The creator of the first iPhone with USB-C 3D prints a transparent AirPods Pro case

You may remember Ken Pillonel as the guy who put a USB-C port on an iPhone X. Ken has also been working on AirPods Pro projects and has recently put a lot of effort into making them repairable – considering that they got a 0/10 repairability score from iFixit, this was quite a challenge.

In a previous video, Ken recreated the plastic parts of the AirPods Pro case and 3D printed a complete replacement kit in white. But if you could 3D print a case, you can print it in any color you want – even no color at all!

Here is the end result, which you can replicate if you have an SLA 3D printer and some transparent resin. Some post-processing is required, like cleaning the parts with IPA and sanding them down and giving them a coat or two of clear varnish to achieve a smooth, transparent finish.

By the way, while doing this you also have a choice between reusing the standard Lightning port or replacing it with Ken’s USB-C mod. This way the old AirPods can match the upcoming iPhone 15 series. Either way, this design uses screws instead of glue to make it easier to repair down the line.

Here is a quick build montage for the transparent AirPods Pro case:

You can also find step-by-step instructions on Ken’s blog. Fair warning: it’s a pretty involved process, so you will need a lot of 3D printing experience under your belt to recreate this project.