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People building or using RepRaps.
Re: problem with x idler bracket - 15 years ago
Yes been away at a show for a few days and before that real work was getting a little mad getting ready for the said show! but back now so Jenbot please send email to BfB and I'll get replacements in the post, we don't charge for one & two off replacement bits.by Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: Foolproof extruder? - 15 years ago
Critical to good filament drive is sharpening of the thread, we also now push the end of the heater barrel into the PTFE so a pipe clip can be used especially if the temperature is being pushed up high, I also preffer to use 6 ohms of nichrome as it heats up a lot quicker. We are in the process of redesigning the hot end to make assmebly easier and less chance to leak whatever the temperature orby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Nylock nut assembling - 15 years ago
It should just screw on (non nylon end first) if not there is some damage to the metal threads which should be visable test both parts with a known good nut & bolt.by Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: Laser Cut Parts (Bits from Bytes) - 15 years ago
Tonys done many many hours with his and we don't use cast Acrylic but extruded (better thickness tolerance and strength) but we have now switched to Hi-Impact much stronger agian.by Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Laser Cut Parts (Bits from Bytes) - 15 years ago
I'll investigate the Cerastil, but i thought Adrain had adopted fire cement as the preffered solution at present due to it's ease of availbility and I think its preformance seams OK. The problem with metal gears would be getting them with the correct size hole/ fitting for the GM3 motor I would expect them to cost much more thanby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: What size solder for the thread wrap - 15 years ago
I used 0.7mm solder as you want it to be proud of the thread before solder i used PVC insulated wire (normal wire) all you are trying to achive is that the bearing is central on the bolt when you tighten the nuts so absolute size is not critical just that it is a tight fit as the bearing is push/ bolted over your choosen material. Hope this helps.by Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Acrylic RepRap files on Ponoko - 15 years ago
On the Acrylic Laser cut we BfB now do all the 5mm bits out of Hi-Impact Acrylic which has almost the same asthetic but is loads stronger and starts to show white stress marks when bending the sheet before it breaks, so you have to go some to bust the stuff. It still breaks in tension with little warning but only after very excessive load is applied much more than standard acrylic. We also did aby Ian Adkins - General
Re: Alternatives to the toothed belt - 15 years ago
I tried with limited success to use fishing line made for catching Marlin this is very strong but still streches a little (too much) electrical wire will strech loads as it is made of copper not good in tension or with repeated bending, cables for robots which need repeated flexing are very expensive. I would recomend biting the bullet with tooth belts or making something to work with ball chain.by Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Just how easily should the axes move... - 15 years ago
It should be possible to push the extruder carriage with your finger in both the X and Y direction with the stepper motors connected without needing to hold the main frame to stop it moving (motors not powered!) i.e. very easy to move. If they are not setup like this you will struggle to get good movement. We have just put up some more instructions that give details on ensuring the X carriage iby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Newbie X-axis problem / Bits from Bytes kit - 15 years ago
The design has changed and i have documented it and done a 3D model but i can't get my Adobe PDF working and I've had a big family party this weekend but i should have it all up on Monday. If possible please wait as X carriage is critical to getting it all right. Sorry for the delayby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Problem playing BitsFromBytes tutorial - 15 years ago
No Problem we are about to put up revised X carriage instruction very soon also (hopefully tomorrow)by Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: CNC? - 15 years ago
The point i was making is you can make all the BfB parts on a machine once it has been made as in make a complete set of spares for it just as with a Darwin so rather than print out another design you can print a copy of the original laser design.by Ian Adkins - General
Re: CNC? - 15 years ago
Sorry to disagree, the answer is no, you can certainly make a 3 axis CNC positioning system as Forrest & Nophead have done but they are not Darwin repstraps, the Darwin design cannot as standard be made in a conventional machine shop the BfB design and the Ponoko design could both be cut in a mchine shop but would probably be cheaper laser cut unless you have cheap access to the machine shop.by Ian Adkins - General
Re: Engineering drawings of RepRap parts - 15 years ago
