Power Mac B&W/G plastic models

[lepidotós]

So, this one is less of a stretch than a processor daughtercard. Has anyone made models to 3D print out new case plastic? Mine is dinged up and corroded, which for $40 is fine since it's all there and the computer itself functions just fine, but I'd like to get it more like new if possible. If not, that's fine, I just wanted to take a shot in the dark. OS9L didn't have an answer.

 

[EtherRad]

Probably the only the feasible way would be to crowdfund to make injection moulded parts and would need someone with the expertise to go through the process of designing a mould, manufacturing, and logistics such as the maceffects cases made for the SE/30. Low volume polyurethane casts could be made from the old cases but they would retain the surface defects and warping imprinted from the donor case. 3D parts could be made but they would not be fully volumetrically filled-in which would be visible on the finished translucent product.

 

[EtherRad]

It is certainly needed for these aging plastics, but requires a large upfront capital.

 

[LaPorta]

Now, a B&W G3 maybe not depending on if the case is actually textured, but for the smooth G4-types, I just happened to make a video for that sort of restoration:

 

[alectrona6400]

honestly, putting the garbage market aside, $40 should have gotten you one that didn't have the plastic screwed up. not trying to direct that towards you, but people like to scalp these.
now 3d printing new panels would be an absolute CHORE to do and would probably come out to cost more than what the computer is worth. as someone else had said, injection molding can be an option, but that also gets expensive. your best bet is to sacrifice a case for the plastics. from what i can tell, the B&W and graphite plastics are completely interchangeable.

 

[EtherRad]

oh i thought you meant the plastics. the metal enclosure is rusted?

 

[EtherRad]

here's a more DIY way to make a mold with 3D printing.

DIY Injection Molding: How to Mold Plastic Parts In-House

Learn about DIY injection molding and all the tools necessary to do plastic injection molding in-house using 3D printed molds.

formlabs.com

 

[CircuitBored]

honestly, putting the garbage market aside, $40 should have gotten you one that didn't have the plastic screwed up

I slightly disagree. B+W G3s regularly sell for far more than $40 and it is becoming nearly impossible to find them without cracked plastic. $40 for a functional B+W is a fair price but I agree that corrosion is a concern. In good condition these machines have been selling for $100+ for years. You can blame "the market" for high prices but that's just how supply and demand works.

@lepidotós The thoughts provided by @codyNC90 are right on the money. The only real recourse for these machines is to begin production of replacement panels, which will indeed be highly expensive and complex. That said, I sincerely hope that this dream becomes a reality some day. With people like @maceffects making entire new cases for old Apple products I hold on to hope that it'll happen.

 

[EtherRad]

Does anyone on this forum have a 3D Scanner?

 

[Unknown_K]

My first B&W G3 was free many years ago because somebody dropped it and broke 2 handles and didn't want to spend any money to replace them (bottom of the value curve at the time). I eventually snagged a new set of handles cheap and replaced them.

The G3/G4 towers do tend to get scratched up if they are moved around and G3s seem to crack around the attachment point in the plastics.

The days of finding either type for $40 or under seem to be long gone unless they are dead (expensive to replace PS) or its a local garage sale find.

I think a few scratches are not a big deal to be honest if the machines function, its not like we toss working yellowed Macs in the trash.

 

[lepidotós]

oh i thought you meant the plastics. the metal enclosure is rusted?

Yes, but the plastic itself has some brown corrosion on it, most visible on the handles. I'll get a picture up eventually.

I slightly disagree. B+W G3s regularly sell for far more than $40 and it is becoming nearly impossible to find them without cracked plastic. $40 for a functional B+W is a fair price but I agree that corrosion is a concern. In good condition these machines have been selling for $100+ for years. You can blame "the market" for high prices but that's just how supply and demand works.

@lepidotós The thoughts provided by @codyNC90 are right on the money. The only real recourse for these machines is to begin production of replacement panels, which will indeed be highly expensive and complex. That said, I sincerely hope that this dream becomes a reality some day. With people like @maceffects making entire new cases for old Apple products I hold on to hope that it'll happen.

Yeah, finding my G4 for that price at all was a small miracle; I've never seen one that cheap even on the classifieds. I think a lot of the community conceptions about prices for old hardware in any field were pretty much formed in the early 2000s and never really updated since, even if the people change. And yeah, hopefully so. I'd certainly pay to help fund it. Plus, the company wouldn't be stuck to just making Power Mac plastics, they could branch out into other old electronics case repair.

 

[lepidotós]

I think a few scratches are not a big deal to be honest if the machines function, its not like we toss working yellowed Macs in the trash.

Sure. It's really minor, but it's a nice to have thing nevertheless. Plus, people are buying G3s just to case mod, so it would be nice to give them a target to vent their latent resentment towards old tech on.