Customer project Amstrad 7070 cassette lid

This project let us go beyond simply recreating a part and instead redesign it specifically for 3D printing. The replacement was for an Amstrad 7070 cassette player. The original lid had broken on one side, been repaired, and was likely to fail again — the customer wanted a replacement that would be at least as strong as the original, if not stronger.

Because the original part was injection moulded, it included voids designed to reduce material use and help it release from the mould, rather than add strength. With 3D printing, we weren’t limited by those constraints, so we split the design into three pieces and used the extra space to add threaded inserts, creating a much stronger join between sections.

Printing in three pieces also meant we could orient each part for the best result: the front plate for a clean, textured finish on the visible face, and the side sections for maximum strength. The final assembly used stainless steel countersunk bolts for a durable, tidy finish.

The customer was very happy with both the design and the final part — a great example of how redesigning for 3D printing can improve on the original.