September 30, 20232 yr It's amazing what you can do with a 3-D printer. You can make things exactly like you want them. Here's my latest. Don't take any notice of the battery wiring. It's old cells used to train my student in how to weld, wire up and solder a battery. We're only using it to get the size and shape of the pod right. The actual batteries will have new Samsung 30Q cells. All you DIY guys should get a 3-D printer. They don't cost much. The designs were done on Tinkercad, which is for kids - very simple to use. Just design and press the print button. The small piece is a splinded insert for a tap to replace one that broke.
September 30, 20232 yr Brilliant stuff - I keep flirting with the idea of a 3d printer - hmmm? Which model did the case in your pic?
September 30, 20232 yr Author Brilliant stuff - I keep flirting with the idea of a 3d printer - hmmm? Which model did the case in your pic? I have a Bambulab X1 Carbon, which is very expensive, but the cheap ones work just as well. the only difference is that mine is self-calibrating, self-testing and self-feeding. It also has vibration compensation for when you put it on a wobly table and some other advanced features. You don't need any of that stuff.
September 30, 20232 yr I have a Bambulab X1 Carbon, which is very expensive, but the cheap ones work just as well. the only difference is that mine is self-calibrating, self-testing and self-feeding. It also has vibration compensation for when you put it on a wobly table and some other advanced features. You don't need any of that stuff. Did you print that case with your 3D Bambulab X1 in post #1? The round hole and the insert are both very difficult to print.
September 30, 20232 yr Author Did you print that case with your 3D Bambulab X1 in post #1? The round hole and the insert are both very difficult to print. Yes, it can do anything. Any printer should be able to do it. The slicer software tells it how to print support for any overhang. The support is like honeycome barely attached, just enough to hold up any overhang, then you break it off after the print.
September 30, 20232 yr I suppose it's time for me to buy a new 3D printer. Mine is a twin head Replicator4. I bought it when it first came out around 2009. I run a quite old version of thing-o-matic. You can specify fill %, support, raft etc but I suspect the head vibrates a bit, the print tends to detach from the bed when it reaches about 3cm in height, ruining it completely.
September 30, 20232 yr Author I suppose it's time for me to buy a new 3D printer. Mine is a twin head Replicator4. I bought it when it first came out around 2009. I run a quite old version of thing-o-matic. You can specify fill %, support, raft etc but I suspect the head vibrates a bit, the print tends to detach from the bed when it reaches about 3cm in height, ruining it completely. They've all improved a lot since then. I might think about getting a bigger one because I want to start printing some wind generator stuff. I've got my eye on this one:
October 1, 20232 yr I will probably buy the elegoo Neptune 4 too, not the max size though. Any advice on filament?
October 1, 20232 yr Might be great for printing custom batteries. Damn you.... you really made me to want one... Edited October 1, 20232 yr by Az.
October 1, 20232 yr Author I will probably buy the elegoo Neptune 4 too, not the max size though. Any advice on filament? I've only ever used PLA that I got from Bambulabs and Amazon. I've got all sorts, but haven't used the others yet.
October 2, 20232 yr The problem with PLA is its very low glass transition temperature. lf you ever leave it in a warm car etc it will deform the part massively. I find printing ABS to be the most versatile. It has a high glass transition temperature. Superglue welds parts together seamlessly so its easy to join repair and modify parts after the fact (which is important when prototyping) Its easy to sand and machine, and and it can be smoothed with acetone!
October 2, 20232 yr has anyone tried a desktop ABS injection molding kit? I am wondering about their cost effectiveness.
October 2, 20232 yr The way I struggle with computers these days, I think I'll give 3D printing a miss. Shame, sounds brilliant.
October 2, 20232 yr Author The way I struggle with computers these days, I think I'll give 3D printing a miss. Shame, sounds brilliant. Mine is more or less plug and play. Just press the print button. Installation is the same as any printer: Download and install the software, then follow any instructions regarding updates.
October 2, 20232 yr You still have to learn to design 3D and a lot of us (like me) are not naturally talented. I can't do something like the insert in your post #1. Is your padawan good at it? Edited October 2, 20232 yr by Woosh
October 2, 20232 yr Author You still have to learn to design 3D and a lot of us (like me) are not naturally talented. I can't do something like the insert in your post #1. Is your padawan good at it? That was done with Tinkercad, which is a free online tool for kids. It's extremely simple to use. That design was done with nothing more than cylinders and cuboid added together and stretched one way or another. It's simple in the way it works, but you need a logical brain to figure how to get the shape and size you want by combining and stretching the basic shapes.
October 2, 20232 yr https://www.selfcad.com/blog/6-best-3d-print-design-software https://www.xometry.com/resources/3d-printing/petg-vs-pla-3d-printing/#:~:text=PETG%20has%20these%20advantages%20over,reducing%20the%20risk%20of%20fracture.
October 3, 20232 yr That was done with Tinkercad, which is a free online tool for kids. It's extremely simple to use. That design was done with nothing more than cylinders and cuboid added together and stretched one way or another. It's simple in the way it works, but you need a logical brain to figure how to get the shape and size you want by combining and stretching the basic shapes. That reminds me of Groucho Marks saying, "This is so simple, a 7-year-old could do it. Go find a seven-year-old, I can't make head nor tails of it".
October 5, 20232 yr 3D printers are nuts, had my Kickstarter FDM Creality CR6 SE for nearly three yrs now and it still runs great, as we speak it's churning out parts for model 1:32 scale traffic cones in various colorways (cpl pics below), that I sell on ebay. I use mainly PLA/PLA+ and use branded Sunlu/Eryone/eSun/Jayo This is the only ebike related part I've printed, it's for the display controller as previous one snapped after over-tightening. Remixed in Tinkercad it's the right one with bigger lugs - a remix of one I bought online. Also printed & painted loads of accessories for our 1:32 slot car track! F1 cones Traffic cones
October 5, 20232 yr I am impressed by your skills. How long does your printer take to print one of those cones? Edited October 5, 20232 yr by Woosh
October 5, 20232 yr Probably about 1.5 hrs for 4 cone parts slicing at 0.12 resolution (high quality) so that's the base/top ring/middle ring/bottom ring. Half that time for 0.2 resolution slice (standard quality). However that's not how I print the cones, I tend to do 16 of one part at a time (sometimes 32), and just leave it running, requires minimal interaction with printer and just shove them in parts bin ;-) Some of the new printers on market under £500 mark will print significantly faster, the tech is moving so fast... Most of the slot car stuff above is available free on thingiverse, they are mostly not my designs. ;-) Stuff I've done is here (had over 1200 downloads): https://www.thingiverse.com/portals999/designs I'm no 3D designer but get by using Tinkercad, you can do some quite cool stuff. This device is for painting track limit/colouring lanes lines on 1:32/1:24/routed/etc slot car tracks but is adjustable depending on what your track is. It blew me away when I found out I could print screws and embed threads accurately in PLA that work reliably....this is an original design from scratch
October 6, 20232 yr Tinkercad is also nuts. Few hrs and you can do this, they have great tutorials, jump in.....
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