I got this challange from someone that is fixing up their old Volkswagen. The covers for the semaphores where horribly deformed from the heat from the bulb, so i was tasked to see if i could make new ones with a 3D printer.
I decided to use the Form 1+ since i already had the clear resin in the machine. I figured that the clear resin would be great since the cover needs to light up.
The first step was to design the part. I use 3Ds MAX for this.
I then printed a test to see if all meassurements where correct.
Lucky for me the part was perfect on the first try (that almost never happen). That is a great testament to Formlabs printers… What you design, it prints with great accuracy 😉
After cleaning off the supports and sanding the part, i installed the new cover in the semaphore to check the fit. I had to sand of the end a little since it was a really tight fit and i wanted it to be easier to install after i had spray-painted it.
Here is the result after spray-paining the part and installing it in the semaphore. Great success (i said with a Borat voice in my head…:) )
I had ONE can of orange in my shop, and luckily it was damn near perfect to the original color.
End result of both semaphores with new covers.
Download the STL for the cover here.
