3D Print Your Own Mini DP70!

[Thomas Piccione]

This one is just for fun, but it's a project I've been working on for a bit, so I figured I might share.

If you've ever wanted a DP-70 (or EL4000, AAI, Universal 35/70 or whatever you wish to call this, it's not a functional machine so I don't particularly care) that could fit on your desk, this is it! Standing at just over 11 inches tall, this 1/8th scale model does not weigh 1000 pounds, but does have many of other the defining features of the original machine. Keen eyes or anyone who spends their time on this machine will notice a few things missing, but some parts had to be omitted to allow the thing to be printable at all.

If it wasn't obvious, no, it doesn't work. It's just for show and a little bit of fun. If you could even thread it, it would be around the right size for 8mm though.

Available for download here!

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

That's awesome!

[John Eickhof]

mark is right on! i sure would like one for the museum but i dont have the smarts or access to a 3d printer...and i cant talk sam out of a full scale one!!!

[Sam Chavez]

I must say, my DP70's are thankfully gone to a better home. Randy Pryde still has a few.

[Randy Stankey]

If you could even thread it, it would be around the right size for 8mm though.

Even if you couldn't thread it properly, it would be cool if you could put something in there to indicate how the film would be threaded. It doesn't have to be real film, 8 mm. or otherwise. It could just be a thin strip of paper or plastic, cut to fit.

It doesn't have to be fully realistic as long as it fits with the level of detail you have in the rest of the model.
(Which, BTW, is pretty damned good! )

[Brad Miller]

I wonder if there is such a thing as 3D printer filament that is excessively heavy. That would be ideal for this miniature.

[Leo Enticknap]

Or for printing vertical shafts for full-sized DP-70s!

[Emiel de Jong]

Very nice! Firetraps + rollers were 2 of the parts you mentioned which had to be omitted for practical reasons? Otherwise those would still be nice to add, just to see how the film gets in and out of the spool boxes.

[Thomas Piccione]

Very nice! Firetraps + rollers were 2 of the parts you mentioned which had to be omitted for practical reasons? Otherwise those would still be nice to add, just to see how the film gets in and out of the spool boxes.

Yes, I omitted these as they would be a very thin part, right around the size of the nozzle diameter. That alone isn't the end of the world, but they're also very small, so the previous layer wouldn't have time to cool before the next one was printed and it would just turn into a small pile of molten plastic. The only reason I can get away with all the tiny rollers on the main part of the projector is because there's a lot of them and each layer takes a while.

[Emiel de Jong]

... and how about just the housing of the firetrap? I hope you don't mind I go on about these details ;-) Must have something to do with the long search before I finally found these parts in unaltered form for my own machines ;-)

trap1.jpg trap2.jpg

[Thomas Piccione]

... and how about just the housing of the firetrap? I hope you don't mind I go on about these details ;-) Must have something to do with the long search before I finally found these parts in unaltered form for my own machines ;-)

I'm surprised you're talking about these parts and not some other critical parts that all functional DP70's must have to work

I did see these things in drawings and other photos, but I've never actually seen them in person; Our DP70's don't have the magazines installed.

Regardless, they would also be a total pain to 3D print, as they would be an unsupported overhang. You can get away sometimes with printing in midair if you're bridging 2 points, or if you use support material, but this part would be so small and thin, chances are very high it would just snap off when you tried to take the support off.

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

Thomas, for those of us without a 3D printer, would you consider selling printed ones? I for one would like to get one, but have no access to a 3D printer.

[Thomas Piccione]

Thomas, for those of us without a 3D printer, would you consider selling printed ones? I for one would like to get one, but have no access to a 3D printer.

Unfortunately, these things take quite a while to print. I'm sure I could go faster if I really tried, but with a decent amount of optimization it took me a full week to just print 1, and that's with the advantage of being on winter break (I am a college student currently). I might have the capacity once summer rolls around, but that's certainly a bit of a wait.

Then again, these projectors have been around for 50+ years so what's another few months.

[Jarod Reddig]

That’s totally cool.

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

Unfortunately, these things take quite a while to print. I'm sure I could go faster if I really tried, but with a decent amount of optimization it took me a full week to just print 1, and that's with the advantage of being on winter break (I am a college student currently). I might have the capacity once summer rolls around, but that's certainly a bit of a wait.

Then again, these projectors have been around for 50+ years so what's another few months.

I'll gladly wait until you are ready.