i dont likw 3d printing

amberley_powell

we all agree this is hard and doesnt work most of the time i would like a refund

owen_sparks

Hi @amberley_powell

Say what now?

3D printing is a heck of a lot easier than CNC. Not only is it the future it's the present.

Here is an example on today's job.  The bit with an arrow would be a nightmare to set up in CNC.  But as a 3D printed part it's as simple as right click and export to stl, drag and drop onto the print software, spin to appropriate orientation, click print.  17 hours later I have a carbon-fibre reinforced nylon part sitting on my desk.



It's modeled with a 0.1mm offset from the part that slides onto it and fits perfectly.

What are you having problems with?  Perhaps I can help?

Cheers,

Owen S.
 

larry_hawes

Nice model, nice print Owen.

owen_sparks

Thanks @larry_hawes kind of you to say.

Just to show I'm not exaggerating on the print:-



I'll take it!

Cheers,

Owen S.

bruce_williams

@owen_sparks thanks for sharing!  I will echo that looks beautiful ( and nice photo too).   a big part of our biz is in fixture/gage and we have used RP some.  i have a little Prusa MK3 printer coming so we can get rough prints in house and learn more.  What are you using for carbon fiber printing?  In-house correct?   And are those bushings you imbedded while printing? 

larry_hawes

I've used MatterHacker's Carbon Reinforced Nylon with great success. Expensive but really strong if printed correctly.

larry_hawes

bruce_williams said:

@owen_sparks thanks for sharing!  I will echo that looks beautiful ( and nice photo too).   a big part of our biz is in fixture/gage and we have used RP some.  i have a little Prusa MK3 printer coming so we can get rough prints in house and learn more.  What are you using for carbon fiber printing?  In-house correct?   And are those bushings you imbedded while printing? 

The "little Prusa MK3" you refer to is on of the most capable 3D printers you can own. It should serve you very well...

larry_hawes

What printer do you use Owen? That print came out NICE.

robert_morris

I've used the NylonX (Carbon Reinforced Nylon) from MatterHackers as well. Really strong stuff, and it prints nicely. Definitely get a hardened steel nozzle for your printer too if it doesn't already have one.

@owen_sparks
That is a really beautiful print. Very nice.

larry_hawes

robert_morris said:

I've used the NylonX (Carbon Reinforced Nylon) from MatterHackers as well. Really strong stuff, and it prints nicely. Definitely get a hardened steel nozzle for your printer too if it doesn't already have one.

True that on the hardened nozzle. What printer do you have Robert?

billy2

I use a service to print from the HP printer, nylon, good accuracy & cheap. It's hard to go back a 3 week wait and dealing with a machine shop. 


@owen_sparks vinyl dip is a nice touch.

robert_morris

@larry_hawes
We have a few Lulzbot printers here at work (Mini's and TAZ6's). Right now the hardened nozzle and NylonX is setup on a Mini.

brian_jordan

owen_sparks said:

...It's modeled with a 0.1mm offset from the part that slides onto it and fits perfectly...

Did you arrive at this offset after trial and error or a lucky guess or some other alchemy? Accurately establishing clearances, tolerances or offsets (call them what you will) seems to me a bit of a black art needing many test pieces to get near the best results. Maybe getting a better printer than my bottom end PLA only printer might be the answer. I sort of feel @amberley_powell 's pain.

larry_hawes

I think the art remains a bit black, speaking from my personal experience. You can calibrate and re-calibrate and still miss your spec by the smallest of margins, requiring "many test pieces to get near the best results." I think there's simply no way around it depending of course on what you're printing. I printed a bone head cup holder for my truck which required no testing whatsoever and a 3 part assembly that I have finally gotten dialed in after many attempts.

The challenge and condundrum is what's the alternative? I have an invention I'm working on that would impossible to sub out to a design firm as the design changes constantly to accommodate new ideas and directions. I guess one could say it's just too hard, and not attempt the designs flying around one's head or dive in and take your lumps until your design comes to life.

larry_hawes

robert_morris said:

@larry_hawes
We have a few Lulzbot printers here at work (Mini's and TAZ6's). Right now the hardened nozzle and NylonX is setup on a Mini.

Am familiar with the Lulzbots. Haven't used them but have heard good things.

brian_jordan

larry_hawes said:

I think the art remains a bit black, speaking from my personal experience. You can calibrate and re-calibrate and still miss your spec by the smallest of margins, requiring "many test pieces to get near the best results." I think there's simply no way around it depending of course on what you're printing. I printed a bone head cup holder for my truck which required no testing whatsoever and a 3 part assembly that I have finally gotten dialed in after many attempts.
The challenge and condundrum is what's the alternative? I have an invention I'm working on that would impossible to sub out to a design firm as the design changes constantly to accommodate new ideas and directions. I guess one could say it's just too hard, and not attempt the designs flying around one's head or dive in and take your lumps until your design comes to life.

@larry_hawes thank you - it's nice to know that I'm not alone in this. The art is indeed "a bit black" but for me, as a hobbyist, the satisfaction when eventually something comes out right is worth the effort.

owen_sparks

Hi folks.

Sorry for the delay in replying to this thread, the design changed due to a numpty error sneaking in...

Some more 3D parts for your viewing pleasure:-

To answer a few of the questions.

The prints are done in house with a Markforged Onyx Pro printer.  (I can't say enough nice things about this printer, it's just awesome.)

The materiel is Markforged Onyx. (Their own brand chopped carbon reinforced nylon.)

The drill guides are off the shelf press fit items, though I might use the screw in ones at some stage.

The offsets are just from experience, though the MF holds its calibration nicely so not much to do.

The aluminium bits in the side bars and the top of the up-stand are made on our toy stepcraft CNC machines.

Hope that's of interest.

Cheers,

Owen S.

larry_hawes

owen_sparks said:

Hi folks.

Sorry for the delay in replying to this thread, the design changed due to a numpty error sneaking in...

Some more 3D parts for your viewing pleasure:-

To answer a few of the questions.

The prints are done in house with a Markforged Onyx Pro printer.  (I can't say enough nice things about this printer, it's just awesome.)

The materiel is Markforged Onyx. (Their own brand chopped carbon reinforced nylon.)

The drill guides are off the shelf press fit items, though I might use the screw in ones at some stage.

The offsets are just from experience, though the MF holds it size nicely so not much to do.

The aluminium bits in the side bars and the top of the up-stand are made on our toy stepcraft CNC machines.

Hope that's of interest.

Cheers,

Owen S.

Yes, of interest, thanks....

ethan_1

Does anyone have any interest in metal 3DP? 

owen_sparks

ethan_1 said:

Does anyone have any interest in metal 3DP? And where it would add the most value? 

Interest, certainly.  Knowledge, not so much personally.  I looked at the MF options and they look promising but $100K + an oven was too rich for me.

Are you using such a thing?

Cheers,

Owen S.

brian_jordan

owen_sparks said:

...Hope that's of interest.

Of course. Your reply to my specific question about offsets was what I expected but thanks for the confirmation.

larry_hawes

Brave new World?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt1DqOE8MdQ

owen_sparks

larry_hawes said:

Brave new World?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt1DqOE8MdQ

I'm sure I can find room for one of those.

Thanks for posting it.

Cheers,

Owen S.

brucebartlett

owen_sparks said:

larry_hawes said:

Brave new World?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt1DqOE8MdQ

I'm sure I can find room for one of those.

Thanks for posting it.

Cheers,

Owen S.

I know I want one @ric_fulop