayer
Date: 2020-04-12 20:23

JTJC,

What a coincidence, I just finished 3D printing a composite wood neck for a Buffet basset horn/Kohlert alto clarinet.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-e9O9Qg_Iz/

1.1mm is too thin for a functional 3D printed part and will be very fragile. You can see on my neck I used a piece of 3/4" OD brass tubing with a 17mm ID. The tube goes about 1cm into the neck for structural stability. The rest of the bore is 17.2mm.

As for surface finish, you generally need to do a lot of post processing to get an acceptable finish. On the bore, I used a homemade flexible reamer and on the outside I used sandpaper followed by a poly finish.

As for porosity, this is where it gets tricky. For 20 - 40 I would expect it to be printed by a standard FDM printer. Many companies that offer 3D printing services will make the infill and walls as thin as possible in order to save material. I have heard cases of parts not being airtight. Most people who commission 3D printed parts mostly care about aesthetics and don't care if the part is airtight.

If you are going to have a part printed by a 3D printing service, make sure you specify at least a 1.6mm wall thickness and a 20 percent infill. This will bump up the price but will make the part stronger.

But if 3D printing is something that interests you I would highly recommend getting your own printer. An Ender 3 is only about $200 USD and is a very capable machine. Good rolls of material range from $20 - $30 and are enough to print dozens of fairly large parts. It's a very fun hobby with a very active community.

-Jdbassplayer

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3D printing and clarinets new

SunnyDaze

2020-04-03 12:09