[wjp007]

I just did this.  I used silicone from Smooth On.  I got a two part clear silicone kit.  For my mold, I follow the same process as an acrylic. I use krystaloid that I bought from lightning enterprises for my mold material.  I then make a hole in the mold where I expect to put my sound tube.  I insert my driver in the mold putting the sound tube through the hole I made.  Once I have my headphone wire and driver lined up properly, I pour in the silicone mixture in the mold and let it cure.  The hardest part is to get the driver lined up in the mold to make sure there is sufficient clearance on all sides.  The krystaloid works great as it's fairly slippery and doesn't stick to the silicone.  

 

[kaywee23]

Would any kind of silicone be alright? Because I'm not sure if I am able to get smooth on silicone from where I'm at.

 

[Mython]

For anyone here who is interested in 3D-printing as a potential future DIY option, this may be of interest to you:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/578855/things-to-consider-before-getting-your-custom-iem-impressions-done-the-perfect-fit/60#post_11265443

 

[MuZo2]

3dprinting and DIY, not feasible. For earshells you need precision printers and only big labs can afford it,

 

[acain]

You can use a stereolithography 3D printer its very accurate and is not spool fed. It uses a UV light with uv liquid resin its the same way UE does it now.

 

[MuZo2]

^^
For home use ? How much does it cost?

 

[acain]

It ranges you can diy at home and use a dlp light source from an old tv. There are alot of forums online.

 

[Mython]

  ^^
For home use ? How much does it cost?

 
Jude mentions the stereo lithography printer (@ UE) in the second video - approx $250,000
 
But I was not aware that a standard 3D-printer is entirely unsuitable for non-commercial CIEM printing purposes, if one is willing to buff/polish them afterwards (whereas the expensive stereo lithography option yields very smooth finish straight out of the machine, with no polishing required)

 

[acain]

There is alot of open source platforms for diy the cost is about the same as extruded 3d printing. And you dont have to worry about a printing head and nozzles

 

[ilikeiem]

  ^^
For home use ? How much does it cost?
 

This one is Stereolithography High-Resolution 3D printer which is quite affordable $3299. 
 
http://formlabs.com/en/products/form-1-plus/

 

[MuZo2]

Again the materials that are printed need to be medical grade.

 

[acain]

Just imagine the possibilities you could go into CAD and make flanges in the shell for quick connects for sound tubes, you could program it to make a housing for a dynamic driver right into the shell.

 

[tranhieu]

  Again the materials that are printed need to be medical grade.

You can always lacquer them later.

 

[MuZo2]

Can you please suggest a lacquer.

 

[RealSpark]

I have been sliently reading this thread for quite some time. Learnt a lot from you guys. Really appreciated all the ideas you guys shared.
Below are some of the iems I made from early 2014 till last week. These are the good ones, and there are also a lot of bad ones end up in the trash. But I enjoyed a lot of the process of making IEM.