I hadn't yet figured out a name for the machine, but I'll make sure to post relevant information to the wiki if I actually get to the point of completing the design. I have to finish building the full-size router first, after all...by Have Blue - Extruded Aluminum Frames
I started building a 'big' CNC router out of T-slot extrusion after finding a router design that I quite like: It's a fairly standard gantry router, but uses inexpensive cold rolled steel strip and skate bearings for the linear ways. I started designing a scaled down version that would be good for a RepStrap and light milling, but then had a look at some of the other T-slot based designs discuby Have Blue - Extruded Aluminum Frames
Sure, I can certainly send stuff over to Australia as well. Drop me an email and let me know your McMaster shopping list.by Have Blue - Extruded Aluminum Frames
SebastienBailard Wrote: > Have Blue, do you know the brandname for the > ballnuts and screws? McMaster-Carr won't ship up > here to Canada because us Canuks might tranship > stuff to the Axis of Evil. (no kidding) > > Also, where in the wiki are you documenting? The ballnuts/ballscrews I get from McMaster-Carr are made by Thomson: I had no idea McMaster won't ship to Canuby Have Blue - Extruded Aluminum Frames
Yes, elastomers have certainly been done on Stratasys machines. My own FDM 1600 predates this, but the FDM 1650 was able to run the "E20" elastomer (as well as a specific support material for E20). I'm guessing that this was a direct outgrowth of professor Jan Helge Bøhn's research at Virginia Tech: As far as older comments go with regards to chipping spools, that's only for newer machines -by Have Blue - General
I'm interested in 1.7mm filament as well. Can you tell us the specific ABS resin being used? I'm looking to compare other formulations against the Chi Mei Polylac PA-747 that New Image uses.by Have Blue - General
Thanks nophead! I think I had seen that original video via your site in the first place - good to see that there's another video of the technique. I haven't tried making my own yet, but I'd be inclined to also use the facing technique as others have noted.by Have Blue - General
Watchmakers would create a tiny divot on the center of the stock with a graver, and then use a micro drill bit held in a pin vise. All by hand, no tailstock! I saw a video of this technique on youtube long ago but unfortunately cannot find it...by Have Blue - General
letsburn00 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Being the massive cynic that I am, I'm expecting > BfB's future research to go almost entirely closed > source and the price to go up, with a tendency for > closed off feedstock. Personally, I don't think that's cynical enough. I think 3DS purchased BFB for one reason only - to remove it from the market. Peby Have Blue - General
Minor nitpick - the Stratasys filament is 0.070", not 0.007" This is also the size used on the PP3DP UP! printer. Jim has been kind enough to provide us with specific material information on their ABS as well:by Have Blue - For Sale
I'm sure they mean extrusion temperature in our parlance - they actually refer to the process as 'Melt Extrusion Modeling' (MEM) rather than FDM, so the very term 'melting' appears to be applied rather casually.by Have Blue - General
I stumbled across this company a few weeks ago: They have several FDM type machines, as well as materials (even looks like they offer STL resins). The filament appears to be Stratasys diameter (1.75mm). I wondered if perhaps they might be an inexpensive source of filament for my FDM 1600, so I inquired about material specifications and pricing. I got a response today: "ABS S301, ABS B601 aby Have Blue - General
I think nophead is on the right track - use the bath as a heated chamber rather than for flash cooling. Instead of a water bath, I'm sure another fluid may be workable - perhaps propylene glycol?by Have Blue - General
eustace Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Real circulating ball screw assemblies are > expensive - VERY expensive. Hundreds of dollars > apiece. Wow, I guess I've been underpaying for my ballnuts and screws! McMaster-Carr has a 5/8" ballnut for $26.29 (part # 5966K16) and the matching 5/8" ballscrew (5966K26) is $10.22 per foot.by Have Blue - Extruded Aluminum Frames
The 'measure' function _is_ enabled in the free eDrawings viewer. However, when someone exports an eDrawing out of Solidworks, by default the 'allow measurement' on the file save dialog is not checked (allow with the 'allow STL export' box). Whoever creates the eDrawing file has to make sure to enable these two options.by Have Blue - General Mendel Topics
According to the MSDS sheet for Stratasys' P400SS soluble support material, it is an "Acrylic Copolymer Thermoplastic". Unfortunately, they don't have a specific CAS# (just says 'mixture). The SR-30 soluble support material is a "Terpolymer of Methacrylic Acid, Styrene, and Butylacrylate", CAS # 25036-16-2 (oddly, they list the percentage as 'mixture') All of the support material MSDS sheets aby Have Blue - General
I'll toss out one more nozzle idea that I've had - trying to drill such tiny nozzle holes isn't easy, especially for those wishing to experiment with orifice diameters smaller than 0.5mm. What if the standard brass nozzle was to be electroless nickel plated by flushing the plating solution through the nozzle until the desired orifice diameter is achieved? The hardness and corrosion resistance oby Have Blue - General
I just bought a used Stratasys FDM 1600, which dates back to before they started using soluble support material - instead it uses a 'breakaway support system' (BASS) with a material that is peeled or broken off of the ABS. I did a small test piece, and the support material seems to do quite well - once cool, you can carefully peel the raft off the bottom of the part. According to the MSDS sheetby Have Blue - Plastic Extruder Working Group
My own crazy nozzle idea came to me after browsing the McMaster-Carr catalog. They have stainless tubing in some very small ID sizes and 1/16" OD (bottom of page): http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/116/128 I thought of using a very short (3/8") piece of tubing, held in a suitable compression fitting as a 'chuck': This would also make experimenting with different orifice (tubing ID) sizes veryby Have Blue - General
bjb - cooling the plate is probably right on the money. ABS has a coefficient of thermal expansion around 4 times that of stainless steel and around 3 times that of aluminum.by Have Blue - Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize
bjb's idea is exactly what had popped into my mind - just like tombstones for CNC machining. I was thinking of a removable heater bed with 4 'legs' that raise it off of the X-Y bed, with the legs also carrying heater current. Robotic 'forklift' would pull a bed off and place a new one on... The idea of chaining multiple ones together like a tank tread also occured to me, but I'm wondering ifby Have Blue - Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize