Bits from Bytes official blog | RapMan 3.2 | 3DTouch

Calling all RapMan fans:

2012-01-27T16:02:00.002Z

You might be awarethat there is a new addition to the RapMan family.
The RapMan 3.23D printer was launched in November last year, but did you know that you can now upgradeyour current RapMan 3.0 or 3.1 machine to the newest model?

RapMan 3.2 3D printer

The upgrade kits allow users to make the most of the new developments in the electronics and control panels which are found in all new BFB printers: a touchscreen interface and USB memory stick file transfer.

We are always looking provide a better user experience and we believe theseupdates make the RapMan kit one of the best around – well, perhaps we would saythat!

Touchscreen technology now available on RapMan 3D printers

The upgrade kits startfrom £325 and are available from our online store now.

3D printing in art: Pots of inspiration

2012-01-26T09:24:00.001Z

We like talking to people who are as potty about3D printing as we are, so imagine our excitement when we found that a UK-basedartist is using one of our 3D printers to make ceramic pot. The artist JonathanKeep has been using an adapted RapMan printer to extrude clay to build uplayers making beautiful pieces in his workshop in Suffolk.

You can see what printingin clay looks like here:

Having studied at the Royal College of Art, Jonathan wasrecently invited to speak down the road from his alma mater, at the Victoriaand Albert Museum, London. During the symposium, he addressed a varied audienceof artists, academics, researchers and practitioners from the UK and abroad, discussingrecent research findings and the future of using 3D printing in ceramics.

Noise pots and Sin Cos pots 11 x 8 cm

To see more designs and for information on 3D printing withceramics, go to Jonathan’s websiteand blog.

What are you using your RapMan for at the moment? We are always interested to hearabout your original and interesting prints, so please get in touch.

Axon training videos now online

2012-01-24T08:57:00.002Z

We have launched a new user manual for our Axon 2 software. This tool converts your 3D drawing into ready-to-print files for Bits from Bytes printers.

The update includes a series of videos made by our Technical Director and founder, Ian Adkins, to help you make the best use of the software.

Here's a sample video from the series:

You can watch all the videos on our dedicated YouTube channel by clicking this link: Bits From Bytes, Axon 2 Videos

To access the full manual, hover over "Support" and then click "Technical Resources" in the menu on our website. Then look for the "Axon 2 manual" button on the right.

Building on success – our 3DTouch shines through

2012-01-23T15:10:00.001Z

Followingthe 3DTouch name check in this video, the dust is starting to settle on theshiny new products that were launched at the biggest consumer show in theStates, CES. We are pleased to say that the 3DTouch still manages to outshineits closest competitors. Our machine beats the rest when it comes to buildcapacity, number of printer heads and out of the box technology.

Hagia Sofia printed with a 3Dtouch measures 180mmD, 220mm W, 137mm H

The 3DTouch 3D printer with its triple heads and 275mm x 275mm build area waslaunched in September 2011 - which is a long time in the world of 3D printing.We are playing in an exciting and fast-paced market and our developers areready for the challenge of constantly staying on top of their game.

Discussing 3D Printing in The Home - 3D Systems, Makerbot and c|net

2012-01-19T15:48:00.000Z

We just came across this great discussion filmed by c|net at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week. Worth watching if you are interested in this exciting new world.

Listen out for our 3DTouch 3D printer getting name dropped by Cathy Lewis!

The Whatizit Show - BETT London 2012 Show Report

2012-01-18T15:44:00.000Z

Although our education reseller Technology Supplies Ltd (TSL) are old hands atthe BETT show, this year was the first time Bits from Bytes had a stand forourselves. But we were not quite on our own as the TSL guys came to help overthe four day stint. The visitor numbers were sporadic at times, one minute wasquiet, the next, a crowd had gathered with more behind to try and see what thefuss was about.

During one of the lulls on the first day, a TSL colleague told us that it was oftennicknamed The Whatizit Show. This was because over the last couple of years thevisitors had watched the jerky movements of the machines, ducked down to seethe part being printed, but without really making the connection, they lookedup at the stand personnel and asked “Whatizit?”. This stuck and over theduration of the show I counted how many times the question was asked. Whatbecame apparent to our delight was that there were very few. The visitors hadnot only heard of the technology, or seen it on YouTube, or read about it inthe press, they were asking more detailed questions: “What about the software/the z height/ the finish/ the materials..?”.

This showed us that not only is 3D printing on teachers’ radars, they can seehow it can be directly applied to learning and are using the BETT show as afact-finding mission. So it’s developed into the “What About.?” show, which isa great place to start a conversation about getting more machines into more ofour schools.

Thank you to all the visitors who stopped by our stand and made it a great showfor our debut.

If you would like to find out more about buying a machine for your school,college or university, please contact Technology Supplies Ltd.

BETT show – London Calling

2012-01-09T16:23:00.002Z

It’s New Year, which meansthe start of the event season, and for our first gig, we’ll be heading straightto the Capital. This week we’ll be at Olympia in London to exhibit at BETT forthe first time. This education technology show is the biggest of its kind inthe country and each year demonstrates new technology to its 30,000 visitors,from the UK and abroad. So we thought it was about time we got involved!

It’s always fun to explain toteachers and students that their designs can be printed from their 3D CADsoftware, meaning they can hold the finished product, instead of leaving itinside the computer screen. As well as seeing our 3D printers in action, visitorsto our stand can expect to see a range of applications and resources availableto them.

Our stand will also feature the Kideville project, withdesigner Dejan Mitrovic, from the Royal College of Art, London. He used a BFB30003D printer to produce miniature houses which had been designed by primary schoolchildren. The project has recently been showcased in the Victoria and AlbertMuseum in London as part of the “Power ofMaking” exhibition, to a warm welcome, and drew huge crowds each day. Dejanwill be on hand during the week to explain more about his project.

If you are attending the show, please come over and see us, we’ll be on stand B83 on the Ground Floor.

BETT 2012 ison from 11 until 14 January 2012 at Olympia, London.

Printing buildings with Dejan Mitrovic and the Kideville project

2012-01-09T11:08:00.000Z

The second half of 2011 saw the Victoria and Albert museum in London look to the future with the Power of Making exhibition. With 3D printing as a theme throughout the show it was only natural that our BFB-3000 3D printer was on display.

To help show the visitors to the Power of Making exhibtion how 3D printing works Dejan Mitrovic ran a number of his Kideville workshops. During these days visiting primary school aged children could draw their own buildings before converting them in to 3D models on a computer before printing them live right there on the Bits from Bytes printer.

We met with Dejan during one of his workshop days for a chat about his project and you can watch it here:

We will be welcoming Dejan to the BETT exhibition in London this week as he joins us on our stand to share his project with visitors. If you are in the area why not come and see us? Tickets are free if you register here

You can read more about the Kide project at http://www.playkide.com

Welcoming Santa - Part 2

2011-12-23T09:26:00.000Z

The last day for our Advent calendar brings you the second part of yesterday's print. You have a plate for Santa's mince pie so today we are adding a Santa cup.

Designed to fit with yesterday's print this gives you the perfect kit to welcome Santa down your chimney.

Download and print yours just in time for Christmas Eve from Bits From Bytes 3D Printing Advent Calendar.

Welcoming Santa - Part 1

2011-12-22T15:05:00.000Z

As we get close to Christmas Eve and Santa's visit we are adding a two part special print to our 3D printing Advent calendar.

Today you can download and print a plate ready to put out a mince pie for Santa. With an inset message of "I'm on the good list" you will avoid all chances of being left with a lump of coal.

Download your free stl print file from the Bits From Bytes 3D Pritning Advent Calendar.

Visit us again tomorrow for part two of this series.

Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, With Dreidel I Shall Play

2011-12-20T14:07:00.001Z

As Hanukkah starts today we are adding a Dreidel to the Advent calendar.

We hope you enjoy this fun spinning top toy.

Download you own stl file to print one at the Bits From Bytes 3D Printing Advent Calendar.

2011-12-19T11:27:00.001Z

As the Christmas party season is in full flow what do you do when you realise that you don't have enough bowls to put snacks in for your guests to share? With this in mind we have designed this festive snack bowl with two compartments and printed it with two colours on our 3DTouch 3D printer.

You can download the files for free and print your own. And as usual, if you don't have multicolour abilities simply use the combined file.

Download the files from Bits From Bytes advent Calendar

Snowman Place Card Holders?

2011-12-16T17:35:00.003Z

You have planned who will sit where at your Christmas party but how will you let your guests know your plans? With our snowman place card holders!

Simply click here to visit our Advent calendar and download yours and 3D print these festive novelties and slot a card with your guests name in to the snowman's hat.

A Finishing Touch For Your Christmas Tree

2011-12-15T15:43:00.001Z

As you are decorating your Christmas tree and you add that last decoration on the top of the tree do you yearn for something you created yourself?

Why not 3D print your own design? That's what we have done and you can share it here: http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/christmas-2011

3D Printing A Holly Tealight Holder

2011-12-14T16:22:00.002Z

There are few decorations that make your environment feel more festive and inviting than candles. So today we have produced a holly shaped tealight candle holder.

To download and 3D print this free stl file and build your own Christmas tealight candle holder visit our 3D Printing Advent Calendar

Coasting towards Christmas

2011-12-13T14:13:00.004Z

With Christmas approaching and the party season in full swing we have designed a holly inspired coaster.

Print these small to protect your table from drinks and larger to create matching place mats at your dinner table.

If you only have a single print head, you can simply download and print the combined file in a single colour.

Download the stl files from our Bits From Bytes 3d Pritning Advent Calendar and share photos of your prints with us over on Facebook.

2011-12-12T17:20:00.002Z

At this time of year, novelty items gain special acceptance and this brings us to today's Christmas character earrings. So today we have created a Snowman two colour printed charm to share with you.

If you only have a single print head, you can simply download and print the combined file in a single colour.

Simply print and add earring loops to recreate the models below. Alternatively follow my lead and print a few to decorate your Christmas cake.

You can download the stl files from our 3D printing Advent calendar page.

Bits From Bytes at Euromold 2011

2011-12-09T13:52:00.001Z

Euromold 2011 was fantastic for Bits from Bytes as we showed off our 3DTouch's built in to a wall of 3D printing, along side our RapMan 3.2 printers on the main booth.

The wall of printers was constantly busy for all four days as we worked with Geomagic and their 3D scanning technology to produce miniature models of visitors to the show. You can watch a time-lapse of this project in action below.

We were lucky enough to have three local students, Toby Cabaret, Fred Reeves and Kelly Watts join us for Euromold 2011. During the event they did amazing work as they produced original drawings and printed them live. They have witten a review of their experiences:

As students it was a fantastic opportunity to visit Frankfurt and attend Euromold 2011 with Bits From Bytes. The show was an extremely good experience and allowed us to explore the wider world of engineering.

Our first full day in Germany consisted of helping to set up the stand and meeting all of the 3D Systems team who were all very helpful and friendly. We helped to set up the 15 3DTouch printers and the 2 RapMan 3.2 printers. We were also given an opportunity to get to grips with the Wacom tablets, which we had been given to use.

The following four days consisted of representing 3D Systems and their products. We were working at the education section of the stand and our role was to demonstrate the products potential for education purposes. We designed parts using CAD software to allow live demonstration of the printers to possible clients.

It was a very busy week giving us a valuable insight into the innovative world of 3D printing.

3D Printing A Tennis Award For Roger Federer

2011-12-08T14:52:00.001Z

We recently heard the great news that our reseller and machine user 3D Model had been employed by Notch Interactive to build a Number One History Award trophy for tennis star Roger Federer.

The creative folks at 3D Model have just released their video showing the making of this amazing trophy and it features our BFB-3000 3D printer* hard at work as it builds the award.

Christiane Fimpel at 3D Model said: We were really excited to be be selected by Notch Interactive to work on the Federer award project. This gave us an opportunity to show what we can achieve at 3D Model.

We work with the Bits From Bytes 3D printer because it allows us to create intricate models that amaze our customers.

Watch the video below:

Visit the 3D Model site to check out more of their great work: Click Here and Visit 3D Model

We'd like to thank Christiane Fimpel at 3D Model for sharing this video with us and look forward to the next instalment of 3D Model's 3D print adventures.

*BFB-3000 has been replaced with the 3DTouch. Click here for more details.

part Two: More 3D Printing Meets Baking!

