3d Printing thread - Who's got what?

[chevys10zr2003]

Yeah, I need to download tinker-cad or sketch-up and start drawing. I have a list of things I want to design (small quad frame, 3 different telescopes, bunch of small useless crap... LOL)

I do CAD for a living, so I am hoping these free programs won't pose much of a challenge. Do you know if any of them output a file that I can work with in AutoCAD? Then I could bang stuff out on lunch breaks...

I have been thinking of getting a 3d printer sometime in the next year or two. Let me know which free software you end up going with and liking the best. My background is Solidworks, Inventor, AutoCAD and SDS/2, currently using SDS/2 but I liked Solidworks the best.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Yeah, I'll keep this thread updated with my progress. Hopefully Trapper and Dustin will keep us inspired too.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Software wise, Autodesk Fusion 360 is absolutely awesome if you ask me. The learning curve is quick, it is very stable, and very capable. Granted, I have not had much time modeling in anything else except for Inventor ages ago so maybe I am biased? Oh, did I mention it is free for hobbyists?!?

https://knowledge.autodesk.com/supp...-or-educational-licensing-for-Fusion-360.html

Not sure how it would mesh with autocad, they seem fundamentally very different to me but who knows. Pretty sure you can download a sample file from the fusion 360 gallery and try it out but really why not just put it on your work pc too? It is cloud based so it is actually a relatively small install.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Yeah, work does not give us peons local admin rights, so installing anything non-project is out...

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

 

[WoodiE]

I wonder which is better, one where the head moves up and down or the bed.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

As I understand it, the "Core XY" (print head moves XY, bed moves Z) printers are the best. The Prusa-clones (like my CR-10) that move the bed back and forth also have to move the model back and forth. I have seen some folks in my CR-10 FB group that are trying to print a tall Christmas tree have issues with the model swaying, making the tip of the tree come out funny / wavy / fail.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1913982
And also, there is a Millennium Falcon model that is suddenly popular - lots of mass, so it often falls over about 3/4 thru the print job - lots of mass wiggling back and forth.

A CoreXY machine would not have these issues, as the bed only moves down, and in very small, slow steps. The negatives for CoreXY - bigger, more money.

Oh, and I got my CR-10 unboxed and running!

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

More parts taking shape in the secret laboratory today... finally for my Granite this time. I redesigned the front body mount/shock tower brace which is the stock part I am breaking most. The original plan was to prototype a design with the printer and then print matching compression molds for a carbon layup. The PLA seemed strong enough with how I designed it so I added the two big girthy gussets and am going to try it like this. Seems super stiff on the bench, only one way to find out how tough it is! I will share the design on Thingiverse if it holds up to my 'testing'. Lots of snow here right now so it might not be for a while.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K59SDF4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1Some of my projects -
Mini-quad frame (QX105)-

And it's broke. Lasted 1.5 batteries, about the same as the $11 Carbon fiber frame from Banggood... LOL

Baby Groot, in a wood PLA -

My kids love this little guy, and seems they break him every other day. Superglue works, though.

For my 9yo that loves planes -



Also been trying to print that Venus Box in the wood, but having no luck. This was my second attempt at the doors. Bad stringing, plus they stuck to the bed a bit too good, and came apart / broke when I pulled them off.


Saw this Maker Metal, and had to print it out for my Teen. He has issues understanding that it is possible to learn from his mistakes. Probably standard for teens.

"From Mistakes, Knowledge" Or maybe from failure knowledge. not sure... LOL

Mini-catapult. it is like 2" square, and can thro a small light object 6'-10'. the kids love it.


For filament, the white is what came in the box. "CCTREE" PLA, looks like a 0.5kg spool - enough for several projects. I also printed a bunch of printer stuff with that white PLA - my fang fan mount, bed level knobs, and a few other knick-knacks. The Black and Wood are both 3D Mars PLA - 3lb spools.

I also bought a 12 pack of multi-color PLA filaments from AIO Robotics - should be here this week. And I need more white. Will probably buy the 3Dmars white, I like how their black prints. The wood is weird, though.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

You have been keeping that thing busy! Nice work!!

I am a little worn out on downloading knick-knacks and toys off of thingiverse and the like. I suppose at some point everyone is bound to hit that wall. But I am really enjoying modeling and printing my own parts. Something that I can't ever see getting old. It is a very rewarding process to start with an idea and work it through to a workable part. I now have both front and rear body mounts for my Granite that are stronger than the original parts. I am able to break them if I really try so that means they are not good enough and their design continues to evolve. I picked up some flexible filament, ninjaflex, and can't help but wonder how my design would work printed out of that. I have to mod my machine to accept it so once that is dialed in I will give it a try. Should be interesting...

I also took a swing at some photogrammetry with the Autodesk Recap program but apparently my graphics card is not up to the task.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Yeah, I do want to start designing stuff... First up will be a quad frame, that CircleOfOwles frame didn't cut it. Even his "heavy duty" verision didn't last one battery.

Also, something I am wanting to try is lithopanes. But I can see that once I have done a few, I will probably run out of lamps... LOL Also I need to buy some white for that. All out of the stock roll of white.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

There are many print settings that can affect strength if you are not familiar. That is something worth experimenting with a bit if you have not already. Sounds like you have an ideal test subject.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Yeah. The CR-10 FB group is also advising to anneal the frame - bake or boil it around 150-175 for 10-15 minutes. Seems we do the same with are suspension arms, so I'll see if that works for the quad frame.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Ok, Ninjaflex update. This stuff is amazing. Mind blown. I don't understand how it is possibly so tear resistant yet still flexible. You can't even print with supports, which is a bummer from a capability standpoint, because they are pretty much impossible to remove. A razor sharp hobby knife you say? Not going to happen. I have a piece of it from a failed print that is 0.3mm thick (one layer) and about this size of a silver dollar. I cannot rip it by hand no matter how hard I try. Even across grain. Crazy stuff but super finicky from an extrusion standpoint. I highly suggest playing around with some if your printer can handle it.

