Printed the right side ear piece

I printed the right side ear piece and sub parts, cleand them up and fitted it all together.

New printed parts and new mockup assembly

With the new 3D scan I could make a new model part that I then cut the ear piece to the complex contour of the helmet side with.

Cutting part (gray in image) created from scanned surface. This body is then used with the Cavity command in 3D Cad (may be called other names depending on CAD system used) to remove intersecting volume from the ear piece model.

I then added fasteing holes for the frame that will support the rubber neck bellows all around the lower edge of the hemet. 

To further accomodate the fit of the bellows I cut the bottom inner edge as shown, this conforms to mate the curves created by the Procap helemt and visor.

I finally printed and fit the ear piece to the helmet, it was a perfect fit! :)

The next step was to re-model and print the final missing piece aka the "Bent Spark-plug" to go on the ear piece lower section. My Brother has named this part this "The Cool part". I think they're all cool if I was to name it it'd be "The Difficult bothersome part that had to be remodeled several times and then barely fit together". But yes it looks cool when finished. :)

It's modeled as four separate pieces that come together, this is to give the best possibility of sanding off print lines and still retain detailing.

I printed the parts and sanded and filed it quite a bit to fit together, then had to press it together with some force for it to finally snap in place. 

This is because when you 3D print models the "holes" or rather the inside open spaces always shrink a certain percentage. I did adjust some for this but not enough. If it's a solid printed part and a simple block like most of the other parts you just scrape and sand it to get the fit you need but this is quite a complex model with fine flanges all over it making such sanding difficult if at all possible.

I should have modeled the hole contour larger (I remedied that after the print).
However, it looked fine assembled but with the inner tension from that, when I acetone dipped the piece it cracked at the front.

Luckily it still fit in the slot on the ear piece and that clamped it together barely showing a crack so I decided to still use the part. It'll be removable to get at the screw points beneath it so I can re-print the part, paint up and replace easily later if I feel the need.

It did reatin plenty of detail and the finish of the piece was quite good, it looks factory moulded.

After that I fully secured the ear pice to the helmet with hidden screws, put the 3D-printed fake bolts in the screw holes (the top arc), added all the printed parts, drilled out ande deepened the rivet holes around the chamfered outer edges and mounted the rivets.

The left ear piece assembly was finally done after 2 years of modeling, printing, scanning the helmet side and re-modeling!
The best thing with 3D CAD is making a new mirrored right side was quick and easy work.
Now all modeling is done except some re-work of the chin light and I can leave that to last and just print the remaining pieces, smooth, paint and assemble it all.

I started printing the right side ear piece body after making sure the left side was as I wanted it. It's a 3 day print at the highest precision and thinnest layer setting for the best result possible.

Here's a photo with flash showing the metal paint parts gleam. It'll look nice on cosplay photos. It'll look even better when I finish painting it all. ;)

Scanned parts to make meeting surface

There's been and ongoing issue with making the ear piece back end fit to the helmet.
I could theoretically print models in a number of iterations with changes to the depth it protrudes to get the fit but decided this was too time consuming and might still not produce a proper fit.

However, since I've bought a good scanner to scan other things (Cyberman parts, more on that in another blog) I might as well use it to scan the Procap helmet top.

I'm using an Einscan 3D SE, which is a professional scanner. Don't expect this result with a $200 scanner, I did that mistake and now I have a cheap barely functional hand held scanner I won't use as well as this one. ;)

I's not the greatest industrial scanner out there but uses projected light and not a laser range finder which makes it atually functional for scanning with precision. It's the least expensice that actually works as it should in other words and simply outstanding for a hobbyist.

These are the resutls from a simple non watertight scan. The scanner can scan outside and inside and combine the file to a complete hemlet to save as a printable file, but in this case the idea was to make it as "light" (not so big a file) as possible while retaining acceptable detail.
This was so I could work with it esaily in my CAD program.

Scanned Procap helmet side imported in 3D CAD

The surfaces critical for the fit

I started working on getting the surfaces from the scan.

Surfaces recognized

The most critical back of head surface selected just to point it out.

the various surfaces sxtracted to give CAD 3D references and hopefully some surfaces and planes I can use to work with to improve the ear piece.

I lined up my older model and the most recent one together and then lined up the extracted scan surfaces as well.
The old ear pice I printed over a year ago had a big gap to the back of the helmet, the new one I modeled 6 months ago isn't exactly the right shape but much closer. 

