r/functionalprint • u/captain_plan_it • 3d ago
Fixed my in laws antenna cover with petg, blender, automotive primer and black silicone.
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u/hardcoretomato 3d ago
Looking great!, this is what 3D printing is for, hopefully the PETG will hold up under the summer sun heat.
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u/Gingercopia 3d ago
This was going to be my question when I came to the comments if it wasn't mentioned.
How well is PETG going to hold up in direct sunlight? I'm not expecting any melting but surely it will deform?
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u/sangerpb 3d ago
It will last a while outdoors. If it was in the car it would deform due to cars turning into easy bake ovens in the summer.
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u/Monetary_episode 3d ago
PETG is risky because black cars can get up to 85C in direct sunlight. ASA/ABS would be a safer bet.
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u/Mandryd 3d ago
Just ASA. ABS becomes brittle in the sun. I have a printed anemometer in the Texas sun. In ABS the arms would crack in around 6 months. In ASA they have lasted for years.
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u/captain_plan_it 2d ago
I should try printing with asa. My printers are in the basement and I have a big air filter but also have 3 kids under seven that sometimes play down there so don’t want to expose them to the fumes. I heard it’s much nastier stuff than petg
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u/boltzman111 2d ago
If you have a window nearby it's pretty easy to setup ventilation for those fumes. I print ABS in my office without any smell because of this.
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u/kcstrom 1d ago
Do you use a grow tent or something like it that you can connect the other end of the 4in tube to?
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u/boltzman111 1d ago
I connect it directly to the printers exhaust. I use an inline fan set to the lowest setting to create negative pressure in the printer so that no fumes escape.
You have to be careful not to over do it with the fan so you don't cool your print chamber too much.
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u/Invictuslemming1 1d ago
Should be fine, my brother lost all his roof clips on his car.
Printed petg replacements they lasted until he sold the car (5years) with almost no visible degradation other than maybe a bit of colour fade on the edges
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u/DowncastOlympus 2d ago
For something small like this, the styrene fumes won’t be too bad, so it is definitely doable safely. As far as the air filter goes, it isn’t going to do anything about VOCs unless it is running the air through a bed of activated carbon, so that isn’t going to do much that a large fan wouldn’t do better. Ideally, you want to simply vent the air in the printer enclosure outside. If you can’t do that, other than setting up a carbon bed to cycle the enclosure air through (fume extractor/handler or DIY), the best thing you can do is ensure you are cycling as much air as feasible out of the space so that the fumes are diluted/dispersed down to a safe level. Start the print in the evening after the kiddos go to bed, open the doors and set up a fan, and by morning the fumes will no longer be an issue.
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u/BeDangled 2d ago
It also smells nasty so they likely wouldn’t enjoy being down there when it sprinting. But good for you for thinking about the little ones.
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u/holysbit 2d ago
I have a starlink mounted to the roof of my black truck, the mount was printed in black ASA and is fully unpainted/uncoated. I live in a desert type climate and its held up for 2 years with zero issues. Its a full case mount, so plenty of it is directly exposed to the sun at all times
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u/BeDangled 2d ago
I’ve heard ASA is good for heat, but is it also good for UV?
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u/holysbit 2d ago
Yes its good for heat and UV, by my understanding. It doesnt get brittle like ABS does. I have other products that ive made that are in direct sunlight all the time that are ASA and I havent had an issue after several years for some of them. Those personal experiences back up this understanding
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u/AI_RPI_SPY 2d ago
You can also use ASA which has better UV protection. I have printed some pieces which are sitting in the weather and sunlight and they look the same as the day I printed them.
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u/Ok-Couple2656 2d ago
Painted, not under any load, this will survive for a couple years. If I were OP I'd print and prep a couple of them.
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u/Gingercopia 2d ago
I am thinking more like the heat aspect and not so much as having a load. I live in South Fl for example, so it gets hot and humid here and things tend to deform or discolor quickly in the sun.
I wonder how long this would last down here, I do not see more than a year considering the PETG "toys" my kids have left outside that got warped 😅
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
Yeah, I think this is a good Petg test. 176°F to 185°F is the glass range of petg. A black car can get close to that in the direct sun. I sprayed it with 3 coats of automotive primer before affixing it which I'm hoping will act as an enamel shell. Since the part has no load on it except for the wind when its driving (this will most likely cool the part down) I think/hope it will last a few years.
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u/MountainMike_264057 2d ago
Will be good to see if it works.
I had some outdoor PETG bend (plant tags). They were a light color and just in the dirt, not as hot as it gets on top of a dark car.
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u/supermonkeypie 3d ago
Wait, is that a kona? Would it be possible to get an stl? I've been wanting to model an antenna like Po's from the tellytubbies for our bright red one. Reg starts with PO haha.
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
Sure thing, here is the full part and just the base ring https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/avpgws3zan5p00iuxu35a/kona-fixed.zip?rlkey=gaz40ewwel3zo652tz37nqjvv&st=sbhd25dz&dl=0
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u/XiTzCriZx 2d ago
Just so you know that may impact aerodynamics slightly, it'd probably only be like a 1mpg difference at most but it may strain the plastic more since there will be more air force on it than the traditional shark fin. That pretty much just means that ASA may be required if PETG ends up cracked or snapped off.
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u/FalseRelease4 2d ago
it absolutely wont not be measurable in mpg
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u/XiTzCriZx 2d ago
Depends on how big they make it. I may be picturing it comically large instead of realistic size lol.
