Mazda2 / Demio DJ and CX-3 center console cover

youmagine

Motivation The model I'd like to share is a center console cover for my Mazda 2 DJ1 Kizoku Intense. The first thing that bothered me after buying the car was the open center console with all the connectors. Plugging in a USB-stick, an Android Auto USB cable, a USB power adapter, and devices like a mobile phone and a Wi-Fi access point for online services is a mess. You can't even place your phone properly. I rarely use my CD player, so I thought a cover to hide everything and hold my devices would be a great idea. It took several test prints and model changes before I got something that fit perfectly. You can simply put it in and remove it instantly. The foam rubber stickers prevent the center console from scratches and give it a secure hold without rattling noises. The steps My first usable print was quite ugly on the surface, so I glued some brown leather on it, hoping it would match the car's brown leather applications. It didn't - and gluing it directly on the plastic led to a poor, bumpy surface. You should use a thin, flexible filler or something. Hitting the exact leather color is also not easy. The final print should be more appealing. I sanded it two times and used XTC 3D resin for smoothing. The surface was even enough for wrapping it into foil. I got a piece of matte carbon design DI-NOC CA-421 foil from 3M, which is quite similar to the Mazda's fake carbon in the center console. Use the stencil I added as an attachment to cut it out and double-check that the printed size is really 100%. Try a sheet of paper on the 3D-print before cutting the foil! Last, stick on the foam rubber pieces some millimeters from the edges to give the part a neat hold. You could also secure the bent corners of the foil with strong tape (white on the photos) where needed. Experiment with different designs if you like - maybe you prefer the HG-1201 black high gloss, LE-1171 black leather, or a foil from another manufacturer. Or simply sanding and finishing it with resin. Printing The model has several errors, but Slic3r PE had no problems slicing it. Using a 0.6mm nozzle and reworking the print let most errors disappear. I prefer black PETG filament, but ABS should resist higher temperatures. The complete print took about 11 hours on a Prusa i3 MK3 with 0.6mm nozzle and black Prusa PETG filament. Print it upright and you'll need supports. It's a nasty job to remove the supports - if you have a dual extruder or Multi Material Upgrade, I recommend soluble interfaces. Post Processing When sanding and applying XTC 3D, you could make the phone holder on the front glossy black (if you printed black filament) to reflect the double clear coat surfaces of the car interior. Cables and devices My phone is a Moto G6 with a silicone protector. The access point is a Huawei E5330 3G-WLAN-hotspot. The cable is a short USB-C cable from HAMA and a short micro USB cable for the Huawei. If you don't need the holes for the access point or USB cable, you can hide it with the foil. I'll add a model without the Huawei holder and holes later, so you can modify it as you need (e.g., drilling and cutting holes for your cable). Warning I didn't test it on hot summer days. I suspect it will warp or the foil will separate, so keep that in mind.