2011-12-08T11:09:00.001Z

We got some great feedback on our Snowman biscuit/cookie cutter so are hoping you like this addition to our advent calendar, a Christmas Tree cutter by our friend Dave White.

Download the free stl file here: http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/christmas-2011

We used our cutters to make shortbread and here's the recipe:

Ingredients

6 oz (175 g) butter (must be room temperature)

3 oz (75 g) golden caster sugar, plus extra for dusting

6 oz (175 g) plain flour, sifted

3 oz (75 g) fine semolina

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 2, 300°F (150°C).

Method

First of all, beat the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon to soften it, then beat in the sugar, followed by the sifted flour and semolina. Work the ingredients together with the spoon, pressing them to the side of the bowl, then finish off with your hands until you have a smooth mixture that doesn't leave any bits in the bowl.

Next transfer the dough to a flat, lightly floured surface, and roll it out lightly to a round (giving it quarter turns as you roll) to about 10mm thick. Now lightly press the cutter that you printed earlier in to the dough to cut out your festive shapes.

Bake the shortbread for up to 60 minutes on the centre shelf of the oven – it should have turned pale gold and feel firm in the centre. Keep an eye on them and take them out when they look done.

Recipe from Delia Online

You have a 3D printer, you have the 3D print file, you have a recipe. You are all set for some great 3D printing and baking some Christmas treats. Let us know how you get on!

3D Printing Improves Your Festive Baking!

2011-12-07T11:21:00.001Z

At Bits From Bytes one of our favourite things about Christmas is all the great food. So it's time to add a festive twist to baking shortbread with a 3D printed biscuit cutter.

Print your own cutter to recreate these awesome snowman cookies. You want bigger or smaller treats? Simply resize the stl and print to fulfil your needs.

And remember, if you want to 3D print reusable cutters, use ABS so the hot water doesn't warp the print when you are washing up!

Get yours at http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/content/christmas-2011

And don't forget to share photos of your 3D prints with us here or on Facebook!

As Individual as a Snowflake

2011-12-06T12:17:00.001Z

On the fourth day of our Advent calendar we have another decoration for you. This time it is a snowflake.

These look great in white but why not try printing yours in colours to match your theme for a level of personalisation that you just can't buy?

Get yours at Bits From Bytes Advent Calendar

And don't forget to share photos of your 3D prints with us on the blog or on our Facebook page!

Be a 3D Printing Star!

2011-12-05T12:34:00.001Z

It's day three of the Bits From Bytes Advent calendar and today we have put together a star decoration for you to download and print.

Simply resize to suit your tree and choose a colour to suit your scheme. Then print it and hang it.

Don't forget to share your photos of your prints in the comments below or on our facebook page.

Day 2 of the Bits From Bytes Advent Calendar - Wreath Hanger

2011-12-02T12:03:00.001Z

Today it is Day 2 of the Bits From Bytes Advent calendar.

Today we are offering a free download so that you can print your own Wreath hanger.

This simple device allows you to securely adorn your front door with a festive wreath decoration. Fit the hanger over the top of the door, hang your wreath on the hook and tie them together with a zip-tie.

But what if the hanger is the wrong length? Simply adjust the length in your preferred software and print to suit. You can even choose the colour so it blends in with the colour of your door.

Visit our Advent calendar here: http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/content/christmas-2011

Don't forget to share photos of your printed models on our Facebook page or in the comments below.

RapMan 3.2 Videos now online

2011-12-02T10:04:00.001Z

This morning we have released two new videos showcasing the evolved RapMan 3D printer kits.

The first video shows a RapMan 3.2 with a single head printing a scale model of the Bloodhound SSC land speed car.

The second video shows an Ultimate RapMan 3.2 putting it's double print head to good use as it prints a two colour scale model of planet Earth.

We hope you enjoy watching these as much as we enjoyed making them. Let us know in the comments.

And if you would like to download this Bloodhound SSC model and a much larger 5 part model stay tuned. In January 2012 we will have lots of exciting Bloodhound things to share with you.

2011-12-01T13:58:00.001Z

We are launching our Advent calendar today and hope you will enjoy it.

To celebrate the lead up to Christmas we have challenged ourselves to create a new printable model every weekday between December 1st and Christmas Eve.

You can follow our progress and download the models here: http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/content/christmas-2011

And we have kicked off with not one, but three models today. Christmas greetings in either English, French or German.

As we go please share your photos of your printed models from our stl files and let us know if you have something that you would like to submit to be a part of the project. We will of course let everybody know where the designs come from with links on Facebook, Twitter, the blog and website.

New arrival in the RapMan 3D printer family

2011-11-24T10:30:00.001Z

We’ve given the Rapman a bit of a makeover andcan now revealthe latest addition to the RapMan family. It uses a brand new touchscreen user interface and for the first time usesa USBmemory stick file transfer, meaningthere is no need for additional SD cards anymore. Constructing the RapMan 3.2has been made simpler too, as it is now entirely solder-free. All in all, wethink it’s simpler to operate than ever before.

Starting at £795, it is still one of the most affordable 3D printers on themarket and still has low running costs,and relatively fast production time allows more freedom to experiment with yourdesigns .

TheRapman 3.2 will be launched officially to the public at the EuroMold show inFrankfurt, Germany on November 29 - 2 December 2011, where visitors will see itin action and it will be available to buy (while stocks last). If you areattending the show, be sure to come and see us in Hall 11, stand F110.

The RapMan 3.2 3D printer is available now fromour website.

Half-term, full throttle

2011-11-01T12:16:00.002Z

Take a 13.4 metre long rocket car, 20 engineering collegestudents and 2 RapMan 3D printers, mix together for 3 days and you’ve got aBloodhound workshop held in association with the University of Bath. The aim ofthe workshop was to demonstrate the use of CAD design and 3D printing in areal-life setting.

Bloodhound is a Bristol-basedcompany looking to break the land speed record by driving at speeds of over1000mph. With the help of our RapMan 3D printers kits, the students couldsee how rapid manufacturing is used in industry to design, create and developparts to help companies achieve their goals - which in this case involves arocket-powered car accelerating to 1000mph in 42 seconds!

The students were invited to the University of Bath to look around theengineering facilities to see how the theory is applied and attend a lectureabout the technical aspects of drag on a racing car, from one of the topengineering professors.

We were impressed that the hand-selected group of students gave up their owntime over their half-term holiday, but even more so later when they weredivided into two groups and set about putting together RapMan 3D printer kitsin just 2 short days. This is no mean feat considering Bits from Bytesrecommend a build-time of around 2-3 days – for adults. Hopefully we havehelped to inspire another group of budding engineers.

A video of the workshop will be available here soon.

Click here for moreinformation about Bloodhound’s work.

Printing Halloween

2011-10-31T14:39:00.002Z

Here at Bits From Bytes HQ we have been printing our own Halloween creations. Our favourite is our ghost who appears in our latest video.

You can download your own copy of our ghost to print on your 3D printer from:

http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/sites/www.bitsfrombytes.com/files/bits-from-bytes-ghost-2011.stl

And make sure you post photos of your creations to http://www.facebook.com/bitsfrombytes

Meanwhile, here's a few more examples of our prints in transparent red PLA plastic using the 3DTouch printer:

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 12

2011-10-27T14:58:00.004+01:00

Back to the Lab: PLA, Precision & Mixed Media

Now that the first few weeks of the new school year are past and order has been re-established in the life of The Herd members, we are getting back to the lab. As a bonus The Herd has a spool of PLA to work with in addition to the ABS. Learning about the different properties of the PLA has been interesting for the group. One of the earliest findings is that when one “pulls” heated PLA, one can get a very long and fine thread unlike the ABS which snaps off much more quickly.

The Herd also found the PLA to have less tendency to warp and allows for an apparently “finer” build. One of the first projects with the PLA is an updated case for a gyroscope for a start up here in Silicon Valley. The case needed to have a port in the side allowing for the entry of the data cable in a different orientation.

Riley did the design in SolidWorks to the company specification.

And then build the first model of the prototype case. Note the inner ledge and setbacks the kids were able to achieve with the PLA.

The next challenge I gave them was to start working on some moving mechanical parts. As we were interested in improving the print quality of the Rapman, I had them find the “lashless” extruder drive gears that Chylld posted on Thingiverse and set up a “profile” on the Rapman to print them in the best resolution they could in ABS. The results are quite good and I expect that the new gears will give us even better printing resolution and finish.

An interesting side-effect of the gears is that when viewed edge-on, they appear to be thicker on one side than on the other. This inspired a lot of debate from The Herd until we pulled the calipers out and measured them. The gears are flat, but the chevrons create an optical illusion!

While Riley was working on the gears, Vernon was working on a mould to use for casing a silver/led mix. Our first attempt was ok, bout would have been better if we had used ABS for the mold and REMEMBERED to spray it with PAM before pouting the alloy.

For the ring itself, we simply used a scrap rain we made for the BusinessWeek Writer and pushed it into the alloy before it cooled.

Pretty Cool for the first day back in the lab since school started!

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

See the 3DTouch in action

2011-10-05T12:01:00.004+01:00

Our 3DTouch 3D printer was launched at the TCT event at the Birmingham NEC last week. And now you can see it in action in our new video.

Keep checking back for more updates as we put our own 3DTouch here in the office to work over the coming weeks.

Afrimold 2011

2011-10-05T11:13:00.002+01:00

The Bits from Bytes and 3D Systems stand caused quite a stir at the Afrimold conference last week as the new 3DTouch and RapMan entertained a stand full of delegates.

BFB and 3DS reseller Bernhard Vogt said: “Interest was huge and many were amazed by the definition and newly launched user interface through touch screen design.” He was the only exhibitor at the show able to show parts done on all technologies, from extreme entry level right up to high end SLA and SLS systems.

It all helped to show that 3DSystems are back in South Africa and they mean business.

During the three day event in Johannesburg, they ran a competition and gave away a RapMan 3.1 to one lucky delegate. The draw was done by Ron MacLarty and our congratulations go to the winner, Marius Vermeulen from AeroSud. The printer will remain at AeroSud and will be used by the students in their Innovation and Training Centre.

The RapMan kit is ideal for the home or school environment. It is a desktop sized 3D printer which produces sturdy, functioning parts and offers an additional print head which increasing the complexity of designs that can be created.

For more details, please contact sales@bitsfrombytes.com or if you are based in South Africa, contact Bernhard Vogt direct on bernhard@3d-printer.co.za.

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 11

2011-08-31T14:43:00.004+01:00

By David Lewis

3…2…1…Print & Launch! DCS 3D goes Skyward

Most of the 3D printing that The Herd has done so far has mostly been long and flat:

Forks
Sporks
Cups
Rings

This weekend we pushed to new heights both with the design, making the code work and in the actual printing. The goal was to print a rocket body that we could cast an engine into and try to fly. I gave the crew an initial specification for the rocket:

15 cm in height
5 mm inside diameter
2 mm wall thickness
Tapered nose

The first item The Herd had to overcome was building something tall and thin. Initially there were issues with the raft adhering to the base plate. We overcame that with an adjustment to the heat of the raft and re-sanding the plate to a slightly rougher surface.

The second challenge was that there were some items about the Axion code that were preventing the build from succeeding given the small diameter and 15 cm height. Vernon & Riley worked with the code to change the profile and finally (after about 5 tries) got the first rocket to print.

Vernon’s success first build spurred our friend Riley onto thinking about further possibilities for his design.

Riley has spent a bit of time doing archery and helping me build arrows. It occurred to him that if he could give a helical twist to the fins for his rocket that he might get better stabilization in flight. So after a bit of work, he was able to print a rocket body with fins that “should” stabilize the rocket in flight.

Riley also did some modeling with SolidWorks on the potential turbulence and airflow around the designs. He feels that the stabilization provided by the helical fins will offset potential problems that the model might have.

So, after an afternoon’s worth of work, we had two modestly different designs that are the tallest items we have printed to date.

We did encounter some issues with the nose of the second rocket as it finished, the rocket “rocked” a bit as it was printing and gave a less than perfect finish. We will look at ways to stabilize the printing of these objects as we move forward.

