3D printing desktop speakers. Thoughts?

[napilopez]

Hey y'all. I'm getting a 3D printer (Prusa MK3S+) and I thought it might be interesting to have myself a go at making my first set of DIY speakers. The MK3S+ has a print volume of 9.84 x 8.3 x 8 in, so something really small for a desktop, perhaps.

Any idea on what might be an easyish design to start with? Has anyone here tried 3D printing a speaker before? I also thought after my first try I might use the 3D print to make a mold for some concrete speakers, which could look less cheap and probably sound better.

Yes, I know this might not necessarily be easier than just working with wood for a first project, but hey, why not try?

 

[xor]

HexiBase printed and measured

It will need heavy damping, so concrete is a logical way. I used it for speaker stands base, mold was 3D printed from 4 parts. I just slightly struggle with finish, mold was not perfect, so I covered the base with a cement milk, but it peels off.

 

[somebodyelse]

I'd be looking at the sort of geometry that's not easily achieved with wood. The Genelec cabinets would be one example - compound curves and integrated waveguide. Small nautilus style transmission lines might be another option - you'll find examples for small drivers on thingiverse. I wondered what the properties of a full gyroid fill might be, but from the only paper I could find it seems to act as a high pass filter with an uneven pass band, so probably not beneficial in a speaker cabinet. It was a simulation though, and not in an enclosure, so it might still be an interesting experiment. Acoustic metamaterials like KEF's absorber, or some of the thin diffusers, would also be an option.

 

[headshake]

Hey y'all. I'm getting a 3D printer (Prusa MK3S+) and I thought it might be interesting to have myself a go at making my first set of DIY speakers. The MK3S+ has a print volume of 9.84 x 8.3 x 8 in, so something really small for a desktop, perhaps.

Any idea on what might be an easyish design to start with? Has anyone here tried 3D printing a speaker before? I also thought after my first try I might use the 3D print to make a mold for some concrete speakers, which could look less cheap and probably sound better.

Yes, I know this might not necessarily be easier than just working with wood for a first project, but hey, why not try?

Sounds like a fun project! The scanspeak 10f is a driver that interests me. I don't know what kind of drivers you are looking at.

Lots of speakers on thingiverse.com.

https://free3d.com/3d-model/modern-speaker-18886.html
https://www.3dnatives.com/en/node-audio-3d-printed-speakers-140820204/
https://www.stlfinder.com/3dmodels/dayton-audio-rs100-speaker/
https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=speaker+enclosure&type=things&sort=relevant

AugerPro is giving away waveguides:
https://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/318190-source-waveguides-cnc-3d-printing.html
https://www.somasonus.net/waveguides

 

[hex168]

Could you go 16" deep by bolting together two pieces? That could get you over half a cubic foot, enough for a vented 6". I'm thinking that with 3d printing you could recess the bolt heads and be able to tighten them from the side. I like the integrated waveguide idea too.

 

[samysound]

maybe just focus on the front baffle where you integrate a fancy, large waveguide and cutouts for the drivers and use an MDF cabinet kit (something from partsexpress) for the rest of cabinet. The port could be printed as well.

 

[LearningToSmile]

Instead of 3D printing the actual speaker enclosure itself, I think it would be interesting to 3D print a mold to cast the enclosure out of concrete or resin. Could do just the baffle or the entire thing if going for something less boxy than usual DIY speakers.

 

[Adam Bernau]

The usual flaw of most of the 3D printed speaker designs is in my opinion in the attempts to reproduce typical "boards" construction, the best would be to have solid outer shell (approx 3-5 mm) and trying to attempt sound-transparent infill pattern filling the whole enclosure, perhaps something like 3D honeycomb, but with holes in the hexagons..

 

[Behrend]

Depends on the printing technology. If you happen to have a LPBF printer at hand, you could also leave unwelded power in the cavities, creating a massive powder damper.
but even the standard FDM printers can create cavities that you can later fill with dry sand to get a really dead speaker housing

This can be much more advanced than molds or conventional housing materials because you can tune your stiffness and dampening to your demands

 

[tinnitus]

Instead of 3D printing the actual speaker enclosure itself, I think it would be interesting to 3D print a mold to cast the enclosure out of concrete or resin. Could do just the baffle or the entire thing if going for something less boxy than usual DIY speakers.

Your right. I printed speaker cabinets and filled also the walls with sand. But i stopped because the housing was to flexible. And now i made concrete speaker cabinets.

 

[AlexanderM]

I was thinking about this myself, found this article. There may be a program out there one could work with, I don't know, something to investigate. I hope it's ok to post this?

https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printed-speaker-6-projects-that-rock-the-most/

https://www.yeggi.com/q/speaker+box/

 

[m_g_s_g]

I still have a Prusa i3 printer (I’ve had it for years now), but I only use it for small prints, mostly repair pieces. It’s too slow for me, and I don’t like leaving it unattended (octopi is your friend for that).

Take a look at what @renaudrenaud posted here...

(...)With my wife we also have done these ones.

 

[AlexanderM]

Very nice!!!

 

[renaudrenaud]

Recently we printed new things

 

[preload]

My suggestion would be to print a pair of Revel Salon2's. Might as well go big.

 

[renaudrenaud]

My suggestion would be to print a pair of Revel Salon2's. Might as well go big.

Printing is not enough. You need speakers and filters.

 

[preload]

Printing is not enough. You need speakers and filters.

Print 'em.

 

[renaudrenaud]

Print 'em.

If you pay for it, why not.

We print with my wife for designers. They pay for that service. One of them use the parts to mold concrete.

If we allow you to have concrete speakers, it will be a "no vibration" case for your speakers.

My wife is also working for a start-up for printing food. We can package a speaker case and some printed food if you want.

 

[AlexanderM]

So, if one was doing this quite often, here is a 3d printer which can produce a good size cabinet, up to 17" high, and then 15" by 15". If it were me I would then look into a wood filament with acoustic applications, I remember seeing such a thing.

ANYCUBIC Chiron 3D Printer, Semi-auto Leveling Large FDM Printer with Ultrabase Heatbed, Suitable for 1.75 mm Filament, TPU, HIPS, PLA, ABS etc. / 15.75 x 15.75 x 17.72 inch( 400x400x450mm ) : Amazon.ca: Industrial & Scientific

ANYCUBIC Chiron 3D Printer, Semi-auto Leveling Large FDM Printer with Ultrabase Heatbed, Suitable for 1.75 mm Filament, TPU, HIPS, PLA, ABS etc. / 15.75 x 15.75 x 17.72 inch( 400x400x450mm ) : Amazon.ca: Industrial & Scientific

www.amazon.ca

 

[xplo5iv]

I printed certain parts for my Linkwitz LXmini, the bits that relate to the tweeter - tube, standoff, part that holds the tweeter in the tube.
Cabinets etc. would likely have vibration issues I suspect? Using for complex molds makes sense though.

Jonathan