I don’t even know how I came up with this idea of 3D printing something like that…. To be honest, I don’t have a lot of 3D printing experience, nor a heap of drawing experience (at least not with CAD) and drawing one with a FreeCad was definitely a steep learning curve for me…But here i am, after multiple attempts and failures I have something in my hands, that’s actually working!

It all started like most of the projects – out of boredom, and at the time I had a fractured wrist – so plenty of time, not a lot to do, and not a lot I could do anyway…in fact I could barely move my wrist , but anyway..

The idea came out of the blue, and I thought I’ll have a look if I can find something that’s already made and ready to 3D print, but after spending hours searching online – I have found only one example, and that one was kind of free but kind of not too… So, there was no other option but to push my limited knowledge with FreeCAD (a free version of Computer Aided Design (CAD) software) and see where I’ll end up.

After hours and hours of designing the bloody thing, I came up with something. Not so sure why, but the very first thing I designed – came out to be a very complicated design. Complicated as all the internals were designed to be removable. Used a bunch of bearings, including few one way bearings, rubber bands, and a small geared dc motor. Once it was finished – it actually worked, but it was too complicated, too many parts, and too expensive.

Version 2 (and v3) started with version 1 base. Downsized, removed all the unnecessary stuff too – Made it as simple as I could. And then, while doing so decided to experiment a bit with printing rubber, as I wanted it to be at least splash proof. The seal between the lid and body came out ok eventually, but if someone would like to print it – don’t bother with rubber, just use some closed cell rubber seal and glue the perspex glass to the lid using silicone or something.

After a while, and not very happy with a boring design, I thought i’ll make it a bit more interesting, and so I shaped it in a way, so I could accommodate some loops that could be used for strapping it down to handlebars – it made roadbook a bit (a lot) more difficult to print because of the supports needed, but with a bit of practice – still doable. 

To reduce friction between shafts and the case, I have used  PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) tubes in between – and it works really great, and they are replaceable if someone will use it for a longer time. 

At the beginning I tried to print all that out of PLA plastic, but in the end I changed that to ABS as I wasn’t sure if PLA can handle the heat from the sun during hot summer days, so best to use ABS or something more heat resistant then that.

Right, I’ll wrap it up with a list of parts, and some other technical info.

Roadbook Roll Size: Standard width of 145mm, 40/45mm roll thickness.

Weight of printed parts: 290g (100% infill).

Printing time 3-4days (depends).

Complete 3D Printed Roadbook Dimensions

• Depth: 65mm, 
• Length: 173mm, 
• Width: 130mm.

Non-printable Parts for Roadbook:

• Perspex qty 1, Width – 105mm, Length – 156mm, Thickness – 3mm
• Aluminium rods /tubes for Outer_Roller_Shaft qty 2, OD -10mm, Length -160mm.
• Aluminium rods /tubes for Roadbook Shaft qty 2 OD, – 10mm, Length – 181mm.
• Teflon Spacers qty 2, OD – 16mm, ID – 10mm, Width – 4mm.
• Teflon Spacers qty 2, OD – 16mm, ID – 10mm, Width – 9mm.
• 4x o-rings (for securing lid to body)
• Closed cell foam seal tube (optional)

3D Printable Roadbook parts:

• Case 1x
• Lid’s rubber seal 1x (optional)
• Lid 1x
• Roll Guide 4x
• Turn Knob 2x

All Roadbook mesh (.stl) files can be downloaded here or the download’s page, and if you like it – please share my blog with others – much appreciated!

Happy printing, and happy riding!