Playing with the 3D printer

[Brad]

Starting to get a handle on the basics of Fusion 360. Very basics.

Despite what my wife says it is not a lipstick case. It will do a nice job of storing 16 push thru sizers.

The lid is printing now. Version 3. First I got too small, grabbed the wrong dimension. Next I mad too short, idiot didn’t measure the height needed. Second was also a tight fit, forgot to add a clearance. Third is printing now. Should be right.

 

[Snakeoil]

I'm curious. When you screw up a part, can you put it back into the machine as feed stock to make another part? I assume that you'd have to cut it up into smaller pieces.

 

[Wasalmonslayer]

Very nice and super handy!!
Any chance of maybe some being made available for sale

 

[Brad]

No, the feedstock is a filament of a specific diameter. It runs about $20 for a kilo. Something like this was maybe 300 g so maybe 5-6 bucks?

Compared to metal it is slower but far cheaper and less labor intensive. Create the design, slice it, and get the printer going.

That box took about 22 hours to print. It is not a fast process but the printer never sleeps.

 

[Wasalmonslayer]

Those printers have intrigued me for quite some time.
Any advice if a guy was looking to jump in the game??

 

[Brad]

I got mine at a place called Microcenter in Minneapolis. Guy there was very helpful.
Mine will print ABS as well but that is more of a garage thing due to the smell. I am using PLA which is odorless in printing. I have a Creality CR-10V. It will do all I need. Not horribly expensive either, compared to some others.
Biggest thing is being able to create a 3D model the slicing software can read. The slicing software writes the g code for the printer.
My wife is a Star Wars geek so I got it to print stuff for her. Lots of free files on Thingverse.

Fusion 360 is available for free to a hobbyist. It isn’t too hard to learn but I find spatial modeling intuitive.

Be prepared to be a bit frustrated learning to level the bed. That needs to be done every so often. I had to play with extruded and bed temp to get things right. That is very filament dependent.

Youtube is your friend here. Lots of good videos.

 

[popper]

advice if a guy was looking to jump in the game good ones are pricy. We had a couple to make proto parts, mostly cases for med equipment which when approved went to injection molded for production. Fishing line melted one strand onto the previous(but better material). Guess they have metal filaments now. The neat one uses a liquid that is hardened by 3 aimed lasers. The hobby ones are better now.

 

[Brad]

Mine is decidedly a hobby printer. I paid around 350 for it. It will do what I need for the foreseeable future.

 

[KeithB]

What file type/extension will the printer read? My CAD software can generate an *.STL file (STL = STereo Lithography) which worked with the printers at the University.

 

[Snakeoil]

No, the feedstock is a filament of a specific diameter. It runs about $20 for a kilo. Something like this was maybe 300 g so maybe 5-6 bucks?

Compared to metal it is slower but far cheaper and less labor intensive. Create the design, slice it, and get the printer going.

That box took about 22 hours to print. It is not a fast process but the printer never sleeps.

Got it. Kinda like a MIG welder.

You need to design a simple and cheap filament extruder that would take old material and make it back into feedstock for the printer. Might be a market there. You might also be able to recycle old kids toys that way. I realize you'd have to know the type of plastic in the toy. But I suspect there are only a few types of plastics used for toys.

 

[waco]

This is my wife’s printer. It uses liquid resin.

 

[Jeff H]

....You might also be able to recycle old kids toys that way....

I won't be the one to laugh at the idea.

This is what happens when people who scrounge scrap metal to make bullets and raid the kitchen/garage to make bullet lube get involved.

Someone MUST have already experimented with printing bullets, or at least sabots by now. We might even see bans on plastic toys in the future!

 

[popper]

Waco -- that's cool. Pretty solid end product too?
UV cured resin. Like fish/fly resin. Probably not real strong.

 

[Snakeoil]

I won't be the one to laugh at the idea.

This is what happens when people who scrounge scrap metal to make bullets and raid the kitchen/garage to make bullet lube get involved.

Someone MUST have already experimented with printing bullets, or at least sabots by now. We might even see bans on plastic toys in the future!

Watched a short series on Netflix about a week ago about a school shooting in Israel. Turns out the kids made the guns they used in school using the school's 3D printer. The scene where they make the gun is ridiculous. But you know that there are people in the audience that think what they portrayed is the truth.

Basically, the gun is a Beretta 92. They print it in two sections that join on a diagonal behind the trigger guard. The kid takes a coil spring and what looks like a striker, slides it into the front portion and then slide the two halves together. You never see them load a magazine, but they show the 9mm ammo in a pile when they take the spring and striker out of their pocket. In true movie form, you can see the holes drilled into the sides of the cases for stage dummies, when they land on the table. No internal parts are printed or installed other than the metal spring and striker. And of course, a 92 does not use a striker.

 

[Brad]

What file type/extension will the printer read? My CAD software can generate an *.STL file (STL = STereo Lithography) which worked with the printers at the University.

The printer requires G code. I use a peice of free software that reads various file types, including .STL and “slices” them to write the G code. For most of these projects that takes literally a few seconds. Write topan SD card and put in printer.

 

[Brad]

Got it. Kinda like a MIG welder.

You need to design a simple and cheap filament extruder that would take old material and make it back into feedstock for the printer. Might be a market there. You might also be able to recycle old kids toys that way. I realize you'd have to know the type of plastic in the toy. But I suspect there are only a few types of plastics used for toys.

The filament I am Using runs $20 for.a kilogram. For that price it wouldn’t be worth while to extrude my own. I can print a bunch for $20.

These printers also require a clean, stable filament of very specific types of plastic. Not all plastics melt and regarded properly, melt at reasonable temps, etc.

 

[Snakeoil]

These printers also require a clean, stable filament of very specific types of plastic. Not all plastics melt and regarded properly, melt at reasonable temps, etc.

Aw come'on. What has the world come to when someone who knows nothing about 3D printers can't make suggestions on how to make it better??!! This is the internet, isn't it???

Geez....

 

[Brad]

Aw come'on. What has the world come to when someone who knows nothing about 3D printers can't make suggestions on how to make it better??!! This is the internet, isn't it???

Geez....

Suggest on!

I wonder if someone has created such a device?

 

[Snakeoil]

I don't see it being simple. The machine would be spitting out hot, sticky filament. So, it would require two things. Something to accept it from the extruder that would cool it so it would not stick to the other strands. It would have to be timed to run at the same speed as the filament leaving the nozzle or it will either stretch it thinner (too fast) or make it wrinkle (too slow). It would take some serious thinking and an accurate drive system to make it work. Doubt it would be economically feasible for hobbyists. But you might be able to justify and pay for one if you had a recycling center that made and sold filament as a side business. But to your point, because the stuff is so damn cheap, not sure the numbers are there to make it work, even on a commercial basis. I suspect all the filament currently sold comes from China where labor is cheap and in some cases free.

 

[popper]

Extruded plastic filament machines are readily available. Fishing line/weedwhacker. The formulation for the printer is special. Recycled bottles don't work.