Continuous Printing

[LesHall 95]

Yeah so there is this notion of continuous printing in which you print on a paper sheet and then when the print is done you push the print off into a bin, feed a new paper bed on top of the flat bed, then print another tray.  

I have this idea, must have been done in research, of making a long strip of cloth or chainmaille or similar material by printing in x with a section of y, then a belt rolls one row then you print another roll then the belt advances and so on, could print arbitrary lengths of cloth this way.  

Les

Edited May 16, 2016 by Guest

[flowalistik 181]

Arg, I can't find the video, but I once saw a video showing a 3D printer doing a similar thing. I believe it was printing one of those flexible bracelets, and the 3D printer had a modified gcode which made the printhead push the bracelet once it was printed and start over again and again.

Your approach looks more interesting (the belt idea looks pretty interesting), but the automatic printing from the video I saw was on blue tape and it would have lost the adhesion properties after some prints.

I know it's impossible, but I'd create a gcode that printed the design randomly in any place of the printbed several times, so the glue/blue tape wouldn't get damaged in the same spot every time. Just dreaming.

[IRobertI 520]

Makerbot did that once upon a time:

[ultiarjan 1,223]

here's some more... I also once saw a video of a bed moving on a conveyor between multiple printers, but can't find it anymore...

https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/65-start-your-own-mini-factory-with-autoprints

http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/10/30/open-source-automated-build-platform-turns-3d-printer-3d-factory/

and the patent;

http://www.google.com/patents/US8668859

and some other interesting stuff;

http://ultimakerxxl2014.weblog.tudelft.nl/

http://ultimakerxxl2015.weblog.tudelft.nl/?TUD-USE-COOKIES=yes

https://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/862-a-conveyor-belt-of-continuous-3d-printing.html

[LesHall 95]

hah, it figures TakerBot (aka MakerBot) would have a patent on the very version of this that I thought of (the belt). I swear I want to develop their patented technology myself and release it myself as open source just to irk them.

Les

[ultiarjan 1,223]

one could also say you thought of it a bit late

just kidding... the whole makerbot story is just so sad.. I guess soon all that's left of them is a patent troll ...

[LesHall 95]

one could also say you thought of it a bit late

just kidding... the whole makerbot story is just so sad.. I guess soon all that's left of them is a patent troll ...

 

well in regard to the origination of ideas, when an idea's time is at hand many people will think it up repeatedly in various places and times. personally I am entirely disgusted with the USPTO's very existence. They are an adversarial organization designed to stomp on the individual creator / inventor and give all the patents to the fat cats like TakerBot. This needs to change, and my approach to changing it is as mentioned, to "Robin Hood" the ideas, in other words implement patents as open source. That way, as soon as the design files and instructions get released, anyone can build them. Take that big business! Ouch!

Les

[peetersm 124]

I have been using the "head move to remove objects" auto print for over a year now and love it. You can only use this if the attachment to the bed is small enough. And I have found that the blue tape can easily stand up to well over 100 prints in the same place.

I especially like to use this method at Maker Faires and events where I want the printers running for hours on end making little handouts for passers by. One favorite is my drooloop flowers, I have several machines cranking these out and when they pop off, I just put a pipe-stem cleaner stem on them and hand them out. People love them. And I don't have to fuss with the printers they just run non-stop.

[LesHall 95]

peetersm, that is remarkable. I would not play soccer with my print head so more power to ya!

Les

[Titus 170]

Arg, I can't find the video, but I once saw a video showing a 3D printer doing a similar thing. I believe it was printing one of those flexible bracelets, and the 3D printer had a modified gcode which made the printhead push the bracelet once it was printed and start over again and again.

 

Arjan already linked it, but here's another one I made myself

 

I did this for another type of thing, a small paperclip, printed 6 hours straight on a venue

[flowalistik 181]

 

Arg, I can't find the video, but I once saw a video showing a 3D printer doing a similar thing. I believe it was printing one of those flexible bracelets, and the 3D printer had a modified gcode which made the printhead push the bracelet once it was printed and start over again and again.

 

Arjan already linked it, but here's another one I made myself

 

I did this for another type of thing, a small paperclip, printed 6 hours straight on a venue

 

I've watched the video at least three times, only for the music. Funky music suits perfectly continuous printing systems!

[LesHall 95]

Funny stuff! I love non-victim based humor! And yes the music suits a timelapse of a print job so well. Worth watching, go press the play button now!

Les

Les make it happen...

[Titus 170]

 

 

Arg, I can't find the video, but I once saw a video showing a 3D printer doing a similar thing. I believe it was printing one of those flexible bracelets, and the 3D printer had a modified gcode which made the printhead push the bracelet once it was printed and start over again and again.

 

Arjan already linked it, but here's another one I made myself

 

I did this for another type of thing, a small paperclip, printed 6 hours straight on a venue

 

I've watched the video at least three times, only for the music. Funky music suits perfectly continuous printing systems!

 

It's from the artist Mass production

[MarcusWolschon 7]

Has anyone tried taking the glass bed and replacing it with a fresh one automatically?

I guess you'd need to

* apply gluestick automatically

* possibly auto-level the bed

* possibly change the way the fasteners work.

[LesHall 95]

Has anyone tried taking the glass bed and replacing it with a fresh one automatically?

I guess you'd need to

* apply gluestick automatically

* possibly auto-level the bed

* possibly change the way the fasteners work.

 

MarcusWolschon,

You may be aware of this trick. If you print PLA at 210 C on a 60 C bed, as is the Ultimaker 2+ default, and you let the bed cool to 30 C after printing, the item will just twist or slide right off of the glass easily. Therein lies the way!

Les

[MarcusWolschon 7]

 

Has anyone tried taking the glass bed and replacing it with a fresh one automatically?

I guess you'd need to

* apply gluestick automatically

* possibly auto-level the bed

* possibly change the way the fasteners work.

 

MarcusWolschon,

You may be aware of this trick.  If you print PLA at 210 C on a 60 C bed, as is the Ultimaker 2+ default, and you let the bed cool to 30 C after printing, the item will just twist or slide right off of the glass easily.  Therein lies the way!  

Les

 

As long as you print in PLA....