Unfortunately this support issue means no body mounts out of this stuff as planned unless I find a work around because they require crazy supports. I have some ideas but it is going to complicate things a bit...

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Cool, I am wanting to try some of that stuff. Stock, 'they' say my CR-10 does not like flexible filaments, but it will work with some of that fancy Capricorn bowden tubing... As luck would have it, I threw some in my basket on a recent order from Tiny Machines.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

As I understand it, the "Core XY" (print head moves XY, bed moves Z) printers are the best. The Prusa-clones (like my CR-10) that move the bed back and forth also have to move the model back and forth. I have seen some folks in my CR-10 FB group that are trying to print a tall Christmas tree have issues with the model swaying, making the tip of the tree come out funny / wavy / fail.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1913982
And also, there is a Millennium Falcon model that is suddenly popular - lots of mass, so it often falls over about 3/4 thru the print job - lots of mass wiggling back and forth.

A CoreXY machine would not have these issues, as the bed only moves down, and in very small, slow steps. The negatives for CoreXY - bigger, more money.

Oh, and I got my CR-10 unboxed and running!

What are your thoughts on the CR-10 now that you’ve had it for a while? Any issues with it?? I am looking to add a bigger machine and am considering the CR-10s.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

Overall, I have had very few issues that I didn't create myself... LOL. And most of my issues are created in my slicer, or moisture in my PLA rather than a hardware problem. I did swap the part cooler fan to a "Fang" mount, but I did that mostly so I could see the nozzle better, and because it looked cool. My benchies didn't change (quality) from the stock fan to the new fan. (Actually have not printed a Benchie in many months... Is that good or bad?) My biggest print was a trashcan - 285mm diameter, 390mm tall. Took 109 hours for the can, and I ran out of filament 3/4 thru, had to do a hot swap (the pause print command from the menu works nice here). The lid took another 36 hours or so... I will say I am trying hard not to print too many knick knacks, but my little girl loves those fish bonez, so I have printed a ton of those... LOL But so far, no big projects. Some quad frames, some other stuff, but my printer is still pretty low hours.

My only 'problem' print has been trying to get 'Voronoi' style items to print halfway decent. My Mom likes turtles, so I spent some time trying to make the "Hungry Turtle style Voronoi" print right - but I get a lot of stringing that really messes it up. I think I tried a dozen different settings, and they only got worse/failed. Swap back to the stock Cura profile, and the turtle prints, but looks messy. Maybe it is my PLA? Don't know.

Other than the Fang hot end, my mods list is pretty minor. The bigger wheels for the bed level knobs, strain relief for the bed heater and filament into the extruder ( I think the CR-10s comes with these now). Mirror to replace the stock glass bed. Also a Capricorn bowen tube for Tiny Machines. So not a lot. Still using the stock hot end and fans, even the stock nozzle.

My trashcan -

 

[Jerry-rigged]

On the moisture in PLA issue - here was my solution -
I got three of these -
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QMML4IM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and put them and all my filament in a "Weathertight" bin with a gasket similar to this -
https://www.homedepot.com/p/IRIS-62...PIPHorizontal1_rr-_-300735832-_-300735910-_-N

The gasket box keeps most of the moisture out, and the dehumidifiers suck up what gets in - and they do a pretty good job of drying filament too - although it takes a week or two. I will open the box every few weeks and check the windows on the dehumidifiers - if they are pink, I will take them out and plug them in overnight to dry/recharge them, then they go back in the box. There may be solutions that work better, but this is working, and was kind of cheap.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

Thanks for the feedback @Jerry-rigged! I went ahead and ordered the CR-10s Pro. Not a ton of info on them yet but the rest of the CR-10 line has been so well received I figured it was worth the risk. Amoung other things, it adds 16 point auto bed leveling and a filament sensor which were both really high on my list of must-haves for a printer this size. It is actually a Christmas present and, unfortunately, something tells me Santa is going to play hardball and not let me get my hands on it until the day of.

That is a pretty slick setup for keeping filament dry, which I have also found to have a big affect on print quality. I use five gallon buckets with screw-off gasketed lids for storage and keep little sacks of silica gel cat litter inside for moisture control. It costs a little under $10 per bucket and they each fit 4 spools.

 

[Jerry-rigged]

To me the new CR10X (Duel extruder, 2-in-1-out hot end) is more tempting than the Pro. I have not had a filament run out on me before I caught it. As for bed leveling, I find I only need to level once every few prints. Recently I started using a printed Bed Level Tester and leveling while it prints the squares. Early on, I didn't have the confidence to turn the wheels while it was printing. But now that I have done it a few times, it makes leveling really easy. Sometimes I think ABL would be nice, but then I browse the FB CR-10 groups, and see all the "Why is my ABL not working right" threads, and get happy with doing it manually... LOL But the Pro is pretty cheap, if I remember correctly - maybe a hundred bucks extra, so not too big a deal.

My CR-10 was my Christmas present last year, and my wife did the "don't open till after Christmas" too. I was a bit disappointed at first, but really, I didn't have any time in December to mess with it, so it worked out. I don't know which would have been worse, looking at the box under the tree, or looking at the assembled printer waiting for me, and having no time to play... LOL