In the End of last year I ordered a 3DHUB for my fairphone. I printed it in Berlin. so far everything was okay. When I touched the Case for the first time I reallized, that the edges hadn’t been cutted correctly. There wree really sharp borders at the top and at the bottom.

Two weeks ago my telephone fell of the table and two edges are broken now…

I think 3D HUBS are a nice Idea, but the realization is not really good…I am really dissapointed.

So sorry to hear about this, @reikekind! I’ll add in to the discussion @Robin3D, Head of Customer Support, to further look into this. However next time you receive a print and you’re not happy with it, please make sure to go through our FAQ, as we have a 100% moneyback guarantee, which should have helped in this situation - check here for details: https://www.3dhubs.com/faq. Thanks

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Hey there @reikekind. If I’m to understand you correctly, you ordered a case for your Fairphone from a 3DHub in Berlin, but it got chipped when you dropped your phone. Is that correct?

I’ll assume that it is. Two things: If the case was printed in most materials, other than PLA, it should withstand the shock of a fall from a normal height table onto just about any surface, so it’s most likely that the case was simply printed in an unsuitable material and chipped as a result of the impact of the fall. Secondly, I wonder if you’d criticise Fairphone if the case of the phone itself had become chipped. Criticising 3DHubs is rather like blaming Google because you found your phone with their search engine. You’re right; 3DHubs is a great idea with thousands of very happy customers and, in my experience, the realisation of the idea is at least as good as the idea itself.

In any case, I’d suggest that you contact the hub where your phone case was printed and tell them what happened. Send them some photo’s and ask for a replacement case to be printed in ABS. I’m sure they’ll be happy to come to some arrangement with you.

Cheers!

AndyL

Pot8oSh3D

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Phone cases crack so that your phone does not… this is one reason I don’t print Phone cases for customers unless it is a flex filament like NinjaFlex.

Most of the cases I have printed for myself in ABS, PLA and WoodFill/PLA mix have broken while saving my phone from damage. It’s just the state of FDM style printing with no post process like solvent vapor smoothing/hardening.

It is unfortunate that the allure of phone case production as the “killer app” for 3d printing has drawn many a customer, and unfortunately bloggers/reporters, into this poor initial experience with the technology.

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As Fairphone I would also like to comment to this. First of all very sorry to hear this @reikekind.

Of course it is a shame that your case broke when it fell, though other than with our regular cases we sell the 3D cases as decorative item and not so much as protective case. This because already for we started were aware the cases can break when they fall.

Having it printed in ABS might be a solution, though because this is so hard it is very difficult to put and remove from the phone leading to other issues (we have heard of people who had ABS cases that had to be removed with screwdrivers or damaged the Fairphone with severe scratches).

A more flexible filament would be nice though is with this design not possible. Also, from what I did understand, there are not as many 3D Hubs who have the correct kind of printer for this making it more difficult to find enough local printers that could take part in this project.

Hey there @fairphone_api. Good points, though I have a couple of comments:

If someone damages a phone trying to remove a case, they’re simply doing it wrong. ABS isn’t titanium. In my book, the right tools for the job usually get the job done. If I were to take a screwdriver to my phone, it would only be to undo a screw. That’s what it’s for. :slight_smile:

The main limitation as regards hubs’ ability to print the Fairphone case is one of build plate size. My build plate is 120x120mm, so it’s too small. Of course, there is another restriction; If a hub doesn’t apply to get the Fairphone badge but, far as I can see, those are the only real limitations.

I’d be willing to modify the case design so that it can be printed on a wider variety of printers and perhaps tune the thickness so that an ABS case would be only as rigid as it needs to be.

Cheers!

AndyL

Pot8oSh3D

Yeah, I also wondered why they would use a screwdriver for it, but you know how it goes :wink: