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I had an idea of making custom name badges from cheap vacuformed plastic over a 3D print of a slightly modified version of my companies logo. I've got it basically how I want it to look in Blender, but on trying to upload it to Ponoko, it didn't work, but I pretty much expected that. I have some quick questions: I designed the model as multiple meshes, I suppose it'll only work with one mesh? I've been joining them all together and making the faces new again, but it's time consuming. Are there any tricks to getting models ready to print? e: Intersection works fine, I feel so stupid now. HarmB fucked around with this message at 19:24 on Dec 14, 2010 |
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Dec 14, 2010 09:40
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Harmburger posted:I've been joining them all together and making the faces new again, but it's time consuming. Are there any tricks to getting models ready to print? I have almost no Blender experience, but could you place them appropriately, select both meshes, press W, then click Union? JohnnySmitch posted:The company I work for as a product designer has 2 different 3d printers that I'm lucky enough to be one of only 4 people that get to use it - we've got a Z-Corp powder based (color!) 3d printer, and we just recently got an Objet that prints in plastic (rigid or flexible). I'm totally spoiled as a designer to get to design something in 3d and then print out several iterations of it in a matter of a few hours. Here's my latest print from the Z-Corp printer: Wow. My makerbotted christmas ornaments look a whole lot crappier now. How does a commercial-level printer like that handle overhangs like those wings? Snackmar fucked around with this message at 13:41 on Dec 14, 2010 |
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Dec 14, 2010 13:36
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The Z-Corp Printer doesn't use the same SLA process as the Makerbot. It uses a process where powder is built up to be an object, Think a large box of powder with an ink jet printer head that puts out glue running over it. For every layer the box descends .001 inches and a new layer of powder is put over the entire work surface and a new cross section is made. Eventually you have your part. Benefits of this process are the ability to print in full color.
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Dec 14, 2010 15:55
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how long does it take to print something like that shark thing? looks to be about 6 cubic inches
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Dec 14, 2010 21:04
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Fayez Butts posted:how long does it take to print something like that shark thing? looks to be about 6 cubic inches It's about 3 inches long and 2 inches tall; it took about 3 hours to print 4 of them together. Another nice thing about the Z-corp printer is that the cleanup after printing is pretty easy - you just brush/blow off the support powder and it gets recycled into the hopper for the next print. Then you dip the model in a superglue-like solution to finish it (the powder absorbs the glue). You don't end up with a super smooth surface finish without the usual elbow grease, but you end up with a pretty nice/easy model with very little effort.
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Dec 14, 2010 21:55
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Motherfucking printable transistors: http://blog.thingiverse.com/2010/12/14/okay-now-it-is-seriously-on/ Sometimes I look at 3D printing technology and wonder what kinds of mind-blowing stuff we will be able to do in 10-20 years. Or maybe this is just one step closer to self-replicating machines that will kill us all.
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Dec 16, 2010 05:27
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I saw a banner ad for this thread, and now I'm considering visiting the makerbot store. Thanks to whoever made the banner ad.
