Top 10 things to make with a 3D printer

[Alien 13]

7 hours ago, Synchronicity said:

I bought a Creality CR10 pro just before the Covid hit.  I got involved with a national volunteer group printing headbands for face visors, contributing 350 before the project ended.  The group fund-raised and replaced the filament we used which was a big help.
They got hundreds of 700g boxes of UP PLA which prints great but is brittle and tends to break on the roll.  I have about a dozen boxes of this which would be ideal for people using a 3d Pen (https://www.3dsourced.com/rankings/best-cheap-3d-pen/ ).  It might also be ok for someone printing small parts who can babysit their printer constantly!
What I have is still vacuum sealed in the box - if anyone can use this or knows of someone I'd be delighted to pass it on for the cost of postage.
I don't really want it going to someone who's going to hope it doesn't break then bin it all when it does - I could have done that!

All the best

Michael

Have had a few specialist filaments like "wood" PLA that are very brittle and would break on the roll very easily but found if I left it unopened for a week so it could absorb some moisture it was fine...

Alan

Edited July 21, 2022 by Alien 13

[Synchronicity]

21 minutes ago, Alien 13 said:

Have had a few specialist filaments like "wood" that are very brittle and would break on the roll very easily but found if I left it unopened for a week so it could absorb some moisture it was fine...

Alan

It never even occurred to me that it might be fixable - I'll give that a try.

Thanks

Michael

[billhinge]

On 19/07/2022 at 17:20, billhinge said:

Step 1 complete

Measured inside/outside of TMB LZOS 115 Kruppax  tube and outside of new APM 3.7" R&P focuser (to replace existing 2" Feathertouch) accurate to 0.01 mm - got close with a micrometer and kept increasing size by few hundredths till I got a tight fit. No one makes an adapter this size and it would cost a fortune for a custom job so DIY is best

Final Prototype 'rings' now correctly measured and fitted snuggly against OTA tube and focuser - holes all line up

Needs to support either Riccardo flattener etc so now to design the bit between the tube end and the focuser and make a bit thicker

This is printed in  thick PLA which I plan to flock with protostar and paint (got some Mosou Black to try - good excuse 😉 )

Also printed a cycloid gear box but measurements are out slightly, needs tweaking and reprinting 

printer is Qidi X-Max

PLA seems quite rigid 

 

 

 

I printed the full adapter but given the heavy weight of a 3.7" focuser, Riccardi flattener and other kit such as cameras, is straight plain PLA tough enough.

I have carbon fibre PLA as well just in case, or could do nylon if required. The PLA does seem very rigid, I can't bend it by hand, walls are about 6mm thick.

Any idea what causes the straight ridge on second image, it isn't in the model?

The adapter slides over the focuser and into the OTA tube

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by billhinge

[vlaiv]

6 minutes ago, billhinge said:

Any idea what causes the straight ridge on second image, it isn't in the model?

This?

It is a "seam" - over extrusion after priming the nozzle for new layer.

I'm using SuperSlicer and there is a setting on where to place those seams. There are several options - one of which is "Aligned". It places layer beginning always in the same place and that creates a seam.

If you want to avoid such feature in your print - choose random option. It will spread this beginning in different places and instead of single seam you'll have odd bump here and there.

 

[teoria_del_big_bang]

33 minutes ago, vlaiv said:

It is a "seam" - over extrusion after priming the nozzle for new layer.

I would think that it is the reason and you are correct that you can use a random starting position for each layer that would help, but would still leave zits.
On most items of course this is only a cosmetic detraction, although on areas where items fit together with other printed items or with anything else it can cause issues.

I cannot speak for all slicers but on Prucer one (based on Slic3r slicer) there is another parameter that can cause the filament to retract a certain amount after finishing a layer to prevent any oozing out as it moves to the next layer start point. Also there is a separate parameter that means when starting the next layer what would help is that you can set the extruder to not advance the filament as far as it was before it was retracted, again this will prevent any ooze.
And if that still doesn't do the trick you have the option to print the fill before the perimeters to hide any blobs inside, but I personally have never tried that option 🙂 

Steve

Edited July 23, 2022 by teoria_del_big_bang

[billhinge]

Thanks both, so the choice is  a seam or zits?  😂 I'm happy with how it turned out but I may try printing again in carbon fibre PLA as I want to teak a couple of tweaks to strengthen the OTA join - only held by 3 small bolts! Cheaper than paying £200+ for a custom metal jobbie

I had planned to sand and paint anyway but I was just curious (I'm using Qidiprint which is a Cura clone, its updated fairly regularly and usually does a good job so haven't bothered copying all the settings across to Cura)   

I may use the remains of this roll of PLA on v2 of my cycloid gearbox, measurements weren't quite right last time, couldn't get internal wheel to fit properly with the dowels

I used this blueprint https://www.ewhiteowls.com/2022/02/the-ultimate-guide-to-design-cycloidal-drives-the-beating-heart-of-robotic-arms/ for the cycloid

 

 

[Alien 13]

14 hours ago, billhinge said:

Thanks both, so the choice is  a seam or zits?  😂 I'm happy with how it turned out but I may try printing again in carbon fibre PLA as I want to teak a couple of tweaks to strengthen the OTA join - only held by 3 small bolts! Cheaper than paying £200+ for a custom metal jobbie

I had planned to sand and paint anyway but I was just curious (I'm using Qidiprint which is a Cura clone, its updated fairly regularly and usually does a good job so haven't bothered copying all the settings across to Cura)   

I may use the remains of this roll of PLA on v2 of my cycloid gearbox, measurements weren't quite right last time, couldn't get internal wheel to fit properly with the dowels

I used this blueprint https://www.ewhiteowls.com/2022/02/the-ultimate-guide-to-design-cycloidal-drives-the-beating-heart-of-robotic-arms/ for the cycloid

 

 

Cura is now at V5 and significantly better than previous versions, worth a go.

