3D Printing a METAL Laptop - with JLC3DP
Вставка
- Опубліковано 15 вер 2024
- Check out this incredibly impractical SLM print of a Stainless Steel IBM ThinkPad 701C laptop case. Thanks to #JLC3DP for the prints. For 3D Printing as well as PCB manufacturing, head to: jlc3dp.com/?fr....
Use code "C730". Purchase the C7 (or C7Max) now and enjoy a $30 discount. It's the best time to buy the C7 (or C7Max) bit.ly/3Mz4c7z (US) bit.ly/3TjMIQi (CA).
Promotions:
3D Printing $0.3 & Get $60 for New Users: jlc3dp.com/?fr...
Chapters:
0:06 - Intro
1:59 - Modeling
3:00 - Unboxing
3:13 - SLM 3D Metal Printing
5:48 - Sanding
6:39 - Tapping
8:27 - Fit Testing
11:21 - Heating & Bending
12:23 - Insulating
13:32 - Ad: FlexiSpot C7 Chair
16:42 - Grinding
18:04 - Assembly
23:17 - Conclusion / Wrap-up
Music: All music has been licensed through Epidemic Sound
Central Domain - Pulsed
Solar Flares - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
DOX - Lennon Hutton
Echo - Lennon Hutton
Use code "C730". Purchase the C7 (or C7Max) now and enjoy a $30 discount. It's the best time to buy the C7 (or C7Max)
C7:
bit.ly/3Mz4c7z (US)
bit.ly/3TjMIQi (CA)
How can you talk about an office chair at a time like this?
How about no
Damn dude, upping the game once again! I'd love to see this thing at a future VCF, just the idea of this little laptop weighing that much is hilarious.
Thanks man! And you know this hunk of steel will be front and center at my next booth 😁
“Oh-no I dropped my laptop”
“Gee, hope the floor isn’t too damaged”
Amazing video Matt, love the intro bit too where you ‘set the scene’
Thanks so much man! Glad you enjoyed it.
That's the exact worry I have with my panasonic toughbook cf19
I think dropping it will destroy the inside of the laptop, too
lol, love the safety shoes when working with red hot metal parts 😂
Hey now. Those are special metalworking sleds right there ;)
Amazing project. But you didn't show it closing? Isn't that and the keyboard mech the most important part of this laptop?
Yup. Good catch. I eluded to some bowing issues of the bottom case. It’s currently preventing the laptop from closing completely. I’m kicking myself that this part of the explanation wasn’t in the final edit. Currently trying to figure out a way to flatten it because those 2 extras millimeters are preventing a smooth close. 😔
@@polymatt Thought it might be something like that! If you figure it out, I'd love to see another update on that.
@@domramsey I’ll definitely do a followup when I get that sorted!
Seems like the best use of this would be a "frame" and then attach a sheet of metal to the large flat surfaces? Obviously that require more fasteners etc. But in terms of for example creating your own bespoke Chassis to use a commonly available lid with EG a Framework or Steamdeck motherboard. (Edit: I should have watched to the end 😅)
now that's a tough book
Holy cow ...a stainless steel ThinkPad!?!
See? I told you it would be sweet to make it out of metal :D Turned out amazing :D
Just one thing. I would put some isolation on the edges of the PCBs, i noticed that you put them in without it. The different layers of the PCB can in worst case end up at the very edge of the board. Slight sanding of the boards by putting them in and out, or any slight burr could cause those to touch the case, making a short between layers.
Instead of vinyl, you can also use Plasti-Dip, like the stuff people spray their rims on the car with, to get a different color. This is basically liquid tape. You could have just sprayed the inside of the case, and used a brush on the edges, and called it a day :D
You totally called it - and great thinking on the PCB edges! I hadn’t thought of that.
I did think of the plastidip route but in my experience it’s really not that durable and breaks down over time. I wanted something that was a little more stable!
@@polymatt Yeah the vinyl is much more durable just higher effort. But the whole project was extreme effort so makes sense 😎
I was literally explaining to my spouse how awesome it would be to use this method with a framework internal to make a cyberdeck, and then you said it like 30s later.
