The Steel Guitar Forum

Not sure if this is the right part of the forum for this question, but has anyone done any experimenting with 3D printed fingerpicks or thumb picks?

No, cool idea though!

Why?

Erv Niehaus wrote:Why?

Why not?
I can imagine a system by which digital imaging could be used in conjunction with 3D printing to produce a set of picks that fit the user perfectly, without the need for bending, hammering and all the other stuff we do. It would also allow easier experimentation with pick material, band size and shape, etc.
Once a player's optimal measurements could be stored, it would be possible to reproduce the picks as needed and they should be consistent from run to run.
It would be an expensive proposition right now, but costs might come down as the technology becomes more readily available.

Your want a players measurements stored so they could be reproduced, what, 20 years later.

Not expensive at all if you work at a place that already has a 3D printer and there's already a lot of prototyping going on! You could even scan an existing pick in and modify it in terms of shape and material. Why? It's a fun idea and a good way to grow your 3D CAD and printing skills.

Greg,
If I wanted a couple of finger picks, what do you think they would cost?

Erv Niehaus wrote:Your want a players measurements stored so they could be reproduced, what, 20 years later.

Not really, although I have trouble seeing consistently reproducible results as a problem. Twenty years would probably not be necessary; that's why I didn't bring it up.
If there are any among us who have knowledge or experience with 3D printing or who have tried this, it'd be nice to hear from you.

Greg Cutshaw wrote:Not expensive at all if you work at a place that already has a 3D printer and there's already a lot of prototyping going on! You could even scan an existing pick in and modify it in terms of shape and material. Why? It's a fun idea and a good way to grow your 3D CAD and printing skills.

That's the kind of thing I'm talking about, Greg. Thank you.

The picks are free for me! The printer sits there idle a lot and it's been fun downloading and printing all sorts of stuff. A great hobby and more every day, an alternative to machining replacement parts. Once the drawing's done and a test part's proven, there's almost no labor for the next part. I'd like to get one for home but will wait until the cost for high end printers comes down even more and more material choices become available.

Greg, there seems to be Aluminum and steel available for 3D printing and some of the pictures look pretty good.
Have you actuall seen any of that? Or is it just plastic? A tough plastic even?

When I first read the title, I thought it said 3D Printed NECKS... LOL

I remember seeing some older steels with 3D necks, with raised logos and fret markers... Can't remember what brand it was, maybe early Sho-Bud?

Sorry my post is slightly off-topic, but yeah... I think 3D printed NECKS would be cool!

Jay Friedrich wrote:When I first read the title, I thought it said 3D Printed NECKS... LOL

I remember seeing some older steels with 3D necks, with raised logos and fret markers... Can't remember what brand it was, maybe early Sho-Bud?

Sorry my post is slightly off-topic, but yeah... I think 3D printed NECKS would be cool!

Those are the Sho~Bud dust catcher fretboards. They're really cool.

Bob Russell wrote:It would also allow easier experimentation with pick material

Not really. The common hobbyist printers pretty much print in PLA or ABS plastics. Higher end printers can add a few more options, but it's nowhere near the selection of materials as you have for regular plastic molding.

Extrusion based printers (the common hobbyist varieties) are terrible at thin parts, I could see that being a big problem with printing fingerpicks.

Stephen Williams wrote:Greg, there seems to be Aluminum and steel available for 3D printing and some of the pictures look pretty good.
Have you actuall seen any of that? Or is it just plastic? A tough plastic even?

I think we're a couple generations out from affordable metal printers. If you're motivated you can print in PLA, use it to make a mold, and cast aluminum. But there are websites out there where you can upload a model and they mail you the printed metal part.

3d printing is fascinating. but it's a lot more limited than news articles make it out to be.[/i]

Nathan French wrote:

Bob Russell wrote:It would also allow easier experimentation with pick material

Not really. The common hobbyist printers pretty much print in PLA or ABS plastics. Higher end printers can add a few more options, but it's nowhere near the selection of materials as you have for regular plastic molding.

Extrusion based printers (the common hobbyist varieties) are terrible at thin parts, I could see that being a big problem with printing fingerpicks.

Stephen Williams wrote:Greg, there seems to be Aluminum and steel available for 3D printing and some of the pictures look pretty good.
Have you actuall seen any of that? Or is it just plastic? A tough plastic even?

I think we're a couple generations out from affordable metal printers. If you're motivated you can print in PLA, use it to make a mold, and cast aluminum. But there are websites out there where you can upload a model and they mail you the printed metal part.

3d printing is fascinating. but it's a lot more limited than news articles make it out to be.[/i]

Thanks, Nathan; good info there. I was at first thinking of a manufacturer doing this; didn't know what the current state of printers/materials was. It was just something I was wondering about.

Not sure how to share threads on this forum, but George Piburn has some interesting stuff to say about 3D picks in a post about polymer guitars in Steel Without Pedals.

Bob Russell wrote: Thanks, Nathan; good info there. I was at first thinking of a manufacturer doing this; didn't know what the current state of printers/materials was. It was just something I was wondering about.

My employer has some resin printers (not sure the exact term for this, I think SLA -- the kind where a laser cures the part in a bath of resin) that crank out really amazing prints. I think they do better with thin parts too. Those are probably going to become more mainstream for hobbyists soon.

For those interested in this kind of thing, do a search in your area for public "Maker Labs" these are often located in libarary's and are places where residents can work with 3d printers, scanners, cutters, etc and other technologies for free or very cheaply.

Alot of libraries are getting into this as the cost has come down alot and it's a great way to get younger folks into the libraries. I recently met a librarian from Dekalb Illinois whose main job is running their maker lab.

Karl Paulsen wrote:For those interested in this kind of thing, do a search in your area for public "Maker Labs" these are often located in libarary's and are places where residents can work with 3d printers, scanners, cutters, etc and other technologies for free or very cheaply.

Alot of libraries are getting into this as the cost has come down alot and it's a great way to get younger folks into the libraries. I recently met a librarian from Dekalb Illinois whose main job is running their maker lab.

Great tip - thanks!