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Dec 18, 2010 20:33
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helopticor posted:I saw a banner ad for this thread, and now I'm considering visiting the makerbot store. Thanks to whoever made the banner ad. No prob - be sure to post if you pick up a kit. The Guardian had a little write up on 3D printers today: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/dec/19/3d-printer-kit-makerbot
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Dec 19, 2010 20:21
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A friend of mine is looking into making a series of custom figurines, which he wants to try to sell mostly to friends and fellow hobbyists. Obviously he's willing to paint them himself (which is good since 3D color printers are like tens of thousands of dollars) but these banner ads caught my eye and I was considering recommending an investment in MakerBot since he's easily wowed by technology and probably willing to take a sizeable loss on the profits if it would mean having this neat A few questions for those with the knowledge to answer: How intensive are these kits? Do they require a good deal of previous knowledge with home mechanics, engineering, and what have you? I'm sure he'd (probably) be willing to really pore over the necessary info to get this thing up and running assuming assembly, maintenance, and use, assuming that doesn't take months of effort in itself. I know these things aren't exactly "beginner friendly" in any sense of the term, but I guess what I'm asking is: just how difficult are these to set up and use for the average layman? Assuming a purely hobbyist approach, can anyone describe this as a worthwhile investment? Many people have discussed its usefulness in household appliances and so forth but I know all he'd ever do is make a bunch of tiny toys with it. Lastly, given that his goal is pretty much just a cavalcade of custom toys and tiny figurines, is this really the way to go, or would I only be wasting his time in bringing this up as a suggestion? Is it so impractical or narrow or technically difficult in its use that I'd be better suited to just tell him to forget it all and go buy some clay? Or do commercial venues that merely offer 3D printing services like Shapeways provide a better option (and perhaps cost?) for someone merely looking to pump out a bunch of toys, especially given the different in fidelity and printing resolution? I guess what I'm really looking for is insight from those more experienced than myself about whether this would be a reasonable if somewhat hefty investment for an interested but not technically trained everyman, or if I should put the idea on backburner for a decade and wait for the technology to become cheaper and more accessible before passing it on to friends?
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Dec 21, 2010 15:58
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If he's looking to print Warhammer-sized figurines, the lower end hobbyist 3D printers aren't going to be able to print in a small enough resolution to accurately make figurines. A professional 3D printer like one from Z Corp, as seen earlier in the thread, would be able to. If he really really wanted to do it himself, he could rough-print a figurine with a hobbyist printer, and  sculpt the plastic into the final figurine shape.
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Dec 21, 2010 21:29
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Has anyone tried Sculpteo yet? I've been seeing banner ads for it recently.
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Dec 21, 2010 21:40
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So as someone with little to no 3D modeling experience, how much would I have to learn to be able to print something worth a drat?
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Dec 21, 2010 22:02
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Vib Rib posted:Or do commercial venues that merely offer 3D printing services like Shapeways provide a better option (and perhaps cost?) for someone merely looking to pump out a bunch of toys, especially given the different in fidelity and printing resolution? This. Like Harmburger says, hobbyist 3D printers aren't going to handle the fidelity necessary to make nice, detailed miniatures. If he's got a design ready, he should give Shapeways and Ponoko a shot. If he likes the results, he can open a store on those very sites and sell his minis without even having to stock them himself. Young Freud posted:Has anyone tried Sculpteo yet? I've been seeing banner ads for it recently. This looks neat too. I haven't used them but it appears that they have experience printing figures. raditts posted:So as someone with little to no 3D modeling experience, how much would I have to learn to be able to print something worth a drat? Well, there are tons of things to print over at Thingiverse - what did you want to design? There's a list of 3D modeling tutorials over at the MakerBot Wiki. For free tools, Google SketchUp has a relatively quick idea-to-object workflow.. Especially if you're not already familiar with another tool's UI.
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Dec 21, 2010 23:19
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snackmar posted:This. Like Harmburger says, hobbyist 3D printers aren't going to handle the fidelity necessary to make nice, detailed miniatures. If he's got a design ready, he should give Shapeways and Ponoko a shot. If he likes the results, he can open a store on those very sites and sell his minis without even having to stock them himself. Does anyone know of a service like this in the UK?
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Dec 22, 2010 10:59
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BizarroAzrael posted:Does anyone know of a service like this in the UK? I was going to suggest Ponoko because it supports the UK as a manufacturing location:  ... but it looks like that's only for laser-cutting and engraving stuff. You have to output in their US location to get 3D printing. 
