3D print of Heidenhain electrical connector?

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

I have a long Heidenhain linear glass scale LS406C from the early 2000’s that I want to cut into 3 smaller scales to fit onto my mill. I have already bought the extra 2 reader heads but these heads do not come with cable. The male 8-pin output from the head is a standard form 4×2 that I can mate with a generic female 2.54mm 8-pin (4×2) Dupont block and secure with shrink fit tubing. I have plenty of cable and connectors for the DRO end. However obviously much better to have the original metal enclosed Heidenhain female connector that secures to the head with 2 screws. The problem is cost – it seems impossible to buy that connector without including its cable and the 9-pin M23 connector at the other end, prices being found between £100-£250! Could I get a handful of replica housings for a Dupont 8-pin female block , with their 2 screw holes, 3D printed in metal or plastic and how do I go about it? I need 2 , but if the project is successful it would be very useful to have 2 more to replicate, so a handful would be total. I attach some photos of the connector. 

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Probably I should just get some square aluminium blocks and machine by hand, but without a DRO in place on the mill yet, maybe more accurate and quicker to get 3D printed by someone in that business, or is this not the type of thing that lends itself easily to 3d printing?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Draw it with 3D CAD and produce a STEP file. upload that file to one of the printing houses such as Craftcloud or PCBway, choose material & finish and decide what price you want to pay from the many quotes. Clicking the quantites tab will soon show how many you can get withing teh minimum job cost.

Or as it does not look cast could you machine one?

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Thanks Jason. Yes of course possible to machine one albeit the internal square corners would be difficult (or avoided). I have never got involved with 3D printing so I think it would be a nice exercise to do exactly as you say, provided I can master a 3D CAD drawing with some free online 3D software for total beginners. When I start thinking about that I realise that 3D printing is really very much not  a quick and simple solution!! Perhaps best left for objects that are not possible to machine oneself

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Are there any 3D printing shops where you just drop off or mail in the part you want copied, or is it really only for CAD experts. I think if I was a CAD expert I would have my own 3D printer so these businesses might be missing a trick?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I think it comes down more to what you want to machine and what you would rather pay to have with less effort. I could certainly fabricate or cut from solid the parts I have had 3D Metal printed but sometimes fancy a change.

I’m not sure of the internal shape but externally there does not look to be anything that would need machining to better than 0.1mm so well within what you should be possible without a DRO. The cost of any long slender tools to machine out the cavity should also be considered when deciding which is the best option.

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Indeed. I will wait a few years until the time arrives when I can take a few photos of required part and send JPEG files to a 3D print shop and  get back the copy part a few days later. As for a STEP file, that is something also totally new to me

[DC31kParticipant @dc31k]

If you are able to produce a reasonable 2D (first or third angle projection) drawing of the item with pencil and paper, that makes it a lot easier and quicker for someone with 3D CAD (even your future self) to model it.

The time is not really in the modelling, more in the measuring so if that is somethign you can do, it will be more economic for you to do it.

Once the model exists, it is easy to print a prototype in plastic, assess if fit is correct, refine and then send the finished model to the printing house.

The same Chinese shops that offer 3D printing also offer CNC machining, so you can use the same 3D model to obtain a quote for a machined version.

[Adam HarrisParticipant @adamharris13683]

Thanks DC. I think I will just make them myself. Not very many steps really.

[Adam Harris]

On Adam Harris Said:

I think I will just make them myself.

Please consider uploading your working drawings when you do this. Then someone else can build on your work if they want to model the item (and perhaps upload to one of the 3DP sites so others can also benefit).

See collaborative work done in the past on Eureka releiving device.

[Alan Wood 4Participant @alanwood4]

A couple of additional thoughts.

Printables has quite a few Dupont connectors including the shells on the link below which might be adaptable.

https://www.printables.com/model/231733-8-pin-dupont-connector

Someone must have had a similar problem but the geometry is not quite the same.

JLCPCB is an alternative to PCBWay and seems more attractive to hobbyist quantities and pricing.  I recently had some SLA prints in steel from them which were shipped on Monday from China and arrived on Wednesday in my letter box courtesy of DHL.  PCBWay tend to use Fedex.  Price comparison on this order was roughly 2:1 in favour of JLC. Both sources seem to require 5 pieces minimum for PCBs but SLAs can be a single item.  If you keep the order value low then the customs gets cleared en route with less hold up at point of entry.

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