January 10, 2015

How 3D Printing Solved my Problem

On the fine morning of 27th October 2014 my vehicle was involved in a terrible (but small) incident 200 metres after leaving my residence.

Though the damage was only minor and having run a STOP sign, the lady responsible for the crash abruptly exited her vehicle and started cussing and swearing, 100% convinced it was my fault and I would have to pay her out as soon as possible. I should add she had no insurance, wasn’t the friendliest person to deal with and lived only 4 houses away from my residence.

Later that afternoon she decided to take the short walk down to my property and threaten to trash the place unless I paid up and I actually believed her threat.

I decided the easiest solution to such a problem was to 3D print my very own video surveillance system.

Since the part would be exposed to the harsh Australian environment I opted to print in ABS on the FlashForge Dreamer which took 6 hours, 42 minutes and cost about $4 in material.

After spraying the main components black and inserting a red LED, I gave it a realistic feel by putting a drop of varnish onto the lens and pulled a cable out of some old electronics.

Voula, the finished product:

The following day she came once again to pose a few more threats and all I could do was nod telling her to smile at the camera as she carries out her acts. She was never seen again.

– Jeremy

Tags:
3D Printing, CCTV, Problem, Solution