3D print headset spacers?

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Lucendi
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by Lucendi

I think I found a good application for a 3D-printed part in the headset assembly.

A 3D-printed dust cover in ABS.
Image

Very light as well.
Image

The stock FSA headset spacer is a hefty 12,5 grams and about 11mm tall on the inside. The 3D-printed dust cover and a 10mm spacer weigh 3,6 grams. Thus saving 8,9 grams! :)

joejack951
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by joejack951

You should look into acetone or heat-smoothing to hide those visible layers in your 3D print. Or even just sand it down a bit (may require a thicker print to start with). Nice job on the weight reduction, though!

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Lucendi
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by Lucendi

joejack951 wrote:
Thu Dec 16, 2021 3:35 pm
You should look into acetone or heat-smoothing to hide those visible layers in your 3D print. Or even just sand it down a bit (may require a thicker print to start with). Nice job on the weight reduction, though!
Thanks for the tips! - I did not make the headset dust cover to be used, but more to get the dimensions right.

I will make a mould that I will post process with filler and sanding, and then I will make a proper headset dust cover out of carbon fiber.

I did a test run without any acetone smoothing or other post processing and this was the result;

Image
ABS on the left, 3K pre-preg carbon fiber on the right.

RNAV
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by RNAV

hannawald wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:18 am
I used to have Extralite delrin spacers and they deformed pretty quickly so they went to the basket. I would expect this from no name aliexpress stuff, not Extralite. This is their 2nd attempt for light spacers, hopefully better. It has different design with reinforcing vertical ribs..
Pretty much the same experience with Extralite's 3d printed spacers. Currently trying to figure out what I want to replace them with.

joejack951
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by joejack951

RNAV wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:00 am
hannawald wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:18 am
I used to have Extralite delrin spacers and they deformed pretty quickly so they went to the basket. I would expect this from no name aliexpress stuff, not Extralite. This is their 2nd attempt for light spacers, hopefully better. It has different design with reinforcing vertical ribs..
Pretty much the same experience with Extralite's 3d printed spacers. Currently trying to figure out what I want to replace them with.
Can you share pics? I'm curious to see how they've failed.

RNAV
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Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2020 3:55 pm

by RNAV

joejack951 wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:18 pm
RNAV wrote:
Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:00 am
hannawald wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:18 am
I used to have Extralite delrin spacers and they deformed pretty quickly so they went to the basket. I would expect this from no name aliexpress stuff, not Extralite. This is their 2nd attempt for light spacers, hopefully better. It has different design with reinforcing vertical ribs..
Pretty much the same experience with Extralite's 3d printed spacers. Currently trying to figure out what I want to replace them with.
Can you share pics? I'm curious to see how they've failed.
Sure. The ones I have are obviously Extralite's first gen, not the X-braced ones. To be clear, I use a torque wrench to set the headset preload at 2nm, so it's not like there's an excessive amount of compressive force. Pretty disappointing considering they weren't cheap to begin with, and the cost to ship them to the US was mind-boggling considering how light and small the package was.
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Attermann
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by Attermann

Mine cracked too, I have had a couple of extralite things, allmost all have failed on me, so I don't have a lot of faith in that company.

joejack951
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by joejack951

RNAV wrote:
Sat Dec 18, 2021 12:44 am
Sure. The ones I have are obviously Extralite's first gen, not the X-braced ones. To be clear, I use a torque wrench to set the headset preload at 2nm, so it's not like there's an excessive amount of compressive force.
Yeah, that’s not a surprisingly failure. The headset preload is nothing compared to the forces those spacers see every time you stand up on the pedals or hit a bump with your hands on the bars. Headset spacers, while simple parts, are most definitely load bearing parts and need to be made from a material that can withstand both constant and impact forces. FDM-style 3D printed ABS or PC parts are definitely not up to that task. MJF nylon is highly suspect, too, because straight nylon just isn’t all that rigid, and being sintered/fused only makes matters worse.

I hope I’m wrong with the MJF nylon, though. A company like Extralite shouldn’t put out two crap products in a row.

Wassim
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by Wassim

takolino wrote:
Mon Aug 02, 2021 5:37 am
I agree, 3D printed plastics wouldn't be my first choice for stressed parts. I believe I saw someone post about an Extralite FDM printed spacer that fell apart. This was probably their initial version and perhaps they found a better material. SLS nylon may be better suited. I've seen the spacers that come with Farsports F1 bars which looks like 3d printed nylon.

I have personally 3D printed headset spacer shrouds with success. I say "shroud" because I still use a carbon spacer underneath. I do this mainly for stylistic reasons. I just don't like the way most bikes look with round spacers. I use CAD to "fill in" the space and make a shroud that blends the stem shape with the frame. Most modern integrated have this look now but only in the last few years. This is a great way to get a custom spacer made but stil have peace of mind. My Aethos, Strada, and Addict (2017) look better with this approach.
Hi Takolino,..I have a bike with ACR headset / stem ... But thinking about using regular stem / carbon spacers and some kinda shroud to hide the cables .. goal here is to save some weight... Do you have some pointers for me or maybe some 3d models to share? Much appreciated. Thank you!

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