My spouse was like "Oh, I see why you're watching this then"
Awesome work, looks really cool, and who doesn't want a laptop they can batter a door down with?
Great minds :). This project has seriously made me consider building a crazy cyberdeck!
Speaking as someone who has 3D printed a lot of housings, a good easy way to do the PCB mounting hole fitment is to make standoffs larger than you need without holes in them and then cut out the hole afterwards in the perfect spot. It doesn't work as well with port holes on the outside of the housing, but you can still alter the surface around the ports to cut them out afterwards, and a good trick with that is to make labels to cover up oversized port holes. You can even make labels out of metal as a flat panel that can be printed and that will be much, much more accurate than the holes on the side of a large housing with complex geometry with all the warping and shrinking that goes on
This thing with Framework motherboard compatibility in it would be a dream.
edit: You're way ahead of me
I'd love to see something like this for a Framework laptop
Really impressive; just totally blown away! Love the convergence of vintage and seemingly future tech.
finally a laptop thats the strength all laptops should be
Man that thing looks AMAZING
Thanks man! It’s no cursed Mac but definitely a BEAST!
I miss my butterfly Thinkpad I had in my teens. This really seems like a great way to immortalize an iconic machine, and the metal really adds to the signature IBM industrial design.
My biggest concern whenever I'm using my own 701C is the old plastics breaking. I think it would be really cool to do something like this with aluminum or magnesium like modern laptops use to keep the weight down. Also would be great with Karl's Framework build.
Awesome use of the safety flip-flop beach shoe.. but OMG awesome laptop upgrade.
It's a delicious video! Even from the last video, the thoughts of rehousing macbook m1 air in the ibm thinkpad custom case do not go away
Im going to have to check into that printing service! I resin print and sell a part for cars that i sell for $30 each. I have had a few customers have issues with the parts getting brittle and breaking due to heat exposure under the hood of their car. I contacted a 3d printing service to inquire about having them printed in aluminum or stainless steel and their quote was over $300 for one part and the price really didnt drop ordering multiple parts. The part i sell is small and has about 1/10th the materials that your laptop case uses.
As always kudos for all the amazing work and time spent you dedicated to actually pull trough with this project.
You have an unique model of an already legendary laptop.
Wow! This is absolutely insane! You continue to amaze us all! Keep up the great work!!
🙏 thanks so much!
Considering what you get for the price, seems like a super cool upgrade for a laptop!
I'm currently in the process of designing a "laptop" with a similar idea to this but using standard PC components instead. One of my big concerns was the precision of the metal 3d printing and if my part would arrive slightly smaller or larger than specified, but most of my worries are answered now, This video is an amazing resource to me, not to mention this project is insanely cool!
Really glad it helped and best of luck on the project!
@polymatt, you my friend and the people at JLC are Mad Lad's/Lasse's for doing this
I think they may have created a monster - now I’m thinking up all kinds of wild projects!
would have liked to see the closed profile, awesome job, it came out great.
Warping can probably be corrected by clamping in shape and annealing.
ITS A CRIME TO NOT SHOW THE BUTTERFLY KEYBOARD WORKING!!!
I waited the whole time to see it work with the new case, but alas it never came T_T
😂 Check my reels for a fix - although it’s not this laptop, it’s an original.
This is just awesome. It really makes me want to build my own laptop from scratch. I'm thinking that it'd be easiest to just weld some sheet metal and grind sharp corners. I could even weld nuts and bolts in strategic places to use as standoffs. If I made it really thick like older laptops were, I could maybe solder multiple Pi's together as a cluster and have a giant battery.
Do it! 🤘 Everyone should experience building a cyberdeck.
I "suggested" SLM as a joke in the other video, I wasn't expecting a tank like steel laptop at all! The base PC is the coolest laptop ever made, add that steel casing an nothing will ever be able to compete
Totally! There was yours and a few suggestions around metal - either CNC or 3D Printing and I thought “That’d be awesome but maybe way later on” but then this opportunity fell in my lap! Ended up turning out awesome!