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Dec 22, 2010 16:07
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Just saw this on twitter: http://my.safaribooksonline.com/9781430233619
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Dec 22, 2010 18:01
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^^^^^ Hey, pretty awesome. I kind of want to wait a little bit to see what reviews say about it though, especially if Sketchup is as accessible as I've been led to believe. snackmar posted:Well, there are tons of things to print over at Thingiverse - what did you want to design? There's a list of 3D modeling tutorials over at the MakerBot Wiki. For free tools, Google SketchUp has a relatively quick idea-to-object workflow.. Especially if you're not already familiar with another tool's UI. Since I'm trying to start getting into hobby electronics, I was hoping I'd be able to use one of these machines / sites to make a chassis for whatever I wind up making. It's got me all excited! My wife does pastry stuff too, so she'd probably flip over being able to use that one that lets you print chocolate models. raditts fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Dec 22, 2010 |
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Dec 22, 2010 22:33
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raditts posted:My wife does pastry stuff too, so she'd probably flip over being able to use that one that lets you print chocolate models. The Makerbot doesn't let you print Chocolate Models due to how the head is made. The closest thing you can get is the frosting gun. I have a 3D printer I built two years ago that actually uses chocolate for it's primary printing material though.  FIX YOUR lovely HTACCESS FILE BEFORE EVER POSTING AN IMAGE HERE EVER AGAIN I used it to print out some very brutalistic easter bunnies. I also just realized the head isn't pictured there. It was built from a glue gun head and a drill bit. Somebody fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Feb 22, 2012 |
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Dec 23, 2010 05:01
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 Spent the entirety of today building this little feller, who needs to go outside or talk to other human beings?
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Dec 23, 2010 23:43
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That looks really cool, what have your costs been like so far?
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Dec 24, 2010 20:18
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I've been wanting one of these things for a while, and have soldering/building experience from building loads of radio-control cars for years. With a goon thread, what could go wrong? These look like something that could be built in modules, like one major part every month or so, until I'm able to build something like a full-size trebuchet to attack the neighbors. I know things have progressed to the point where you can buy one of these ready-made, but what's a ballpark cost look like for someone who doesn't mind building one (except for smaller more intricate parts like circuit boards, heaters, etc.)? And how many hours does it take to make, approximately? edit: did some digging... plastic parts to make the RepRap, 120 GBP (I'm in the UK) 1 x Stepper Motor Driver v2.3 Fully Assembled 1 x Extruder Controller v2.2 Fully Assembled 1 x RepRap Motherboard v1.2 Fully Assembled, 120 USD (plus shipping) 3 RepRap Stepper drivers, 35 USD each 3 RepRap Opto Endostops, 5 USD each for kit 1 Mendel USB and power connector, 15 GBP hardware set, 79 GBP I'm sure there are plenty of shops in the UK/EU with the electronics, etc., just need to find them individually. This looks like it would be an amazing project! Is the RepRap something that can be converted to print metal parts? krushgroove fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Dec 25, 2010 |
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Dec 25, 2010 15:14
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How hard would it be to print character models from video games? I am really interested in this stuff for day to day applications but being able to make really cool gifts would be a huge bonus.
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Dec 25, 2010 16:49
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dirtycajun posted:How hard would it be to print character models from video games? I am really interested in this stuff for day to day applications but being able to make really cool gifts would be a huge bonus. Sculpteo has several of these uploaded already  Honestly, if it can be rendered in 3D, it's likely it can be printed out. It's all a matter of the amount of material used and the resolution of the printer. Of course, this will likely be affected by IP laws.
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Dec 26, 2010 11:16
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This seems like a good place to ask this. I would like to give this a try, but I figured that I should start by looking at the software I would use - if I hat making models, I don't think that I would get to the point of printing them! My issue is that I have been having trouble finding a software that fits me right. I have used similar software in the past, namely AutoCAD and Solid Edge. I am currently messing around with Google Sketchup, but it seems to be lacking some important tools that make it difficult for me to work out how to make things. For instance: Beveling, mating surfaces, centering axes, subtracting, and constraining dimensions to measurements (not sure what this was called, to be frank). Solid Edge also had a function where you could draw several cross sections, and have the program connect them into a solid form automatically, which was very useful. I've also tried Blender, but it seems to have tons of animation and rendering tools that I don't need, so its a little overwhelming. It also doesn't run properly on my dinky netbook, which Sketchup does, and is where I am likely to do most of my practice. I know there are other free 3D modeling tools, but I was hoping for some input here rather than downloading testing all of them individually. Is there a good program that is like a step up from Sketchup? Or am I missing how to do these functions in Sketchup, and it can actually handle it all?