We will be “cooking” fuel for them this weekend and will see if they fly. We have been experimenting with chemical engineering and the “Sugar Shot to Space” initiative where the objective is to put a payload into space with a sucrose based rocket motor: http://sugarshot.org/

We have built up a small chemistry lab and had good initial success cooking motors from KNO3, Sugar, Corn Syrup & some additional additives. This weekend we will cook up a batch, fill the rocket bodies an attempt a launch from the DCS Annex Lab. This will combine all the elements we have been working with into a neat package. SolidWorks for the rocket design (and potentially failure analysis), 3D Systems for the physical build, Boxx technologies for the processing horsepower & a lot of perseverance from The Herd to put it all together.

Look for our launch attempt soon.

… to be continued

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 10

2011-08-16T14:56:00.007+01:00

By David Lewis

As the summer vacation winds down, the crew in the lab is expanding their skills and experimenting with some new ideas and items to “print” with the Rapman. It is worth noting that the Rapman is holding up really well under what I think of as fairly heavy use (6-8 hours a day 3-4 days a week) as the kids try new things. In the last two weeks they have taken on the concepts of:

• Finish

• Working from imported files

• Printing integrated objects

• Creating jewellery

A Finer Finish

Vernon decided to experiment with fills and finish in an attempt to achieve a strong and smooth finish. Using SolidWorks he up-scaled the mini-mug and adjusted the extrusion rate, temperature and print speed until he got something he was basically satisfied with. The mug is 5 cm high and 4.5 cm in diameter with a wall thickness of 4 mm – it is really strong.

Vernon also specified a straight seam on the cup (barely visible in the picture on the right) which seems to have helped improve the overall finish. Yes, it is beverage tight.

Working from Imported Files

True prototype shops are in the business of importing a customer’s file and developing a real object based on it. The kids have been struggling hard to make this a reality with their first project from one of the engineering managers I work with. Here is a shot of the SolidWorks file from which they are working and their first pass at a ¼ scale cutaway shell:

While the first work is clearly recognizable as the ion source shell, the accuracy, precision and finish leave a lot to work on. The Herd is learning about persistence and problem solving as they move forward. Thankfully my partners at work are highly amused and supportive of the kids' efforts and provide a ton of encouragement. The Herd will continue to refine and enlarge the work with the final goal being a complete cutaway of the source with each component printed in a different color ABS and being removable.

An Integrated Object?

As I lack the technical vocabulary to describe this next item, I call it an integrated object. The triangular box is printed around the square frame is in free to spin (somewhat) and slide on the edge of the frame to which it is attached.

This required that the team figure out how they could raise the frame high enough off the bed that it would print independently of the box. While the fit and finish is rather rough, they were able to solve the problem and print the item as an integrated yet movable object. It is a lot of fun to watch them sort out the problems on their and I have to restrain myself from offering solutions to them.

Rings & Such

There was a recent article in the MakerBot blog about printing engagement rings and the like. The Herd instantly jumped on this as a challenge since anything that a MakerBot could do, a Rapman could do better! I loaned them my wedding ring so they could understand some of the human factor issues like having a nice radius on the edges and off they went on a goal of printing a ring that had the school initials on it. They came up with two very different versions.

The first ring is a standard design with pierced lettering. The team had to figure out what size lettering would work and how to adjust the settings so that it printed cleanly. The result was some pretty crisp numbers (I have no idea what they mean) and a decent overall finish. The second ring was really creative.

This “double-ring” features a raised DCS logo and a nice two finger fitment. Both the inside and outside of the ring are fully “filleted” to provide the most comfortable fit. Once again the final finish needs a little work, but it is a neat example of what can be done. It was noted that this looks remarkably like the beginnings of a set of plastic “knuckles” and the ABS is hard enough that getting hit with this ring is indeed rather painful. These are the joys of working with a group of 13-year-olds.

To be continued....

3D Printing in Space

2011-08-02T17:06:00.003+01:00

The affordable BFB-3000 3D printer has successfully completed two zero-gravity test flights in partnership with MADE IN SPACE.

MADE IN SPACE, a start-up dedicated to providing solutions for manufacturing in outer-space, has successfully completed testing of multiple 3D printing technologies in zero-gravity. The company flew 89 parabolas on 2 flights. They flew three printers, including a Bits from Bytes 3D printer. MADE IN SPACE commented that the BFB-3000, with its ease of automation, performed better than the other off the shelf printer.

MADE IN SPACE believes that the advantages of 3D printing make it the perfect system for use in outer space. “3D printing and in-space manufacturing will dramatically change the way we look at space exploration, commercialization, and mission design today,” said Aaron Kemmer, CEO and Co-Founder of MADE IN SPACE. “The possibilities range from building on-demand parts for human missions to building large space habitats that are optimized for space.”

“We are pleased that our Bits from Bytes 3D Printer performed well in zero gravity conditions,” said Cathy Lewis, Vice President of Marketing for 3D Systems (BFB's parent company).

MADE IN SPACE plans additional zero-gravity and suborbital testing over the next twelve months.

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 9

2011-07-26T15:02:00.003+01:00

By David Lewis

“It’s Warped!”

Back from a week off at the beach we are again into a full speed exploration of what we think we can, what we are sure we cannot and what we are learning to do with design and printing. One of my biggest challenges as the mentor/coach/dad is getting The Herd to understand that most problems they encounter can be overcome.

Some of the problems can be resolved with patience and persistence
Some of the problems by stepping back and taking a fresh look at the problem
And – some problems need to be solved by “reaching out” to other resources and seeing how the same problem has been solved by others.

We are deep in the midst of one of those right now as we are trying to print the back plates for some customer LED Fireflys and the ion-source for my beloved employer. As the kids look to printing thicker and larger items, they are encountering more issues with warping.

At first they (at least Riley) was adamant that “There is nothing we can do” about the problem. Or that it was a function of the “ambient temperature” in the lab. The Herd is always certain and often wrong (as I guess most 13-year-olds are), so I went off and did a little research about warping. When I came back to them I told them that warping could be addressed through a number of factors and that there WERE resources and answers out there, but left it to them to find the answers. They did some digging. According to Riley, “Printing at a different speed and lower temperature for the item and a higher temperature for the raft seems to be a good place to start”. Their next attempt at a larger, thicker item got better results.

The big learning is that the answers ARE out there for the engineers and designers who are willing to push a bit and find them – especially when they have the internet at their disposal.

I tried to talk The Herd through the process of looking up real reference books via a card catalog at the library and got looks of horror and disgust from the team. Things have changed since I was 13.

Next, the ion source…

To be continued.

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 8

2011-07-14T15:05:00.002+01:00

By David Lewis

“Refining the build and tuning the robot”

Our next step beyond doing spoons, tactical sporks & evil knives, was to start developing more complex systems and more precise builds. Vernon took a shot at designing a “gearbox” that is taking a good deal more time and effort than anticipated. The first printing effort looked like little more than a pile of thin green spaghetti.

Riley decided to take a shot at the complex printing of the “corner pieces” that Chylld has posted on the Thingiverse site. This process was an education in:

Patience
Persistence
Problem Solving

The first print highlighted how crucial having everything tight, carefully aligned & paying close attention to extruder heat for the different colors of the ABS are. From the picture it is clear that we had an issue with belts (or as it turned out, the shaft) slipping, extruder heat too high and a need to make sure everything was tight before we started a complex print.

There is huge “stair stepping” due to slippage of both a belt and the “Y” shaft within the connector to the “Y” motor. There was also actual “burning” of the material because we didn’t adjust the heat correctly for the green ABS. We corrected the belt, carefully re-torqued many of the bolts and printed again. This time there was no burning, but about ½ way through, it started “stair stepping again. We killed the print and looked hard at our set up. The belt appeared tight even though the print was learning off to the right.

We started manually moving the carriage and found an interesting “slip” about 1/3 of the way through the full range on the Y axis. The Y shaft was slipping against the set screw. Even after tightening the set (or grub) screw down, it was still not happy. Coming from the school of “Irish” engineering, I simply ground a flat on the shaft and added a touch of Locktite – problem solved.

The next attempt at the “corner” came out better than we could have imagined. The unit had great alignment, crisp holes, and a top finish that looked like it was sanded and polished. There were some “slubs” that needed to be cleaned off and a little clean up under the raft before it was ready to show off to folks.

We made a lot of progress from the first version to the third.

Riley had a chance to bring his samples of the corner into my office today and one of the engineering managers asked if he could do a cut-away of one of the new ion sources that we are developing. No one wants to sacrifice any of the prototypes we currently have in order to show folks the internal workings, so this is a perfect project for the DCS Herd to take on. By producing a couple of ABS models, the kids will contribute to the engineering effort and also build their portfolio.

While 3D printing and rapid prototyping are nothing new for those of you kind enough to follow this blog, these techniques are really new to a lot of folks, even those deep in R&D like a lot of my colleagues here. It also looks like that there is something about a well-spoken (IMHO) 13-year-old offering the service and explaining it all that is completely non-threatening.

Stay tuned for a peek at their work on the ion source.

… to be continued

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 7

2011-07-07T10:52:00.004+01:00

By David Lewis

Integrating Skills & Maintenance

The RapMan 3D printer is running fine and we have had a lot of use in the last 10 days with a number of students and their families along with some of the school staff stopping by The Lab as we move further into summer. You can see how much use we have been getting from the ABS shavings & dust that have built up in the extruder drive mechanism.

This is a result of printing a range of objects from forks through gears (massive failure!) that the team has tried. What is fantastic is to watch the kids at all ranges of skill levels come together and explore how the use the system on their own. We have at least two families that are developing models at home and bringing the code over here (or e-mailing it) to print and debug. From and educator’s point of view, The Herd is a self-teaching entity that proposes designs, makes mistakes, figures out solutions and is learning the tools so well that they are able to teach others on the fly.

Here is the Morning Herd group photo from Saturday.

Most of the day on Saturday was devoted to working through SolidWorks design tutorials and trying our a couple of concepts like printing a school logo and printing the gears. The gears ended up being a pile of spaghetti as there were clearly challenges with translation of the code through Skeinforge to BFB readable files.

We were able to get another family running with the SolidWorks license and are looking forward to seeing some new designs after the holiday on Monday. Almost as much fun as getting the young people using this is seeing how many of the parents are getting excited and involved both with what their kids are doing and on a personal level since almost everyone is fascinated with the technology.

Sunday Maintenance/Clean up

Since I have tried as much as possible to let The Herd run as loose as I could, I had managed not to notice the fact that they seem to love to pull the rafts apart and drop the “crumbs” all over the carpet.

So this morning we got out the leaf blower and cleared out all the bits from the workshop floor and table. We have developed a protocol that all stripping of rafts will take place over the waste can from now on and there will be floggings for those who leave bits all over the place. We also put away all the cups, small bowls and the like that The Herd had left on tables or shelves. It is amazing that four or five kids can use 8-12 cups in a single afternoon.

Then we moved on to maintanance of the RapMan. Not only was the extruder drive filling up with bits, we also noticed that there were a number of nuts & washers that have magically appeared on the print bed.

After finding homes for these orphans, we checked all the other fasteners and found a good number that had worked their way loose. We tightened and checked the RapMan for squareness before firing up the compressor to clean out all the crevices. Another protocol will be a daily check for loose parts and missing bits before we start work. Finally we cleared the ABS crud out of the extruder.

Before compressor

After compressor

And we are ready to start another day designing!

As always, your humble chronicler………..

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 6

2011-06-30T10:30:00.003+01:00

By David Lewis

“Now, I need a Knife & a Spork & a Pony &…..”

As a parent and educator (I have a MA in Instructional Design), I am having the best time in the world watching the students from Riley’s school start integrating SolidWorks, the RapMan and their own very individual desires to create into a working process. With very little formal instruction from any adult, the group of kids who have started to hang out at the DCSNHAMDL are doing some things that, to me at least, are rather remarkable.

Moving forward form the fork that Vernon designed and printed on Saturday, the gang have come up with a spork, a knife, a really nice hollow hemisphere and successfully debugged the pony model. Let me introduce you to the gang and what they have created.

Vernon: Fork, Hemisphere, Lettering

We have known Vernon since he was two-years old and was in pre-school with our friend Riley. Vernon’s folks are German ex-pats living here in Silicon Valley and may be why Vernon brings a sense of deliberate purpose and attention to detail to the work. Vernon was the first one to come up with and execute an entirely new design (the fork) using SolidWorks and the RapMan.

