chrisp

I finally got around to printing lRobertl's feeder/extruder. I am wondering how to set the tension properly? Should I go by how far the teeth are biting into the filament, or how far the 30mm screw is threaded into the nut, or how compressed the spring is? I had a few issues with my first prints and it seems like there is too much tension between the bearing and the knurled fitting. Any advice from others who have been using it awhile would be much appreciated. I also moved the knurled fitting back slightly to align the filament directly in the middle.

This is the BOM: (2)-10mm Dia. metal Rods 18" in length recommended (5)-1/4" nuts (1)-98mm 1/4" all-thread (1)-88mm 1/4" all-thread (1)-55mm 1/4" all-thread (1)-35mm 1/4" all-thread (1)-608 bearing (optional) I originally designed the first and second version with linear bearings and wanted to get away from them, but I can add slots for them to this carriage if needed.

I haven't posted in a while, but I was wondering if there might still be an interest in the Dremel workstation I created and vigorously tested? I totally redesigned it trying to make it mostly printed parts with less hardware. All that's needed now is some 1/4" all-thread, (5) 1/4" nuts, and a 3' length of 10mm rod. The dremel is the 200 model, which is the cheaper one. Here's a pic of the completed 3D model.

It's been a long while since I last posted. There are so many creative prints going on all the time here. Been busy day and night at work with no time set aside to print until this weekend. Most of my prints tend to fall in the utility category because I usually only print what i need, when I need it. I decided to use flexible material for this one since I needed to attach it to the existing screw hole on my cordless drill. When I'm not working, I'm creating things to make my job easier. Here's a few pics....

Still loving this plate and all of its glory. I haven't used the glass plate since this one arrived.

@Tommyph1208: I got it straight from the manufacturers website as listed on the BOM from the forums. I hope it's an original and not chinese, but what isn't made in China these days... It has 4 cooling vents/gaps. No experience yet as the UM2 was my first 3D Printer. It was fun printing everything, but I think it would have been better to just buy the laser cut case version. Let me know if you want to sell one of yours. :-P

@Tommyph1208: I pretty much put it on the back burner for a while. It's complete except for the PTFE Bowden Tube, LCD Display, Braided Fishing Line, and Power Supply. I've been working on so many projects I feel like a kid with severe ADD. :eek: BTW, who did you get the laser cut case from? Here's what it looks like now with the two front panels off. Hot-End with nozzle ready to go. I no longer have the need for a heated bed, thanks to this Ninja Plate that is going to lay right on top of the acrylic.

Leo: Your "Bent Copper bust" looks amazing! I wish I had the creativity to bring to life the models you post. The paint and texture is just incredible. I've been having way to much fun with these light switch covers. I came up with push button light switch covers that my 2 year old absolutely loves. The pics make it look like purple, but this is the blue from ultimaker. Each cover takes about 5 hours when printing them at 0.12 layer height and using touching buildplate support. I wanted the top layers to be flawless and pleasing to look at so the extra time and filament to complete the print seemed worth it. I made 1,2,3, gang covers with and without the on/off written on them. I also printed flexible filament buttons which feel really nice when pushed, but white and black are the only flexible colors I have atm. Anyhow, here's some pics.

I had to pay a currency exchange fee through my credit card merchant of about $80.00. I also got a bill from DHL for Duty Fees over $100.00, but I had about 11 rolls of filament in a second box. I'm not sure if that is what caused the fees or not.

Good Lord! 26 pages and I haven't even said hello on this thread. Rainy and miserable here in Florida. Hope everyone is having a great day.

Lots of amazing prints, yet it's so hard to keep up with all the posts on these forums. I was playing around with some ideas for light switch covers to replace them in every room. This is just one that I wanted to show because it came out really nice. I've had this translucent green from Ultimaker since I received my first machine back in December. What better way to use it than making a realistic looking bottle. I am also working on a little LED light that illuminates the inside while the switch is on. The bottle is just a shell with plenty of space inside to mount a little transformer and LED. *Forgot to mention the bottle was printed on my Ninja Plate. 9 hours, no heated bed with a 4mm shell. I can't stop saying great things about this buildplate upgrade. I haven't cleaned it yet and I don't use a heated bed anymore. It still works wonders after 20+ prints. I made a post not long ago, maybe 1-2 months about a hose gasket. I made it out of flexible PLA and it has not broken down or leaked at all after spending all day, every day in the sun with water about 110 degrees inside the hose at all times. The results are much better than expected.

Man, I would love to get my hands on the bronzefill and glowfill, but at the cost of $170.75 plus other charges to ship it to me in the U.S. it comes to about $220.00 for two rolls of filament. Is there another distributor in the U.S.? Never mind, Printed Solid is in the U.S., now I just need to wait until they get a shipment of the new filaments.

@Nick Foley: I have not tried Fusion 360, but I will give it a go since it's free. In my experience, cheap & free programs tend to be quirky, which makes me less likely to keep using them. Moment of Inspiration is quirky at a $300.00 price tag. @Skint: Why do you have to change to Solidworks? Is it becoming the standard for most companies? I don't think you'll have an issue with Solidworks since you know your way around other programs such as Creo. @Didier Klein: The cost is definitely an issue since I don't have a clue how much it is yet. My guess is anywhere from $2K - $5K? Can anyone confirm the price? I did put in for a quote with the company and did not get a reply. Thanks for all the replies.

@Valcrow: Those are some beautiful prints!

I am seriously thinking about taking the plunge into Solidworks. I have been using MOI, which is very intuitive for a beginner, but I think I'm ready to create designs in a more professional manner. The UI seems to be extremely well designed and the vast library of parametric items seems to be ideal within Solidworks. Also, the majority of my designs are mechanical objects so the feature to test tolerance and movement seems very attractive. I would like the ability to see my designs fully functional instead of printing a bunch of wasted parts. Any thoughts on why I should or shouldn't buy this program? It's a daunting task just choosing a program that suites your needs for the price you pay.

I designed this heavy duty bracket for my bug zapper to test how it holds up in our South Florida weather, which can range from 85 Degrees to 110 Degrees during the Summer(With extremely high humidity). It's mounted using two tap cons.

I've been using a couple different ebayers who are close to me in the U.S. It' s cheap, prints great, and so far I haven't had any deformations or complaints. It's about $25 per roll (single) or $20 per roll if I buy 10 at once. plenty of colors to choose from.

All those prints are looking fantastic! Let's just skip the bronze and get to the good stuff.....GOLD.

That is definitely a step in the correct direction!

You have so much talent braddock. It's kinda cool to see a master at work spending time in these forums.

I didn't read through everything, so please excuse my comment if I'm making you repeat. Sounds like you might need a video feed to prevent this from happening again. I would never let a print go unattended for that amount of time.

I've dismantled the hot-end (nozzle included) about 10 times. The only way that I was able to get the really bad clogs out was by straightening out a paper clip, heating up the nozzle to 190 C to where it just starts getting soft, and twirling the paperclip around the inside multiple times until all the clog is out. You can do this while the hot-end is hanging there on it's own, but be careful. (I used needle-nose pliers to hold the nozzle in place while using the paperclip with other)

I could use another 3D printer! :-P The register button is not letting me complete registration from the website provided.

LeoDDC is right on the money with his comment. It might be a good time to design or search for a spool holder that uses bearings.

Here is the link to the files: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/flexible-sunglasses-test Let me know if you need a different file type. Any help would be greatly appreciated!