<p>Developing an electronic product for which I'll need an enclosure. It's about 50x30x20mm and should survive higher temperatures (50-60 degrees). Because of the low volume (under 500 required per year), I'd like to go for an enclosure option that doesn't require a huge upfront cost. So ended up at 3d printing.  As the product will retail for around 500$, the surface finish needs to be up to a higher quality than the standard pla prints that I've seen. From my own research (3d printing noob), the best material for this would be ABS. Maybe with some manual polishing at the end. Then I'd either buy a 3d printer and do it myself or find a company to do it.</p>

<p>What am I missing? :)</p>

<p>Anything I'm missing? Thanks a lot.</p>

[{'answer_id': 10478, 'author': 'Joel Coehoorn', 'author_id': 12562, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/12562', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': "<p>ABS should be able to handle the the temperatures you describe. ABS will have a similar finish to PLA when it first comes off the printer, but you can refine and smooth your results via an acetone vapor treatment. This only takes a few minutes per piece, and can cost as little as a $1 bottle of fingernail polish remover, a used coffee can, a bit of wire, and some paper towels.</p>\n\n<p>What you're missing is the hobby-level 3D printers ($1000 and below) can be <em>extremely</em> finicky. You're not gonna get the kind of quality you need the first print out of the gate. Or the second. Probably not the third or fourth, either. And then you'll find every now and then something isn't quite right any more, and you'll need to troubleshoot why.</p>\n\n<p>You certainly can make this work... just be prepared for what you're getting into.</p>\n"}, {'answer_id': 10479, 'author': 'user77232', 'author_id': 12857, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/12857', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': "<p>Hire someone on fiver or upwork to design it for you, and then hire a company to make them for you out of ABS. Then you can do the smoothing yourself. If you're getting into 3d printing so that you can be cost effective on just one design, the outsource it. If you are planning to do different designs over that year, then pick it up yourself. If you want quality now, however, then outsource.</p>\n"}, {'answer_id': 10480, 'author': 'ON5MF Jurgen', 'author_id': 6812, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/6812', 'pm_score': 0, 'selected': False, 'text': "<p>ABS would be ok for these temperatures. But 3d-printing, cleaning up the print and smoothing the surface to get a marketable device takes time and effort.\nSo I guess that for a few hundred enclosures you'd be far better/cheaper off having them manufactured (in China?) than trying to print them yourself.\nUnless the design changes often of course.</p>\n"}, {'answer_id': 10481, 'author': 'towe', 'author_id': 13171, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/13171', 'pm_score': 2, 'selected': False, 'text': "<p>I recently started using ABS - while easily printable, you'll really want to use a filter or make sure to use the printer in a well ventilated area because of the fumes.</p>\n\n<p>With your required temperature range of only 60°C, <strong>PETG</strong> would also be a viable as an easier and safer to print alternative. However, it is not smoothable with acetone like ABS is, though you can get very high-quality surface finish from the raw print if you build a decent printer.</p>\n"}, {'answer_id': 10507, 'author': 'Rosalie W', 'author_id': 16308, 'author_profile': 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16308', 'pm_score': 0, 'selected': False, 'text': '<p>What you could also try is ASA. It is similar to ABS and is really strong.</p>\n'}]
['https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10477', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com', 'https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/16936/']