Coffee Handle fun.

I have had a bit of fun with the 3D printer since trying out PETG filament as a replacement to ABS for some of the parts I have been making about the place.

I have a had a go at replacing the melted handle of an old yet beloved stovetop espresso with a 3 printed one and have learnt a few things that I thought I would jot down here and explain abit.

Learnings

1. Even though the 3d printing process takes place at a high temp eg PETG @ 230 degrees the plastic will glass (start to melt much earlier) @ 90
2. To prototype a fitting like a handle a good approach is to make a model of what is being fitted to and turn that into a hole or an object that will remove material from the finished item. ie make the easy small bit first
3. You don't have to print every material yourself - I have used a service called 3dhubs to print in polycarbonate. The part will cost $9 delivered and means I can do the modeling and prototype ensuring that the print will fit.

High Temp Parts

The coffee pot handle fit perfectly is strong and feel solid  to pick up the pot though when the coffee has just brewed it is soft and bendy -- oops. My temporary solution is to put a bit of cold water just on the handle which soon firms it up again. I have looked at different types of filament and my conclusion at this stage is that Polycarbonate is the most suited to parts that need to face up to hot conditions.

Make the easy bit first

before I made the handle i made a model of the piece that fitted the handle first. Luckily I had the handle there to test with. In that way I could be sure that I had the right model of the part of the pot that the handle joins to. 
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