Which mechanical material properties are desirable for a speaker cone? Elastic moduli? Hardness? Is the material between the cone and the outer ridge much different from the cone?
I have access to numerous materials, and if I can make them cheaply enough, with the appropriate mechanical properties, I may dabble in making some custom speakers.
I would imagine the desirable properties between woofers and tweeters would not be different besides surface area for different wave forms.
Many materials are available for filament 3D printers, ranging from nylon, polycarbonate, ABS, PETG, TPU, and numerous alloys thereof, but their material properties are VERY different. I print with a different material, depending upon what I want to achieve. For example, I'll print with PC if I want it to be bulletproof. I'll print with TPU if I want it to be like a rubber elastomer that can seal a grommet.
Has anyone tried 3D printing a speaker cone and had any luck?
I have access to numerous materials, and if I can make them cheaply enough, with the appropriate mechanical properties, I may dabble in making some custom speakers.
I would imagine the desirable properties between woofers and tweeters would not be different besides surface area for different wave forms.
Many materials are available for filament 3D printers, ranging from nylon, polycarbonate, ABS, PETG, TPU, and numerous alloys thereof, but their material properties are VERY different. I print with a different material, depending upon what I want to achieve. For example, I'll print with PC if I want it to be bulletproof. I'll print with TPU if I want it to be like a rubber elastomer that can seal a grommet.
Has anyone tried 3D printing a speaker cone and had any luck?
A speaker cone only tends to move in a piston like manner at low frequencies. At higher frequencies, the movement gets a lot more complicated, breaking up into different modes of vibration, both radial and concentric.
Factors such as the cone's weight, thickness, material density, shape and how it's suspended at its outer and inner edges all affect the tonality of the vibrating cone.
It's a challenge!
Factors such as the cone's weight, thickness, material density, shape and how it's suspended at its outer and inner edges all affect the tonality of the vibrating cone.
It's a challenge!
There are no clean answers to several of your questions. It depends on how you intend the driver to operate, what range you want it to cover, etc. It's also worth looking at things like the moving mass of typical dome tweeters. They are not made the same way as a woofer cone or from the same material. That doesn't mean you can't do it, but you will be sacrificing something to go that route - which is the case with every decision you make along the way. Small "full-range" drivers are often similar to woofers in basic construction though.
Here are some 3d printed threads/links that might interest you:
"Polymate3D FD61 - 3D Printed Full Range Speaker Driver"
www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/polymate3d-fd61-3d-printed-full-range-speaker-driver-in-development.337129/
https://hackaday.com/2015/01/27/3d-printed-speaker-pushes-rapid-prototyping-boundaries/
"We think Formlabs has really figured out the key to advertising their line of 3D printers — just design really cool stuff that you can 3D print in resin, and release them publicly! To celebrate a firmware upgrade to the Form 1+, they’ve designed and released this really cool 3D printed speaker which you can make yourself."
. . .
"Cone Test Platform - 3D Printed Speaker Drivers & Experimentation"
www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/cone-test-platform-3d-printed-speaker-drivers-experimentation.353861/
And a basic terminology map so you have a better idea about the typical pieces in a woofer:
https://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-repair-how-to-tips-tricks-faq.html
Here are some 3d printed threads/links that might interest you:
"Polymate3D FD61 - 3D Printed Full Range Speaker Driver"
www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/polymate3d-fd61-3d-printed-full-range-speaker-driver-in-development.337129/
https://hackaday.com/2015/01/27/3d-printed-speaker-pushes-rapid-prototyping-boundaries/
"We think Formlabs has really figured out the key to advertising their line of 3D printers — just design really cool stuff that you can 3D print in resin, and release them publicly! To celebrate a firmware upgrade to the Form 1+, they’ve designed and released this really cool 3D printed speaker which you can make yourself."
. . .
"Cone Test Platform - 3D Printed Speaker Drivers & Experimentation"
www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/cone-test-platform-3d-printed-speaker-drivers-experimentation.353861/
And a basic terminology map so you have a better idea about the typical pieces in a woofer:
https://www.simplyspeakers.com/speaker-repair-how-to-tips-tricks-faq.html
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