Since picking up my rx7 I've been surprised how much gauge hoods go for. After browsing here for about 5 months I've seen countless WTB threads and high prices ($250+) for ones that are in good condition.

Has anyone ever released or attempted to produce these? I'm curious about looking into the process but I doubt anything will come along too fast with this being my last semester of my graduate program. If anyone has gone a custom route and would like to share please do.
'

 

This count?

Interior Dash Panels

 

I guess that counts, still on the expensive side.

 

Sometimes, if you have a 93, you can get lucky and get a whole set when someone buys 94 plastics and sells their 93 plastics as a ccomplete set.

 

Just keep in mind that they dont make them anymore and they are easily broken so prices will probably just continue to go up slowly.

It would be cool to see if it could easily be printed on a 3D printer.........

 

we checked a little while ago, and i think the 93 stuff was available, i wanna say it was around $300.

 

I going to look into this. I might just have all the resources to pull it off.

 

I have 2 3D printers at school in my classroom. They are not the greatest quality, but I really can't see a 3D printer to push out something with the type of flat surface (finish) necessary for this to work out.

You would also have to 3D scan the parts and hope that the entire process is super accurate for it to yield a good product (I also have that, but as well not the greatest quality).

I am intrigued by the idea, however, since this would make it possible to reproduce perfect parts. And I might add, for those who like the CF finish, it would be possible to reproduce the panels with a lower/narrower surface to be then finished with a CF layer and relative finish. This could be done by taking off a layer on the model that has the same thickness of the CF overlay.

 

This is exactly what I am getting at. I recently completed a project for work where we ordered a 3-D print of a rather complex model that our drafting department generated. I managed the project, so I got a good idea of the vendor's hardware limitations. The interior dash plastics don't look too complex, but I need to know if my drafters will be able to "clean the scans up" good enough. I would like to use this to start a group buy, but there is the issue of selling an unlicensed reproduction of Mazda's design. After all, these pieces are still being made and sold by stealerships, right? I would have to see what kind of legal issues there are if I were to try to set all this up. If anyone can chime in on that subject, I'd be greatful.

 

It would be just like any other aftermarket part. As long as you are not badging it as an OEM piece, and as your own aftermarket product with fitment for Mazda's vehicle.

 

In that case, I'll get started on this on Monday!

 

I have no access to 3d printers only some experience getting injection molding done but the mold cost alone usually is about 5-10k. Since there would be some demand but not an extremely high amount, that cost would be hard to recoup. Keep us updated on the printing though.

 

I'd like to just have mine covered in a suede or leather or something....make it look more high end...I haven't settled on a look yet...I know that this is not answering the OP question but maybe this is an alternative.

 

Any input or ideas are welcome

 

If your 3D printer produces "finished quality" parts as opposed to model/mockup like the ones I have do, then you shouldn't have any issues with making a part as well as a modified one, I would say.
I am not sure what quality a 3D scan would be and how much work it would take to make it perfect.

On a side note, what is the quality of the plastic? Mine uses ABS, however, it is the quality of the bond between layers more than anything else, that does not reassure me. Also, the parts I've been making seem to be a bit on the "crispy" side. Of course, most likely my printer.

If you can give it a shot, would you be able to estimate the costs of making the pieces?
Giovanni

 

Printer resolution was good, but it's hard to tell. The whole model I had made was very thin and complex. Material was ABS, seemed uniform, and looked better than I expected. With these interior plastics, I would imagine the higher resolution would be preferred. That being said, companies like the one I used base their rates on material as well,as time to print. Higher resolution means more material and more time.
Another expense is getting hold of a laser scanner. Renting those suckers is expensive, So I'll be looking into local sources for that.
I will be looking into this starting Monday. If I think I can actually put something together, I'll start making some noise around here.

 

Sounds positive. As far as resolution goes, those I have can do as thin as 0.1 mm. Having said that, what I have noticed so far is that a flat surface (especially when non-horizontal) exhibits a somewhat rough configuration, like you can see the tiny little layers on it, appears and feels not smooth to the touch. So, let's say I were to make those parts (which, BTW I can't as I only have 200x200 mm max object foot print), I definitely would have to sand the finished product until it has a smooth finish. This of course would not be an issue if the parts are going to be coated with either a CF overlay or some other material, including cloth/leather.

I have been toying with the idea of creating a small hood to place where the centre speaker is and locate some gauges in there. I thought to perhaps dismantle some of these digital ones and re-assemble them inside of the hood, which would look like a rather small and flat dome; sort of like the hood on the Mazda 3 second gen dash that houses the two info displays, a lot narrower and more resembling the overall shape of the 7's gauge hood in a much smaller scale (I have a Mazdaspeed 3 and my son still has the blue one in my signature).

 

Yeah, resolution is not glass-smooth, but it can get good enough to sell these as a DIY finish sort of thing. I definitely don't have the time to finish them and paint/overlay.

 

Again, sounds good. I would love to have a set to overlay with CF, especially if it can be modified as I was saying, to account for the thickness of the the overlay.

If you manage to get the scans precisely, you can also then offer sets with different holes to suit different/custom setups...

 

3D printing will get cheaper and better quality. I think a lot of people would be ok with a DIY finish. I'm sure you could find a way to make the surface smooth if you wanted an OEM like finish.

If there is a way this forum will find it and share it. I hope my boss gets a 3D printer soon so I can play with it.