Hi, Alec,
I checked Wikipedia for the different types of 3D printers and learned
more than I have the capacity to absorb at this point. ABS might be a good
alternative to metal for actuator housings. I'm sure I'll be considering
the question for a number of components.
By the way, last week I went through your Snoopy250 and Snoopy Updates
postings on the Psubs website. Picked up some good ideas and
suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to take all
those pics and post your comments.
Take care,
Jim
In a message dated 2/12/2012 7:33:16 P.M. Central Standard Time,
Alec.Smyth@compuware.com writes:
Hi Jim,
There are a variety of materials available, but the two most common are
ABS and PLA. For kids toys and such I'm using PLA because it's biodegradable.
If you're going to be melting plastic inside the house for hours on end, it
strikes me as preferable to use something that is derived from plants and
doesn't smell bad. For sub parts, though, I'd use ABS because it's stronger. I
don't have specs handy, but it's the same material Legos are made of, so
should be relatively tough.
There is no manufacturer for the machine, I made it from parts that I
collected from a variety of sources - mainly eBay. As for accuracy, it's
highly variable and depends, from what I've seen, much more on the
experience of the person calibrating than the inherent capabilities of the
machine. I'm a rank beginner, so I don't expect to make anything superb, but
the quality I'm getting at this point is sufficient that I would not feel bad
putting parts on the sub, presentation-wise. I'd say it's functional and not
embarrasing, but certainly not yet the finish you'd expect from a mass
produced, molded item.
If you want to read a little about this stuff, do an online search for
"reprap", which is a collaborative, online project to develop these machines,
or for "Prusa Mendel", which is the particular sort of printer I built, a
model developed by the Reprap project. More generally, common terms for this topic are
"additive manufacturing" and "desktop manufacturing".
Best,
Hi, Alec,
I don't have any need at the moment, however I'd like to hear more
about the material's properties and characteristics such as torsion
strength, etc. Are there different formulations of plastic material
for use with your 3D printer at this time?
How precisely can it produce an item? Is there general info
available online at the manufacturer's website?
Thanks for the offer. I'll need to take a closer look at 3D
printing in general versus machine work when I get to that point.
Best regards,
Jim T.
Hi
everyone,
I’d mentioned a few weeks ago I was working on
a 3D
printer.
It is now calibrated and working
really nicely. I have to
say, it’s a neat
concept to
just hit a button and
watch things
materialize without
further intervention. Now the
question is what to print. There are
two main limitations:
- Parts must fit on a build
area measuring 6.75” x
6.75” and
4” tall,
or they have to be
assembled from parts that fit into that space.
- Overhangs have to be gradual. To illustrate, consider printing a model of a
house. You would have to print the roof as a separate part and then attach it
to the walls, otherwise
when the nozzle reached the height of the eaves it could not print
them because they would be unsupported.
I know there are some
terrific CAD artists in the house, and I’d like to
invite you to undertake the design of printable sub components on an “open
source”
basis.
I’d be quite happy to print those parts
for just the cost of the plastic, if we can come up with some common sub components. We could make
parts as simple
as handles
for Kittredge
style hatch
dogs, or maybe attempt an UW light or a scrubber. Maybe we
can even start a repository for the files.
Any
takers?
Thanks,
Alec
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