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Dec 26, 2010 16:08
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I just wanted to chime in and say that Shapeways is my new favorite thing in the whole wide world. I'm really not sure how I didn't know about it before this thread, but it's opened up a whole new world of nerdy movie and TV prop replica possibilities to me. It'll take a little while to recover from Christmas and save up the money to get my first print done, but I've already uploaded a prop piece that I've been sitting on for *years* as a 3D model. I never really could figure out how to produce to my liking in physical form, and now it's going to be as simple as throwing the cash at it. loving amazing.
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Dec 26, 2010 16:28
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I'm in a similar boat to Ashcans. I've got quite a bit of industry CAD experience, especially Pro/E(ngineer) which does parametric modeling. (skip this part if you know what that is or just don't care) To summarize, you draw the general shape first, then you set with dimensions you want (width, diameter, or the relationship they have, such as perpendicular or such) and only then do you input the numbers you actually want. You can change the values at any time and the model will rearrange itself using the rules already in place. There's also a design tree that records each step you make, and changing an earlier step will flow down to all subsequent steps, even if it breaks something later. Anyway, my issue is that Sketchup seems very limited to me. Are there any free or easily affordable modeling packages with more powerful features, or am I missing an advanced mode for SketchUp? krushgroove posted:Is the RepRap something that can be converted to print metal parts? That said, there's nothing conceptually impossible about it. Someone who is more familiar with RepRap can say more.
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Dec 26, 2010 17:07
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You may be able to find SketchUp plugins for some of the more advanced features. Google suggests there is one for parametric modeling. The 3D printing stuff is pretty cool, but I'm finding myself more excited by Ponoko's laser cutting. Finally, I can make myself an attractive breadbox that's big enough to fit a loaf of bread and hot dog buns at the same time! And a make-up organizer for my GF that's actually the right size for her make-up!
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Dec 26, 2010 23:56
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Zhentar posted:The 3D printing stuff is pretty cool, but I'm finding myself more excited by Ponoko's laser cutting. I've found Ponoko to be less-than-ideal; making 3d objects out of their 2d parts is kind of a chore. I made some electronics cases by cutting multiple layers of acrylic out and stacking them. A 3d print, if not retardedly expensive, would have been preferable I think. EDIT: VVVVVV Added a quote so the conversation is easier to follow. VVVVVV Delta-Wye fucked around with this message at 13:34 on Dec 27, 2010 |
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Dec 27, 2010 05:43
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Delta-Wye posted:I've found Ponoko to be less-than-ideal; making 3d objects out of their 2d parts is kind of a chore. I made some electronics cases by cutting multiple layers of acrylic out and stacking them. A 3d print, if not retardedly expensive, would have been preferable I think. Ponoko in the US does actual 3D printing now, not just laser-cut acrylic.
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Dec 27, 2010 06:37
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I had forgotten the name for it, but parametric modeling is what I was thinking of. Thanks for reminding me, DarkHorse, it's been years since I was really using it for anything. After looking around for a while, I've found a couple options that might work out. Unfortunately for me none of them really work on a Netbook, so I haven't been able to really test them, but they seem like they might be suitable: K-3D - I got this one to start, and it seems like it would be good, definitely allows for constraining models and altering measurements upstream once you have your model in place. BRL-CAD - I couldn't get this running, but it looks good! When I get back home (I'm visiting family for the holidays) I can set them up on the desktop and see how they work out. I'm kind of bummed that they won't work on the netbook though, it would be cool to be able to work on this sort of thing during my commute. Edit: I missed Zhentars post! I will take a look at the Sketchup plugins and see what I can find. It's possible I just need to dig for the right addons. Ashcans fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Dec 27, 2010 |
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Dec 27, 2010 15:49
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Are there any printers that work with stuff that would be highly heat resistant? I was wondering how possible it is to print high quality experimental rocket nozzles and such. I'm guessing clay won't be functional due to air/moisture bubbles, so are there some terminator-grade plastics that are cureable to be heat resistant?
