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| This is the 35mm three-pack film case, printed with PolyMaker PolyTerra PLA Matte Black on a Prusa Mini+. |
In last week’s installment of Film Friday, I briefly mentioned the storage cases I keep my 35mm and medium format film in when out shooting. Today, I’m going to give a brief overview of these 3D-printed canisters, which I first came across on Thingiverse, a website dedicated to sharing 3D files for printing.
After acquiring my first 3D printer, a Prusa Mini+, I started looking around for free 3D files I could use to dial in the settings. In my search, I came across an array of photography-specific prints, including a set of 35mm and 120 film cases from Thingiverse user amass3d.
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The aptly-named 135 Film Case and 120 Film Case listings¹ on Thingiverse consist of a pair of .stl files that can be put into a slicer (a program required to generate the gcode files used by 3D printers) to make either three- or five-roll cases for holding standard 35mm film canisters and 120 rolls of film.
Compared to other film cases on Thingiverse and similar platforms, these particular sets stood out the the ability to pick between two different sizes and formats to fit your needs. As someone who shoots both 35mm film and 120 film on a semi-regular basis, it was nice to have clean-looking options for both formats and two sizes to choose from.
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| This is the 120 three-pack film case, printed with Prusament PLA Galaxy Black on a Prusa Mini+. |
As with all 3D models, getting settings right will likely require some tinkering in your slicer and with your 3D printer. But once you have them dialled in, the prints come out absolutely fantastic. The pockets for both 35mm film canisters and 120 rolls of film are snug, but still allow the rolls to slide out easily. The lid on all of the models might take some time to loosen up after initially printing it, depending on your settings, but once the nub used to hold the lid in place is worn down a bit, the lids easily come off when you need to get the next roll.
So long as your 3D printer setup allows you to, these files should work with nearly any filament type (or even resin, if you’re using a resin printer). I opted for polylactic acid (PLA) filament for my models and while nowhere near as tough as PETG or ABS, my canisters have held up through quite a bit of use and abuse in my camera bag.
As is the case with all 3D printer articles, the key here is that I have a 3D printer on hand. If you exclude the cost of my 3D printer, these three- and five-pack cases from amass3d cost me roughly $1.50 worth of filament to print (I used Prusament PLA Galaxy Black and PolyMaker PolyTerra PLA for my canisters). To that end, this certainly isn’t the cheapest option if you don’t already own a 3D printer or have access to one (many libraries and universities offer 3D printers to the public for minimal cost). But, if you do have access to one, or don’t mind using an online 3D printing service, these cases are a wonderful solution to keeping your film safe and secure during your travels.
¹ All of the 3D files for these cases are licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution - Non-Commercial license. This means you can use the files as you see fit, so long as you credit amass3d when sharing them and don’t use the files for commercial reasons.
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