lost pla casting

[aonemarine]

Yes, the printer I have is about the lowest end of the market- a Printrbot Simple for $299. I think it does have a .45 head.

What printer was used to do the two elephants shown above? I know there are commercial printers with much better resolution.

I'm not 100% certain, he has several different printers it may have been on the ultimaker or the replicator2 both machines give very good prints. Those commercial printers come with a commercial price tag too...lol
If you want really high detail those Sla printers that use the resin are really nice. There is a couple home versions of them also. The Forum1 and the B9creator are interesting to say the least.

 

[aonemarine]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFnfLsrSuAM[/ame]

Heres the other video, more to come..

 

[aonemarine]

Ok been doing some researching on 3d printing and ran across this great article http://davedurant.wordpress.com/2011/10/12/ultimaker-faq-but-what-about-the-quality-of-prints/

It is possible to print at a resolution of 20 microns, im sure this takes alot of tinkering but the results are spectacular!! The sprial bevel gear really catches my eye on what is posssible. Friday I will be ordering myself a printer (and a bottle of asprin for the learning curve)
3d printers arent for every one, and do require alot of effort to achieve the quality of prints in the above link. but what the hay If they can do it so can I..

 

[cfellows]

The Ultimaker is a highly regarded printer. I just bought this Tantillus printer locally for $100, missing the electronics & hot end.

It is smaller than the Ultimaker, but uses pretty much the same X-Y axis construction and movement. The plastic case was created in 9 sections by a 3D printer, and while it looks a little hokey, it's actually quite rigid and well made. I'm in the process of restoring it, replacing the axis rods with hardened 8mm shafting, replacing the plastic gears with timing pulleys and belts, adding a new Sanguinololu board, and a hot end of my own making. Should make a decent machine for printing out parts for my Delta 3D printer.

Chuck

 

[aonemarine]

Chuck, I found that video on the "Berry bot" delta with magnetic couplings, very impressive. I can see why you like the design.
Seems as though you have been doing alot of research on the printers?
Interesting printer you have there, dont like the gear drives but the timing belt replacement will fix those issues righ up.

 

[cfellows]

Chuck, I found that video on the "Berry bot" delta with magnetic couplings, very impressive. I can see why you like the design.
Seems as though you have been doing alot of research on the printers?
Interesting printer you have there, dont like the gear drives but the timing belt replacement will fix those issues righ up.

Yeah, I like the BerryBot a lot. The Delta that I'm considering is the Cerberus Pup, a little smaller than the BerryBot. All the printer files to build it are on the web along with a complete bill of materials and a fair amount of discussion. The only bad part is that some of the parts take close to 4 hours to print, the maximum amount of time I can schedule on the TechShop's 3D printer. And, I can only schedule 3 sessions a week, so it could take several weeks to get all the parts printed.


The plastic gears on the Tantillus seem to work well with no backlash, but they are quite noisy in operation. Also, they are not perfectly round, so you have to match up the two gears so the fat side on one meshes with the skinny side on the other. Still, the fact that you can make and put together something like this with little more than hand tools is quite impressive!

Chuck

 

[wackyvorlon]

I know one trick jewellers will use is to make a mould from rubber that can be reused for injecting wax. Basically you make the model, pack around with this rubber. Then vulcanize the rubber in a heated press, and carefully cut the new mould in half.

 

[aonemarine]

Well I bit the bullit and ordered a rostock max. I think im in for a huge learning curve!!!

 

[cfellows]

Well I bit the bullit and ordered a rostock max. I think im in for a huge learning curve!!!

Not to mention a whole new level of fun!!! Modeling something in 3D CAD then watching it come to life in a 3D printer, without ever touching a tool, is a real kick in the pants.

And, yes, there is a huge amount to learn. If you haven't already found it, I suggestion you have a look at:

http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page

It's not intuitive from the main page, but there is a huge amount of information available on that site, particular in the forums.

Chuck

 

[wackyvorlon]

And dig around thingiverse.com. They have a huge array of models you can download for free.

 

[blighty]

been wanting to give this ago ever since i saw them make flutes on "How It's Made"

I've got 8 bin bag's full of Ali swarf and about 30lb of scrap........ need to make a melty down thing....... so i can add that to the list of other things that i need making.

 

[wackyvorlon]

Look into cupola furnaces. Very easy to build for casting iron.

 

[aonemarine]

Well I got my rostock max on thursday at 5:00, just finished the assembly and wireing and have been making it move around a bit. Man this thing is neat!! I need to run thru the calibrations and get more familiar with it, then its time to print something!! Ill keep you posted..

Oh and cupola furnaces arent much good for aluminum castings....

 

[Chriske]

Hi,

We just finished assembling this one :
http://reprap.org/wiki/File:Assembled-prusa-mendel.jpg

First prints came out very neat.

Chris

 

[aonemarine]

I have had the Rostock up and running for a few weeks now and have to say "I love it" It does some very nice prints at .1mm
The only thing I have not liked is the way slic3r works. I have switched to cura for the slicing and am much happier with the prints from it. Im reworking some of my cad models to make them more printer friendly and will post the results soon.

 

[cfellows]

I have had the Rostock up and running for a few weeks now and have to say "I love it" It does some very nice prints at .1mm
The only thing I have not liked is the way slic3r works. I have switched to cura for the slicing and am much happier with the prints from it. Im reworking some of my cad models to make them more printer friendly and will post the results soon.

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours!

Here's a video of the Tantillus I bought locally in nonworking condition. I just got it all put back together and working. This is my first print...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a1nUHacB1k

I've also been working on my Kossel Mini Delta printer but am waiting on parts from, you guessed it, China.

Chuck

 

[Ken I]

Gimme more - keep it coming - I've just bought a 3D printer and this is exacly the sort of thing I want to do with it.

Any more foundrymen out there want to chip in their 10c worth ?

Regards,
Ken

 

[xlchainsaw]

well done going iron aonemarine

 

[RonGinger]

Chuck that Tantillus printer looks like a very neat design. Can ypu post a few more photos of it? I am confused by the drive at the top corner- The rod is beinging driven by the stepper motor, but it seems to be the linear bearing supporting the upper carriage. I found the Tantillus web site but its not much help on the base mechanics.

How is the outer case made- it looks like nice rounded corners, but I would expect sharp square corners if its laser cut.

These photos got me thinking- I wonder if you could take one of the plastic milk crates and make it the case for such a printer?

 

[aonemarine]

Ron, somewhere on the net there is one made from a milk crate. I remember seeing it, but cant find it now....