Lower seat trim buttons

Right. I am sick of those stupid plastic studs that you have to prize out to take off the plastic trim around the base of the front seats. They go knackered so quick, crap design. Just designed an alternative in Catia V5 (see pic) and will get a prototype made in our 3D printer some time next week and report back to see if it's any better. Any take a few attempts to get it to work. The first of potentially many bits to re-make!

I prefer Solidworks myself.....

Trying to currently convert to Catia.....

Presently, I am working as a Design Engineer for Airbus and Boeing Tooling Manufacture....I see you are a D/E for the GR4 - My Father was going through Tornado Conversion Training before his eyesight finally rendered him a desk job for the Defence Geospaitial Intellegence Agency (the guys who did your film based moving maps) until they closed his unit down due to the newer digital updates where installed in the Jags, Harriers and Tornados - he has since retired and is living a life of luxury building model boats!!!

Hi mate,

Good to hear from a fellow CAD / Catia sufferer Was at Boeing for a few years in Seattle myself, a great place for off roading etc. Involved with rapid prototype tooling just now, hence the opportunity to make a few bits for the Rangey!

Stufer said:

Right. I am sick of those stupid plastic studs that you have to prize out to take off the plastic trim around the base of the front seats. They go knackered so quick, crap design. Just designed an alternative in Catia V5 (see pic) and will get a prototype made in our 3D printer some time next week and report back to see if it's any better. Any take a few attempts to get it to work. The first of potentially many bits to re-make!

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Why bother. Proton & Mitsubishi have almost identical ones that do the same job for just a few pennies.

That's no fun.

Stufer said:

That's no fun.

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Fun is a couple of beers at the neighboring pub. :lol:

zhoey said:

Fun is a couple of beers at the neighboring pub. :lol:

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It certainly is but just think how impressed your drinking mates would be when you tell them you can make yer own spare parts for your Landy

OK ok yes they'd tell me to shut up and get the beer in... :what:

Stufer said:

It certainly is but just think how impressed your drinking mates would be when you tell them you can make yer own spare parts for your Landy

OK ok yes they'd tell me to shut up and get the beer in... :what:

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If you are sucessful, I'll buy some in light stone colour or something close

Stufer wrote:

Right. I am sick of those stupid plastic studs that you have to prize out to take off the plastic trim around the base of the front seats. They go knackered so quick, crap design.

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Trim the "feathers" off the plastic studs so they can be removed easier.

Datatek said:

If you are sucessful, I'll buy some in light stone colour or something close

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Kieth, if they work I'll send you some for nothin. You have helped us out enough to deserve that. However colour in our printer won't be an exact match, its either 'buff' or red (doubt you'll want red ).

Anyway the point of all this, is to practice making some simple bits, so that when something important breaks, there is the possibility of re-making it myself, maybe with design improvements built in . The parts grow layer by layer in the machine from a CAD file. Even complex working mechanisms can be made in one shot.

The machine that can build these sort of prototypes is a Fusion Deposition Modelling machine. Example:

3D Printers, FDM Prototyping, 3D Models | Dimension Printers

There are more affordable ones on the market that you can stick in your garage. Not advertising here, just trying to point out the benefits (and satisfaction) of making your own stuff when it breaks

And yes, there are ones that can grow stuff in metal.... Anyone fancy GROWING a new L322 fully functioning gearbox? Don't laugh, it's early days, but it will happen one day....

Buff would be great, got grey in there at the moment. CAD/CAM has moved on a bit since my day, still got an old copy of ORCAD for circuit design that runs under Win 95.
Sounds like they will make babies like that one day!

Taadaa...

OK more ivory in colour than buff. I'll see if they work later.

I have sooooo gotta get one of those machines!!!