Awesomeness!!! Well done man 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks so much man!
fantastic job, the 701 deserves all the love it can get, would love to see a 3d printed aluminum 701 some day... maybe with the framework board in it? dream laptop right there
Or a from scratch design with a Framework board, CNC milled would probably be cheaper.
@@XenonG ah ya, CNC from aluminum would probably be a good option, nicer finish too... I have a pair of 701c thinkpads that I got long, long ago, but one is in pretty poor condition (top lid cracking badly)
I really love that Framework exists and I hope more companies will start doing the same. I’d love to do a BYOC (bring your own case) for a Framework build.
For those wondering if it'll be tough enough to be a weapon, no it won't. Since it's laser layered, it'll likely shatter on shock loads.
Next video: drop test? 😄
They mentioned cooking it, he did too. Wouldnt that fix it?
The cooked parts should be plenty strong compared with the benchmarks like the carbon composites or magnesium bodies.
I remember seeing some testing that resulted in, for many loads, 3d printed steel being incredibly comparable and sometimes even stronger than regular steel parts. Probably greatly depends on the type of load, however. As other people mentioned, i think the heating/cooling process would take care of a lot of the brittle-ness
@@linux2420 Yeah, I've read about the uses more recently. I also had a brain fart moment when I made the comment, because I knew SpaceX 3D prints the hull of their Starships and had been 3D printing structural and engine parts for Falcon 9 and Heavy :|
These hardware go through intense amounts of heat, combined with sustained and shock structural loads then get reused lmao
How about using an inlay for isolation out of a 3d printer? Just 2 or 3 layers with a low layer height should make a very good fitting inlay without manual cutting labour.
That would be a great idea for the top and base but there were a lot of really small edges and connectors I needed to cover all over the place. Maybe building up layers of an acrylic spray? There’s definitely got to be a better way.
@@polymatt I believe there are isolation sprays especially for electronics, but I wouldn't trust them for this application. Not sure about acrylic. If a sharp pin is moving and rubbing it of, a disaster can strike later.
I guess I would have just used some layers of Kapton tape in addition to a printed isolation layer.
That is a gorgeous machine.
Amazing work! And you make it look so good, production quality through the roof!
Kapton tape on the inside might have been easier? Or at least a cricut/craft cutter machine to cut your vinyl?
This was such a cool video, great work!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very nice work, congrats! 👍
You should paint that metal body car in candy apple color so it looks like a classic Hot Rod car.
Could you perhaps have sprayed the interior of the case with a clear polyurethane paint to isolate the case from the pc components? Just curious.
Great video. Keep up the good work.
Thanks! I thought about it but there are a few sharp parts on the system board that I would be afraid would puncture any thin layer. Another person suggested plasti dip but it’s not very rugged at all - especially with sharp objects.
Maybe I missed it but I really wanted to see it fold.
I uploaded a model for a case I have and it only be about 60 bucks to get printed in metal. That's so cool. I have to tweak some things for the model but I might get it done in metal.
Nice! I’m definitely going to be considering SLM for future projects as well.
So cool!
Thanks Levi!
Glad you wore your safety sandals while you were heating up that metal.
Low carbon stainless steel shouldn't become particularly brittle from rapid thermal cycling. It work hardens like a mofo if you bend or press it a lot but the grain type doesn't change in a significant way from heating and rapid cooling. You need a bit more carbon than what's present in 316 SS. Austenetic stainless steels tollerance to thermal cycling is a big reason it's used in many situations.
I've straightened pieces like that by tacking a corner to a piece of carbon steel, stretching or otherwise forcing it into place, tacking it to hold position and heating the whole thing up. I have a love hate relationship with stainless steel. Getting it to behave how you want is a pain.
Really good insight thanks! Wish I had access to a proper metal shop as well. Have you worked with this kind of SLM SS before? I’m assuming it probably has some different properties than traditional stamped/rolled/forged etc.
Holy sh1t this is amazing. I want one, badly 😂
Could we see you open and close the lid at least once?
No, because it doesn't work
Looks really nice. 700 bucks doesn't seem to bad for this project.
Not bad at all !
Great project. Maybe a mix of the properties from both prints would be the best solution, SLS print it in something like nylon?
This is amazing work, no other words describe it
Thank you!
What's going on on the side of the machine there? Did you cut the sides of the chassis off? I wish there was some 360 b-roll of the finished project. I really dig the brutalist design.
Good question - that whole side is for the components: battery HDD and PCMCIA covers. I didn’t have the battery in and chose not to print the other covers in metal because the covers need to bend a bit to lock in.
@@polymatt Maybe you could spray the plastic parts in metallic spray paint and use them
I'd like to do this with my ancient Compaq SLT/286. Damn thing would end up weighing 100 pounds! 😂
You should try designing more light weight Thinkpad replacement parts and partner with JLPCB to sell them as kits 😀
Reselling Thinkpad parts is reserved foe Lenovo and for the Chinese. 😅
I think the lcd you could create the outer frame and then the rear can just be a fine steel sheet screwed, that way itd be easier to bend
In fact I would do that to the bottom too
Excellent video. Definitely some issues, but it’s great.
Much appreciated. You’re right there are a lot of ways to make this more efficient if the goal was to design a new case from scratch. I really wanted to replicate the current case.
@@polymatt do they have a hard enough plastic to build this as well?
I have so many laptops I miss but they are all cracked.
@@nR-kv7xo I haven’t been able to find any for a consumer grade printer. The harder ones are more brittle.
What would work VERY well is a MJF print in Nylon.
I’m sure you’ve probably seen some Damascus forging videos from a certain British blacksmith, where he usually dips the finished parts in ferric chloride? Then in baking powder water to neutralize the ferric chloride, and then lets it sit instant coffee to get the Damascus pattern more visible and higher contrast between the colors.
I wonder what these metal 3d printed parts would look like if you did the same finishing process. Would there be any discernible pattern? Since these are made with very thin layers stacked on top of each other, I’m thinking it might have a similar appearance to Damascus
That’s a really cool idea. I’ll have to try it!
This is pretty unique. Do you can make a more rugged framework chassis like as t410-t430 series (especially for the screen? Vinyl, resistant plastic or metal reunforces plastic. Thank you for the video!
Thanks so much! I would suggest MJF which is a sintered nylon and incredibly tough. I think that would be the way to go for a realistic project and not an over the top beast like this guy :)
太牛叉了．将一个老thinkpad ,焕发出新的光彩,这是DIY 的真谛.
15:42
You should just use plastic sheet like every PSU ever made.
OLD gaming consoles with AC PSU inside has it too, PS2/PS1 has bare PSU inside the console has this sheet perfectly engineered.
The issue is that it’s not just the base that I needed to insulate. There was a TON of other small places that touched the case like surrounding the connectors.
Have you considered printing the parts with auxiliar support structures to prevent deformation during printing?
Definitely. Now that I know how the case deforms, If i were to do this again, I'd add in temporary internal stiffeners attached to the sides and the base with small (1mm or so) connection points designed to keep the case from warping but intended to be cut off at afterwards.
Another thought, how hard would it be to modify this project to make it a suitable case for RPI4B, RPI5, or PI Zero 2W?
This is more like a tactical self defense laptop at this weight 😂
😂💯
Man I want this thing so bad. Even if I can only play Doom on it.
I would love if lenovo made a "tough book" thinkpad that was made out of metal. Id imagine it would weigh less then 25 pounds but even if it did I wouldnt care. I dont think people really put high performance laptops on their laps anyways, and from high school im used to lugging around 30 pounds on my back every day walking home 3 miles with it.
Now I know what to do with my 6 year old laptop to keep it cool.
Awesome case, stainless needs polishing though!
The vinyl wrapping of the interior kind of seems like an unnecessarily labor intensive choice. You could have just spray painted a layer of clear coat over the entire inside as a conformal coating. Given that the internals don't move once they are screwed down that would have likely been more than enough.