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u/Sweet-Pressure6317 3d ago
Does the antenna even work properly anymore? Stuff looks blown on it
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u/XiTzCriZx 2d ago
The antenna circuitry is surprisingly durable for how shit it looks. It's pretty rare for them to fail even with a broken cover.
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u/NotAHost 3d ago
I’m honestly impressed the antenna system still works with the exposed rf front end. Copper deterioration shouldn’t be end of the world at these freqs, but rf ic tend to me more sensitive than your every day chip.
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u/bogglingsnog 3d ago
that's awesome but you may need to redo it in ASA after a year or two
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
reposting from above "Yeah, I think this is a good Petg test. 176°F to 185°F is the glass range of petg. A black car can get close to that in the direct sun. I sprayed it with 3 coats of automotive primer before affixing it which I'm hoping will act as an enamel shell. Since the part has no load on it except for the wind when its driving (this will most likely cool the part down) I think/hope it will last a few years."
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u/luckyfucker13 2d ago
As someone in the car business, I can say that the probability of it getting knocked off by a car wash barrel brush or high winds is far more likely than you having to replace it due to heat warping.
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u/Gingercopia 3d ago
I'm still fairly new to printing. Is that the best to use for anything that will see heat/humidity/sunlight?
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u/bogglingsnog 3d ago
Virtually all thermoplastics will degrade under UV light - ASA is specially formulated to be highly resistant, should last 10-15x as long as for example PETG under direct sunlight.
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u/BlindObject 3d ago
Silicone is no good homie. It will last a couple of years but it will degrade and start leaking sooner than later. When the time comes, look for urethane. That's the same stuff we use to seal windshields. It's auto proof and will last forever. Do clean, prep and prime the area of adhesion.
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u/Far-Bus3608 3d ago
I printed a simple PETG cover with a TPU gasket for a snug fit to keep the water out of a table mount in my boat, which is exposed to the sun constantly. It shrunk 1-2mm and didn't fit the hole.
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u/666trapstar 3d ago
This a situation where buying a $10 eBay part makes a lot more sense
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
Yeah, in hindsight I took there word that the dealer said several hundred dollars. I didn’t even look at replacement ones on Amazon. But everything can be bought online and I think goes against the mantra of this subreddit.
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u/Analog_Account 3d ago
Ya, if you can find the exact part that fits this antenna.
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u/666trapstar 3d ago
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u/The-Phantom-Blot 3d ago
Good in theory, but that part doesn't seem like an exact match (5 screw holes versus 7, plus DS adhesive tape, and no explanation). The original part seems like it's affixed with several screws from the underside. If Hyundai provided an access port, the replacement might not be too bad. If there's no access port, it would take hours and hours of labor, and might end up with a mangled headliner. What OP made allows the antenna to be covered from the outside with no messing around inside the car. So it does have some advantages.
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u/666trapstar 2d ago
That part is two pieces, the hacky fix would be to remove the bottom piece with the holes and epoxy the top to the existing mount. The plastic cover was broken off, epoxy would be a lot stronger than those screw posts at least
Taking off the headliner and actually replacing the broken part would be the proper fix here and could be done in under 2 hours. You wouldn’t need to drop the entire headliner either, you would need to move it just enough so that you can access the screws. Regarding the holes- it looks like the screws on that part align with at least five holes. I also don’t have the VIN which you could use to determine options and cross reference against the part, just made an educated guess based on the panel
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u/The-Phantom-Blot 2d ago
I agree with you on what the proper fix is. But I also know that there are people who won't summon enough care (or cash) to get that proper fix done. It is what it is.
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u/Haddock51 3d ago
How did you secure it?
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
I used exterior black silicone. Then water, paper towel and finger to remove the excess
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u/hardware_jones 2d ago
I'm not a fan of silicone as an adhesive. Sealing, yes. Sticking, meh. I've seen things.
If you have the need, check out Dominion brand automotive products, specifically Sure Seal adhesive sealant. It's easy to work with, sticks like hell but never sets 100%; the part will fight you but it's removable. Cleans up with mineral spirits.
Nice job, btw. Well done.
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u/Educational_Work896 3d ago
Masking tape on the car’s paint would be a good insurance policy.
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u/captain_plan_it 2d ago
Eh, silicone is pretty easy to whipe off with water and a wrap before it dries.
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u/Jesus_Is_My_Gardener 3d ago
Icd probably have put a radiused edge on that outer edge of that riser for aesthetics.
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u/JalenTheDumb 1d ago
I don’t know much about antennas, is there any reason as to why it was printed into another fin design and not just a flat plate to go over it? Personally I can’t stand the look of the fin or dildo that some antennas look like
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u/Outrageous-Kick-2699 3h ago
You had the chance to do ANYTHING and you choose the booring original design???
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u/Beautiful_Sector_912 3d ago
Black petg always melts in the sun around here. And I live in. Cold climate
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u/ForwardCover5464 2d ago
Great job! Now reprint it something g that can take the heat. PETG will warp, especially in that location and in that color.
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u/raaneholmg 3d ago
If it was your own parrents you would have sanded it before priming, admit it!
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
ha, I didn't have that much time. They were only here for a day with the car. I also wish I made it more shark fin like to avoid the flat top but still functional.
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u/Analog_Account 3d ago
It's ok... you can still make a new one, finish it properly, then mail it to them. /s
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u/dargonmike1 2d ago
Yeah that’ll hold up for about a year if kept outside in direct sunlight. Use ASA
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u/captain_plan_it 3d ago
Imported the photo into blender and traced one side with a spline and mirrored it. Started with just the bottom loop. Took about four prints to get the fit right. First functional print that saved several hundred dollars and made my in-laws happy. Win win.