I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. Has anyone ever tried anything like that?  I think the material is an issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the buttons. Any/all ideas welcome.

What about a thin sheet of TPU/TPE, or a mold for silicone casting? What is the usage of the overlay though? On Tue, Nov 7, 2023, 1:39 AM Jack Heim via Discuss < discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing > braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that > library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave > oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with > micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. > > Has anyone ever tried anything like that? I think the material is an > issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed > through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right > material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the > buttons. > > Any/all ideas welcome. > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org >

I would try using a single layer of TPU filament printed using a 0.6 mm or 0.8 mm nozzle. On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 11:39 AM Jack Heim via Discuss < discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing > braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that > library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave > oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with > micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. > > Has anyone ever tried anything like that? I think the material is an > issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed > through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right > material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the > buttons. > > Any/all ideas welcome. > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org >

Sounds like a job for TPU.  It is amazing stuff, especially when thin.  I printed a sheet, two layers thick, that I cannot tear. NinjaFlex Cheetah. On 11/6/2023 12:39 PM, Jack Heim via Discuss wrote: > I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing > braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that > library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave > oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with > micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. > > Has anyone ever tried anything like that?  I think the material is an > issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed > through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right > material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the > buttons. > > Any/all ideas welcome. > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org

 I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for
 printing
 braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that
 library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave
 oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with
 micro switchs, not like on an iPhone.

 Has anyone ever tried anything like that?  I think the material is an
 issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed
 through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right
 material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with
 the buttons.

 Any/all ideas welcome.
 _______________________________________________
 OpenSCAD mailing list
 To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org

The idea is that a blind person would attach the overlay to a microwave oven, for example, and therefore be able to locate the buttons by virtue of the braille on the overlay. On 11/6/23 11:44, pca006132 via Discuss wrote: > What about a thin sheet of TPU/TPE, or a mold for silicone casting? > What is the usage of the overlay though? > > On Tue, Nov 7, 2023, 1:39 AM Jack Heim via Discuss > <discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > > I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for > printing > braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that > library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave > oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with > micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. > > Has anyone ever tried anything like that?  I think the material is an > issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed > through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right > material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with > the buttons. > > Any/all ideas welcome. > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org > > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email todiscuss-leave@lists.openscad.org

I have been remiss in not getting the braille library posted. I suspect that even 0.2 mm PLA might be flexible enough. But also you could make it with solid plastic squares for each button with the braille label, connected by narrow strips, instead of solid. That way it only has to flex on the narrow strip. This also guarantees that your pressing force is lined up with the button. I wonder how TPU is for printing braille. It is hard to get good results in PLA or PETG if printing flat. On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 13:13 Jack Heim via Discuss <discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > The idea is that a blind person would attach the overlay to a microwave > oven, for example, and therefore be able to locate the buttons by virtue of > the braille on the overlay. > > > > On 11/6/23 11:44, pca006132 via Discuss wrote: > > What about a thin sheet of TPU/TPE, or a mold for silicone casting? What > is the usage of the overlay though? > > On Tue, Nov 7, 2023, 1:39 AM Jack Heim via Discuss < > discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > >> I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing >> braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that >> library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave >> oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with >> micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. >> >> Has anyone ever tried anything like that? I think the material is an >> issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed >> through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right >> material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the >> buttons. >> >> Any/all ideas welcome. >> _______________________________________________ >> OpenSCAD mailing list >> To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org >> > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org > > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org >

I have a braille library here: https://github.com/whosawhatsis/braille-openscad One or two layers of PLA/PETG should remain flexible enough to push microwave buttons through without affecting adjacent buttons. If you need more flexibility, putting holes/slots for a basic flexure around each button should be simple enough. TPU is going to string much worse than PLA/PETG, and the resulting filament runout will make it really difficult to print small features like braille dots on a horizontal surface. Braille works much better when printed on a vertical surface (which is what my library is designed for), especially in materials that are prone to stringing. On the plus side, if you do get the dots to print horizontally in TPU, you probably won't need to worry about them breaking off like you typically do with other materials. I've been thinking for a while that the ideal way to print braille dots that need to be on a surface printed horizontally would be to print the dots in a single layer, extruded slowly at a single point (or maybe lifting the nozzle while extruding), so that it is a monolithic piece with plenty of thermal transfer to the underlying layer. A custom gcode script could obviously be built for this, but you might also be able to make it work by changing print settings at the layer where the dots start. Arachne should make this work a lot better. On Nov 6, 2023 at 10:58 -0800, Adrian Mariano via Discuss <discuss@lists.openscad.org>, wrote: > I have been remiss in not getting the braille library posted. > > I suspect that even 0.2 mm PLA might be flexible enough.  But also you could make it with solid plastic squares for each button with the braille label, connected by narrow strips, instead of solid.  That way it only has to flex on the narrow strip.  This also guarantees that your pressing force is lined up with the button. > > I wonder how TPU is for printing braille.  It is hard to get good results in PLA or PETG if printing flat. > > > > On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 13:13 Jack Heim via Discuss <discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > > > The idea is that a blind person would attach the overlay to a microwave oven, for example, and therefore be able to locate the buttons by virtue of the braille on the overlay. > > > > > > > > > On 11/6/23 11:44, pca006132 via Discuss wrote: > > > > What about a thin sheet of TPU/TPE, or a mold for silicone casting? What is the usage of the overlay though? > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Nov 7, 2023, 1:39 AM Jack Heim via Discuss <discuss@lists.openscad.org> wrote: > > > > > > I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing > > > > > > braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that > > > > > > library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave > > > > > > oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with > > > > > > micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. > > > > > > > > > > > > Has anyone ever tried anything like that?  I think the material is an > > > > > > issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed > > > > > > through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right > > > > > > material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the buttons. > > > > > > > > > > > > Any/all ideas welcome. > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > OpenSCAD mailing list > > > > > > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > OpenSCAD mailing list > > > > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org > > > _______________________________________________ > > > OpenSCAD mailing list > > > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org

On 11/6/23 12:39, Jack Heim via Discuss wrote: > I was recently involved in a project to develop a library for printing > braille via a 3D printer. On another list, a potential use for that > library came up, creating an overlay for the touch pad on a microwave > oven, dishwasher, or washing machine. I'm talking about the kind with > micro switchs, not like on an iPhone. > > Has anyone ever tried anything like that?  I think the material is an > issue. It would have to be flexible so the buttons could be pressed > through the material. It seems to me that if you could get the right > material, all you'd have to do is get the braille lined up with the > buttons. That need would translate to tpu-95. But It is only semi translucent, a requirement if a sighted might also use the microwave. > > Any/all ideas welcome. > _______________________________________________ > OpenSCAD mailing list > To unsubscribe send an email to discuss-leave@lists.openscad.org Cheers, Gene Heskett. -- "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order." -Ed Howdershelt (Author, 1940) If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable. - Louis D. Brandeis