A few days ago I found my kid’s headphones on the floor – the right earphone was dangling awkwardly away from the headband. It got stepped on, or dropped, or something like that. The plastic piece that held the earphone in place was shattered. There was a time where I would have thought it beyond hope, but I live in the future – I bet I could 3D Print a fix!
It took a couple of tries to figure out the best design approach – or more accurately, the design approach that would work and I was also willing to do. At first I was chasing down trying to replicate the injected-molding part that the headphones were manufactured with. That’s an interesting design challenge, but not fast and very difficult to replicate.
Once I had a design, I had to print a few variations before I go something that worked. The piece needed to position the metal rod that held the earphone in place, and provide pressure against a silicone pad that held it at its adjusted position. I used the original screw that and silicone piece, and put them together. I even managed to do I pretty close color-match
There was a point as 3D Printing was exiting the pure-enthusiast space and entering into the larger consciousness where people were asking “What good is this? Does it do anything other than print silly toys?”
Without this solution, the headphones would have likely ended up in the trash. They won’t last forever, but they will last a little longer.
This is amazing. I live in the future.