3D printing (1 Viewer)

[Bobbydaisy]

PaulandChrissy have been very successful with their 3D printer and have made loads of stuff for vans. I purchased a few bits and my Best Buy is definately the water filler funnel - my feet haven’t got soaked since I bought it!!!
Photo is of the lpg European adaptors holder.
View attachment 703338

Yep , plus one for Paul and Chrissy , bought the gas adapter holder , water funnel and hose attachment for filler point , all top quality stuff and very well priced for such custom made parts.

 

[MisterB]

PaulandChrissy

I meant the habitation door. Predictive text doh!

But thanks, helpful as you always are ! At some point I will be prob be looking to move to a better printer than the Creality Ender 5 Pro so will be bending your ears a lot lol!

 

[PaulandChrissy]

I gave up didn't have the time, wish my daughter lived nearer her hubby teaches Fusion 360 at school but they live in Bangkok.

There’s a whole course on UTube from novice to super intense.

 

[MisterB]

I use tinker cad at the moment, it seemed easy as a starting point and it proved to be aswell, though I suspect it's not as easy as right rope walking ... Lol

 

[Realist]

I print myself and have done now for a few years.

Current printer is a Ender 5 Pro.

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[Coastal Cruiser.]

Printed some more bits off this week with my Prusa, still amazes me how good a job it makes

 

[Insider]

Prusa Mk2.5 and Fusion 360 along with help from IKEA. Bit overboard perhaps from me but completely under utilised space from the manufacturer. The white shelves in the corner would have cost an extra few cents in a van that now sells for more than 70k

 

[PaulandChrissy]

View attachment 762871
Prusa Mk2.5 and Fusion 360 along with help from IKEA. Bit overboard perhaps from me but completely under utilised space from the manufacturer. The white shelves in the corner would have cost an extra few cents in a van that now sells for more than 70k
View attachment 762872

Nice one

 

[nickq]

I also use fusion 360 and ideaMaker for slicing, not very often these days as the novely wore off.
Just be aware that doing anything takes AGES, I mean ages. You will spend a load of time calibrating your machine, then trying a prototype of your model, then modifying it and trying again etc etc.
For something you design and print yourself from scratch be thinking in terms of days of effort unless it is very simple.

3d printed PLA is generally not very strong or durable, certainly won't weather well if exposed to UV or the outdoors. ABS is stronger but much harder to print, needs higher bed temperatures and ideally an enclosed printer for temperature stability and slower cooling.

As long as you consider it a new hobby and not a quick fix to something, you're in the right space. (imo)
It is however quite mesmerising to watch your creation appear . But then I used to quite enjoy watching the washing machine as a kid, not sure what that says about me .

 

[nickq]

View attachment 762871
Prusa Mk2.5 and Fusion 360 along with help from IKEA. Bit overboard perhaps from me but completely under utilised space from the manufacturer. The white shelves in the corner would have cost an extra few cents in a van that now sells for more than 70k
View attachment 762872

Nice! Bet that lot took a while. I do however feel like you take too much stuff!

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[Guigsy]

I also use fusion 360 and ideaMaker for slicing, not very often these days as the novely wore off.
Just be aware that doing anything takes AGES, I mean ages. You will spend a load of time calibrating your machine, then trying a prototype of your model, then modifying it and trying again etc etc.
For something you design and print yourself from scratch be thinking in terms of days of effort unless it is very simple.

3d printed PLA is generally not very strong or durable, certainly won't weather well if exposed to UV or the outdoors. ABS is stronger but much harder to print, needs higher bed temperatures and ideally an enclosed printer for temperature stability and slower cooling.

As long as you consider it a new hobby and not a quick fix to something, you're in the right space. (imo)
It is however quite mesmerising to watch your creation appear . But then I used to quite enjoy watching the washing machine as a kid, not sure what that says about me .

I've never needed to calibrate my Prusa MK2 beyond its internal routines. Friction fit parts are easy to pull off.

Agreed that PLA isn't great for anything external (or anything in the cab, it gets to warm). But there are lots of alternatives to ABS that are far easier to work with. PETG is nearly as easy as PLA, except for the whiskers it leaves when the head moves, which is minor.

If I'm prototyping, draft prints with thick layers and low infill are useful. I've even cropped a design in the slicer so it's only printing the difficult bit that I anticipate will take several revisions. But yes, it can take hours or even days to get large pieces right.

