Take your multimeter and check the resistance at the plug that connects to the RAMPS board. Make sure it's giving a sane value. Also, check that you have the right kind of thermistor selected in the Marlin config file.by bdurbrow - General
If you have a file handy, check them for hardness: rub the file on the end of the leadscrew in an inconspicuous spot, and if it digs in and, well, files it; it's not hard: any metal cutting saw (like a hacksaw, bandsaw, etc) will cut it. If it skates off and won't cut; then you need an abrasive solution; like the angle grinder mentioned above, or an abrasive blade in a chop saw, etc.by bdurbrow - Mechanics
Um... can he send it back for a refund? My starting assumption was that that was not a possibility... QuoteOne of life's great, tragic truths is that quality costs. The sooner you face it, the less time you will waste trying to make poor quality things do things they aren't capable of doing. My only disagreements with that is that some people have more time than money, and therefore must make-by bdurbrow - Mechanics
Everybody has to start somewhere. For this application, it doesn't have to be done "properly" - just "good enough". Lapping a ball is a bit more challenging, because of the geometry involved - you need a spherical concave lap of the size to fit the ball. If you have a lathe with a suitable sphere turning attachment, you can, in principal, make one. Casting one against a good ball might also workby bdurbrow - Mechanics
QuoteIf the things don't work right direct from the manufacturer, chalk it up to experience and buy a quality brand next time. With all due respect... I figured that he already didn't have much to loose, considering that they are already kinda' crusty... and "chalking it up to experience" doesn't do anything for the rails he's got in his hand now. Also, it's a 3D printer - not a mill or a latby bdurbrow - Mechanics
I would consider lapping the rails and possibly the block if you are getting that kind of stiction. If you've never done this before, look up lapping - it's not a difficult process; but there are a few fine points (er, no pun intended) to be aware of. The youtube videos on the subject are helpful. You are going to want a very fine lapping compound; and a soft lap; perhaps brass. DON"T OVERDO Iby bdurbrow - Mechanics
How about a cat AND a squeegee? Tie the squeegee to a RC servo, so that it dips in a can of water, and drips it on the cat, while simultaneously lifting a door allowing the now annoyed cat access to the print area; the cat will promptly dart out of the printer knocking the part loose... Or.... how about a hot wire (nichrome, etc) to scrape along the bottom of the print bed when it's done?by bdurbrow - General
The optical fiber itself is not printable per se; but you could use a 3d printer to make a machine to assemble pre-existing fibers into a bundle. As for actually extruding the fiber; I suppose you could develop a DIY extrusion process to do that; but you will need a full machine shop (if a small one - my little 7x12 bench top lathe and CNC-converted Sieg X3 mill would be good enough; but somethinby bdurbrow - General
At the risk of veering off-topic, I'll just say that the pyrolysis process can be quite eco-friendly if it's fed with a clean energy source... like solar, for example. And because what you are trying to generate is heat; you don't have to go thru an expensive and low-efficiency photovoltaic step... some mirrors and a black paint job on the reactor cell will do the trick just fine. But whatever yby bdurbrow - General
As solvents go, acetone is one of the more innocuous in terms of toxicity... your body makes it, and has metabolic pathways for getting rid of it. Nonetheless, I still wear proper protective equipment when handling it. Physically, however, it's a different story: that stuff likes to burn... it's not something I'd like to have in close proximity to a hot print head, or anything that might generatby bdurbrow - General
What kind of environment is that for? Space? Antarctica?by bdurbrow - General
That is a possibility... my sticking point with two part epoxies though is that it sets up in the nozzle after the print is done... requiring a disposable nozzle; or some sort of solvent flush system. Not an insurmountable obstacle... but definitely something to be aware of before heading in that direction. They tend to also be somewhat expensive... It's too bad that photoset resins aren't moreby bdurbrow - General
The trouble with bolts is that for a large print, there could be thousands of them; so placement would have to be automated - possible, but it leads to a complicated head and feeder design. To get good adhesion to the bolt though, just heat it before driving it in. QuoteMechaBits I like the idea of dipping honeycombs in resin(a sweet solution), it has a certain appeal. Unfortunately, it also teby bdurbrow - General
Quoteo_lampe Why not make the whole part hollow and fill it with 2k-resin afterwards? Would also print much faster. Total cost of material used and weight are the primary reasons; process automation coming in a distant third. For some things, however, I have considered doing something like that; using what's known as "epoxy concrete" or "epoxy granite" - basically, epoxy filled with rock flour,by bdurbrow - General
Well, when I get a chance I'll monkey around with it. An idea I had while thinking about the temperature issue was to have a separate extruder with a long tubular nozzle on it (well, perhaps 6 to 10 mm in length), to go down into the hole and apply hot material directly to the bottom, perhaps with the machine making a Z-axis move while applying the material. The nozzle could have a resistive coatby bdurbrow - General
Hmm... not quite sure where to put this... so if a moderator wants to move it to a different forum, please feel free. Anyway, I had an idea; and it might not be original, but as I've never seen it done before, I wanted to put it out there for people to kick around. My understanding so far is that extruded plastic is stronger along the extrusion then it is between the printed layers; especiallyby bdurbrow - General