I was just reviewing the build instructions of the Prusa i3 (http://www.prusa3d.com/) and it looks like a very nice build. Nothing daunting, and very clear instructions with plenty of images for reference. With longer belts, rods, and maybe wiring it looks like you could extend the Y-axis to 10 inches without much difficulty, and that should satisfy your project requirements.by DonaldJ - General
Sure looks like this (the "Kitten"):by DonaldJ - General
Quoteepicepee Have you considered swapping the PVC for steel conduit or aluminum tube? No, but I plan to redesign the parts so they could clamp on metal tubing (instead of using drilled holes). Unless someone does it first ;-)by DonaldJ - Developers
Quotethe_digital_dentist Why did you use multiple smaller pipes instead of a single, larger diameter (maybe 3") pipe? Easier to ensure structural members are straight, easier to cut the smaller size, and easier to align because the printed parts won't rotate around the pipe. And I had a bunch on hand;-)by DonaldJ - Developers
Quoteo_lampe Well done! I had the PVC-brackets on my watch list for a CNC mill, but was never happy with the 4-pipe layout. My gut feeling tells me: 3 pipes would be more rigid... How does the calibration hold when room temperature changes? I'm pretty sure, it would benefit from a temp-controlled enclosure. -Olaf I abandoned the 3 pipe layout because the geometry was getting too weird for me tby DonaldJ - Developers
Quoterealthor What would be the downsides or upsides? of a wood dowel similarly built strcture? My personal opinion is that for apartments and for every home to have a 3d printer in 10 years as they predict the printers will either be a mini-fridge-size cool looking applicances lie any other applicance in the home or they will be unoptrusively embedded in the furniture. I just measured a wardrobby DonaldJ - General
Quoterealthor Do you still use it as a primary machine? I liked the PVC pipe connector set on thingiverse when I first saw it but don't fancy too much PVC in the apartment (I live in a studio for a while). I would try the same approach with wood dowels. BTW, did you think about enclosing it to maybe be able to print with other filament than PLA? One more: isn't it too light? Maybe fill the PVCby DonaldJ - General
All this talk about PVC pipe is amusing...I built a nice size CoreXY machine recently and the frame seems plenty strong: More discussion here:by DonaldJ - General
My first build from scratch...12"x18"x18" build volume. You can get it here:by DonaldJ - Developers
Very nice! Did you make those nozzles yourself or buy blanks?by DonaldJ - Reprappers
Quoteo_lampe The design is a remix of this. -Olaf Uh, you realize that I remixed my own design?by DonaldJ - General
Quotethe_digital_dentist Interesting idea. Why would you use 4 pieces of 1/2" pipe instead of one 2 or 3" pipe? Are you planning on printing corners? Much easier to work with and transport...I can take a bunch of 5 foot lengths on the bus with no problem. The smaller pipe is easily cut with a hand-held ratcheting PVC pipe cutter; no power tools required. I already have corner pieces printeby DonaldJ - General
I've been fooling around with an all plastic frame, with a build plate of 12" x 18", using PVC pipe and printed connectors. The cut lengths don't have to be very accurate, maybe plus or minus a few millimeters, and the ends don't have to be perfectly square. And it's very cheap and easy to work with so that you can do a lot of experimenting. Squaring it up may be a problem, but that's why godby DonaldJ - General
QuoteAustmannchemie Hey Donald, how is your experience with the ziploc bags? Are they tight? I think it's a good idea. No supplier is offering its products in ziploc bags? I like them. I've been printing with ABS a lot lately, which isn't as sensitive to moisture as PLA. At least the bags keep the filament free from dust and other contaminants I put the spools in the bags so the labels are vby DonaldJ - General
This is about the finest detail I've gotten (so far!) with a .2mm nozzle, .1mm layer. Figure is about 28mm tall.by DonaldJ - Reprappers
A smaller nozzle is definitely the ticket for finer detail. I've done a lot of printing with a .2mm nozzle (ABS works best for me). My layer height can't go below 100 microns because of the limitations of my direct drive extruder, but the detail is remarkable. Expect a lot of trial and error (and very long print times), but once it's dialed in correctly it's amazing.by DonaldJ - Reprappers
QuoteQcks_ The bulk coefficient for ABS does not work because ABS is not a homogeneous polymer; rather it's more like a micro emulsion (it's like milk or lotion), with partial solvation of different constituents occurring at slightly different concentrations through out the mixture. Wandering a bit off-topic, this is inline with what I have observed with containers of old ABS slurry; it separateby DonaldJ - Reprappers
QuoteJamesK How did you do that Donald? Handcrafted g-code? Handcrafted g-code??? Ha, ha.... No, just one of the settings in Simplify3D.by DonaldJ - Printing
Like this? 2 layers (.3mm, .52mm nozzle, ABS), needs more extrusion overlap. Used Simplify3D; two infill layers--one at 0 degrees, other at 180 degrees.by DonaldJ - Printing
Hefty makes a 2.5 gallon bag with a zipper that holds two spools of filament nicely. Toss in a packet or two of dessicant and you should be good. Or good enough...by DonaldJ - General
What did you slice it with? It looks like you have a continuous gap, maybe caused when the layer changes. Can you randomize layer changes so it doesn't change in the same spot? Also, try adjusting the retraction. Do you have active cooling on the PLA part? That will help.by DonaldJ - Printing
This was a printer that printed a complete layer, using a wide roll of PVC film, but seems to have failed in the marketplace:by DonaldJ - General
The temperature seems too low for ABS; standard temp is about 230C. The slight increase shown in the image shows a slight improvement, no? Increase the temp to 230C and see if it helps.by DonaldJ - Printing
The use of copper is a nice touch; would look awesome with Bronzefill printed parts, but that's an aesthetic judgement. But it looks like the build platform is lacking stability and would be difficult to level. Have you done extensive printing with it yet?by DonaldJ - Reprappers
Quotecalogerom Have you ever thought to replace glass plate with Al plate? I think that with Al plate there would not be problem of "divots". That's right? That's a good suggestion, but a nice piece of .25" Mic6 aluminum plate would weigh more than twice as much as the glass I'm now using. And cost twice as much. Performance would suffer as the printbed moves back and forth in the Y direction,by DonaldJ - Reprappers
Quotecalogerom But my glass is in borosilicate. This is the problem! I have five borosilicate build plates, and they all have those kind of "divots." I asked my glass guy about it, and he said it was due to microscopic imperfections on the surface of the glass. Remember, this glass was probably not designed to have stuff stuck to it. This has happened with both ABS and PLA, using either hairsby DonaldJ - Reprappers
I think the cloned Printrboards use a different bootloader than the real deals from Printrbot. Have you tried searching here: ?by DonaldJ - General
This is a wild guess, but have you somehow specified 2 extruders, with one extruder for the infill?by DonaldJ - Printing
QuoteMrDoctorDIV Slic3r had improved supports, I don't remember hearing anything about customizable supports. I also use Simplify3D, it's quite nice as a slicer, although not infinite. It won't handle thin walled parts/items. The standard .5mm calibration box ends up with nothing. Hmmm? I've had no such problem with Simplify3D. One of my test parts (when changing filament or nozzle) easily makby DonaldJ - General