Re: OT: Anybody actually using a 3-D printer?

Problem with that is that it doesn't take much to jam the fine print nozzle. The raw cable plastic is nice and uniformly pure and clean.

Spools could carry that info on them in a form that a particular machine can read as initial settings but I don't think you can avoid some tweaking to get the optimum setting for best adhesion and stability.

That will add a lot to the price.

A heated print bed is probably more important and a closed sided enclosure seems to make things a lot more reliable.

Adds to the price. The throughput is so slow that it isn't a big hassle to go and remove the finished piece every few/several hours.

I'd rank having provision for an extractor fan duct and better sound proofing - not keen on the smell of hot thermoplastics myself. YMMV

I reckon we will be on spooled raw material for a long time yet.

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Regards, 
Martin Brown

It comes down to grain size versus nozzle size. When the ratio is low enough all is well.

Could the printer not do its own automated test print to establish what conditions it will use in future?

of course it adds.

heated bed, heated enclosure, annealing program, maybe vapour polishing too.

It's already been done. The head was used to push the piece off the bed.

more good things

I think that is one of their key weaknesses. Printing with granulated household waste would really change the material economics. Implementing some of the above would improve the time input.

NT

Industrial injection molding generally uses granules that have already been extruded. Like the spooled filaments without the diameter control, but cut into short rice-grain like pieces at the extruder die exit.

The spool type (FDM) machines are really crude but quite cheap to make parts. For better part quality the material costs go up by an order of magnitude or more (SLA).

PLA doesn't smell that bad.. it does chunk away for (typically) hours to make a significant part.

It would be interesting if someone wrote a CAM program that converted an STL file into G-code toolpath for a Chinese CNC machine, including a standard set of (small, cheap) tools and prompted tool changes and Z-axis zero-ing. It would still be limited compared to a 3D printer but it might make creating panels and other 2.5D type items much easier than trying to use a full-fledged CAM program.

I don't think people necessarily appreciate the sophistication of the

3D printer open source software- it creates internal honeycomb structures and automagically creates 'rafts' and supports, for example. The results are severely limited by the extruder/nozzle itself- and expensive and cheap machines of this type are not that different from each other.

--sp

--
Best regards,  
Spehro Pefhany

I use it to print spaghetti.

--
Boris

Spaghetti in, spaghetti out?

More likely color powders:

Personally, I prefer something more concrete:

or metallic:

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

I've seen some only return 4 bits in the byte, and others work fine. perhaps there are counterfeit CH340s

SFAIK CH340 is a "HID communications device" and does not use vendor drivers.

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This email has not been checked by half-arsed antivirus software

I have a CNC 6040 and there is information floating around on the web about turning it into a 3D printer. It is going to be a little slower than a 3D printer which has a lighter printing head, but not much

I can dig it up if you are interested

Cheers

Klaus

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source) if you wan to modify it.

t direct AVR firmware. Will need to spend more time looking.

't use the Arduino libraries.

iginal name seems to be 'Prusa'.

k up useful information "Official Anet 3D printer Support Group (Inc RepRap Prusa i3 clones)"

e swapped). USB serial

a shame that they have

d be a USB device

ems to be usually because of a fake/dodgy usb-serial converter chip

for speed?

the GRBL gcode interpreter and that is very fast with no ASM and easily po rted to ARM

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the same time, not doing one motor at a time.

ary external tanks. So, there will be much more movements involved. Consi der it a mid-air refueling print head.

the first step is to R/R the CH350G with the real FTDI232.

I only have to update the usb udev table for vendor & class. It does work once in a while, for a short time. So, it's not totally counterfeit of the counterfeited chip.

On a side note: Someone on the web complaint that his Teflon tube is too short, so not seal ing the nozzle properly. My nozzle was leaking. So, open it up to check t he Telfon. Oh, wait a minute, i don't even have any Teflon tube in there. Well, another week for waiting.

Hi, Klaus:-

Don't need that.

I would like to be able to use the 6040 type CNC with proper end mills in the collet cutting aluminum material or something else durable and accurate- but with similar ease to the 3D printer.