Amanda (Mandy): Evil Knife

Amanda has been part of the cohort since sixth grade and is a serious maker who takes a lot of joy in the process of creation. Mandy was also involved in the Lego Robotics Challenge with us last year as a robot designer. At our session on Tuesday she came up with what we call the “evil knife”. This is yet another item in the TSA compliant tableware set we are developing.

Doug: Spork, Knife creative catalyst

Doug is another of the cohort from 6th grade and has also been involved in the Tech Challenge, Lego Robotics and now the 3D work. Doug is a huge creative talent who is frequently looking to push the designs a little further and always wants to do something a little fancier (He is also the master of Cortex Command, a PC game the “herd” plays while waiting on prints).

Riley (Our Friend): Spork, Print Deck Driller & Facilitator

Following Vernon’s work in creating a fork, Riley created a “spork” that odd combination of spook & fork that kids love so much. He was successful in building a bowl that will hold liquid although it is still flat bottomed.

Riley has also managed to put a rather neat hole into the print deck by attempting to adjust the print height while the extruder head was printing. While we were able to get the hole filled and flush with the deck, we discovered that the ABS that fills the hole adheres nicely to the new ABS being extruded as the head heats up. We have rotated the deck and learned a valuable lesson.

Dave: (Your humble journalist) debug the Pony

My claim to fame is that I was able to look over the code for the pony that we grabbed from the BFB site would print. I shocked myself by seeing that there was no G108 (extruder RPM specification) in the code we downloaded and I was able to insert and specify a speed that worked. Not bad for an old man…

Next we build gears.

… to be continued

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 5

2011-06-28T13:45:00.007+01:00

By David Lewis

“I Need a Fork!”

Today we opened up the first session of the Discovery Charter School North Henry Avenue Annex Design Lab (DCSNHAADL) with a group of students and parents coming by to see what 3D Design & Printing are all about. Even though school has just been “officially” over for a week, we had a workshop full of students and their parents here for a good chunk of the afternoon.

After walking everyone through the software and demonstrating what the printer did and how it worked by printing another well executed Mini Mug, we gave student copies of SolidWorks to everyone and then turned our attention toward creating and printing a design. After a fair amount of fooling around with impossible designs (A flamethrower!) or impractical (A dragon!) we settled on the practical: A fork.

Vernon created the original design on the HP workstation and with some creative support from Amanda, Doug & Riley got the code into BFB, on to the SD chip and thence to the RapMan. It was amazing to watch a group of kids and adults jostle for space around the printer as the fork took form before their eyes. There is something magical about the whole 3D printing process as layer-by-layer an object emerges.

We were all rapt as the RapMan laid down the strands, filled in the spaces and slowly created a very recognizable dinner table item.

It also took a good deal of time for this print with frequent checks of the completion bar on the RapMan display screen.

The final result is clearly a fork with a decent finish and tines sharp enough to actually eat with. Simply amazing! We can now create our own TSA compliant dinner ware.

Clearly there is some fine-tuning to do on surface finish and filling in the voids, but as the kids first team effort, it is really good work.

We plan to have the lab open three times a week over the summer to see what the kids can do. The next project might be a spoon.

… to be continued

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 4

2011-06-23T09:43:00.006+01:00

By David Lewis

School is out here in the Silicon Valley, the weather is hot (100F today) and the DCS crew is working with the RapMan and SolidWorks while frequent breaks for cooling drinks. We have gotten close to the final adjustments with the RapMan (drive axle has the FLATS Riley and the driven axle does not) and worked our way through the test items. Our first print of the mug was not too bad.

The mug did have a few defects as you can see in the first picture and it was a little lopsided too.

But after some adjustment of the belts and temperature, it was a pretty good little vessel that was liquid tight so that Riley could sip some orange soda to toast initial success.

The next step was to start attempting to create some simple designs in SolidWorks and print them out. Riley ran into a lot of questions that he had to work through about using Skeinforge to produce workable code. His first effort was a smiley-face coaster as a Father’s Day present.

This was where it was clear we had some belt slippage and that we needed to adjust temperature for the white ABS. After a lot of thought Riley coded up another coaster in SW and used the green ABS to print. This coaster has multiple levels and went from completely round at the base layer to almost American football shaped at the top layer. This one worked quite well.

We have a very fine raft under the coaster and three 2mm layers on top of the raft. The base layer is a really good circle (no small feat with a new printer) and the additional layers are increasingly elliptical by design.

This weekend we will have the first group of folks over to open the lab in what used to be my workshop.

In addition to the RapMan we have an HP 4600 workstation running a stripe RAID under Win7 with an NVIDIA Quadro card, an HP Pavilion Laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce card and of course, the GoBoxx with all the bells and whistles.

This will give us at least three workstations to do design at any given moment and the RapMan to print the designs as they are finished. The “house” PS also has SolidWorks on it running XP Pro with an ATI FirePro5800 card so it screams as well. Most of this equipment I picked up used from HP (cheap) or it was donated. At this point I have less than $300 USD into this lab and we have high hopes that it is going to get a lot of use over the summer and at school next fall.

… to be continued

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

3D Printing at Discovery Charter School: RapMan 3.1 - It's Alive!

2011-06-21T09:45:00.006+01:00

By David Lewis

The RapMan 3.1 is alive and printing as the Discovery Charter School CAD/CAM Lab gains another key element. On Thursday evening, after final adjustments and a lot of reading, the DCS RapMan 3.1 came on-line.

Then we started printing test rafts. We eagerly watched the first set of test rafts get printed as the RapMan buzzed, whirred and hummed along. In just a few minutes we had our first product.

Looking at the rafts, it was clear that some fine-tuning was going to be required. The raft in the lower left position for instance looked just a little funny under closer examination:

As predicted in the documentation, the raft was “curly” indicating that the table needed to be raised a bit. So we made some adjustment and got a better result. Please notice only a bit of curl at the lower left.

The result is one happy Riley who is very anxious to start moving his SolidWorks designs through Skeinforge and into G-code that the Rapman can interpret. Riley, Vernon and several other students have summer plans to design and print (build?) a number of projects ranging from a cover for the 25 pin connector through airgun pellets designed for underwater use. Given the tools that these middle schoolers have at their disposal, I don’t think there is too much in the way of limits in their way.

We will post some additional examples as designs get coded and printed.

3D Printing at Discovery Charter School: down to the wiring

2011-06-14T17:02:00.006+01:00

By David Lewis

This weekend we got the rest of the physical build completed on the RapMan 3D printer for the mini-lab at the school and are just down to doing the wiring. There is still a chance that we will be able to get the printer to school before the end of classes on Wednesday and do a short demonstration. Riley had one of his close friends over for the entire day Sunday to work on the project. It is really fun to watch a couple of 13-year-olds dive into a project like this and literally spend hours building the various components and figuring out what the instructions really mean.

Having Vernon with us was great as a second set of eyes on both the plans and the on the actual work. Several times Vernon & Riley caught each other making small mistakes and were able to quickly correct those errors before they got built into the printer.

A crucial point of enthusiasm for the builders is the fact that are building a genuine working robot that will actually make rapid prototypes which can be used to determine part fits or in large assembly builds. This is huge step beyond Lego Robotics and has captured the students’ imagination.

The builders here have also learned a lot about the importance of precision, patience and planning in the process of this build. For a couple of 13-year-olds to put as many consecutive hours in to a project as they have and for them to have overcome a number of obstacles means that they are learning additional skills for life.

The next step is to get the wiring attached correctly. This, like the original build, appears to be a daunting task for the guys and they have to be reminded that the original build looked really complex at the beginning as well. They need to read the direction three times and to work without too much joking around if we are going to power this up on Tuesday evening.

The wiring

Monday evening we tackled the wiring for the RapMan 3.1 3D printer and after carefully reviewing all the different segments on how to do the wiring, staring intently at 300% blowups of the schematics and ensuring we had cold soda at hand, we dove in. 30 minutes later it was done and we were ready to mount the circuit board to the frame.

This went a lot faster than originally anticipated – mostly due to the excellent labeling of the connections on the circuit board. It also went faster because we were smart enough to label each bundle of wires as we pulled it through the conduit.

Tuesday evening we will power it up and see how we did.

3D Printing At Discovery Charter School – Part 1

2011-06-09T10:23:00.006+01:00

(For a background on what this series is about please read "Discovery Charter School Goes 3D")

By David Lewis

We started the build of the 3D Systems RapMan 3.1 over the long weekend here. We were a little overwhelmed by the number of parts, the apparent complexity of the build and the number of different sized nuts, bolts, rods and the like. However, by the end of the first day we had a lot of the sub-assemblies built and we were feeling less overwhelmed by the process. A really smart process was the practice segment where Riley learned just how much torque was needed to break one of the pieces of acrylic.

Once that was learned, we began building all the sub-assemblies.

The big learning for Riley (and me) was to take it carefully and a chunk at a time. It was also hugely helpful to have a large long workspace where we could lay everything out and see it clearly. Moving into Day 2 we started assembling the frame and controls. Building this from a kit is teaching Riley a lot about design, construction and mechanics in the best possible hands-on way.

We have also had our share of frustration and information overload. But Riley keeps coming back to the build and while we are taking longer than an experience engineer might to get this together, he is pleased with the progress.

Our goal is to have the printer up and running before the end of school this year so that we can print something for Riley’s Principal at the school. More adventures to follow after the next weekend build.

… to be continued

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

Discovery Charter School Goes 3D

2011-06-03T09:09:00.011+01:00

Ever since I met Riley Lewis of Discovery Charter School at SolidWorks World 2011 this year I have been following the kid’s activities and asking him to share his experiences with me on this blog. I knew that the boy was a live wire the day I met him. Over time I have come to know a little more about his father David Lewis who very supportive of both his boys. The man is a maker himself and his current project is Martin 000 Steel String guitar.

I have tremendous respect for kids who do things that put adults to shame. For example, my own son Reuben swam two kilometers across a river at the age of 6 (see “OT: Reuben Conquers The Mandovi“). His father hasn’t even dared to jump into the river with a lifebuoy at the age of 35. We say that history based parametric modeling is cumbersome to use and look at direct modeling to make our lives easier. Riley is a 7th grader using SolidWorks to design things.

I felt the need to help Riley do more than just blog about what he was up to. Now that I am part of a much larger organization capable of sponsoring things I asked him what he could do with a 3D printer if I had 3D Systems give him one. This was his answer: “COOL! I have been doing work with plastic, and found that it’s really hard to cut. This would be so cool!”

So I arranged for 3D Systems to donate a RapMan 3.1 kit to the Design Minilab that he has set up at his school. Riley met with 3D Systems executives at the Maker Faire and became a proud owner of a RapMan 3D printer kit.

Here is Cathy Lewis, VP of Global Marketing, showing Riley what can be done with 3D printing. Notice the look on the boy’s face.

Riley and his friends also met Abe Reichental, President and CEO of 3D Systems, who spent some time with the boys and assured them of a good supply of raw material for their lab.

David sent me these pictures today and wrote:

“We will be bringing the other students who are the Tech Squad at Discovery Charter School (first level IT support) together over the Memorial Day weekend to put the printer together. Keep an eye out for our build blog and our first couple of ‘printings’ here over the next few weeks. Our goal is to get the complete lab up and running with the 3D printer before the end of school in June. As a parent I remain completely overwhelmed and more than a little amused by the attention the lab (and the kid) are getting and once again, a huge thanks to the herd for the support.”

Sure companies like 3D Systems and SolidWorks get some mileage out of sponsoring and donating stuff to schools. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons for doing it in the first place. But remember that this also our social responsibility as companies and personal responsibility as parents. We are nurturing our future here. These kids are going to be the ones who will invent and build the stuff that we will use later on in life. They will be the reason we get to live longer and better. The people who will create the technologies that will fix this planet that we are ruining are probably learning math and science in elementary school today. As parents our responsibility does not end in paying their school fees and dropping and picking them up. As companies our responsibility is not only to our stock holders and investors. Everything cannot be about money all the time.

If you know kids who are doing interesting things drop me a line at deelip (at) deelip (dot) com. I would like to highlight them on this blog and try and connect them to people who can help them go further.

