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People building or using RepRaps.
Re: Whats with the "ribbing" on my prints - 13 years ago
tinyenormous Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Just to throw this out there, I can't really see > any way that the "wobble arrestors" could perform > as promised. > > The stiction of plastic on plastic when the weight > of the x axis and motor is resting on it must be > higher that whatever wobble force is created. That > means that the wobbby Dale Dunn - General
Re: Layers are poorly formed/sparse - 13 years ago
My MG hot end extrudes ABS at about 200-220, for all the kinds of ABS I've tried so far. The difference may just be thermistor mounting, or it may be the plastic. Printing to bare glass, I see you're getting some serious warping. (Perhaps the higher temp was required to get any adhesion at all?) That much warping will in turn behave like a very poor Z calibration or 1st layer height. That issueby Dale Dunn - Printing
Re: 3d printing magazine? - 13 years ago
I like this idea, if for no other reason than the thought of an editor summarizing and correlating the firehose or 3D printing goings-on. Am I right in assuming that the focus would be on hobby machines, and not commercial 3D printers? Edit: Utter failure to proofread.by Dale Dunn - RepRap magazine
Re: Reprap to CNC Router. One machine two functions. - 13 years ago
Nice. What did you use to generate tool paths?by Dale Dunn - CNC Routers, Mills, and Hybrid RepRapping
Re: Tips for increasing print quality - 13 years ago
I don't see any hardware issues in there, just a lot of settings that need to be figured out. Have you seen Prusa's calculators? I've never used it, but it looks like the sort of thing I wished for when I was starting out.by Dale Dunn - Printing
Re: DAVID-Laserscanner - 13 years ago
Hmmm. I'd better plan for a projector too then. I'll see if I can do without first, of course...by Dale Dunn - 3D Scanners, Book Scanners, and Optics
Re: DAVID-Laserscanner - 13 years ago
This is very much on my to do list. I'm trying to wait until the holidays to see if they run a promotional price again. On the other hand, I have a couple minor projects I need to model parts for that don't lend themselves to measuring with calipers. Your results are inspiring. Compared to RepRap, is it more or less difficult to get good results ?by Dale Dunn - 3D Scanners, Book Scanners, and Optics
Re: Realities of printing on a RepRap - 13 years ago
That's about right, as long as nothing happens to screw up the machine. Unfortunately, there area lot of ways to screw up a RepRap. You need to know what you're doing. I wouldn't let a student use one without close supervision until they demonstrate independent proficiency with the machine.by Dale Dunn - General
Re: asking for rail binding opinions - 13 years ago
There shouldn't be any need to ream a bushing out unless it doesn't slide smoothly on the rod. Scratches and imperfections should be sanded out of the rods though. A knife sharpening stone works nicely. Make sure the bushings slide nicely on the rods, then assemble everything, best guess. I'm guessing you're building a Mendel of some kind, so once the frame is assembled and tightened, try the axby Dale Dunn - General Mendel Topics
Re: First Layers being squished during print. - 13 years ago
Another MG Prusa and (long time) SolidWorks user here. I also find the Z end stop adjustment to be less than ideal. I never did get reliable adjustment out of the little screw apparatus. Maybe I simply didn't know what I was doing back then. I just loosened the rod clamp of the Z end stop holder until I could twist it on the rod. A little up or down pressure while twisting makes my adjustment. Noby Dale Dunn - General Mendel Topics
Re: Printer slows down around tight bends, with blobbing as a result... - 13 years ago
What you describe does sound like a problem I used to have before I switched to Marlin. No promises though. You're going to need to learn a lot about your machine if you want to improve it. It's just not possible to make meaningful changes if you don't know what it is you're changing.by Dale Dunn - Printing
Re: Rehashing ACME screw drives - 13 years ago
In addition to adding inertia and friction to overcome, ACME screws (and any gearing to get the speed up) will add backlash. Unless you use anti-backlash components, which add yet more mass and friction. And then you have to maintain it all. Free isn't cheap enough, you'd need to get paid to use ACME screws. Z axis is another story, of course.by Dale Dunn - Mechanics
Re: Printer slows down around tight bends, with blobbing as a result... - 13 years ago
The experts will need to know what material, temperature, extruder hot end, firmware and slicer. Maybe layer thickness and width too.by Dale Dunn - Printing
Re: Blankets for Heated Beds? - 13 years ago
I've basically co-opted a pan holder from the kitchen. It's about 200mm square, and it never gets too hot to handle. It is a little burnt-looking on one side now. I've read of people insulating the bottom as well, but I'm not sure what materials they use. For smaller prints, and with a decent Z calibration, you probably don't have to wait for 100°C. I've been slacking off by about 20° lately onby Dale Dunn - General
Re: Recommendations for decent CAD software? - 13 years ago
