Any HPC/PDA stylus via 3D printing

I do work within 2D graphics, so my 3D graphic know how isn't up to par I'm afraid. However, I'm certain there is a way to do this. Our handhelds are going the way of the dodo. Accessories and the likes aren't easily bought online, if any are available. Making certain accessories like styluses a very wanted item.

Well, the other day (ok, months ago) I was watching a video about how you can turn Minecraft (a sandbox game for the PC) creations into reality via the help of a small program and a website that allows you to print 3D items. Then it hit me, why can't we as a community try to craft our existing styluses in a 3D program at 1:1 scale for printing out at this website? They'd be EXACTLY like your original stylus as long as you give the correct details when building the 3D model through a program like SketchUp (free from Google). The website even has several different materials you can use as well as colors. The prices for such a small 3D printing is also very doable.

Check out the site that prints anything in 3D for you here: http://www.shapeways.com/
Check out Google SketchUp here: http://sketchup.google.com/
There's also another free 3D program (and more powerful?) "Blender" software here: http://www.blender.org/

Look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks. This could also be used for hard to find things like PCMCIA covers, even HPC parts!

Yes it's a very good idea. Not easy to get the exact measurements into the computer witout a lazer scanner though; so would probably be some trial and error in it for those of us without the patience of a mathematician.

Funny you say this...because I thought the same thing about 5 years ago. I was working in the CAD lab at the university and we just got a new Stratasys 3D printer.

For those of you who are not familiar with it, basically you take any CAD design you can come up with and then print it to the 3D rendering printer. There is a nozzle that shoots out melted hot plastic in microscopic layers. The printer passes back and forth, each time laying down a fine layer of plastic, fused to the top of the previous layer. When you are all done, you have a complete 3D product made out of a hard plastic type material. Anyways, you can do a simple search on 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing and see demos of it all running.

At the time I was considering creating a bottom case for my MP900...exactly like my existing case bottom, except maybe 1/2 inch deeper. My idea was to have space to "mod" an internal wifi card, usb hub, a couple USB drives, etc. Anyways you get the idea. A Mobilepro 900 which stood a little taller, but had evrything internal.

I'm not sure how your Shapeways link above does it, but I imagine that you have the same finished product in the end.

I never went anywhere with my idea, instead started investigating home plastic injection techniques using old milk bottles as the plastic material...which was really simpler as you only had to make a mold or your existing part to replicate it. And like most of my projects, never went anywhere with it either.

Replacement stylii are so cheap, it is almost impossible to recreate them profitably in small numbers. A couple links for you also:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fused_deposition_modeling
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_fabricator

http://www.instructables.com/id/Home-Injection-Molding/?ALLSTEPS#step0
http://home.comcast.net/~sskroch/Injection_molding/injection_molding.html
http://www.injectionmolder.net/index.htm

Anyways Solidus, cool idea...not sure if it is cost effective or not...but I'm more than willing to sit back and let you do all the work!

Well Rich, I have a couple of old Sharp Tripads and Vadem Clio's here that I no longer have the pen for. (Minus the one I bought off of a HPCF member, have the pen for that one.) They cost like 30 bucks on eBay from what I've seen.

So if I could scan in the one stylus I do have, or at least get as close as I can when it comes to accurate measurements, paying 15 bucks (give or take) is worth it. Plus, it'll be available online for other people who needs one. Like I said, I'm not too good with the whole 3D stuff but I'll give it a try come next month. Will post back with what I've come up with.

Curious, what are the measurements of the stylus? What do they look like...take a hi-res picture and post it...I might have one...

But is the material suitable for the stylus tip?

It has to be soft and smooth enough not to scratch the screen and durable enough not to be filed away too quickly... plus it'd be nice if it glides with just the right friction

True...another idea I had was to take some common Palm stylii, and then to create a mold of the proper size and put the smaller Palm stylus inside the mold and pour in some type of hard epoxy resin or something to make the finished product the desired size. That way you have an actual stylus tip for the writing...

Or design the nib with a different builldable materiable in a way that makes it a one way clip into the stylus body.

@Rich, will do as soon as I get some AA's for my camera.

@Takwu, as long as the tip is smooth and doesn't have any excess plastic it should be alright. But the site I linked above has various materials that you can use. If you're good with 3D programs, you can even make it so you can insert whatever tip you'd like in your stylus. OR, buy a screen protector.

Long time ago I had a bunch of real tiny stylii that were so small they were uncomfortable to use. So I took an old Bic ink pen, you know the type, clear plastic barrel with only the snap on cap, well I took one of those and inserted the stylus into it after drilling it out a little bit. It only pressure fit, but worked fine.

Another time I took some plastic paint brushes and sanded them down to a point and they worked well also.

I keep a Toshiba stylus at my desk that I use on nearly everything. I love the feel of it over all the other stylii I use. It came with an old Portégé 3500 Notebook tablet...it is flat on one side and doesn't roll off the desk. I don't know what model, but I love it.

Haha yes I have a Lenovo Tablet PC and the stylus is just way better than any other stylus I ever owned. When I used to have a PPC phone I sometimes used the tablet stylus on it Oo Looks funny but it worked great

I’m a fan also of Google Sketchup for 3D designing? However, I’m thinking to switch to a new 3D design tool this summer. Meshmixer is one that comes in my mind which will greatly help me remixes and sculpt intricate details using this filament http://www.3d2print.net/shop/3d-printer-filament/pett-filament/ for my 3d printed accessories. CAD filing is usually good when it comes to designing simple models.