With this scan I can finally make the fit I want. I expect the orginianl space helmets were made from 3D-models provided by Scott or a scan like this because it's almost impossible to make it fit in 3D otherwise.

Printed and added a better sized lantern

I added the new smaller sized lantern and mounted it with a rubber gasket under it as seen on the original helmets. I also removed, cut down and mounted the front lens and grill backing (not seen as the lantern isn't lit here).

I also added the support grill that goes under the lens in the top of the lantern.

I'm waiting for delivery of the lens material, a soft red transparent smart phone cover that has the same red/pinkish tint as the original and also is a soft plastic almost rubbery-like surface like they look to be.

Air coupling adapter test mounted

I've attached more of the parts I have even though some aren't perfect.

But it looks kind of nice while waiting to print new and additional parts.

New Conduit end fastener

New conduit end fastener modeled and printed.

Compare to this screenshot (Kill the Moon).

Early mockup assembly

This is the helmet with early parts as I try out attaching them with tape.

The flex conduit fastener end looks a little large and not enough rounded so I'll make some size and shape changes to it.

I also went back to the old lantern print even though it's too tall and has less internal features. It's because the new one was too wide. I'm working on a new thinner and less tall version of it.

But this is already looking pretty good. ;)

Forehead plate and mystery bracket

I've printed, sanded and assembled the forehead plate and bracket.

I was thinking that I should replace the dummy clamps on the bracket with holes through the bracket and plate that you put a steel wire through. Originally I suspect the bracket was simply stapled on to the plate this way. Perhaps the original plate was made of cardboard or soft plastic you can staple through?

These printed ones turned out looking pretty good and if I glue them in place they probaly won't come off.

Then again, nothing beats doing it the same way the originals were made, I'll have to think some more about this.

More parts printed

Now that my printer is working fully again I printed more parts.

I sanded and assembled these, then I added them to the Ear piece.

Of course I won't print the last insert as the ear piece and that part also will need to be changed for more of a curve to it.

Ear piece printed with minor issues

The print quality

I printed the ear piece body, but my printer had developed a minor fault causing a pitted and incomplete effect called "pillowing".

This was due to a power cable getting bent near the connector during printing and it's a well known issue that the manufacturer solved almost two years ago with a replacment housing.
I should have taken preventive measures against it long before this, I was simply being lazy.
Anyway, it's fixed now as you'll see in my upcoming posts, my printer is again perfect.

Luckily the model was still useable to test fit on the helmet as well as the inserts I've printed previously and it looks better than I expected for a first print.
Bear in mind that I don't havd a 3D-scanner (the good ones are still prohibitively expensive), I just use photos and measures to make a dummy model of the helmet that's far from exact.

The part fit on the helmet

I made screw holes in the helmet and screwed the ear piece in place with M3 screws, nuts and washers. The screw positions are covered by the bolt head plugs.

As often is the case it's not the things you think that actually go wrong. I put a lot of thinking and effort into the fit of the ear piece toward the rubber edge of the visor. This fit was spot on as seen in the photos.
The thing I got wrong was the angle and flatness of the
 helmet at the back where the L bottom of the ear piece meets it.

The gap is visible in the photo above and well as from the under side seen below.

I'll curve the L bottom of the CAD model in further to meet the helmet this week and then re-print it next weekend (it's a 3 day print).


After analyzing the problem with the printer, fixing it and planning the changes to the 3D model I played around with making some mockup photos with the chin light and the rubber bellow.

Ear piece inserts printed

I've printed and sanded some of the ear piece insert blocks and their details

M8 screw to hold the printed nut and real steel rivets turned out to be a perfect fit when my printed rivets came out as a failed print. ;)

Screencap comparison

Assembled parts, except the nut because I couldn't find my thread tools.
I guess I'll just thread it at work during my lunch break tomorrow.

The leftover holes in the big block is for the "Mystery clamp" (plausible old camera mount).

Comparing with the screencap of the panels it does seem I made them too tall. The screencap isn't the greatest and may be angled more than is apparent but regardless I may have to rethink some positioning and dimensions.

As I've noticed on my Gunstick project as well as this one these things are hard to spot until you have physical parts to compare with.

Mysteriously looking at another screencap my panels look to be just right. I need to look further into this.

Here's the nut threaded and mounted on the insert.