I faced the same problem : before placing the order, the nearest printer was about 50km from home, and after, it was 250Km … As I wanted to see the printer at work and have a chat with the printer, that was not very handy.
I contacted the printer directly via 3DHubs. He downloaded a Fairphone case file to check if he could print it, and told me it was OK, even if his printer might not produce cases as precisely as others. The price is slightly more expensive, but is counterbalanced by the fact that there are no shipping fees.
I think that the reason that there are not local hubs is because the ones that are available have been through a certification process to show that they can print the covers to a quality and service that 3dhubs and fairphone are happy with. They are fairly tricky to print and it is worth checking with your hub that they can do it - most hubs are ‘hobby’ printers and these cases hold some challenges
But all the files are there on the fairphone site and any hub with good stuff on their site should be able to print them well and most will welcome you to have a look at the process!
I am a London based hub and so far out of the 7 cases I have done only two are in London!
Cheers for your reply James, I will get in touch with them and check to see if they could do it. It looks like a professional hub so I’m quite confident (I say that but I have no knowlege of these things at all - so who knows).
Whilst it not really a problem where it get produced, I was just really curious to go and have look or talk to the people doing it and it makes sense to do it locally if I can.
I’ll keep you in mind if I can’t get it done in Caversham.
Hello,
Sorry for the late reply.
I wanted to through a local printer for the same reasons as you, Slinky.
Now, the printer I chose downloaded the file and ran some tests, to make sure it worked, and it looks pretty good. He was eager to do it too as it gives him an opportunity to print objets that are different to those he usually prints.
And it gives us(me) the opportunity to talk about Fairphone too !
I’m picking it up on Friday, will let you know.
Carine
Hello from Brittany, but also from an ex-High Wycombe inhabitant, who also used to work in Reading
Thanks for your reply, I’m being a bit lazy with this and still haven’t been in contact with the printers yet, but that’s OK because the phone is going to be a while before it arrives I think. Your experience sounds reassuring, I hope it come out well - hopefully the people in Caversham will be just as interested.
My Irish lab manager (George) says that people accidentally come to Reading and never leave (he’s been here 15 years) - so glad to see you got away. It’s not that bad but I would like to see the world so I’m making my escape plans! Brittany would seem much better I think!
Sorry to write this, but my Case was broken after two days, the printing is a nice possibillity to make dekoration, but it does not protect, because the thin plastiklines do not build a solid plastikstructure.
It looks cool, but the only Protection is in breaking the case and not the phone when dropping.
If you look at the picture, the right side should finish the same as the left side does.
Or you compare with the pictures on the webside.
It is indeed a hard plastic used to print. The more flexible plastics that are also on the market are not suitable for the small scale printing as the 3D Hubs offer (this would make the case way too expensive).
Though, in general the cases should be really robust and take a fall without just breaking.
This looks like a printing mistake, though. I had something similar with my first case. A second attempt was really good though. Did you contact the 3D Hub about this already?
I’ve had my case in “hard” PLA now for over a month, dropped the phone once (while standing up), and neither the case nor the phone broke (pfew !)
The printer gave me the 1st print he made as well, which was printed sideways rather than upwards. And that one broke just holding it. The one one printed upwards that I’m using is still in 1 piece.
Hello, I eventually got my bum in gear a just went to see my local 3d printer. They were surprised to hear that they weren’t coming up when searching for a local hub on 3D hubs. They sent a quick email a within a couple of days they had appeared on the 3D Hubs site as a place where you can print Fairphone Cases. So if your having this problem I recommend you go and talk face to face with the people in your local hub. The cases came out very well, and I was impressed by the process. The staff at Creat3D (Caversham UK) were very complementary of the files and support materials provided by fairphone and are thinking of trying out the case in a new rubbery material they are testing. If they do that I let the forum know.
I 3D printed my iPhone case last summer, but I opted for a rubber-like filament than plastic ABS and PLA. Unlike standard plastic material, it doesn’t break easily because it’s highly elastic and has exceptional flexibility.
hey,
I just baught a case-file for 3D printing. I have the same problem as above, the HUB I’d like to print with, doesn’T appear in the list…
I contacted them and they suggested to send over the file, but I can’t find a place to download the file I baught.
Does anyone know, if that’s possible at all? and if yes, how do you do it? I only received the link to the 3D HUBS with the case already being in the ‘cart’ …
I had this same problem in finding the files - it’s not very obvious.
Go to the top of this page and click the ‘Support’ link/button (between forum and shop), then search for “3d Files” you will get a result called “3d Files (CAD)” - click on it. On this page is all the files for printing on various machines and support information, which you or your printer can download.
@merry the hub should be able to print it if they have one of the following printers: Ultimaker 1, Ultimaker 2 or Makerbot Replicator 2.
If they do they can actually contact the 3D Hubs central network to get a certificate for Fairphone 3D Cases. In that way they will also pop-up in the list for future prints by others.
“That’s a shame :[ Do you think that using a different type of plastic (more flexible or something) would help to make the case less likely to break?”
Hi Emma!
Instead of plastic material, try using rubber like filaments. I saw my brother’s fairphone case 3D printed in that material and it’s so flexible and durable. He tried printing before with standard ABS, but it breaks off when my nephew dropped his phone in the kitchen.
