Mister Leo, you are just incredibly awesome, I hipe you know that! 
My deepest respect!
Sign me up too!
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Hello dear community,
Now that the bottom module is near perfection, I still need a case that is ready for the market.
Even though the flex case was pretty nice and had some good bumper abilities, it was unable to support the USB-C port, leading to higher than usual wear on the port. Iāve tried many case designs, some designed by myself, but they all didnāt feel perfect enough. Fairphone released the 3d-model for the back of the slim case, but itās for SLA, not FDM, because it was very fine details. The amount of precion required is insane for FDM, especially for an ABS print, which always are a bit more inprecise and warp. Iāve tried it anyway and with these settings it works on my heavily modified Ender 3 Pro
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I use a very high quality 0.2mm nozzle made out of stainless steel.
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I use a lot of support to keep the dimensions accurate
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Iāve experimentally figgured out the shrinkage of the ABS and I compensate for it, so that the final part is perfect in all dimensions (for those that want to print themselfes, shrinkage is 0.55%
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I use a low shrinkage ASB called NiceABS (https://www.3djake.de/3djake/niceabs-dunkelgrau)
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I use a very fine layer hight of 0.08mm, which is big for SLA, but very fine for FDM
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Sorry, I canāt upload the design files, not even as a zip, but Iāll send them per email, if youāre interested
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Iām really excited to get one of the new modules 
Is it possible to use a normal slim cover and carve out the hole for the micro-USB port a little so itās large enough for USB-C?
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It works, this is the way I did it with the very first generation, but the port whobles and wears out way quicker because it is unable to support the USB-C port. Also dust might get into your device.
I am testing this new case and module on my personal phone before giving it to anyone, I learn from the past, where I had a 50% return rate, but it looks promising. If Iām certain that it is reliable, Iāll send some to interested users for testing under the condition that they give me some feedback about the case and the module.
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If the files arenāt simply too big, you can try to manually change the suffix to an accepted suffix (.jpg or the like), upload it and then edit the file name in your postingās text back to what it is supposed to be (and/or tell folks to do the same to the file they download from here again).
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Tried it, it says it canāt determine the size of the āimageā
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This custom case looks awesome! 
Is it compatible with the āfirst-generation USB-C moduleā (the one I got from you) or only with the last optimized one?
Edit: Iām interrested with the files
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It should be compatible with the old one. I can send you the file per email. Be aware that a 0.2mm nozzle is absolutely necessary for this
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Hey, this is a pretty amazing project. Thanks for putting in the work; as a repeat customer of bottom modules (Iāve just gone through number 2, I think) this definitely is of great interest to me.
As for the troubles getting a well-fitting and sturdy cover made; have you considered taking this project to something like CrowdSupply to do crowdfunding for an injection molded version? I know a project on there (the ĀµArt) managed to have an injection molded case; the creator used tec4data to get the molding done, an Austrian company. Depending on how much the tooling cost is, it may be in reach for this project if enough Fairphone 2 owners are interested.
An alternative may be one of the many now available affordable SLA printers on the market, for which I think a small crowdfunding campaign could also help you cover the costs of acquiring it.
Regarding the PCB, are you using gold-plated contacts? Iām asking as yours look a little duller in the photos compared to the original moduleās contact plate.
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Thanks for your interest in my project.
Injection moulding cost a lot. Like a lot. A few K are to be expected and as long as the demand can be counted with fingers, itās probabyly not worth it. I donāt like SLA for those projects, as it is:
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Very fragile and not as tough as FDM
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Impossible to recycle, as resin canāt be recycled
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A lot more expensive, both resin and printer
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Way harder to handle as the fumes are even worse than the ABS I use and the resin must be handled with care as it can sensitise your skin
Yes I do have gold plated contact, ENIG to be preciseand it looks quite a bit more shiny in person
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Interesting, I didnāt know of these downsides of SLA, thatās good to know.
I have a Prusa i3 MK3 and a roll of PETG laying about that I can experiment with. PETG being PET is very recyclable and also sturdy with little warping, but I suspect itāll have difficulties with detail. I currently am a bit swamped with stuff so my experiments will have to wait a few weeks, but I can also order some of Prusaās high precision ASA (an ABS variant) and PETG filament to see how they come out (after I put my printer on a less wobbly table, too).
Another avenue to explore is if there is a way to add the necessary mechanical support and dust sealing to the already existing back covers with some glue-on bits and a fine file or power tool.
For brass inserts, Iāve found that Adafruit sells them in bags of 50 and also offer a tool for heat-setting them in, itās worth checking if these are available from a European reseller near you. At the end of the day they are probably just resold Chinese hardware too, but at least thereās some accountability if they never turn up.
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I can send you the files by email if youāre interested. I reccomend ABS, but PETG migh work too. I print on an ender 3 pro that has been heavily modified. I donāt know what you mean by
For the brass inserts, I already have them and the new sold modules already have them installed. Adafruit only has the standard M3 inserts, but I need M1.4 inserts.
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Hi @Leo_TheCrafter!
I am very interested in the bottom moduleā¦ are you still selling them? How can I get one?
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Hey @Leo_TheCrafter
Are there any news about the module? Have you been able to perfect it?
(And when can I get one? )
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Hi Leo. Iām interested in this Modules. I would by 2.
Hey quick headsup on the recycling point, as I used to think the same. PETE is recyclable, but sadly PETG is not, according to this article:
āEven though PETG and PETE are chemically very similar, PETG is also excluded from being recycled by most programs. In fact, the chemical similarity of PETG to other types of PET plastic, combined with its low melting point, makes PETG a pesky contaminant during the recycling of PETE. Thatās because itās difficult to differentiate from PETE and dangerously reduces the temperature stability of the final PETE material if itās mixed in.ā
Maybe some day weāll get large-scale PETg recycling working, but until then donāt put it in municipal recycling
Hey, your case is pretty darn impressive for an Ender 3, and agreed FDM has limitations but donāt give up hope on FDM if you are still working on this awesome project! Hereās a case I managed to print in Onyx Black (nylon + chopped carbon fibre) on a Markforged printer, then wet sanding. The material is nice (maybe not environmentally) because it is strong, flexible and gives high dimensional fidelity.
I could have done more with the wet sanding but it was my first time sanding 3D printed ebjects. Online 3D print shops might be able to print in Onyx black, or similar, if you donāt have a printer that can print to specs required. Alternatively maybe use a dremel to shape it. A few issues - I wasnāt clever as you in printing separate buttons, so there is a big blob of glue holding the volume buttons on. Second, and more important, I couldnāt get the rim around the screen so when I dropped it, the screen felt the full impact and smashed (not shown).
Also, do you have any bottom board PCBs handy?
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Hey @Leo_TheCrafter,
Are there any news about the module? How could I buy one???
Cheers and thanks a lot.
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Hey @Leo_TheCrafter,
iām also very interested in your buttom module. First: Iām so impressed of what you have done! Great!
Is it possible to get one of your (the last version) bottom modules? Just the Module, i would like to print the case by my self.
best regards
Flo
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