How would well would this design scale to a 1m build area? Laser cut steel sheets?by jason.fisher - Delta Machines
I love the design direction. Exploring feedback.. It seems like the linear range in these designs is spread out enough that something like a linear potentiometer bearing could be useful for some applications, using multiple cheaper limited range pots? If the spring was magnetized, could you measure its compression? Or a spring pot toolhead for detecting true-Z-zero throughout the range of motby jason.fisher - Delta Machines
Very cool. In a few years, we will have homebrew kits for PLA flakes thanks to work like this.by jason.fisher - Polymer Working Group
Make sure you turn off the extra base/top layers, or it will try to add a ceiling..by jason.fisher - General
It sounds like you may secretly have ABS and should try increasing your hotbed and extrusion temperatures..by jason.fisher - General
Are you certain it isn't ABS? I have gotten that instead of PLA from Amazon vendors before.by jason.fisher - General
Cost is a silly problem to stall at. Expensive sensors were 10x more expensive a few years ago and will be 10x less expensive in a few more years. But there are people today that can afford them, and are in a position to test or advance the state of the art.by jason.fisher - General
Some OpenCV videos:by jason.fisher - General
I think the future of high-quality 3D printing is real-time quality control. Self-calibration, temperature control, error detection/correction, and positional feedback (STEP?) are essential for achieving that next big leap in real-world utility. If the goal is multiple materials and processes, maximum print speed while attaining a desired quality (e.g. dynamic 'draft' vs 'production' profilesby jason.fisher - General
Perhaps include an optional prototyping fee that doubles as a guarantee?by jason.fisher - General
It is a great idea. Just because the forum doesn't agree or isn't your target audience doesn't make it otherwise. Portfolios and ratings encourage competition for quality, and many good things intrinsically come from that drive.by jason.fisher - General
Maybe you could drop a layer of 'shavings' between layers?by jason.fisher - General
If you have a spare camera lens lying around, try holding it backwards over your sensor/lens to use it as a macro lens. There are also inexpensive macro lens kits/cases for phones .. could be handy for mounting an old phone near your printer. (side note .. would love to see a project that uses image analysis to adjust calibration during a print)by jason.fisher - Competitions
Thinking through issues related to large-scale (8' x 8' x 6' with a static bed) printing .. and the main issue seems to be with maintaining temperature and the heated bed. I've done some searching and haven't seen much/anything on the topic and am wondering if anyone has attempted using a water heater attached to copper tubing under the bed, or using a series of car radiators under the bed?by jason.fisher - Plastic Extruder Working Group
What are the folded dimensions?by jason.fisher - General
Fantastic. Can't wait to try mine.by jason.fisher - General
The corn oil might saturate lactic acid powder, and the salt could add elasticity .. Sorry, it's Friday night.by jason.fisher - General
Could moisture absorbtion affect PC warping like this?by jason.fisher - General
Could make a cool 3D pick-and-place machine if you can get it onto a platform that slides into a build area? Or print detail pieces first that are 'welded' onto the main structure and held in place by something like this?by jason.fisher - Robots!
Maybe something like an electric pressure cooker with a hole in the bottom of the bowl and a brass tube underneath. The pressure and gravity of the plastic should force it down as it attempts to equalize pressure? Does anyone make brass curly straws?by jason.fisher - General
A pin or hard wire hanging through the center of a washer, put a plastic nub on the end and set it just below the nozzle height. When it hits, it completes a circuit by joining the pin and the washer, triggering 'bottom'?by jason.fisher - Developers
I had a few 3am pondering sessions on this topic recently.. Pre-print.. CMYK pigments (powder and a custom binder? Or acrylic?) feed into as many plastic syringes as you need colors in your print.. let's say four. During print, one peristalic pump drives a hose from each syringe and releases the droplets of color over a compressed air source. Use solenoids or a cam to unpinch/select the colby jason.fisher - Developers
I am thinking of a PLA cap off of the walls to form a ceiling. Designs would certainly need to take a new set of structural problems into account.. If we could see 5% below the fill line, we might be able to gradually dial the water/starch mixture out and raise the temperature until we are just shy of the top. I have no idea if it would work, of course. Ideally let the 90-95% fill set a bit tby jason.fisher - Plastic Extruder Working Group
It seems that extruding a plastic foam could be a useful way to fill objects more quickly, using less material. Extrude the walls normally and fill with a PLA foam. Depending of the properties/mixture of the foam, you could conceivably fill an object that was larger than your build area. Print snap-together wall pieces, construct and fill through a hole in the top of the object. Sort of likeby jason.fisher - Plastic Extruder Working Group