June 27, 2026
Description
To boldly print what no one has printed before!
What could be a more fitting decoration to a 3D printer than the control panel of a Star Trek Replicator unit?
I have designed this simple LCARS monitor prop with inspiration from various TNG displays, but it is not a direct copy of any one in particular. I tried to replicate the same style of the differently sized arches, and I used the Okuda font to replicate the lettering used in the shows and movies
The display is "modular" and all features can be printed separately and in any colour-combinations desired without MMU. Each panel element is simply pressed into the base. All the panel features and buttons are designed to be very thin, so that the panel will "glow" when backlit. I had hoped the CORE One light strip would be enough to backlight it, and it is at times when the build plate and printer head is positioned in a way that reflects a lot of light. But maybe I will look into a proper backlighting kit down the line.
The panel comes with mounting holes primarily for existing holes on the front of the CORE One(covered with a plastic rivet by default). Just take out the existing plastic rivets, line up the panel behind the metal and put rivets back in. The panel can sit flush with either side of the top opening.
It will also fit in the small windows on either side of the printer, though only towards the front as the stepper motor mounts clash in the rear. However, the backlight effect from the LED strip will be quite inadequate when placed in the side windows due to a lot of components blocking the light(see image). Also note that the default plastic rivets are not be long enough to reach through both the window panel, metal and the replicator panel. I did manage to get them to work reasonably well if I put the expander part of the rivet through the metal and the replicator panel, and then pushed the top plunger through the acrylic window.
The panel should fit the CORE One L as well if everything is scaled to 114%, but I have only compared it with the CAD-files. However the L version of the printer doesn't seem to have any convenient mounting holes, so you would need some alternative way to mount it(double-sided tape, thin magnet strip, whatever). I also cannot guarantee that the tolerances on the different elements allow them to simply fit in by friction if everything is scaled.
UPDATE 22/05/26: I have added an optional "Side Panel" that will fill out the remaining gap in the front opening when placed on either side of the main panel(had to limit the length of the main panel so it could be printed on the CORE One). It comes in two varieties: One with the "D-pad"-like control arrangement common to many LCARS, and one that is simply blank with no features. It prints, assembles and mounts identical to its main panel counterparts.
Update: 25/05/2026: I have added STEP-files for all components if anyone wants to remix it for a different printer or whatever you can imagine.
Update: 27/06/2026: I have included a version of the base plate for both main and side panel that has no mounting flanges(top and bottom) specifically for mounting it on the CORE One frame. You can try this if you want to mount it on another printer, a different place on the CORE One, or whatever other use case you can think of.
Despite many of the display elements being identical, I decided to provide them in grouped files for easier overview during printing. I recommend after loading you split them into objects, and then use the "Printable" function to toggle which elements you wish to print in the currently mounted colour. I have included .3mf files where this and a few necessary printing settings are already set up.
Total printing time is ~2 hours and uses ~45g of filament.
I recommend you print all parts in PLA for best possible finish. Also consider filaments for the Buttons, Letters and Arches that are at least a little bit transparent to allow light to shine through(the red and dark green I used is a "Shiny" filament and it is almost entirely opaque, but it was all I had at the moment. Luckily all the elements can easily be popped out and swapped later).
If you need some inspiration for different colour combinations, I found this to be a great reference: http://lcars.org.uk/lcarstemplate.htm
Place with the front towards the print bed for the best possible finish.
Layer height: 0.2mm
Perimeters: 4
Top layer: 0
Bottom layer: 6
Infill: 0%
Support: On build plate only
First layer expansion: 2mm (to make it fit on the CORE One build plate)
(Make sure to save the unattached middle parts of some of the letters for later!)
Place with the front towards the print bed for the best possible finish.
Default 0.15 Balanced or Structural settings are fine.
Place with the front towards the print bed for the best possible finish.
Default 0.15 Balanced or Structural setting with the following change:
External perimeters first.
Ignore the warnings about missing support. The letters are deliberately made taller than any of the other parts, so any messy bridges on the much larger "foot" wont prevent them from sitting flush with the front surface.
Carefully remove the support from the top lip of the Base. A small screwdriver or knife should allow you to get it started and the rest of the support should peel right off. Lightly scrape or sand the lip for the worst support remnants without damaging the finish on the main part of the panel.
Lay the Base face-down on a clean flat surface.
All the buttons and arches should simply press in by hand and stay in by friction. With some of the smaller rectangular sections you might need to be careful to push them straight in, and not one side first. If any of the elements are a little loose, you can with a small screwdriver carefully create a few marks in the edge of the rim of the base. Alternatively you could use a few tiny drops of glue once you are satisfied with the colour layout etc. Note that the two types of rectangular buttons(bottom left row vs right side cluster) are different! They were meant to have a much greater difference in length, but it somehow ended up with only 1mm difference.
The letters can be a little challenging to get in. I recommend you patiently try to get them all to go in just a little bit at first, so they entire part goes in straight. Then just push them in until they are flush with the front. Finally, remember to take the small unattached parts of the letters from printing the Base and push them into the corresponding letters. The middle of the letter A might not print at all. Instead I just cut a piece of filament, squeezed it flat with pair of pliers, and cut it to shape with side cutters until it fit the hole in the letters.
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — Share Alike
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