Courtesy of Deelip Menezes

Seven days of BFB media fun and frivolities…part two

2011-04-28T11:25:00.002+01:00

Well the week at the Gadget Show LIVE was massive! We spoke to hundreds (possibly thousands) of people about 3D printing technology and where we see it in the future. Most people who’d never seen it before simply looked on in amazement (and slight bewilderment!). Those from the world of rapid prototyping and 3D printing were genuinely surprised that the technology performed so well on such a small scale (and price point).

One of the cutest things I’ve seen was the little boy whose eyes were glued to the RapMan printing our token ‘duckie’. He stood there for about half an hour, mesmerised by the machine creating something ‘out of thin air. His mum and dad made every effort to lure him away with the promise of Robo Challenges and celebrity signings but he remained fixed to the spot, determined to see it finish. If nothing else, this just cemented in my mind how utterly ‘magical’ this technology really is. Many conversations followed during the course of the show and it was unreal to hear everyone’s ideas on how they’d use a 3D printer. We learnt so much, so a big thank you to everyone who took the time to visit us and have a chat.

Photos will follow soon, once a certain somebody figures out how to download them from their BlackBerry..!

Seven days of BFB media fun and frivolities…part one

2011-04-21T14:50:00.005+01:00

Well, the BFB team is back in the office after a crazy week on the road shouting about the world of 3D printing! Monday was an early kick off in London with the BFB-3000’s debut appearance on ITV’s This Morning programme. We were selected alongside a couple of other innovative tech gadgets for a preview of ‘new technology’ being displayed at 2011’s Gadget Show LIVE in Birmingham over the course of the coming week.

And our trusty BFB-3000 did not let us down. The show was a great opportunity for us to get in front of a much bigger audience than normal and worked a treat. We had tons of people visit the Bits from Bytes stand at The Gadget Show LIVE and recognise us from the TV. Nice one!

My personal highlight however, was meeting the ever-charming and talented Michael Sheen who was also a guest on the show that morning. What a lovely and personable individual he was – it was such a treat to meet a famous actor who was so down to earth!

If you missed the show the first time round, you can check out our appearance here.

RC Helicopter

2011-02-25T09:06:00.008Z

Sorry about the long delay for an update, I somewhat underestimated the final stages of the build.

On the run up to Christmas I did some further testing but to be honest I did not get very far, as soon as the rpm was increased so did the vibration, this was so bad I had to call a halt to any further testing.

My first thoughts were that the feathering shaft or flybar were bent, these parts are made from very soft steel and designed as sacrificial parts to absorb energy in the event of a crash. Inspection of the parts showed them to be straight and true so attention focused on the printed parts. I found a small crack in the plastic of the rotor head, most likely caused by the excessive vibration. There was also a slight offset in the position of the feathering shaft relative to the head, the effect of this would be to move the entire head including the rotor blades off centre. During further inspection of the assembled head it was possible to see 0.5 to 1 degree of negative dihedral in the two rotor blades, this is very undesirable and would have added to the instability during flight.

Each of the faults were small and in isolation I think I could have lived with any one of them, but all together, no chance! Testing is a bitter sweet process, in this case bitter that the faults halted play but sweet in that it showed up faults that if I had gone flying at the earlier stage would have destroyed the model. I have learnt much from the exercise, the most important thing is that it is not possible to hack these parts and throw it all together, the parts need an element of precision to ensure alignment also strength to take dynamic loading.

To overcome the main issues with the test parts, I redesigned the rotor head to make things considerably stronger, I have also increased the section of the rotor blade holders to tighten the fit on the blades and bearings. The photograph shows all the parts of the head assembly, the plastic parts are of new design and configured such that the printed layers are aligned to resist bending. In the main rotor head(the cross shaped part) it was not possible to design a single piece that had strength in all directions so the central saddle and two hoops glue onto the core to give the necessary reinforcement.

The bores in the original parts were all cleaned using a hand drill, on reflection, this was not accurate enough, all the new parts were reamed on a drill press to ensure alignment.

The test rig was reassembled with the new parts and the improvement was immediately apparent, the whole assembly had less play, the blades held more rigidly and ran without vibration up to full speed.

To bring us right up to date the model has been fitted with the tail boom and training gear then given a quick flight test. It works! The first few hops were all over the place until I managed to trim out the cyclic servos, then as things were a little more controlled I managed a few seconds in stable hover. The model is now back in the workshop for a more thorough set up, control throws and the gyro need to be trimmed, if all goes well I will then have a chance of keeping the model in the frame long enough to take a few pictures!

There she goes, pictures from the first true flight, it lasted 6min and did a couple of laps round the garden!

Euromold success!

2010-12-09T15:06:00.001Z

Last week saw us visit Euromold - the leading trade fair for Moldmaking and Tooling, Design and Application Development which took place in Frankfurt, Germany. It was touch and go as to whether we would all get there - with Ed and Annabelle only just escaping snow-bound Edinburgh to join us in time to fly-out, and ours was the only one of four flights from Heathrow to be allowed out the day before the show started!

We were joined on the stand by Education Ambassadors Dave White (Advanced Skills Teacher for Design and Technology), Aaron Thorogood and Elliot Symes. Elliot and Aaron are students at Clevedon School where Dave teaches and all three joined us to explain to visitors about the uses of 3D printing technologies within education. Dave gave presentations throughout each of the four days of the show and Aaron and Elliot spoke eloquently to the visitors to our stand about how they use BFB machines to aid their A-level studies.

The show also saw two challenges for local schools and universities based around the RapMan kit. The first was a straight race to build and print with a RapMan v3.1 kit. The winning team, Bauhaus Universität Weimer, managed the challenge in just under 14 hours! The second challenge was to use their RapMan to come up with a novel print, or prints. On this second challenge the judges were presented with the difficult task of choosing between a print of a dog which had a tiny RF transmitting chip with antenna which allowed the part to be uniquely identifiable and a range of interesting parts including a device designed to powered by an elastic band to travel on water. In this challenge the judges went with the microchipped dog by Technische Universität Illmenau as the applications for this technology are so widespread.

After a wonderful 4 days with all our new colleagues from 3D Systems we were sorry to have to leave and head home again, we have fantastic memories of our time in Frankfurt (even if it was extremely cold!) and lots of new friends. We are now busy catching up on all our mail, answering the tsunami of enquiries we have had and getting production stepped up yet another notch to fulfill demand on the back of the show.

RC Helicopter

2010-11-27T17:02:00.007Z

450 size RC Helicopter.
Spec.
Length:660mm
Height:230mm
Main Blade Length:325mm
Main Rotor Diameter:700mm
Tail Rotor Diameter:150mm
Motor Pinion Gear:11T
Main Drive Gear:150T
Autorotation Tail Drive Gear:106T
Tail Drive Gear:25T
Weight(w/o blade):450g
Flying Weight:730~760g

It has been many years since I last ventured into the world of RC models, I remember at the time dreaming of building/flying a model helicopter. Of course back then, the Radio transmitters and receivers were both expensive and relatively large. Model helicopter kits were very expensive and almost exclusively driven by Glow plug engines. If this was not enough then you also needed to purchase a quite bulky mechanical gyro to stabilise the back end.

I had a friend at the time who owned one, it proved so difficult to master, he gave up after a few attempts to get off the ground, that experience cost him the better part of £450! Needless to say I stuck with fixed wing.

You had to be keen and have deep pockets to master the illusive hover!

I have Mr Adkins of BfB fame to thank for my renewed interest in the subject, he showed me one of the small PicoZ helicopters he had bought for his son, it was fascinating to see how the technology has moved on over the years, quite simply it would have been impossible back then to even think about a miniature helicopter, now it seems it is the must have executive toy, yours for £20 and change!

Anyway, the little PicoZ was enough to spark an interest and the result is the weird cross fertilisation of two hobbies, 3D printing and RC model helicopters.

Its a given fact, while learning to fly model helicopters you will crash, a crash usually means broken parts, new parts cost money so how about printing them? Early this year I did some mechanical testing of a series of parts printed in ABS, the results were encouraging and worth a blog in their own right, needless to say that the strength of this material is quite adequate to take the loads likely to be involved in small RC models. Armed with this knowledge, I decided to buy a kit and use it as a starting point for the project. The idea being to gradually swap out kit parts for printed plastic parts as far as is practically possible, it would also provide all the fasteners and bearings etc so I will not have to scratch about for parts and can concentrate on printing.

The kit is one of the Align T-Rex 450 clones, I have chosen this as they are very popular with parts available in most model shops the world over. The scale of the 450 parts are just about large enough to try printing, Oh, and most importantly, the cost is now far more reasonable than it was. I have included a spec for the helicopter above, its a reasonable size at 700mm rotor diameter so large enough for me to see without my glasses.(unlike the PicoZ!) The machine is electric powered complete with a small solid state gyro and will be fitted with 6 channel radio control.

Once the kit arrived, it soon became clear that in order to print the parts they would all require redesigning, this has resulted in the whole assembly being tackled as one. It is not possible to swap individual printed parts with those of the kit, the full rotor head was printed and assembled before fitting.

That is the state of progress so far, the parts have been printed and then assembled onto the Helicopter body as photographed. I have completed a trial installation of radio gear and the motor so its ready for testing. I could not resist a doing a quick run to see what happened! I admit to bottling out on the test run, it probably got up to about 750rpm then I shut it down. There is no way I shall be testing at the full speed of 2000rpm while the model is in the house! In the best British tradition, rain has stopped play, I have not been able to get out and complete the test run prior to finishing off the model for flight, this wet and windy weather has continued for a couple of weeks so is very frustrating. If that isn't enough, the model has now gone over to the exhibition in Germany for a few days, I will just have to wait. I will let you know how the full speed test goes, what I can assure you is the test will be in the garden, with me at a safe distance!

Tony.

Bits From Bytes to hold first Technical Support Workshop

2010-11-08T20:57:00.000Z

Bits From Bytes is holding our first Technical Support Workshop on Sunday 21 November between 9 am and 4pm at our HQ in Clevedon. It is open to all to come along and discover more about our machines and their capabilities on a first-come-first-served basis.

Topics for discussion might include building your RapMan, getting the most from your 3D printer, how to maximise what you can achieve using Axon and post-production processing of your prints. Anyone wishing BFB staff to examine their machine is welcome to bring it to us to look at but we will have our own machines on hand if you are unable to bring yours.

If you are interested please register with Cheryl Hughes who can be reached via sales@bitsfrombytes.com and on +44 (0)1275 873792.

Ian Adkins addresses RAPDASA Conference

2010-11-08T20:50:00.000Z

Bits From Bytes was represented in Africa last week at the 11th Annual Rapid Product Development of South Africa (RAPDASA) conference. Keynote speakers included Terry Wholers representative from many of the leading 3D printing companies including BFB's Ian Adkins who spoke to conference on Saturday.

Ian said "It was fantastic to attend the RAPDASA conference and hear so many people enthusing about the future of the 3D printing industry. There were many leading manufacturers and key staff from Universities at the cutting edge of research in South Africa attending the conference. It was a terrific opportunity to tell everyone about what we have achieved to date and our vision for the future of affordable 3D printing, as well as to network."

TCT Live a great success

2010-10-20T22:29:00.000+01:00

We have had a fantastic response at TCT Live in Coventry, UK to our RapMan and BFB 3000 printers. Over the course of the last two days we have had hundreds of people from all across the world coming by to discus our printers and find out more about what BFB have to offer.

We have spoken to jewellers, engineers, designers, artists, teachers and private individuals who have come to find out more about what we have to offer in terms of affordable 3D printers. At points we have had people three or four deep around each of our machines and with people blocking the aisles around our stand to get a better view!

As you can see from the photos here we also had an impressive range of parts at the show. The Cathedral above has been printed in several sections but shows that architectural models are now perfectly possible using our machines. The rocket on the right shows the use of automatically generated support material to allow the printing of more complex geometries. We also had samples of dental reconstruction surgery models, busts of Walt Disney, small parts for model helicopter gyros and many more parts besides. The main talking point at this show has been the high quality of our parts as well as the low cost of our machines.

We need to say a huge thanks to Unfold for his wonderful ceramic parts printed on his adapted RapMan (please have a look here at his own site showing parts he has printed) which caused a great deal interest from the artistic, educational and commercial sectors alike. We also need to thank Dave White for his sterling work giving a presentation on using RapMan in the classroom and talking to visitors to the stand. Thanks also to John Wells (Dave's Head Teacher at Clevedon School) for allowing Dave to have time out to give the presentation and to everyone who helped make this show such a roaring success. Roll on EuroMold in Frankfut in December - see you there?