If you’ve seen my videos labor intensive is my middle name :). Definitely not going for efficiency here! Also while screwed in there is still a lot of flex in the system boards and having the keyboard sitting right on top - definitely wasn’t going to take the chance of frying a very special bit of hardware.
amazing work! I always wanted to do something like that but never had time or resources to do so. I wonder how their CNC serivce is, if it's good I wonder if one could make custom case for framework laptop
Thank you! Yeah I’m curious on their CNC capabilities as well. Maybe a future project? :)
Real rugged laptop yes...
I wonder how it would look if you polished it, like would it be straight mirror finish?
I did polish the top and it’s very shiny - I can see my reflection in it but it’s not a pure mirror finish as there are lines and artifacts that I wasn’t able to sand or buff out. It’s embedded in the steel so I’m guessing it’s artifacts based on the SLM process.
Such a great project! Looking forward to the all-metal Performa 580 and PowerBook 2400 :)
Oh you know that’s going to be a thing!
Metal Compaq LTE next?
That would be a good one. Iconic.
Awesome project! 👏
Since supply is scarcer and scarcer, what barriers are there to 3D print the *butterfly keyboard* components?
Thanks so much! Great question. So the keyboard is a tough one. It's really precise and made from a metal track in hard injection molded plastic. You'd probably have an easier time cutting sheet metal rather than 3D printing the base and the tracks, then you'd have to figure out what you're going to do for keycaps, as this is a rubber dome style keyboard and membrane. It's definitely doable but in my experience, the keyboard almost never fails. If it ever sticks, or doesn't work, its due to an issue with the case or re-assembly pushing up on the bottom since the tolerances are so tight. I've never seen one that's actually broken from use or stress.
@@polymatt If IBM / Lenovo doesn't get upset, I think a new keyboard and case, fully manufactured from scratch, would be a killer feature.
Keep up the good work ;)
Did someone Find & Replace every instance of the word cut with hog in this script?
'It was fun as sh*t' XD
Next stainless steel keycaps on that baby 😛
im gonna be such a negative nancy here but collision impact would be astronomical due to rigidity, no?, this is protection for the case itself if any, not to mention electrical circuit hazard. looks cool though
I knew going into this that it was never meant to be practical - just an excuse for me to try out metal 3D printing and do it in a cool over-the-top build!
I thought you was going to cut kapton sheet using a laser cutter 😂
If I had a laser cutter that’s exactly what I’d be doing 😁
Just a thought, would it be better to machine a metal case out of a different type of metal like aluminum or some alloy to keep things lighter? I know this was just a fun project for you to learn about metal 3D printing, but I was merely wondering if that would be something you might do later on when you get tired of carrying that weight around.
Definitely better for the material selection but you’d have to break up the model into multiple pieces. There are some tricky details, holes and undercuts I don’t believe would be possible even on a 5 axis mill the way that the base of the case is today. If I were to separate out some pieces, definitely doable.
Magnesium and magnesium composites are often used in laptops.
would have loved to actually see the mechanical bits in action :(
Now imagine a stainless steel W520...
Too freakin' cool! Enjoyed.
Glad you enjoyed it. It’s such a ridiculous thing but super fun.
@@polymatt Something tells me if the perfect material surfaces, we may see another video someday.
@@Fezzler61 oh I’d say there’s a high chance of that 😁
The Thinkpad if it were made by John DeLorean
The most FCC and EMC complaint computer on the planet. xd
💯 Also supports WiFi G… G as in Good luck getting a signal 😁
yo cool channel bro. I had something in mind that i would like to make
Glad you like the content! Yeah these kinds of projects are a lot of fun.
Toughbooks, eat your heart out.
I wonder how it would look powder coated?
Probably pretty awesome
Interesting Laptop, Hinges but its WOW
Проект забавний саме як тестування технології. Але занадто коштовний.
Як можна довести цей проект до абсурду але з надзвичайним виглядом? Ось варіанти відносно недорогих методів?
