MMC Cartridge Box: A First Impression

I accumulated a few MMC20 and MMC4000/6000 cartridges over the years, and I only have a couple protective covers. I always wanted a better solution for keeping them safe. Protecting them definitely makes sense considering the prices they fetch these days in good condition. So I set out to design a 3D printable small box. First I took exact measurements of a MMC20 cartridge and built a model in Inventor. Then I created the lower part of a box moulded to the metal housing of the cartridge and a cover.

Yesterday I received the third version of the design from Shapeways, which finally seems to fit the cartridge perfectly, and also has enough friction between the cover to give a nice open-close feel. The issue with 3D printing really is that every technology and material behaves differently, while having specific tolerances and 'quirks'. So it takes a bit of trial and error to get a working product from a CAD design. Well, here are a few impressions:

This shows the empty container. The bottom part shows the characteristic slant of the bottom part of the cartridge. The front part is cut out deeply to make sure that the cantilever and tip never touch anything:

Pretty amazing the resolution that Shapeways can achieve. The slightly grainy surface is a result of their Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process that blasts the plastic granules in the printing bed to fuse them into a solid body. 

And here with inserted MMC20CL cartridge. The cartridge body makes a nice smooth press-fit with the part to ensure protection even if turned upside down:

And closed. The cover shows the cartridge type on top:

I think I will redesign that a bit with bigger lettering. I will make a specific cover for each MMC20 and the MMC4000 and MMC6000 models that one can easily find the desired one. Shapeways also offers a bunch of nice colors, i.e. color coding will be possible, too.

Stay tuned for the final version...They will be offered at the Beolover Shapeway store.