3D Printers

[Stub Mandrel]

Wow that looks like hair-shirt CAD to me.

Why would anyone not want to use a graphic interface? (speaking as a parametric CAD user).

[JamesF]

3 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Wow that looks like hair-shirt CAD to me.

Why would anyone not want to use a graphic interface? (speaking as a parametric CAD user).

In my case I've been writing code in one form or another for almost forty years, the first dozen of which probably didn't involve any kind of GUI because they were quite uncommon or ran on hideously expensive hardware.  From that point on I found that graphical interfaces got in my way as often as not.  Even now I don't use an IDE for coding if I can avoid it because I often find them quite clumsy.  I guess it comes down to the fact that I want to work how I want to work, not how someone else thinks I ought to want to work.

That said, I am also working through the FreeCAD tutorials at the moment.

James

[Gina]

Well, I've been writing code for well over 50 years but still prefer WYSIWYG!  ie. graphical.

[Mognet]

For the modern languages I use (Java, Scala and Gherkin) an IDE is great, and I wouldn't be without one even if I did spend a large number of years writing in plain text editors. OpenSCad is like taking a step back to those days, but fortunately the language is simple enough that a text editor is fine. Code-wise it's a bit like writing in C

[PeterW]

Aha, fellow SCAD users! Parametric cad is much cleaner to know what you have than solidworks where you have to set relationships between things which invariably break.  Change one value and the rest of the design changes. Of course you have to make your own fillets and threads. I have colleagues using Blender, a user interface made by a sadist!

 

PEterW

[Stub Mandrel]

12 hours ago, Gina said:

Well, I've been writing code for well over 50 years but still prefer WYSIWYG!  ie. graphical.

I can claim 41 if my mate's ZX80 counts... ?

I'm using Alibre Atom3D which is the hobbyist version but is great fun (and quick) to use.

[upahill]

That screenshot is the first real look at openscad I have had - and will be steering well clear. Life is complex enough for me without that ?
I've been coding since about 12/13 but I genuinely feel somethings are best interpreted with a nice GUI.

Kudos to anyone who can get their head round it though! It must get very complex very quickly for intricate parts.

[tekkydave]

I haven't written any code using OpenScad but I keep meaning to. The secret, like any coding is to break it down into manageable pieces that can be easily understood and reused as much as possible. A bit of analysis on paper before starting to code usually helps.

Most simple 3D models can be reduced to a small number of simple shapes. Write a function for each shape and just stick them together.

I can see the power of this as your model will always be precisely defined and can't be adulterated by the rounding errors and weird side effects introduced by a conventional 3D cad package. Having said that I currently use Sketchup for modelling so I'm used to it . I tried Fusion360 but couldn't get on with it.

I need to try OS now

 

[Stub Mandrel]

This is Alibre Atom3D. You can fully define everything parametrically if you want:

[tekkydave]

Nice, but £199 according to https://www.mintronics.co.uk/webshop

[Stub Mandrel]

52 minutes ago, tekkydave said:

Nice, but £199 according to https://www.mintronics.co.uk/webshop

Yes, but it is an outright purchase that allows commercial use.

 

 

[SamAndrew]

This thread inspired me to make the jump into 3D printing, and I've just completed the first two prints

I'm planning to make an arduino based automated lens cap initially, and eventually I want to do a my own mount.

Just printed two gears for the lens cap and absolutely stunned how well they've turned out. I thought there would be some trial and error getting the tolerances right for the hole diameters, but they've worked first time and fit on my stepper motor and mesh perfectly. Only issue is I could have made them half the thickness!

I went for a Prusa Mk3, which was surprisingly complicated to assemble! Took 3 evenings this week, and certainly sorts out the dedicated hobbyists from the casual crowd. 

For the CAD software I'm using Autodesk Fusion 360 which has a trial that can be converted to a free hobby licence.

Look forward to sharing some build threads in the future.

[upahill]

1 hour ago, SamAndrew said:

This thread inspired me to make the jump into 3D printing, and I've just completed the first two prints

I'm planning to make an arduino based automated lens cap initially, and eventually I want to do a my own mount.

Just printed two gears for the lens cap and absolutely stunned how well they've turned out. I thought there would be some trial and error getting the tolerances right for the hole diameters, but they've worked first time and fit on my stepper motor and mesh perfectly. Only issue is I could have made them half the thickness!

I went for a Prusa Mk3, which was surprisingly complicated to assemble! Took 3 evenings this week, and certainly sorts out the dedicated hobbyists from the casual crowd. 

For the CAD software I'm using Autodesk Fusion 360 which has a trial that can be converted to a free hobby licence.

Look forward to sharing some build threads in the future.

Great choice on the Prusa. Tomas Sanladerer on Youtube has some great videos on youtube for tweaking/building/configuring the prusa.

 

[PeterW]

Great to hear! There are a few rules of thumb for ensuring holes have enough clearance and parts fit together without jamming, but generally the tolerance is pretty bang on.

I knocked up a design for a spare mounting plate for a monopod head I have... can’t find any on the web, so might as well print one (tweak the thickness to ensure it’s really tough). Then I can “hot swap” binoculars more conveniently.

PEter

[RolandKol]

OMG  Could not resist not to share here

Could not stop watching!   plus nice music
I need start calibrating my toy 100%!!!!

 

[Gina]

Very interesting.

[Chriske]

Mine does 200mm bridging just.
150mm is no problem at all.

[Gina]

I shall have to try that! ?

[Dr_Ju_ju]

I was also wondering whether he was using those meaty part fans ?, and at what speeds, as that can also have a considerable bearing on the 'setting' of the material.

[Stub Mandrel]

It's not exactly a detailed set of settings, it would good to have a lot more info.

Impressive though, I haven't tried far beyond 50mm, never thought of trying longer.

[RolandKol]

I still even have not investigated the abilities of bridging in my Mega S, - but so far... I have noticed it is not very capable even with 25mm Bridges.

To be honest, I always printed on default settings with a minor tweaks in temp and primary layer speeds,  as I even could not imagine longer bridges are possible to print without any supports

I had no time to check settings yet, - I hope Ultimate Cura has something in addition, for example: lowering temp while printing the bridge and increasing the speed.
 

Edited January 29, 2019 by RolandKol

[tekkydave]

I use Slic3r and normally set the speed to 80mm/s with 100% cooling fan for bridges. It seems to work well over short distances. I would probably adjust the model or print orientation to avoid long bridges.

[Gina]

Yes, that's what I do.

[Mognet]

Looks like @Ginahas competition for the Concorde printer. The BigRep One is an FFF/FDM printer with a build volume of a cubic metre. No mention of pricing.

Motorbike printing is optional though! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-46894072/nera-the-3d-printed-electric-motorbike

[Gina]

That doesn't compete with my Concorde - it competes with my Giant printer.  I admit it's a touch bigger ?  Giant printer capacity is 470mm x 490mm x 600mm.  Or at least it is at present.  I would like to go bigger but haven't got the space in the house.