As for thee seam I personally would rather have the line and remove with a wooden "nail file".

Alan

Edited July 24, 2022 by Alien 13

[saac]

On 24/07/2022 at 06:15, Alien 13 said:

Cura is now at V5 and significantly better than previous versions, worth a go.

As for thee seam I personally would rather have the line and remove with a wooden "nail file".

Alan

I tend to agree, the other options allow for the seam to be scattered randomly but this looks like the print has chicken pox with small bumps over the face of the print.  Cura can also align the seam with vertical "geometric" features on the print to try to hide the seam.  However, I've always found the standard linear seam setting works best and as Alan says if it annoys you then it can be filed. 

Jim 

[powerlord]

yeh a cheap dremel is great for finishing off prints - the sand wheels work a treat - just go over the thing and smooth in no time

[Alien 13]

2 hours ago, powerlord said:

yeh a cheap dremel is great for finishing off prints - the sand wheels work a treat - just go over the thing and smooth in no time

I have one of those small USB rechargeable ones and is ideal for work on 3d prints..

Alan

[saac]

Having said earlier that I tend to steer away from upgrade fever I think I'm moving towards my first upgrade to my Ender 5   I'm fed up having to manually transfer the g code file across from my laptop to the printer on one of those "footery" little SD cards.  I mean come on these things should be network enabled out of the box.  So, having done absolutely minimal research, I think the direction I need to go is to incorporate (drop in as the dude in the video says) a Raspberry Pi  running something called OctoPrint.  Seems to be a fair number of tutorials scattered across You Tube on the subject - what could possibly go wrong!   Has anybody done this mod and willing to offer any tips,?  I should add that  programming beyond a simple install is certainly not a skill I have any aptitude for

Jim 

* footery -  fiddly, awkward, requiring manual dexterity beyond which mortal humans are equipped. 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2022 by saac

[adyj1]

22 minutes ago, saac said:

Seems to be a fair number of tutorials scattered across You Tube on the subject - what could possibly go wrong!   Has anybody done this mod and willing to offer any tips,?  I should add that  programming beyond a simple install is certainly not a skill I have any aptitude for

It is a hugely useful update in remote functionality and I wouldn't be without it. I particularly like that with the right plugins and config settings you can send a print directly from the slicer (Cura and others) to Octoprint. However I have been using it so long that I can't really remember how much of learning curve there was for a beginner...

As long as you are prepared to put up with a bit of fiddling and getting your head round slightly different concepts (it is software after all) you should be ok.

If you feel out of your depth you can at any time switch off the Pi and go back to the "footery" SD card, however once you've got it working properly you won't ever want to 😉.

There will be a wealth of Octoprint experience amongst the astro 3d print enthusiasts, so I'm sure you'll get plenty of help if you get stuck. 

Ady

 

 

[saac]

18 minutes ago, adyj1 said:

 

If you feel out of your depth you can at any time switch off the Pi and go back to the "footery" SD card, however once you've got it working properly you won't ever want to 😉.

There will be a wealth of Octoprint experience amongst the astro 3d print enthusiasts, so I'm sure you'll get plenty of help if you get stuck. 

Ady

 

 

Thanks Ady. The ability to revert back to the manual use of file transfer was something I was wondering about so that is reassuring.  It's almost impossible to get a hold of a Pi 4 at  the moment but I have an earlier Raspi 3 so I'll make a start on things tomorrow. 

Jim 

[powerlord]

i set it up once a while back. tbh it didn't really add any value to me. I prefer to just have it plugged in with usb for my flashforge and wifi direct to mac for the anycubic - no need for sdcards.

 you can see the print progress/percentage on simple3d/cura and its quick to cancel, restart, etc with no faffing around with another UI, etc.

I suppose the main benefit for some is to not have the computer on and/or if your printer is not in the same room as your computer ? My prints rarely take longer than a few hours, and it's usually an iterative process (that one is just about right, make a few changes, print again, etc) - octoprint added nothing for me other than faff. But I certainly know others who swear by it  - I don't think it needs a pi4 though does it ? then again last time I used it the pi4 didn't exist.

Why still use the sdcard ? is it again - to turn pc off ?

stu

 

[Len1257]

Definitely a vote for Octoprint. Being able to view progress via the Pi camera alone makes it worthwhile. My printer is in a different room and being able to remote in is invaluable. Mine runs on a RPi-3B just fine. Getting hold of any sort of Pi seems to be difficult at the moment though.

[tooth_dr]

Printed out this for my VC200L

 

 

 

[vlaiv]

Printed focusing mechanism for my wide field rig:

\

Above is Nema 11 case with stepper and pulley fitted to it.

This is GT2 timing belt that I printed from TPU for testing purposes (did not have appropriate length on hand, but will order one - btw, printed GT2 belt is just fine for testing purposes for such low torque application):

Here it is all assembled.

That is Samyang 85mm T1.5 (cine F/1.4 version - no click stops for aperture but otherwise the same).

Here it is from the back:

(that is gx12 connector for stepper)

Controller for focuser will be based on RPI pico:

Just need to do PCB and print enclosure for it.