I was approached to develop some custom louvre vents for a Lexus car as a customer was unable to purchase any to suit their model vehicle. It is the sort of job that without 3D printing, is almost impossible to achieve unless many other people around the world also want the same thing. Even though it is a one-off product, there is no need for the process to be prohibitively expensive such as what is usually the case with unique car trimmings and parts.
Matching the shape of the car window was quite difficult as it has all sorts of curves, so the customer traced out the window shape on a flat piece of cardboard.
From here, I made a quick test fit prototype where I tried to estimate the curve of the window on the inside edge while also verifying the outside diameter. Once I figured out a few tiny changes to make, I went on to a very low density prototype of the overall size with one vent done to give a clear example of what the final product would look like.
With the fitment as close as I can get it, it was time for the final print in UV-resistant ASA plastic. The customer finished it off with sanding to post process the 3D printed lines out and spray paint gloss black for a brilliant finish, looking just like an official product.