Preparing to go to show

2010-10-14T23:17:00.000+01:00

We are very busy here in Clevedon getting ready for several shows in the coming weeks. The first of these is the TCT show at the Ricoh arena in Coventry on October 19 & 20. This two day event is a key diary date for us as it gives us the chance to show off to engineers from design and manufacturing what we can offer. It is a well attended show which attracts visitors from all round the world. Last year we had visitors come from South Korea just to see us!

Currently work is progressing towards new design stands, lots of new printed samples including some very impressive pieces - a model cathedral which is printed in about 11 pieces, some retro rockets, walky-talkies, some technical linkages for a model helicopter and many other parts besides.

We are going to be well represented at the show with Technical / Managing Director Ian Adkins, Sales & Marketing Director Andy McLaren and I.T. & Operations Director Iain Major all coming along as well as Andrew Edwards and Ed Sells (of RepRap fame) who are spearheading technical developments.

If you are in the area next week why not come along to see us?

BFB acquired by 3D Systems

2010-10-05T13:58:00.002+01:00

Today we have been acquired by 3D Systems! BfB is a small company, and with that size comes great flexibility: we can effect change here relatively quickly. Also, we can look after our customers at a personal level and with these things in mind it’s great to know that 3D Systems intend to maintain our position. From 3D Systems perspective we are an innovative centre detached from their core business. So our style of working and what we work on won’t be changing: we’ll keep on designing and making affordable 3D printers that out-perform the competition.

As you can imagine, there’s a fairly big buzz in our company at the moment. The flip-side of being a small company is that some of our ideas can’t happen simply because we don’t have the resource. Now that 3D Systems are behind us, we can finally put those ideas into practice. These improvements will benefit our existing customers with firmware upgrades, new operating software and mechanical kits – all towards improving printing performance and the customers’ experience. Here’s to an exciting future with 3D Systems!

Technical Support Workshops launched

2010-09-23T06:54:00.000+01:00

Here at Bits from Bytes we have on occasion had technical questions regarding the construction and operation of our machines. As a result of this we have decided to set up quarterly “Technical Support Workshop” days. These will give us the opportunity to meet up, chat and look into any technical issues you may have with your 3D printer. This service will be provided to all Bits from Bytes customers free of charge.

Staff from our technical department will be available on these days to have in-depth discussions to provide you with a higher level of knowledge and understanding of your printer. Owners of our 3D printers are encouraged to attend the workshop with their machines giving them the chance to have ‘hands-on’ support right here in our Bits from Bytes factory.

For further details on dates, times and to book a place please contact our Sales Office Manager Cheryl Hughes on sales@bitsfrombytes.com or alternatively you can contact us on 01275 873792. Please note that spaces are limited to 8 and are issued on a first-come-first-served basis.

Bits From Bytes hits The Gadget Show

2010-09-20T21:13:00.000+01:00

The BfB 3000 was featured tonight in Channel 5's The Gadget Show. Presenters Ortis Deley and Jason Bradbury were set the challenge to come up with gadgets for the office to enrich their daily experience. Ortis' design for a new exercise desk and chair set-up were printed out on a BfB 3000, the prints of which were shown to the judge for their competition. Afterwards Jason was seen to be wearing the glasses we printed out for him on our BfB 3000!! Totally radical dude!

Find the info the show have posted about us here and you should be able to watch the whole show here shortly.

BFB 3000 donated

2010-09-19T21:24:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday 14 September 2010 Bits From Bytes Ltd donated a BFB 3000 to Dave White as Advanced Skills Teacher for Design & Technology in North Somerset.

Dave travels all over North Somerset in his role as AST for D&T assisting D&T departments in the region to teach D&T more effectively. Now Dave has his very own BFB 3000 to show to the schools and enable them to practice with it.

Dave has done sterling work over recent months producing lots of new learning resources for subjects including Geography, Science and Mathematics. There are lots of available resources please have a look on the Education board on the BFB forum or Dave's own thread about the new resources.

If you are in North Somerset and wish to see the machine in action you can see it at Clevedon School's Open Evening on Wednesday 22 September.

RapMan wins Best Digital Device at BETT

2010-01-15T22:23:00.004Z

On Wednesday evening Ian Adkins and I went to the Hilton hotel, Park Lane, London for the annual awards for the world's largest educational technology event (. We were absolutely delighted that the RapMan won the Best Digital Device award (see here)!

The award judges were quoted as saying the RapMan "allows for the teaching of many different design principles from initial concept to pre-production prototype, and is a fascinating example of design in its own right,". I was also told by one of the judges for one of the other categories that during judging all those who came across the RapMan were captivated by the machine and all loved it.

The RapMan is being displayed at the BETT show on stand D130 until Saturday 16/01/10. The stand is staffed by Technology Supplies Ltd (TSL) who are our new UK Education distributors.

Once again I would like to thank all those who have been involved in driving the project forward and feel Dave White (Advanced Skills Teacher and Head of Design & Technology at Clevedon School) needs especial mention for steering our machine in the direction necessary to make it an award winner in the Education sphere.

We would also like to thank A1 Technologies for putting the RapMan forward for this award and for their hard work in promoting the machine in the education sector in the UK.

Colour Printing - the next step:

2009-10-28T12:49:00.006Z

To follow on from the basic twin extruder test in the last blog, here we have the results of my first test using support material

The machine is loaded with two colours of ABS, mainly for convenience at this stage, Black for the object and Yellow for the support material.

The file chosen is a bearing cap, printed from the bearing axis up, this has a semi-circular void that runs front to rear of the part. Actually this file prints very well without support material but it is a small part suitable for testing the head change.

Small it may be, but it still contains a fair number of layers and therefore lots of head swapping!

The first test was done with a hand edited file, I added several new lines of G_Code to manage an orderly change over from one head to the other. On more complex parts, it would not be practical, the new codes need to be added by Skienforge.

Skienforge already deals with support material by issuing a temperature change to flag the start and end, I need several other codes inserting at this point. To do this I have made a simple modification to Skienforge to pick out the support material, then insert my new codes as required.

The image shows the first complete part made by running the file from Skienforge.
Finish on the part is crude as the G_Code has been generated with 0.4mm layer thickness, this ensures a relatively quick build and gives a manageable file size.

The print is far from perfect, but I have to say I am encouraged by the results.

Colour Printing!

2009-10-18T17:00:00.007+01:00

First attempt at two colour printing, not the most astonishing object but you can see the potential.
The print has been done on a V3 machine fitted with twin extruders. The two single colour objects were printed together from one file, the two colour object by swapping heads through the build, changes triggered by G_Code.
You can see the potential for running support material along with the main print, swapping seamlessly back and fourth between the two.

The wall is single filament thickness so alignment has to be reasonably good between the heads. The object is far from perfect as its only the third print of a new machine fitted out with the twin head.
More to follow on this.

More Skienforge

2009-09-25T17:33:00.004+01:00

Important Settings:

At first glance, it may not seem very obvious what values to use in the myriad of Skienforge's boxes, needless to say, get it wrong and you will almost certainly finish up with an inaccurate print and possibly poor print quality.

I hope the following notes will help establish the correct values for your set-up and hopefully take out some of the guesswork.

What I will say at the outset is most of the option variables can be left at default so the problem is somewhat simplified.

In addition to the material profile, we need only concern ourselves with are the following:
Head speed
Extrusion Rate
Layer thickness

Get these right and the rest are only for fine tuning.

The first thing to decide is what resolution you require in the printed part. Bear in mind the fact that the higher you want the resolution then the longer it will take to process and print the part.

The fineness of print quality mainly depends on, the nozzle size, the speed of print and layer thickness.

If we take the standard machine we have little control over the nozzle diameter, it is drilled at *0.5mm, however, speed and layer thickness can be changed.

When you download a new copy of Skienforge on to a “fresh” PC, the layer thickness will be set at default 0.4mm. (If the install is over a previous Skienforge release, the value will be as you last set it.) This is a practical value to work with the standard nozzle, it gives a reasonable quality coupled with fast build times. Other values can be used, larger will produce a more course finish and smaller values put more layers into the object giving a finer surface finish.

If the standard setting of 0.4 is put through Skienforge correctly then the effect is to take the 0.5mm filament from the nozzle and stretch it out to reduce the section to 0.4mm, i.e. the head travels a little faster than the extrusion rate.

If Skienforge simply set one filament on top of another, the contact area would be very small as the two circular sections touch only on the circumference. The result would be a very weak object with poor layer adhesion. To overcome this, Skienforge squashes the new layer into the preceding one to give a larger contact area and hence a stronger object. Two Skienforge parameters are used to control this;
Extrusion width over thickness (ratio) : default value 1.5
Perimeter width over thickness (ratio) : default value 1.8

In this way Skienforge extrudes more plastic into the perimeter of each layer making the outer shell of the final print more robust. Internally the fill will be at 1.5 x layer thickness.
In either case the filament is printed as an elliptical section that has its major/minor diameter = the ratio.

With the machine set correctly:
0.4mm thickness x 1.5 gives Extrusion width = 0.6mm.
0.4mm thickness x 1.8 gives the Perimeter width = 0.72mm

To calibrate the machine we need to ensure this relationship holds true.

The only way to verify this setting is to print a single filament wall and measure it.

Calibration:
In Skienforge
Enter a value for:
layer thickness.
The desired head speed.
Look up the appropriate extruder RPM for the above settings.(See Table)

The selection table is compiled from theoretical values, many of the options have been tested but use them as a guideline for starting your test, then make adjustments to your machine to ensure it produces the correct perimeter wall thickness.

Now run a test object and see what you have.

Measure the wall thickness with a vernier gauge, take a few readings round the object.
With 0.4mm thickness the perimeter wall should be 0.72mm wide.
If the wall is too thick then reduce the extruder RPM. Wall too thin then increase the rpm.

Within a couple of tests you should be able to get the wall spot on or within 0.01mm of the target value.

That's it!

The above calibration will be required for each material type used with the machine and care will be needed the further you deviate from the nozzle diameter.

Other tweaks: on my machine, the infill pattern on the base, was not right up to the perimeter(using ABS). To correct this and force Skienforge to run closer to the edge, I changed a value in “Inset” The default value is 0.1, reduce this and the gap gets wider, increase this and the overlap is larger. My value finished up at 0.3 to give a nice clean join up to the perimeter.

Other settings of interest that do not alter the accuracy of the part are:
The fill density depending on how robust the part needs to be, Values 0.1 to 0.99 are all good.
0.1 to 0.4 Light duty
0.4or 0.5 Normal duty
0.5 to 0.9 Heavy duty

Interface layers in the raft:
I use 1 not the default 2 layers, this is quicker and still caters for a slight run out or warp in the bed material.

Finally, in raft I do not use the cooling cycle and I have quite a few of the other options switched off. The complete set-up mentioned here is cut back to the minimum requirement, from this point you can experiment with other options from a known base point.

The easiest thing for me to do is post a version of Skienforge along with my preferences and the latest version of the firmware. Everybody trying this will then be exactly the same and I have a sporting chance of helping anybody who has problems with the print.

That's just about it, with the machine set as above you will be able to move through the full range of print quality by making only two changes to Skienforge namely layer thickness and extruder RPM

The image shows the complete range of practical values for layer thickness. On the left 0.55mm through to 0.25mm in 0.05mm steps. All the cylinders are printed single filament wall.
ABS
16mm/sec head speed.

*There are plans to create a range of nozzle sizes for use with the machine.

Machine/Firmware manual

2009-06-25T14:42:00.002+01:00

RapMan O&M Manual

Machine Geometry.
Table Coordinates
It might be easier to view the print table as a a sheet of graph paper, and therefore, that each point of the table has an X,Y coordinate we can send the tool head to. The axes are set such that the centre of the table is the origin at X=0,Y=0.

Looking down on the table with (0,0) at the centre, a positive(+ve) move in X would be a move to the right of centre. A +ve move in Y is from the centre to the rear of the machine, exactly as the standard graph representation drawn on paper.

e.g.
If we pass the machine an instruction to go to point X50,Y50 if starting from the origin, the tool will be sent 50mm to the right in X and 50mm to the rear in Y

X-50,Y-50 would do the opposite and send the tool 50mm to the left in X and 50mm forward of centre in Y.

The four quadrants as follows.
X+,Y+ Rear, right hand 12 – 3 O clock
X+, Y- Front, right hand 3 – 6 O clock
X-,Y- Front left hand 6 – 9 O clock
X-, Y+ Rear left hand 9 – 12 O clock

We are also able to move the Machine in the Z axis, this being a straight line through the origin perpendicular to X and Y. For the RapMan we have defined Z = 0mm when the tool is just touching the top of the table (or work piece). A 10mm +ve move in Z will move the table down giving the tool an elevation of +10mm above the table. A -ve move in Z would move the tool into the table or work piece.

If we mount a 5mm thick work piece on the table and set Z=0 on top of it, this will enable us to use -ve Z values and machine down into the 5mm thick work piece.

On top of the table the maximum work area is:
X -135 to 130
Y -100 to 100
And in Z a range:
Z 0 to 230
Giving a maximum potential size of object at 265 x 200 x 230mm

When designing for Rapid prototyping we should aim to create an object that is equally spaced about the origin, in this way when it is printed on the RapMan the object is neatly printed in the centre of the table.

Stepper Motors
The RapMan uses stepper motors to move in each of the three axes, this is critical to the operation of the machine as these motors can be made to move in a very controlled manor.
Unlike other DC and AC motors that rotate when power is applied, the stepper motor is only able to move in discrete steps in either direction. The motors we use have 200 full steps per revolution, ie, issue the motor controller a single step and it turns the motor 1/200 of a revolution. The important thing to realise is the motor is held in each new position and while energised it does not move again unless it gets another step pulse.

It gets a little more complicated in that the stepper controllers are able to take the basic step resolution and deliver 1/16th step output, thus giving us the ability to move the motor in 200x16=3200 steps every revolution.

To turn the motor 180 degrees, we send it 1800 steps, if the diameter of the motor drive pulley is known, it is possible to calculate exactly how far this will be. The motor can be run at constant RPM by sending it a continuous stream of pulses at a fixed frequency, if the steps are counted it is possible to calculate exactly how many revs the motor has turned.

Knowing the circumference of the motor pulley and the number of pulses per revolution in X and Y we can show it requires 87.575steps/mm
In Z we have 2560steps/mm since we are turning a threaded rod with a small pitch.

Following on from the graph analogy the RapMan table is divided up into squares equating to a 1/16th step, this is the smallest discrete unit we can address.

87.575 steps in a mm this will give us 0.011mm resolution in X&Y with 0.0004mm in Z
These are theoretical maximums for the machine, realistic maximum is 0.1mm XY&Z.
Mainly due to restrictions of materials used.

Home
To ensure that we know where the tool is at any time, the machine is initialised to a known reference point, we call this the Home position.

The first action of the machine is always to confirm the position of the Home coordinate. It does this by running up to limit switches then moving back out very slowly until the switch resets. As each axes sets then re-sets the switch, it updates the processor with values defined for the back left hand corner of the machine.Home on the RapMan is at coordinate X = -135mm, Y = 100mm, Z = 0mm
The origin of the machine in the centre of the table is at coordinate 0,0 Measured from Home this is a "step" move of 135*steps/mm in X and -100*steps/mm in YRest Position.
At the front right hand side of the table there is another hole cut in the table, this is designated as a rest position. This is placed at the front of the machine to make access to the tool easier.
The rest position is at table coordinate X130, Y-100, Z is at the current height.

Electronics.
The electronics offer a basic UI to control the machine. This is achieved by use of push buttons and a small OLED screen to display updates of machine status.
The control board also contains the interface for an SD Card and an array of four stepper motor driver chips.

Along the top of the board we have motor connection terminals Fan and AUX header.
On the left we have the tool header, on the right our power and USB ports.
Alongside the screen you will find the PICKit2 programming header.
At the heart of the board is the main processor the Microchip PIC32 running at 80MHz. This is one of the latest high performance 32bit devices and it controls all aspects of the RapMan.
Details of the connections to the board are covered by the build manual. Please use this to ensure it is connected exactly as stated.

Tool Header
The RapMan identifies the type of tool fitted by checking the voltage dropped across a reference resistor, values as follows:

Description Resistor A/D
976 Ohm resistor for PEN 1K (90)
4.7K Ohm resistor for Extruder 4K7 (320)
9.9K Ohm resistor for Extruder2 10K (500)
22K Ohm resistor for Not Defined 22K (700)
47K to 100K Ohm resistor for Router 47K to 100K (840 to 920)
1M Ohm resistor for No Tool 1M to open circuit(1010 to 1024)

At Ver1.0.5 the Extruder, Pen and Router have been defined in firmware.

AUX header.
Top left of the board is a two way screw terminal used to power any auxiliary equipment fitted to the RapMan. This port is driven by a FET feeding 12VDC to the terminals. Power is limited only by the size of the PSU supplied with the RapMan. If you need several Amps from this port then please change the main PSU and add in the extra capacity.

The RapMan uses 12V 5Amp supply.

SD Card
The control board has an indicator LED for card detect, no card the LED is OFF, card correctly installed the LED is ON.

The RapMan uses an SD or MMC card up to Maximum 2GB
The card should be formatted to FAT16 or 32
Files on the card should reside in the root directory and be in the form of G-Code text files as generated by Skienforge. File size is not limited and can run to several Megabytes.
Valid file extensions are *.gco and *.bfb any other file extension is rejected as invalid

Firmware
V1.0.5
On power up the firmware offers the following Menu
1)Run File
2)Manual Move
3)Tool Setup
4)Home Tool head

Move up or down through the menu items using the Y+ and Y- buttons, press X+ to select the option

1)Run File
This checks to see the tool type fitted and enables you to choose the file you want to run.
The file offered as the first choice is the last one added to the card.
At this time use the Y+ button to move to the previous file and Y- to go to the next file.

You can see confirmation of the file number at the bottom of the screen.
Selection of the file is made by pressing the X+ button on the right.
If you wish to return back to the start menu press “Esc” button at the bottom left of the screen.
Once the file has been selected the machine confirms the home coordinate and proceeds to run the file.

During the print it is possible to pause the process by pressing the Esc button. In this event the machine halts at the end of the current instruction and runs over to the rest position where the heater and extruder motor are turned off.

The message on the screen reflects the status of the machine and offers return to print by pressing the escape button again.

It is possible to make adjustment to the machine settings during a print.
The axis buttons are all redefined to change the three main parameters.
X buttons change extruder speed up and down
Y buttons change the temperature up and down
Z buttons change the tool speed up and down.

Note the changes are made at the end of the current g_code instruction to prevent corruption of the print.
At the end of the print you are given option to return to the main menu.

Screen output:
You should always be able to see the Firmware version number at the top of the screen.
Below this is confirmation of the file name that is open.

The current G_Code line number
The Tool Head speed in mm/s
The Extrusion rate in mm/s

The next two lines are status indicators.
Top is the print progress, this runs left to right and is updated regularly throughout the print.
The print is complete when the solid bar reaches the right hand side of the screen.

The next line of the screen shows the status of the step buffer. This is another progress bar running left to right. No indication is buffer empty, a full bar across the screen is buffer full.
The status is reported at the end of each G-code instruction, after the following line has been read in and is ready to go. If there is content left in the buffer at the end of each line of code then we have no segment pausing. It is normal for this line to be very animated.

The bottom line of the screen reflects the extruder status.
The first number on the left is the target temperature setting for the extruder.
The asterisk shows heater status, when showing the heater is on, not showing the heater is off.
Immediately to the right of this is the current temperature of the extruder, this number shows the temperature reported by the thermistor on the heater barrel, the value fluctuates as the heater is switched in and out.

If the temperature drops 5C or more from the set value then the fan is turned off, if the temperature drops 10C or more the motor is turned off for protection.

2)Manual Move
Select this option to move the machine manually. The information on the screen reflects the current position in XY and Z. This function is most useful to move the machine round during setup, especially in finding the home position for Z.

3)Tool Setup
The machine moves over to the rest position for this mode. In this way any extrudate can discharge through the hole provided in the table.

Below the firmware version number, the screen shows the tool attached to the RapMan.
In the case of a Pen this screen is redundant as there is no set up to be done.

In the case of the extruder the screen gives a message at the top if the temperature is lower than 100 DegC. This is just a reminder that the motor will not run if the temperature is too low. As soon as the temperature is above this figure the message is removed.

On the next line is the current setting for the extrusion rate in mm/s, when you first enter the screen this value shows 0.7mm/s as the Extruder is set at 1rpm. The extruder minimum value is 1, below this is off, above 1 starts the motor (if Temp >100C)

The next line is the heater status On or off.
The bottom line of the screen reflects the extruder status.
The first number on the left is the target temperature setting for the extruder.
The asterisk shows heater status, when showing the heater is on, not showing the heater is off.
Immediately to the right of this is the current temperature of the extruder, this number shows the temperature reported by the thermistor on the heater barrel, the value fluctuates as the heater is switched in and out.

X+/- adjust the extrusion rate up and down
Y+/- adjust the temperature setting up and down
Z+/- do not have any effect.

This mode is most useful in setting the machine to run new materials and in when checking the extruder function.

4)Home Tool head
Does only as it suggests. Re confirms the home position from any point on the table.
Use in conjunction with the manual moves to set Z=0.

G-Code instruction
In addition to the control offered by the menu we also have special instruction codes that can be put into the G-Code, these items are Modal commands for switching in or out machine functions.
Listing of all special commands follows,

M_Code_M101 Turn extruder on.
M_Code_M103 Turn extruder off.
These two codes frequently work together in the G-Code to flag when the extruder is, or is not, required. This usually occurs at the end of a printed thread while the tool moves to the start of the next thread. The RapMan default is to continue to run the extruder during this time and use the M103 flag to initiate a rapid move then return to normal print speed after M101.
If you require the motor to stop during these moves then you can use the M225 command below, this flag stops the motor during rapid moves. M224 returns the system to default.

M_Code_M104 M104 S145.0 Set temperature to 145.0 C.
Used to make a change in temperature. The machine is instructed over to the rest position while the change takes place, after this it returns to the print and continues.

M_Code_M106 M106 Turn fan on.
M_Code_M107 Turn fan off.
M106 and 7 set a flag to enable or disable fan control.
M_Code_M108 M108 S210 Set extruder speed to 21.0RPM

BFB codes
M_Code_M220 Turn off AUX
M_Code_M221 Turn on AUX
M220 and 221 directly switch the Aux port on or off

M_Code_M222 M122 S500 Set speed of fast XY moves
M_Code_M223 M123 S500 Set speed of fast Z moves
500fast – 2000slow
M222 and 223 set the speeds used for the fast moves initiated by M103, Machine default is set at 500
Settings up to 1000 all work well, the larger the number the slower the speed and as a consequence the hairs get thicker. The benefit of slower speeds is that it is very much kinder to the machine.
(I use 768 for both values)

M_Code_M224 Enable extruder motor during fast move
M_Code_M225 Disable extruder motor during fast move
These flags set and re-set the extruder enable during fast moves. Enabled you run the motor during the move.

G_Codes

2009-05-08T17:40:00.003+01:00

G_Code section included for reference:

RapMan special codes
G0 Rapid Motion Implemented - supports X, Y, and Z axes.
G1 Coordinated Motion Implemented - supports X, Y, and Z axes.
G2 Arc – Clockwise Not used by Skienforge
G3 Arc - Counter Clockwise Not used by Skienforge
G4 Dwell Implemented.
G20 Inches as units Implemented.
G21 Millimetres as units Implemented.
G28 Go Home Implemented.
G90 Absolute Positioning Implemented. V1.0.5
G92 Set current as home Implemented V1.0.5

M101 Turn extruder on Forward.
M102 Turn extruder on Reverse. Still to add
M103 Turn extruder off.
M104 S145.0 Set target temperature to 145.0 C.
M105 Custom code for temperature reading. Not used
M106 Turn fan on.
M107 Turn fan off.
M108 S400 Set Extruder speed to S value/10 = 40rpm.

