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Print your own flexible watch band. Perfect for digital and other types of watches. Use the openscad files to customize the band to the width and length you need.My leather watch band broke and I wanted to replace it with a 3D printed band, but it had to be flexible. After much experimentation, I found that the most flexible band consisted of a single layer oriented parallel to the band length. This design is simple, but nice looking and fast to print. The buckle is super simple and an obvious place for improvement, though it seems to work great as is. NOTE: I have only printed this in ABS, and will update once I know how it works with PLA.The included .stl files assume the following:If all of this is true, skip to step 5. Otherwise, you will need to customize the included openscad files.Instructions (all sizes in mm):1) Measure around your wrist and subtract the size of your watch (the distance between where the two bands will attach). The .stl files here will give you 152mm or 6" of strap length (max) when fastened. If your watch is 25mm long, that means it will fit a 177mm circumference wrist. If your wrist is larger or much smaller, you will need to download the openscad files and increase the straight_length variable. You can increase the variable on just the hole side, or both sides as preferred. The sum of the straight_length variables from both sides plus your watch length should be slightly more than your wrist circumference. 2) If you need to change the layer height to match your printer's layer height setting (e.g. if it is more than .4 or less than .3mm), change the height variable in both scad files. You want the strap part to print in the first layer only.3) Determine how wide your watch band should be. Check it is ~2.5mm less than the distance between the pin holes on the watch. If you make a band that is exactly the distance between the pin holes, good luck getting the band off again. Change the width variable in both scad files as needed.4) Compile and export the .stl files.5) IMPORTANT!!! Open the .stl file in your 3d printing program of choice and look at the Gcode visual preview. Make sure that the infill in the first layer that will print the band is oriented in the same direction as the band itself (ie, parallel, not perpendicular to the length of the band). If necessary, go into your slic3r/skeinforge settings and rotate the infill to match the orientation of the band. Note only the bottom layer that prints the band needs to be oriented this way. The other layers can be any orientation.6) Print! However, before you print the buckle side, have a piece of paper that is slightly less than the width of the band ready to go. After the first three layers print (and before the 4th layer), put this paper between the buckle supports. This will prevent the buckle top from entirely collapsing onto the band if your printer can't bridge the distance (mine could not).7) I noticed that sometimes slic3r has trouble getting 100% infill in the band, depending on orientation of the band (straight vs 45 degrees). If you find some small gaps between the infill, wetting the two sides of the sepration with acetone and then pressing them together gently can chemically weld them together.8) See if your pins fit. If not, you may have to drill out the pin holes. I found a 5/64" bit was perfect.9) Insert the pins and attach the band. If the part of the band holding the pins is too thick (meaning the pins don't get close enough to the watch body to fit into their holes), you may have to file off a bit of plastic from the outside of the pin-holder part of the band closest to the watch body.10) Once the strap is on the watch, feed the band with holes through the buckle and snap the bump on the buckle side through a strap hole. If the bump is too small, you may have to adjust the buckle_hole_size variable in the scad file (increase it on the buckle side, or decrease it on the hole side). If the bump is too big, you can file it down. You want it to be snug enough that it snaps into place.Enjoy!

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Flexible watch band
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