News: Can you print a fly reel on a 3D printer? Yes

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s here, a printed reel. Wha? Yes, you can buy a functioning, take it too the water and fish all day with a $75 3D printed reel. The innovative designer behind the first ever printed fly reel is Michael Hackney. His company is called The Eclectic Angler.

Hackney, by trade, is a fly reel designer

Hackney experimented with prototypes built on the same 3D printer that would print the finished product. Glue was the only compromise – it was needed get the strength. Outside of the adhesive, no other materials than the 3D printed ABS plastic constitute the final product.

He worked on the reel project off and on for a year in 2013

The goal was to print a working fly reel with no extra hardware requirements. The finished reel has seven printed parts.

According Shane Taylor, 3D Printing Industry: “After printing and cleanup of the holes with drills, some sanding on the spindles was required for a friction-free fit. The 3D printer’s output resolution is a variable, which will affect how little work is required after printing. The higher the resolution, the lower the post-print care required. The reel is glued together with ABS, Epoxy or CA glue. Michael used white lithium grease for lubrication on the spindles. The reel was printed in ABS on a SeeMeCNC Rostock Max delta printer.”