On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 19:17 -0400, Colin K wrote: > you can make very complex geometries > without multiple setups or fixtures
That's why I got a Thing-O-Matic: create near-net parts that don't need much finishing. This one came out perfectly: http://softsolder.com/2011/05/27/thing-o-matic-caliper-repair-perfection/ The parts have a rather hand-knitted aspect that doesn't matter for the things I build. Some close-ups: http://softsolder.com/2011/04/18/hbp-aluminum-build-plate-abs-film-win/ It's handy for cranking out one-off parts on short notice: http://softsolder.com/2011/06/11/stepper-motor-sync-wheel/ Fortunately, some parts really don't have any accuracy specs: http://softsolder.com/2011/06/02/thing-o-matic-graduation-day/ Being that sort of bear, I've tweaked / improved / rebuilt / replaced much of the printer's innards and now have something that works quite well. Other folks have had zero problems with the stock printer, so much of what I've done has been along the lines of "That doesn't seem quite right, I'd rather do it this way" rather than the rare "Dang, it's busted!" Like, for example, my experience with the stock stepper motors: http://softsolder.com/2011/05/05/thing-o-matic-mbi-stepper-motor-analysis/ It now produces good parts almost every time, although you must design parts with the printer's limitations in mind. The smallest feature will be a bit under 1 mm, you can put edges anywhere with resolution around 0.05 mm, it doesn't do steep overhangs very well at all, and the objects must fit in a more-or-less 100 mm cube. But you can print some truly odd things: http://softsolder.com/2011/05/02/what-would-barbie-pack/ The firmware doesn't apply acceleration limiting, which I regard as a major limitation on performance and dependability. I'd like to plug the motrors into EMC2 and whip up some HAL / ladder logic to control the extruder & temperatures, but I've reached my tinkering limit for a while. DIY 3D printing is *definitely* not a plug-and-play experience! If you have nothing better to do for a while, my blog's Thing-O-Matic category may be amusing... -- Ed http://softsolder.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EditLive Enterprise is the world's most technically advanced content authoring tool. Experience the power of Track Changes, Inline Image Editing and ensure content is compliant with Accessibility Checking. http://p.sf.net/sfu/ephox-dev2dev _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
