Velleman to Ramps conversionby MechaBits - General
I cant quite see the problem, the rod supports you linked to wont let rod fall anywhere as they have a clamp built in, the main problem would be they would only work with profile on one axis, 90 degrees to the profile, due to the holes, if you want both holes to be bolted to the profile they will have to go into same slot, you probably wont be able to straddle 2 slot as the dimensions would be ouby MechaBits - Extruded Aluminum Frames
Maybe as China starts to up prices, it will fall in your favor, many people are trying to bring manufacturing back onshore, you already have the tools, keep exploring maybe try to disguise solution, maybe throw out a few red herrings for others to imitate.by MechaBits - General
Whats even worse Brian, is that while they are selling 4 slot jheads, they use the blueprint with the 5 slots! I feel like ordering one, and when it comes say it's not as described! It's a pity that over the years a partnership with a successful 3D printer manufacturer wasn't developed, where they would push your design, make larger numbers, or you could have at least sold some rights, but onceby MechaBits - General
The configuration you have in the images, the 8mm rods are spinning shafts, not linear guide rails, you wouldnt really want to spin guide rails in linear bearings, you have some 2020 profile there, maybe you should create a carriage to run on that, then you could probably keep the 8mm shafts, your arrangement needs them, but you could probably get away with only one per axis, the other end is jusby MechaBits - Reprappers
Funny how a musician doesn't have to pay anything to anyone to copyright their creations, and is protected for many years, even though they are generally just sequences of freely available notes & words. But surely the RepRap Legacy will continue, it's DNA will ripple through many designs to come. Printers that can print themselves may just get a little more complicated, but might be a littby MechaBits - General
the 2 types mount differently, one has all holes on same axis, the other has the 16mm hole 90 deg to the mount holes search for 16mm shaft support. Not quite the carriage you where looking for but might come in handy.by MechaBits - Reprappers
A 16mm rail clamp(2 types choose best one for your setup) grips the hotend perfectly, better than groove mount. maybe carriage can stay plastic, though maybe you can make something from alu plate.by MechaBits - Reprappers
Have you been running your bed at 580°Cby MechaBits - General
Getting some cheap profile can still turn out a little expensive when you have to find the L brackets, Corners, multiple size Tnuts, Screws of certain length ...Cant help with how your going to join 2 different pieces, a lot of experimentation, maybe you have what you need lying around and you need to try a few different approaches. I managed to get an L bracket into the profiles I have but theby MechaBits - Extruded Aluminum Frames
If you can change the LM8's for the longer ones do it, it might not be the fault of the rods but new ones are cheap enough, but if you have printed carriage you might not be able to fit them in.by MechaBits - Reprappers
Thanks for the heads up on the rails, think i'll give them a miss in future, You can use lighter fuel to clean grease off, I got a small IKO rail the other week, but while trying to hold the phone & carriage/rail...it slipped and popped a ball or 2 out I couldnt find them, I guessed they where 1mm bought some more, when they came, wrong size...so I took one of the balls out the LMU8 and in iby MechaBits - Mechanics
Maybe your right but it's going to fall to 0.0by MechaBits - General
Looks like a good day out, but I'm guilty of the same thing, we have these museums on our doorstep but rarely visit them. I have museum about 2 miles away in Liverpool( I can see it from my house), the white building is the new museum, ... On the subject of museums & other dinosaurs and other living fossils(congress/government), a huge legal battle with the architects & the council, theby MechaBits - General
Yes I have to admit yours is much more appealingby MechaBits - General
The shock mounts are worth £5 each...so maybe keep them till you decide you really dont need them, once you get the bug you might want to build all sorts of things.by MechaBits - General
Maybe its time to start using cylindrical heater/nozzle blocks, I bet these things get hot quick.by MechaBits - General
whats the spacing of the 3mm holes? top or side?by MechaBits - General
I have a few Amazing Do Nothing Machines lying around at the moment, I wonder which is easier to do, delta or polar? what's the saying, if in doubt, do now't Perhaps in this order, Polar, Delta, Scara.by MechaBits - General
pity that molten material couldnt be pumped into a reservoir with known dimensions, maybe a device just for measuring filament average prior to print feeding back into feedrate numbers, and then used from there (but I guess pla/abs doesnt like too stay molten for long, step in UV or laser cure material), but would have to evacuate fully after each layer, maybe use up spare material on perimeter oby MechaBits - General
I thought it was some new twitter LikList net Lingo that I hadnt heard, the great thing about pictures is "click" done...most the pics I take are just as I see things, opportunistic moments, not done much studio work, so it's fun to be able to control the set, the rest of the place is a tip even more fun when its for your own machine design, these things evolving into something real rather thanby MechaBits - Polar Machines, SCARA, Robot Arms
What the hells a Likstarter ? I have many more pics, dont really want to post all to blog unless I can find a better way, long post of pics are a little ...long...cant be bothered to keep adding galleries, need a better more dynamic way embedded in post, will have to see whats new in latest lightroom.by MechaBits - Polar Machines, SCARA, Robot Arms
Surely it could be tweeked to feed some filament?by MechaBits - General
So Close but yet so far from anything functional.by MechaBits - Polar Machines, SCARA, Robot Arms
If i understand correctly it wont because it doesnt sense volumeby MechaBits - General
Which NX do you have, have you run any hack'sby MechaBits - Look what I made!
Yes I've seen the mouse wheel stuff, and the other threads on filament sensors, but havent seen the killer combo yet, or maybe I have and it's much simpler, maybe striped filament is the answer? on the subject of the small hotend decided not to get the nema11 because there isnt a suitable mount, unless I made one, so have gone with a lighter nema17, but in the search for a decent small mount,by MechaBits - General
I like it, just because you have a bowden doesnt mean it cant be measured at the extruder end to help deliver right amount of filament. Wonder why its taken till now to think of it, and why its not already out there, surely people have wanted this for some time?by MechaBits - General
Considering the accuracy that inkjet printers can resolve, and blu-ray lasers without super expensive linear guides, I wonder how many years before these things are as cheap as when blu ray's came out. Though cleaning out the system could be a little trickier than an inkjet...and we all know what a PIA that can be.by MechaBits - General
I love the precision you've been working at, but wonder what the print times would be with filament so small? Having a laser doing the work means speeds could be improved but all the mechanics would have to be spot on, you could use hypodermic needles for the filament(fishing line) guide throats, or would you use glass, UV Led with fibre optics? knife edge array would look like an evil genius deby MechaBits - General