RepRap in Wellington LCA 2010

I saw Vik's Reprap Mendel in Wellington yesterday and became very excited. It was good to see some of the setting up and calibration on the new build. Wasn't sure how to contact Vik and wanted to pass on the following suggestions.

* Deposition surface: have you tried using a teflon baking sheet? Available for about $10 from Briscoes.
* Belt tensioning idea: cut a medium hose clip in half and flatten. Bond each piece to the free ends of the belt. Screw adjustment without forceps.
* Extruder head initial clearance: Given that during printing all Z movements will be up (I think) why not add a sensor to detect the depositions plate instead of a leaf switch or opto endstop? Perhaps a force sensitive resistor at the extents of the plate would do the trick. Once calibrated there would effectively be no endstop so minimum Z would need to be controlled in software. Might make for more reliable printing starts.

If anyone here knows Vik please pass on with my thanks for a great demo.

teflon print surface won't work - the print surface needs enough adhesion that the object stays put while being printed, and some extra stick to help combat warping, while not sticking so much that object or surface are damaged at end of print. teflon isn't sticky enough, and other common materials like HDPE cutting boards are usually too adhesive. Apparently, kapton is working really well for some

nice idea for the belt tensioner- I may try that

Ah, I see that teflon isn't the answer. I haven't built a reprap yet although I'd like to. It seems as though most of the non-printed parts are available in NZ. Just need to check behind the sofa cushions or find a collaborator.

Hi, glad you stopped by for a look. You can get me on my gmail account, vikolliver@etc - happy to help you source stuff.

A few points: Bonding belt makes it hard to replace. A couple of screws is easier for lazy buggers such as myself. Instant gratification

The Z sensor is a single lever microswitch costing $1. It works fine.

Vik :v)