Anybody up for a 3D printing product (with Bonus "Hero Status" in the NB Miata community)

So, apparently these little guys  are NLA from Mazda.  This is Mazda Part number ND30-R1-311.  No one appears to be making them.  They go on the top latches and "guide" the latch into the strikers.  They are, unfortunately not only NLA, they are a wear item.  I've tried reaching out to some of the cottage industry  Miata parts makers and, so far, no one seems interested in producing them.  It seems like they would be relatively simple to make, but I know nothing about 3d printing.  Note: these are for 03-05 Miatas only, if that helps you gauge your potential market.  As far as I know (after extensive googling), you would be the only source for these.  What would I do except commit my undying gratitude?  1. I will buy at least 4.  2. I would rep the crap out of your product on a number of sites, assuming it's a quality item. 3. Product test if you need me to. 

What can't I do: Provide you with a decent condition part to prototype from, mine are trashed.  

In reply to kazoospec :

If anyone knows where I can acquire one in decent shape or new I would be more than happy to reproduce these.

Unfortunately, I'm of no help on a prototype, as mine are trashed.  If you can find an 03-05 Miata and they aren't trashed, it only takes about five minutes to remove them.  3 torque bits to remove the latch and 1 Phillips to remove the latch cover.  

I'm not too familiar with Miatas.. Miatae??  Do the earlier style caps that are still available fit on the latch the same but just not mate up with the windshield side of the latch correctly?  If that's the case I may order a set of the earlier ones, model them, make a few changes and send you a few different revisions to try out.

In reply to RacetruckRon :

Yes, the earlier versions mount to the latches exactly the same way.  I actually bought a set of early versions and tried to "rework" them because the ones on my top were really busted up.  The part where it attaches to the latch is the same.  The "early version" has a longer, sharper "point" on it.  Here's a pic of the early version: 

If I recall correctly, I still have one of the original "late" version caps in my glove box.  It's pretty busted up, but might help you figure out the right profile.  I tried to use it as a pattern to "reshape" the early versions I bought, with only limited success.  Even re-shaped, the early caps are tearing up the latch strikers and vice versa.  If I still have the original cap, I can mail it to you if you PM me a street address.  

In reply to kazoospec :

You have mail.

Cant you use early latches?

In reply to RacetruckRon :

You've got (snail and "e") mail.

In reply to Slippery:

The issue is the strikers.  They are different.  I'm not sure whether there are differences between the latches themselves or not.  It's possible I could just replace the strikers, but I'm not sure.  What's really ridiculous is potentially replacing a several hundred dollar part because Mazda stopped making a $3 part that is an obvious wear item.  

Years ago I bought an injection mold for the same part but for a VW squareback , 

real nice  one cavity mold that the guy made at work because he needed a pair of them !

Once you have the CAD file you could make a regular injection mold if needed.....

californiamilleghia said:

Once you have the CAD file you could make a regular injection mold if needed.....

This is what I would do.  The material properties will be far superior.  With a part that size the mold will be fairly inexpensive and the part cost will be pennies.

There are several sites where you can get a quote from your cad file, ex: Protomold

I will throw in another idea , 

take the sample , build it up about 6%  , make an RTV mold to make waxes , 

take waxes to the investment casting place  and have them cast ,  

finish and sell....

why the 6% .........shrinkage of the wax when cast and the metal when it cools.......

What material does this need to be made off? I feel that this should be rubber or at least softer plastic, correct?

otherwise I dont see why the stricker itself wouldn’t already have that shape built into it. 

Mazda is one of my very favorite outfits, and they are certainly one of the greats. But every now and again, they remind us that they are from Hiroshima and they have not forgotten. This is one of those times. The glass transaxle they graced the 323 GTX with is another.

...and that cars' rollerskate wheelbearings...

So it appears the part in question bolts to the hard top and is what catches onto the latch to hold the top in place when it's installed?  The easiest thing to do would be to design the part and set it up in a Shapeways store so it can be ordered through them.  Then it could be printed using whatever material you wanted on industrial machines.

There are parts like this for a lot of cars, as soon as I read the title I thought of the clips in w124/201/129/107 cars that the sun visor clips into. They are almost always broken and replacements are something like $60.

In reply to Slippery :

Yeah, the original part was a plastic of some sort.  It is basically a bushing between two metal parts.  It actually seems to be a fairly hard plastic, otherwise it would likely wear away within a short period of time.  If I had to pick a modern material, I'd probably go with a Delrin type of plastic.  

Have you seen videos of people melting down plastic grocery bags into blocks or forming them into shapes? Even impregnating them with oil.

Theres videos of melting bags on the stovetop too.

You could always retrofit the latches and strikers from an earlier miata. You can get a decent pair of latches for 50$. I’ve thrown tons of the strikers away!  There has to be lots out there. 

https://miatamecca.com

look for the posi- latch kit... you're welcome. 

:)

In reply to DS :

They are offering the "early version" caps, which I already have and they don't fit.  

DS said:

https://miatamecca.com

 

look for the posi- latch kit... you're welcome. 

 

:)

Unfortunately that is for 90-02. They need 02-05. 

In reply to joey48442 :

They have both versions... one is more rounded than the other. 

In reply to DS :

Everything I found on their site was Mazda Part NA01R1311, which is the wrong one.  

In reply to DS :

Oh cool I looked but didn’t see it. 

I have a couple 3D printers, introductory knowledge of Solidworks, and a 2004 MSM... also with these broken doodads. I hadn't even noticed that these were destroyed on my car, but she hasn't been driven much the past few years.

I'd print something like this with PETG. It's quite a robust plastic, and the design looks fairly friendly to 3D printing except for having to remove support in the hole for the metal prong. PLA is too brittle, and I'm not set up for ABS.

If someone can take measurements or give me access to their good one (either by snail mail or in person in East TN or SoCal), I can likely come up with something that would work. I didn't realize the late NB2 latches/strikers were different.