Ось деякі варіанти:
- За допомогою кислот - зробити оксидну плівку чорного кольору як на зброї та протерти маслом мінеральним після такої процедури корпус буде більш захищеним;
- Дешево - за допомогою електролізу покрити міддю а потім прогріти для диффузії матеріалів та аби не дуже окислювалася мідь - отримавши умовно золоту поверхню;
- Відносно дешево - за допомогою електролізу покрити міддю а потім хромом - отримавши дзеркальну поверхню;
- Дещо дорожче - пофарбувати емаллю, яка після запікання стане тонким склом дуже стійким до подряпин (можна навіть різними кольорами зробити логотип) тоді отримаєте витвір мистецтва що не матиме аналогів бо не матиме сенсу;
- Знайти тих, хто фарбує за допомогою порошкових фарб та пофарбувати таким методом - тоді він стане ще важчим та більш броньованим, після чого його буде важко поцарапати, надасть змогу забивати гвіздки та колоти горіхи, а ще ним можна буде захищатися від умовного ворога просто кинувши ноутбук в нього 😄
Thank you for all the suggestions! I’ve been trying to find a local place that will powder coat it, I think that would be awesome. I hadn’t thought about metal plating but that would be very cool as well!
It looks like sand-blasted because it was printed onto a powder/
Very like !!!
Hello, not sure if I missed some detail, did you discard using anodized aluminum because you was expecting some warping and the treatment would get damaged anyway?
Awesome to see you doing some metal work and testing the capabilities of these new manufacturing technologies.
Hey thanks for the comment! The choice of 316 stainless steel was really because that’s the only option the manufacturer had available - and I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity 😄. I had heard about metal 3D printing but never actually knew how it worked so it was a lot of fun digging in and learning.
A few people had suggested CNC but I really wanted to try to additive route and not sure if the complexity of the bottom case could be done with even a 5 axis CNC - but something I’m definitely going to look into. Thanks for the watch and the comment!
@@polymatt I was pretty impressed by the details and accuracy, the last time I saw a metal part done that way was 6 years ago and it needed to go on a 5 axis mill for all the accurate features (not just for the extremely ones) but it was a titanium alloy part for a military drone so who knows.
Awesome that your sponsor gave you that opportunity and that you could share it with us.
💯 and now I’m going to consider a lot more projects to be done in metal!
Any chance to get an electric shock from this metal case ???
I’ve insulated it pretty well but there’s definitely a non-zero chance 😁
@@polymatt Therefore, is it safer for regular users to have a plastic notebook case?
This was never intended to be practical - I hope that came across in the video. I really just used it to explore 3D Metal Printing!
I've often had some tingling with magnesium / composite Thinkpads 😅
Last time I got some tingling from a metal train handrest when charging my phone.
Nice add...
WOAH
This is a super cool project, but man, and the work you put into this is nothing short of impressive. Still, that shot of the laptop on the scale, angled so that the terrible viewing angles of the scale's LCD make the readings completely illegible? All while not actually telling us the weight of the thing? Come on.
Yeah that shot was really bad, but I did mention the weight! Close to 25lbs
He mentions 25lbs @ 24:40
How can you talk for so long and not show it actually closing even once? i'm disappointed, notv even sure it even works.
That’s because it doesn’t. I eluded to the issues with the bottom case and unfortunately the bit where I talk about the fact that the few mm effect of the bowing causes the keyboard to not close fully wasn’t in the final edit. *braces for well deserved ridicule*
This like a 'riced out' car - no matter what you do it, it's still going to be a Honda Accord.
Why would anyon put this much time and expense into a laptop that was outdated 10 years ago?
You realize... the most important part of a computer is it's performance, right?
If you’re genuinely curious I’m happy to answer: to continue with your car analogy, people modding or fixing up old hardware is a lot like people fixing or modding up classic cars. This laptop model is a classic - it’s in the New York Museum of Modern Art. Am I expecting to use this in any modern day tasks? Absolutely not. But do I find it a fun hobby to restore “classics”? Yeah, I do. So to answer your question - SOME computers are about performance. Like the ones I play modern games on and edit this video. But some are a fun and educational hobby where I can learn new skills and contribute to a community of people that are interested in preserving cool historic things.
🤘
did i miss it or did you seriously not fold it down even once??????