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  • Author Author: Workshopshed
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A bit of 3D Printing

Workshopshed

Whilst Hans was coding Matilda was fine tuning the mechanism and finishing the housing. When the magnet housings had been tested their positions had put Hans and Matilda a bit far back into the cottage. The magnet carriers were redesigned so that the holes were towards one end, that would move the positions forward by about 7mm and the coverings for the holes turned out not to be needed so those were removed to reduce printing time.

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Due to their simple design and shape they printed first time with no issues.

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However not everything was so simple. After quite a few failures the spacers for supporting the Yún and shields were printed successfully by lying the models down, reducing the printing speed and printing at 1/2 speed for the first few layers. Also a brim was added as the footprint was quite small.

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The final challenge for the printing was two buttons for the top panel. These went through several iterations and failed prints but eventually a design was created that fitted the panel and printed successfully. The small bobble on the stalk stops the buttons falling out when you turn the panel upside down.

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The key lessons learnt here were not to have features too close to the edge, the printer can handle thin slots but not thin solid, adding a brim helps give a crisp edge and when printing the first layer don't make it too thin and print it slowly.

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There was a little clean up of the wifi logo needed but the power button was simply a case of removing the brim.

 

Source code and models: https://github.com/Workshopshed/EnchantedObjects/tree/master/Mechanics

 

Next: Enchanted Objects Design Challenge - Locking the doors

  • in reply to Workshopshed

    Andy, with a 3-axis mill machine - always remaining in the prototyping domain - the 3D printing make really more simple many parts, that instead need be created with separated pieces then assembled, screwed etc. as you say. The only real thing that at the moment in my analysis makes the difference vs the mill machine is the ability to make PCB too, that are an essential part of every prototype.

  • I'm pretty sure that all of the 3D printed parts in the project could be made without a printer. For example the linkage for the movement could have been cut from wood and screwed together with hardwood, metal or plastic bushes. The only one that would require a rethink to make a different way would be the fibre housing.

  • in reply to Workshopshed

    Andy, we should exclude the point relative to the quantities. This is another song and need a totally different approach but we are living in the world of "one single signed piece" image (aka prototypes, or /art/ operas) image

     

    What I mean is that as I am going ahead in several discussions on this community about what is the case to 3D print and what to mill, until now I have not found a real absolute need. Also in this case anyway there is a easier technique (always well tested by me too): it is the same of milling double side PCB: mill bottom side then the top side.

  • in reply to balearicdynamics

    There are tools that can do these two as two operations.

     

    If you were making a lot of these it would be a case of looking at the time for setup of machines and for the operation time. I believe that one of the techniques used is to keep the item in the chuck and swap the chuck onto a different machine to reduce setup time. Another technique might be to use a hot stamp to emboss the logos into the buttons.

     

    I think that the wood cutter might say, "if you only have a hammer, everything looks like a nail".

  • in reply to Workshopshed

    Sure, but I was just thinking on the differences (I am trying to discover if it is the worth to "find" one somewhere image )

     

    Lathe + engraving (also with a mill machine) implies two tools. Also the alternative of a 4th axis does not solve the problem in a single step: 1) lathe the pieces, then 2) mill it