FlatCAM (free) is a start. It's designed to gobble up gerbers, but also (vector) SVG files (perhaps more of an afterthought).

The process of going from Solidworks or SolidEdge parametric model to

3D printed part is much simpler. I looked at Mastercam a few years ago- very complex. If you need to mill out a compound curve for a blow molded bottle or something I guess it's necessary.

--sp

--
Best regards,  
Spehro Pefhany

out turning it into a 3D printer. It is going to be a little slower than a

3D printer which has a lighter printing head, but not much

For what it's worth, I am using VCarve Pro for the creating the . It is fai rly easy to use, creating a .tap file that can be imported into MACH3 for c ontrolling the CNC. The CNC 6040 is not designed for heavy duty work, but I can cut aluminium if I break the cut into several passes and keep the spee d high to avoid heating up the drill/flute

Cheers

Klaus

about turning it into a 3D printer. It is going to be a little slower than a 3D printer which has a lighter printing head, but not much

airly easy to use, creating a .tap file that can be imported into MACH3 for controlling the CNC. The CNC 6040 is not designed for heavy duty work, but I can cut aluminium if I break the cut into several passes and keep the sp eed high to avoid heating up the drill/flute

The below new Roland desktop mill looks like a step in the right direction. . not really cheap, but at $10K-ish not insane. Includes an auto tool chang er and CAM S/W they say.

Just paid more than that just for software and didn't even get a DVD.

--sp

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fairly easy to use, creating a .tap file that can be imported into MACH3 f or controlling the CNC. The CNC 6040 is not designed for heavy duty work, b ut I can cut aluminium if I break the cut into several passes and keep the speed high to avoid heating up the drill/flute

n.. not really cheap, but at $10K-ish not insane. Includes an auto tool cha nger and CAM S/W they say.

10K seems like a lot, you can get a "real" mill for less 1&portrelay=1

On Thursday, 3 August 2017 18:08:58 UTC-4, Lasse Langwadt Christensen wrot e:

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is fairly easy to use, creating a .tap file that can be imported into MACH3 for controlling the CNC. The CNC 6040 is not designed for heavy duty work, but I can cut aluminium if I break the cut into several passes and keep th e speed high to avoid heating up the drill/flute

ion.. not really cheap, but at $10K-ish not insane. Includes an auto tool c hanger and CAM S/W they say.

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I believe John has one similar to that.. but it's shown as pretty much bere ft of tooling, which is not cheap, and no tool changer ($4K+ for that), and not suitable for an office. And you need CAM $$$$ software. I think they a re single phase which could be an advantage in some situations compared to a real VMC.

Of course that would be a better machine than the Roland for making panels etc. I think.

--sp

Den fredag den 4. august 2017 kl. 19.36.17 UTC+2 skrev speff:

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e web about turning it into a 3D printer. It is going to be a little slower than a 3D printer which has a lighter printing head, but not much

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t is fairly easy to use, creating a .tap file that can be imported into MAC H3 for controlling the CNC. The CNC 6040 is not designed for heavy duty wor k, but I can cut aluminium if I break the cut into several passes and keep the speed high to avoid heating up the drill/flute

ction.. not really cheap, but at $10K-ish not insane. Includes an auto tool changer and CAM S/W they say.

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reft of tooling, which is not cheap, and no tool changer ($4K+ for that), a nd not suitable for an office. And you need CAM $$$$ software. I think they are single phase which could be an advantage in some situations compared t o a real VMC.

s etc. I think.

Tools are separate for the Roland and the specs says it is for resin and mo deling wax only, metals not supported. A tool changer is nice but not a req uirement

Fusion360 is free for hobbyist and startups with less than $100K revenue an d a basic license is something like $300 a year

Interesting. Is that program any good? How similar to, say, Solidworks on the 3D side and how hard to generate toolpaths? Do they have a Mach3 post?

--sp

Fusion seems very good, I have never tried Solidworks

it has post for Mach3 and almost everything else you can imagine

NYCCNC on youtube has a bunch of videos on fusion360