3D Printed Electric Violin

Introducing the F-F-Fiddle; a fully 3D printable electric violin.

David Perry, a mechanical engineer, together with his friend Dan Nicholson, an industrial designer, set out to make the 3D printed fiddle after purchasing a 3D printer. Their goal was to inspire others and to demonstrate that it is possible to make functional and inexpensive items with a 3D printer.

medium

The resulting creation is a fused filament fabrication, full-sized electric violin that can be printed using any standard 3D desktop printer for around $250. The fiddle functions like any other violin, and sounds as good as any other fiddle would – in the right hands, that is!

The original F-F-Fiddle was designed using the Autodesk’s Fusion 360 CAD design software. Perry then used Netfabb Basic to manage data for 3D printing, and finally, the model was sliced and prepared for 3D printer using Slic3r, KISSlicer, and Repeteir-Host.

With each revision, the fiddle became more and more functional until it got to the point where it was playable. The current model is the fifth revision, and was printed on a Type A Machines Series 1 3D printer. Another version was printed on a Makerbot Replicator 2.

The design is customizable and can be tweaked to change the position of the chin and shoulder rest. The design also features internal curvy wire routing; something that Perry says is only possible with 3D printing. And the sound quality is decent too. “The semi-hollow infill of the 3D printer leaves space for sound to resonate—this isn’t a solid-body instrument!” says Perry. “We also think that the printed layers leave a surface finish reminiscent of the wood grain of a traditional instrument.”

The violin can be printed on any standard desktop printer, as Perry explains. “All parts can be printed without support material by home FFF style 3D printers.”

The F-F-Fiddle is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike, which allows anyone to modify, distribute, and sell the design.