xiando Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Oh. I didn't see any specification that required a > parametric CAD program, just the ability to output > stl and preferably free, so I tried to contain my > answering the question she posed. Oh, you're right. I missed that. So many people are looking for parametric tools.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Recommendations for decent CAD software? - 13 years ago
Is 123D parametric? AFAIK, the cheapest parametric CAD is Alibre, starting at $199.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Spools - 13 years ago
I don't know what Faberdashery spools look like, and a quick Googling didn't reveal any images. Perhaps you can design and print an adapter, or your own spools. You do have a 3D printer. Maybe there's a design on Thingiverse already.by Dale Dunn - General
Re: Non-Linear Z axis? - 13 years ago
Never heard of anyone actually trying it. What's the advantage? Lead screws are simple and already pretty rigid.by Dale Dunn - Mechanics
Re: Z layer wobble - 13 years ago
If that's wobble, it should be visible during long Z axis moves. Try that and see. If you can't see the X ends wobble during a Z move, look into making sure your flow rate is correct, (as already suggested) and also make sure your Z layer height is an even multiple of your Z axis step (mm per whole step). If you don't have this, your steppers may not be producing the correct layer heights. The erby Dale Dunn - General
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
The features are suppressed to save on file size. Unsuppress the features.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: bent smooth rods - 13 years ago
There's nothing in a Mendel frame that will pull that straight. The design relies on the rods to provide straight-line motion for the axes. If the bend is near an end to be trimmed off, if might be OK. Otherwise it will simply bind. Any smooth rod needs to be within about 0.05mm of straight over its working length, maybe less.by Dale Dunn - General Mendel Topics
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
OK, here's a quick model showing what the lead-in angles. I basically duplicated the Thingiverse model you linked, and added the lead-in angles. Let me know if that's the geometry you were looking for.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
OK. I'll try to get it knocked out this evening.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Thingiverse Alternative poll on Reddit - 13 years ago
Different formats have different strengths. OpenSCAD, for all its innumerable flaws, is a parametric modeler. With a properly constructed source file, you can make very complex changes quickly. Something that may take hours or days on Blender. On the other hand, edits that don't rely on the parametric model are quicker in Blender. Depending on what you want or need, one format will be 10,000 timeby Dale Dunn - General
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
OK, now I know what you need. That's the lead-in angle I saw on my fittings. VDX is right. You will have to make sure the thread runs at least 1/2 turn farther than you need it, then use a cut-extrude (with draft) or cut-revolve to make the lead-in angle. You may need to change how you make the helix to make this work, but you'r not going to get this geometry with just the swept helix feature. Tby Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
OK. I had a look around and didn't find anything a really liked. I'll wait to see for sure what you need.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
I keep debating with myself over whether to update. I really want to get a look at one hand-ons and see what new information is in it. I just remembered that some hoses have plastic fittings. Is this what you mean? The molded threads would look more like what VDX has been modeling. I'm pretty sure I've seen molded threads on 3dcontentcentral. I'll have a look.by Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
Hmmm. I found hose couplings in my copy of Machinery's Handbook, but not on those pages. I'm still using the 24th edition. Anyhow, I didn't see a thread termination like what VDX has been modeling in that section. I would make that a separate feature in SolidWorks, not a part of the sweep. Not finding what I think you're looking for in MH, I went out and looked at the brass fittings on my gardenby Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Solidworks 2012 help needed. - 13 years ago
That's a fairly complex geometry I think you're trying to do. Is VDX .jpg a good illustration of the effect you're after? You searched 3 days. Did you look for examples to follow on 3dcontentcentral, or ask in the SolidWorks hosted forums how others have done it in the past? Not knowing the exact geometry you're after, I can't suggest how to go about it. Maybe build a composite curve for the sby Dale Dunn - 3D Design tools
Re: Programs Purely For Creating Support Structure 
- 13 years ago
Sublime Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Although I do not use auto generated support made > by the slicing software I can see how it does a > better job than the manually added support. When > the support is generated by the slicing software > it can make the extrusions thinner or thicker so > they break off easier. But when you model in > supby Dale Dunn - General