As a counter to that, I replaced my TV ariel with a 5G antenna a few weeks ago. The hole it left in the roof was 50mm and the new antenna only needed 30mm. What was worse was the collar that screwed up on a threaded portion on the shaft on the inside was only about 50mm, so it was spinning up against fresh air. 5 minutes measuring with the Vernier calipers (essential tool!), 10 minutes in Fusion360, and an hour of printing later, and I had a bung to fill the gap.

 

[olley]

I made an adapter to go from an odd sized gutter drain pipe to 75mm in pla, that was 2 years ago so you might be surprised how long it can last last out in the open.

 

[PaulandChrissy]

I've never needed to calibrate my Prusa MK2 beyond its internal routines. Friction fit parts are easy to pull off.

Agreed that PLA isn't great for anything external (or anything in the cab, it gets to warm). But there are lots of alternatives to ABS that are far easier to work with. PETG is nearly as easy as PLA, except for the whiskers it leaves when the head moves, which is minor.

If I'm prototyping, draft prints with thick layers and low infill are useful. I've even cropped a design in the slicer so it's only printing the difficult bit that I anticipate will take several revisions. But yes, it can take hours or even days to get large pieces right.

As a counter to that, I replaced my TV ariel with a 5G antenna a few weeks ago. The hole it left in the roof was 50mm and the new antenna only needed 30mm. What was worse was the collar that screwed up on a threaded portion on the shaft on the inside was only about 50mm, so it was spinning up against fresh air. 5 minutes measuring with the Vernier calipers (essential tool!), 10 minutes in Fusion360, and an hour of printing later, and I had a bung to fill the gap.

These are the little things that 3D printing is perfect for.

 

[nickq]

I've never needed to calibrate my Prusa MK2 beyond its internal routines. Friction fit parts are easy to pull off.

Agreed that PLA isn't great for anything external (or anything in the cab, it gets to warm). But there are lots of alternatives to ABS that are far easier to work with. PETG is nearly as easy as PLA, except for the whiskers it leaves when the head moves, which is minor.

If I'm prototyping, draft prints with thick layers and low infill are useful. I've even cropped a design in the slicer so it's only printing the difficult bit that I anticipate will take several revisions. But yes, it can take hours or even days to get large pieces right.

As a counter to that, I replaced my TV ariel with a 5G antenna a few weeks ago. The hole it left in the roof was 50mm and the new antenna only needed 30mm. What was worse was the collar that screwed up on a threaded portion on the shaft on the inside was only about 50mm, so it was spinning up against fresh air. 5 minutes measuring with the Vernier calipers (essential tool!), 10 minutes in Fusion360, and an hour of printing later, and I had a bung to fill the gap.

Interesting, I guess my printer is showing it's age. (5 years old). I always have to level the bed. I haven't tried PETG, not sure my bed would stay hot enough, should have gone for a smaller printer.

 

[Guigsy]

Interesting, I guess my printer is showing it's age. (5 years old). I always have to level the bed. I haven't tried PETG, not sure my bed would stay hot enough, should have gone for a smaller printer.

I'm not sure many people grasp the size issue with FDM printers. 10cm sized objects take a couple of hours to print. A 20cm object will take roughly 8 times longer and is more likely to fail, warp and more likely to have issues with calibration, etc. XL sized printers aren't really useful unless your hobby is tending to the printer.

My 2016 Prusa i3 Mk2 hasn't had a hard life. I think the rods are a bit worn and the bearings are full of dust. But it keeps soldiering away. Never adjusted it, never replaced anything. It's fire and forget. I just throw another kg of filament at it every few months. Hence why I'd skip the blingy printers and get another Prusa.

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[nickq]

I'm not sure many people grasp the size issue with FDM printers. 10cm sized objects take a couple of hours to print. A 20cm object will take roughly 8 times longer and is more likely to fail, warp and more likely to have issues with calibration, etc. XL sized printers aren't really useful unless your hobby is tending to the printer.

My 2016 Prusa i3 Mk2 hasn't had a hard life. I think the rods are a bit worn and the bearings are full of dust. But it keeps soldiering away. Never adjusted it, never replaced anything. It's fire and forget. I just throw another kg of filament at it every few months. Hence why I'd skip the blingy printers and get another Prusa.