>You use STL's to generate print instructions or milling instructions Not if your trying to give the information to a machine shop you don't. On the original question somewhere in sourceforge there are Solidedge drawings of the early version of Darwin, most parts are still current. The biggest problem is many of the parts can't be milled ar in fact made by any method other than 3D printing dby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: What Material Do You Use? - 15 years ago
Where did you see pellets/powder? AFAIK all Repraps/ Repstraps use 3mmby Ian Adkins - Plastic Extruder Working Group
Re: Possible cheep laser cutting service? - 15 years ago
Parts are approx 1.5kg with the laser cut printable parts being even lighter as the design is simpler with regard being able to print it.by Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: Another first drawing, and another pen holder - 15 years ago
Dan the biggest problem with print speed is the extruder itself and how quickly you can get the plastic out the end as the faster you go the higher the pressure you need, this seems to be the limit at the moment. But don't stop working on better control/ movement systems it's all part of the puzzle. I see that on another forum it is the bot speed that is limiting people, interesting, I get a boby Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: I've made some scrappy looking hollow squares! - 15 years ago
The Darwin can do light (as in dremel) milling my mate Tony posted on the forums the PCB milling he was doing, built correctly the Darwin is an unexpectedly rigid frame. With the weakest point being the bend in the 2 X carriage bars. But this can quite easily be stiffened, although for printing this is not required at all.by Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: Possible cheep laser cutting service? - 15 years ago
Our main 5mm panel has a cut length of 1,765" with the sheet being 2.58 square feet, so i make that approx $450.00 in 3/16" Acrylic then there are the extruder parts and the 2 8mm beds + they also say they charge $3 per different item and $1 for duplicates so the 24 parts that make the cartesian bot corners would add $30 and the diagonal tie brackets another $42. If fact there are over 50 differeby Ian Adkins - Reprappers
Re: Laser Cut Parts (Bits from Bytes) - 15 years ago
Did you try sharpening the thread on the drive bolt, i found this was needed for HDPE to work reliably.by Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: an idea: another extruder barrel heater - 15 years ago
I not sure but i think induction heating might benifit from control of the frequency as well or certainly need the right frequency, there was a link from another posting some months ago that had a very good link to someone making a bolt red hot with and induction heater but it is not trivial. NiChrome is much much easier. As for controlling AC a triac is very simple and works perfectly in eitherby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Accuracy of the cartesian bot - 15 years ago
Stepper motors are accurate to +-5% of step angle so any more then 1/10 micro-stepping will not increase accuracy but it will make the motor run smoother. Micro-stepping does not make the motor run slower as long as your controller is fast enough to send out more pulses.by Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Project 10 to the 100th - 15 years ago
I don't get it because someone does well in business by making the right decissions re buying other companies/ staff they become the devil. Google have transformed the Web for the better if they didn't maybe some one else would have but as it happens they did it and for free as far as most people are concerned even with the might of Microsoft against them. For me that makes them good guys. As foby Ian Adkins - General
Re: How to download the arduino firmware - 15 years ago
I can't remeber exactaly how it's done but i do remeber it is important that the .h files are in the right place and it used to be the case that they needed moving into one of the Arduino core directories. But it's a while since i did any Arduino stuff. Do you have other .h files that compile OK?by Ian Adkins - RepRap Host
Re: thermistor/thermocouple for BfB extruder with PIC electronics? - 15 years ago
They are harder to use than a thermistor as much smaller resistance changes, usual practice is to use a wheatstone bridge and amplifer so it's right back to the same level of complexity as a thermoouple IMHO. Nophead look at the Rapid offering it's useable to 300by Ian Adkins - General
Re: thermistor/thermocouple for BfB extruder with PIC electronics? - 16 years ago
Rapid electronics do a 300by Ian Adkins - General
Re: Laser Cut Parts (Bits from Bytes) - 16 years ago
I will look into a aluminum price. would you want all parts or just the ones more prone to breaking?by Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Laser Cut Parts (Bits from Bytes) - 16 years ago
I not sure of the extra for Aluminium but steel would be the cheapest metal option to cut but very expensive to ship, I think the steel option would be in theby Ian Adkins - Mechanics
Re: Laser Cut Parts (Bits from Bytes) - 16 years ago
Steel or Aluminium would be very expensive Acrylic was choosen for its ease of cutting I do appreciate that it gives no warning of impending failure & for that reason we have switched to Hi Impact Acylic this can still be broken but does show stress lines first, We might also do the diagonal ties out of Acetal as this is very resiliant. As for bolts coming loose which ones? I thought you coby Ian Adkins - Mechanics