Cloth Covers for 3D Printed Speaker Grills

by cjbruce3 in Circuits > Speakers

1428 Views, 10 Favorites, 0 Comments

Cloth Covers for 3D Printed Speaker Grills

Finished grill.jpeg

Make 3D printed speakers look great in any room. This technique is for gluing fabric to 3D printed plastic grills.

Supplies

  • Grill fabric - pretty much any cloth will do. I chose a fabric that would fit with my room.
  • Rapid-curing cyanoacrylate (CA) glue
  • Sharp scissors for fabric
  • Wax paper
  • Weights
  • A table that is okay with being super glued

Cut Fabric to Size

1-1 Fabric Layout.jpeg

Lay the grill onto the fabric. Cut the fabric so you will have at least an inch to fold over onto the back side.

Glue First Corner

1-2 First glue.JPG
1-2 Gluing the first fold.jpeg
  • Apply a small amount of CA glue to the surface of the grill.
  • Fold the fabric corner onto the glue. Make sure it is tight.
  • Place wax paper over the glued fabric, applying pressure for a few minutes until the glue is set. A heavy weight can be used for this so you don't have to hold it with your fingers.

Glue Alternating Corners

1-4 Gluing the Second Corner.JPG
1-5 The rest of the corners.JPG

Glue the remaining corners, one corner at a time, with 5 minutes in between each corner to allow the glue to set each time.

Cut, Pull Tight, and Glue Around Edges

2-1 First Incision.jpeg
2-2 Second Incision.JPG
2-3 The First Cut.jpeg
2-4 Gluing the First Cut.jpeg
2-5 Clamping the first cut.jpeg
  • Using SHARP scissors, cut a wedge out of the fabric adjacent to the glue.
  • Pull the wedge tight, creating a tight edge around the grill.
  • Apply glue to hold tight fabric, then immediately hold in place for 60 seconds with fingers and wax paper.
  • Wait for 5 minutes, clamping the fabric tightly.

NOTE - This is the hardest step. If you don't pull tight and clamp the fabric will come loose and look sloppy.

Finish the Sides

3-3 All Sides Finished.JPG
3-1 Clamping the First Side.JPG
3-2 Two Sides Finished.JPG
  • Continue making incisions and gluing as necessary to finish one side.
  • Clamp that side and wait for 10 minutes for the glue to set.
  • Repeat for the remaining sides until all sides are done.

Trim Excess Fabric

4-1 Trimming.JPG
4-2 Extra Magnets on Top.JPG
On Wall Mounted.jpeg

Trim any excess fabric and enjoy your speaker's new look!