Very true, mine is the creality cr-10s. Probably the most useful things I printed were mods for the printer to make it easier to adjust and quieter (after changing fans). The biggest single piece thing I ever printed with it was a 220mm long 85mm diameter camera lens hood I was messing about with to block light for astrophotography.
If I bought one now I would be very tempted by their fully enclosed smaller models.

 

[Bustup15]

Very true, mine is the creality cr-10s. Probably the most useful things I printed were mods for the printer to make it easier to adjust and quieter (after changing fans). The biggest single piece thing I ever printed with it was a 220mm long 85mm diameter camera lens hood I was messing about with to block light for astrophotography.
If I bought one now I would be very tempted by their fully enclosed smaller models.

That's brilliant, you buy a printer to print mods for the printer

 

[nickq]

That's brilliant, you buy a printer to print mods for the printer

More common than you might think. Just go look at all the mods on thigiverse.

 

[dabhand]

That's a very nice printer, way out of my league.
I assume it does multi-colour printing on the fly.
Jealous.
I only have a little ender 3.

That's a very nice printer, way out of my league.
I assume it does multi-colour printing on the fly.
Jealous.
I only have a little ender 3.

Sorry to hear about your little ender, why not print yourself a bigger one?

 

[Guigsy]

That's brilliant, you buy a printer to print mods for the printer

That was how some of the earliest 3D printers started.

RepRap - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

With my Printrbot, that was the main thing it printed. Just to keep itself running. I was playing a continuous game of predicting which bit would snap or wear out next so I could print it before I needed it... which wore it out faster. As I mentioned, the printer WAS the hobby.

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[Morning Major]

We use Solidworks at the office. It is fairly easy to learn and I think it is probably one of the best top end CAD systems but it is quite expensive to buy and you need their yearly maintenance to keep it up to date. We use it for plastic product design and mould tool design which it really excels at.

I must get a printer for home but I don’t seem to have the time!

 

[zac]

We use Solidworks at the office. It is fairly easy to learn and I think it is probably one of the best top end CAD systems but it is quite expensive to buy and you need their yearly maintenance to keep it up to date. We use it for plastic product design and mould tool design which it really excels at.

I must get a printer for home but I don’t seem to have the time!

One of the best purchases i have done, i never even thought i needed one till i purchased one but they can be used for such a lot of useful things. It's hard to see now how i did without one

 

[Bustup15]

That was how some of the earliest 3D printers started.

RepRap - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

With my Printrbot, that was the main thing it printed. Just to keep itself running. I was playing a continuous game of predicting which bit would snap or wear out next so I could print it before I needed it... which wore it out faster. As I mentioned, the printer WAS the hobby.

Sounds just like motorhomes, fix one bit and another breaks or a new super dooper thingy comes out which you must have

 

[FergalFarty]

Latest 3D prints for the van.
Got a 22" Samsung TV off ebay for £30. I wanted this one specifically because it runs off 14V DC. Also got a Firestick from a car boot sale for £10. Designed and printed a box to house the 12-14V DC boost converter and a 5V USB supply for the Firestick with USB OTG for extra storage. Added holders for the remotes. Works well. Sound is not great though, so next thing will be a mount for a soundbar or bluetooth speaker.

 

[Bobbydaisy]

Nice job and more so saving money , on the sound bar side get a good quality one as some of the lower end ones are worse than the tv speakers. I also tried a Bluetooth pairing adapter to pair the tv sound output to the van speakers , the latency was terrible, the sound came through the speakers a second after the persons mouth moved which was unbearable to watch anything. Ok for music streaming through the tv though ( not music videos for the same reason)

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[FergalFarty]

Nice job and more so saving money , on the sound bar side get a good quality one as some of the lower end ones are worse than the tv speakers. I also tried a Bluetooth pairing adapter to pair the tv sound output to the van speakers , the latency was terrible, the sound came through the speakers a second after the persons mouth moved which was unbearable to watch anything. Ok for music streaming through the tv though ( not music videos for the same reason)

Thanks. I've tried it with a little Sony bluetooth speaker I already have and it sounds much better. The Firestick has a setting to tune out the latency so the audio is in sync. I'll probably end up using that as I don't really want to spend any more on a soundbar.