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Dec 28, 2010 06:54
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The Zcorp printer we have at school prints some kind of plaster that can be cured with water or strengthened with epoxy, not sure how heat resistant it is. And thats a bed full of build material, not the extruded approach. I would assume that any extrudable plastic will not work, as it needs to be melted before it can be extruded... right?
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Dec 28, 2010 07:34
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Well, if it's solidified in some way besides cooling, it might. Clay would work for example, except for the fact that it can be cracked by the aforementioned air bubbles. Photocured resins also come to mind, though they aren't particularly heat resistant to my knowledge, they aren't melted in order to extrude them.
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Dec 28, 2010 09:37
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3D printers are blowing my mind. I'm just getting into the jewellery business and i'm learning CAD software to design jewellery. All the old guys that make waxes do them by hand and don't want to learn new techniques, even though a 3D printer can spit out the craziest things you've ever imagined to wear on your hands/neck/ears/naughty parts. I read some people talking about casting after getting a model printed and that's pretty much what we do. Another bonus to lost wax casting is as long as the original material melts and subsequently vaporizes before 1300 degrees fahrenheit, you can make a mold of it. I just used a zip tie to make a ring, for instance. So you can cast from plastic parts too! The issue in my case is the resolution needs to be CRAZY high, so i don't think a maker bot would fulfill my needs
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Dec 29, 2010 02:42
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OK I guess before I start trying to save up to buy various bits and pieces I should make sure that the RepRap (the only thing I've priced up so far) isn't going to be outmoded or obsolete in the next couple of years. Can anyone tell me how long has the current version been out, and are the electronics due for an upgrade soon? And then I guess the next step is learning a 3D program - can these take input from any of the programs out there? DarkHorse posted:My understanding is that they've only managed to print thin metal traces, presumably for electronics, with a low-temp eutectic material, basically like solder. Even that is very limited. Remember that they'd have to melt it, and the parts doing the melting would require a higher melting point than the medium. Well that's still cool - I would probably start with ABS doodads and eventually progress to trying lost-wax at some point, just to try it out, so I making metal items could be done that way, so actually printing metal things doesn't need to take place.
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Dec 29, 2010 13:21
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krushgroove posted:And then I guess the next step is learning a 3D program - can these take input from any of the programs out there? You'll want to export from whatever 3D format you're using to STL format. On the MakerBot side we use ReplicatorG which turns STL files into a series of Gcode instructions for the printer. And don't forget that before you start modeling stuff yourself there are lots of fun things to print from https://www.thingiverse.com!
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Dec 29, 2010 14:02
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This is super cool! I wonder how long it will take before the average consumer will have access to one.
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Dec 29, 2010 21:22
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krushgroove posted:OK I guess before I start trying to save up to buy various bits and pieces I should make sure that the RepRap (the only thing I've priced up so far) isn't going to be outmoded or obsolete in the next couple of years. Can anyone tell me how long has the current version been out, and are the electronics due for an upgrade soon? RepRap is an ever evolving project, but the good news is you can use your reprap to make the new bits for itself! Right now, i'd suggest going for the Prusa Mendel, as its the best documented, simplest, and cheapest reprap. Use a 1.75mm hotend for higher resolution printing, and RAMPS-based electronics (arduino shield + pololu)
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Dec 30, 2010 00:57
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krushgroove posted:Well that's still cool - I would probably start with ABS doodads and eventually progress to trying lost-wax at some point, just to try it out, so I making metal items could be done that way, so actually printing metal things doesn't need to take place. This is exactly what I plan on doing! And lost wax casting really isn't that hard, it just takes some trial and error depending on the method used.
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Dec 30, 2010 04:47
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theparag0n posted:RepRap is an ever evolving project, but the good news is you can use your reprap to make the new bits for itself! Is this something that's actually currently doable? Because if so that's loving amazing. I didn't think we were anywhere near self-replication/upgrade on these things.
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