Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by DaSHacka 12 days ago
If you own a 3D printer, there are oftentimes STLs people publish online to shrink the size of the fob.

Made my keys much less bulky

1 comments

Now that’s an idea… I found one for my car, but kind of hate it.

I don’t have a 3D printer currently. I did help my cousin’s kid by one and they told me if I ever wanted to print something to let them know, but I have a feeling I’ll need to design my own with some trial and error.

I’ve hesitated buying one, because the idea of having a machine to melt plastic in my house seems like a bad idea when it comes to air quality.

Depends on the plastic, but even the most benign ones put out very minor amounts of fumes if YouTube testers are to be believed. Note that fumes in this case just means that they are seeing changes in AQI meters, which is something that can happen with too many people sitting in a room.

If it’s something you worry about, the enclosed models frequently either come with, or can be fitted with a carbon filter, and if you are really worried, you can use dryer vent to get it outside.

With the most popular plastic (PLA) at printing temperatures, there isn’t any data showing toxic byproducts. When you get into things like ABS and resin you have to think more about fumes.

Do not print a key fob out of PLA. It will not survive summer car temperatures. A better choice is PETG, or ABS and ASA if you have an enclosed printer that can vent outside.
You leave your key in the car? And you don’t run the air conditioner when you are inside?
> run the air conditioner

Look at Mr. Moneybags here with his car that has the AC add on and still functional!

FYI my local library in suburban Pennsylvania has a 3D printer for public use. Check yours.