M codes that may be introduced for the RepRap
M120 Pgain PWM control values
M121 Igain “
M122 Dgain “
M123 Imax “
M124 Imin “

**********************
BFB codes
**********************
M220 Turn off AUX V1.0.5
M221 Turn on AUX V1.0.5
M222 Set speed of fast XY moves V1.0.5
M223 Set speed of fast Z moves V1.0.5

Typical File header produced by Skienforge:
G21 millimeter system selection
G90 absolute distance mode
G28 Return to home position
M222 S1024 Manually added to file M222 S500 Set speed of fast XY moves. Default value 500 -V1.0.5
M223 S768 Manually added to file M223 S500 Set speed of fast Z moves. Default value 500 -V1.0.5
M103 Turn extruder OFF.
M105 Custom code for temperature reading – not used by RapMan
M104 S247.0 Set temperature to 145.0 DegC.
G1 X0.0 Y0.0 Z0.0 F480.0 linear interpolation
M101 Turn extruder ON.
Main code follows

Tony.

Skienforge Settings

2009-05-08T17:31:00.002+01:00

The Skienforge tool suite is well documented along with the download.
I would like to thank Enrique Perez for this remarkable body of work. It has settings for everything you are ever likely to want to tweak. I find the G_Code generated is capable of producing very nice prints.
I use the following basic settings and only usually change temperatures and speeds. I will point out any other settings that are specific to a particular print file.

Analyze -not used

Carve – numbers from the top
1.5
1.0
Check – correct mesh
Infill bridgewidth 1.5
Check – Infill in direction of bridges
Layer thickness 0.4
Layer thickness over precision 10.0
Clip – 0.15

Comb – Not active

Export –Check – Activate Export
Check - Delete Comments
Check – Delete M110 Gcode line
Uncheck - Binary 16 Byte
Check – Do Not Change output
Uncheck - Gcode Small
Uncheck – Gcode Step
File Extension - “bfb”

Fill - List of settings from the top
999
0
1
0
1
0.1
0.0
45.0
1
0.2
90.0
Infill Pattern – Grid Hexagonal
Interior infill density over exterior density ratio 0.9
Check – Outside Extruded first
Solid Surface thickness layers – 3

Fillet – Not Active
Hop – Not Active

Inset – Extrusion Perimeter width 1.8
Infill Perimeter 0.05
Check – Calculate overlap form Perimeter and infill
Check – Start at Home

Material – ABS
Multiply – Not Active
Oozebane – Not Active

Polyfile – Check - Execute file

Raft – Check – Activate Raft
Check – Add Raft
Numbers from the top
0.5
1.0
1
0.75
0.0
0.1
0.5
1.0
2
1.0
Next block
1.0
15.0
0.0
Check – No Support material
Bottom block of numbers
60.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
247.0 Use your temperature setting here!
247.0 Use your temperature setting here!
247.0 Use your temperature setting here!
247.0 Use your temperature setting here!
0
0
Speed – Activate Speed
Extrusion Dia over thickness ratio 1.25
FeedRate mm/s 16 – Use your speed setting here.
Uncheck – Do not add flow rate
Uncheck – Metric
Check – PWM Setting – we use this to set the extruder RPM
Bottom block of numbers
400.0 Extruder RPMx10
0.5
1.0
1.0

Stretch – Not Active
Tower – Not Active
Unpause – Not Active
Wipe – Not Active

Tony.

Print Problems

2009-05-08T14:49:00.027+01:00

Potential print problems:

Too Cold
The filament looks like it is wiry with strands that pop up from the raft, inter layer adhesion is poor or non-existent.

Too Hot
This is harder to diagnose, you might find you can build the object completely especially if the object is small.
Generally speaking the characteristic of to high temperature is the layers melt into one another too much, fine detail in the shape is hard to maintain and the object is likely to exhibit more warping. The easiest way to diagnose this is to print a test object that has a fine stem, like the wine glass.

Print speed greater then Extrusion rate
This pulls the filament thinner, if you intend to run like this you must make allowance for it in Skienforge, set the layer thickness to a lower value in direct proportion.

Print speed less than Extrusion rate
This is used to good effect on the base layer of the raft, more material is pumped out thickening the filament. As above if you wish to maintain dimensional accuracy in the main body of the print you must make allowance for it in Skienforge, set the layer thickness to a higher value in direct proportion.

Warping
Running 16mm/s at 40rpm with ABS is good for small objects but starts to cause problems the larger the object gets. By the time any dimension is > 50mm warping is a significant effect.
I have done some experimentation recently and found warping can be reduced if the print speed is reduced. Try 8mm/sec at 20rpm, this has produced objects > 100mm long with minimal warping, the obvious down side is the build time is doubled.
Another option is to warm the print table or blow hot air round the print, both methods have been used to good effect.

Removal of the object
The easiest way is to slide a flat blade under the raft and work all the way round, chances are the object will pop off before you are finished. Alternatively if the object remains stubbornly fixed to the table. Push the blade as far as you can under one edge, then get a flat bladed screwdriver and use it to push the back of the blade. I have not failed with this method so far. If you do this please take care with the blade, I don't want any medical bills flying my way!
Tip: mark the X axis orientation on the print with a felt tip pen.

You now have your first minimug off the printer.

Ovality
Is the mug round or very slightly oval? You may need to run a large circular object to be sure of this. If there is any ovality it should be aligned with either the X or Y axis. Take the small diameter
and note the axis that is running undersized. Check the belt on that axis is tight enough.

The photo shows good prints top and bottom, left and right are slightly oval.

Material Feed fault
This otherwise good print was spoilt by the material feed, the plastic reel was too stiff on its axle, the extra drag was too much for the extruder and it slipped a few times during build.
The drum was remounted on bearings and the next print was fine.

Have a good look at the finished object. The minimug is quite strong, it should be very hard to break it. If it does fracture along the layers then try a slightly higher temperature.

Are the sides of the mug good quality, with no hanging filaments on the outside, it may have slight imperfections due to Z moves. Inside will have a few hairs, this is normal.

The minimug is a good starting point, but it will not allow the fine tuning required to run off some of the more demanding objects, so for now, try a series of minimugs, play with the settings and observe the results, you will soon start to get a feel for the machine and how the material behaves.

Continue until you can reliably produce a good mug.

Changes on the fly
With the new firmware release it is possible to change the extrusion rpm and the set temperature during a print run. We have utilised the four axis buttons (+X-X+Y-Y) to increase or decrease the settings as required.

X RPM Adjust the extruder RPM
Y Temperature Adjust the heater temperature

Once you start printing you can use the buttons to do any fine adjustment and immediately observe the result in the print. This is also a real help when testing new materials, it can save much card swapping. When you see the result you want, make a note of the settings and edit the G_Code file to suit.

I encourage you to have a play with the feature and learn what changes can be made to the print quality. Take care when you run down to the lower temperatures for the material.

Tony.

Printing

2009-05-08T14:04:00.008+01:00

I have used the machine with reasonable success on several materials, each has its own little quirks needed to get the best out of them. Tested so far: PCL, PLA, PP, HDPE & ABS(several types).

For the purpose of these notes I will describe printing with ABS, this is one of the easier materials to work with and probably the most popular choice for RP parts.
If you have followed me so far you have a nice square, free running machine with a fully functioning extruder. So now we can run off perfect prints, right?

Well, the answer is yes and no.

You may be lucky and produce some very sharp prints from the off but the chances are if you are anything like me then the results will be variable.

I don't suggest that the following notes are the definitive guide but they should give you decent results on the V3 machine. Try the techniques and please give feedback as there is no actual substitute for the experience gained from use of the machine.

Your first print object.
Tradition states you print off a mimimug. This is not a bad one to try first, its small therefore prints quite quickly, it has a flat base with thin(ish) walls so you get to see how the machine behaves.

Starting the print.
First thing you might want to do is break the surface of the acrylic, the high gloss finish of fresh acrylic enables the ABS to stick so well you may have trouble removing your finished object. I suggest using the edge of a Stanley knife blade. Drag it over the print area sideways, all you are trying to do is frost the printing surface a little.

Earlier in my notes I went through the set-up for the extruder Z. Now its time to test our machine and put down a raft.

The purpose of printing a raft is to create an accurate bed on which to build our object. The acrylic table may have debris stuck to it from previous printing, it may be slightly warped or even as you get a few hours on the machine form thermal cracks in the surface. The raft removes any chance of these faults spoiling the print. It also serves another purpose, it holds your print firm during the build, this is especially important as any warping mid build would render the object dimensionally inaccurate or void the whole print. On several occasions I have lost a print through warping sometimes hours into the build, this is no joke!

So the Raft needs to be flat and stuck down well to the table.

Start the test object, observe the machine home then move over to the rest position while the extruder warms up. When it is up to temperature, the motor starts and the extruder moves over to the print site. As the raft pattern begins notice how the filament is deposited on the table. A round filament will hardly adhere to the table at all, in fact it will probably lift off before you get to the end of the raft. On the other hand if the nozzle is skating across the surface of the acrylic and only the faintest smear of plastic is laid down. This will cause unnecessary strain on the extruder and you will probably find the filament skips. What you are looking for is something halfway between, a nice fat track maybe double the filament thickness. This will adhere to the table well and serve as a good bed for subsequent layers.

Once you have printed a few objects you will soon find what sticks and what does not.

Observe the machine
In the next section I will explore a few of the common print faults.

Tony

Extruder

2009-05-06T17:43:00.002+01:00

I don't have too many tips for building a successful extruder, the design is now fairly well refined. If you build it to the instructions then you should not have too many problems.
However it is worth a few notes and observations on the subject.

The hot end is fundamental to the whole machine. The main factors are getting the heat into the plastic as close to the nozzle as possible and keeping the hot zone as small as possible. The design ensures these criteria are met by using a compact nozzle and PTFE insulator. The heater element can be wound at 4 to 8 Ohms, anything in this region will work. I have mine wound at 6Ohms for historical reasons, all my heaters have been this value.

Take care with the heater and thermistor wires to ensure they do not touch and that they remain insulated from the support structure. Confirm the resistance of both devices when the extruder is fitted to the machine for the first time.

The Heater/PTFE interface.
The back end of the heater barrel has to be cut off and set on the PTFE just clear of the main heater body, this is required to introduce a thermal break. This prevents the full heat being transmitted to a long section of the PTFE. The result of not doing this would be very difficult starting, the plastic goes soft a long way up the PTFE. This will work the first time but after it has cooled the extended melt zone takes a long time to soften again. If you run the extruder like this it will most likely cause a mechanical failure.

Even with the backup ring, the plastic melts in the end of the PTFE, how far it extends depends on the temperature you are running at but the zone certainly extends to the end of the section inserted in the heater and on for a few mm above the heater. The plastic swells a little as it approaches melting point but as we are putting a high load on the material, it also deforms to the point it fills the bore of the PTFE. As soon as the filament rubs on the side of the PTFE the extrusion force goes up. A long transition zone will need a high extrusion force to keep it moving. Drilling of the PTFE enables the end of the filament to expand to a larger diameter, this exposes a lot more surface area of plastic to the top of the heater barrel improving heat transfer to the filament at the critical point. I also run a 5mm drill into the end of the heater barrel, just the conical tip, this gives even more area for heat transfer and helps funnel the material into the heater.

MK2 extruder
I was able to get some very nice results from the original GM3 powered BFB extruder, all the same principles apply, keep the melt zone short and support the PTFE close to the heater. Stability of the motor speed and the quality of the motors were the only slight issues. I ran both single and twin motor versions for many months without a problem. I still believe this original extruder design is very good and it certainly proved itself reliable over that time.
For those who had problems getting them to work I strongly suggest you blueprint the design exactly as it should be, by all means sharpen the thread and undercut it with a hack saw if you must but this should be the limit of the mods. The most common error I have heard about is the omission of the small reaction washer behind the main feed screw. Miss this out and you will never grip the filament tight enough. Build the extruder exactly as the instructions and it works, mess with the PTFE add custom heaters and coach bolts for the drive screw(what!), and you are in unknown territory. Run it how it should be first, get some experience in printing, you will then start to see where modifications would pay dividends, the original one works very well and starts reliably from cold.

In all of the above I assume that your control system maintains the temperature and speed correctly. Again, stating the obvious, you are wasting your time if you try to run the motor at low temperature, 10 or 20 deg under temp the plastic is so viscous the extruder will slip or break.

The Version 3 machine takes things a “step” further. The new design uses a stepper motor drive, this gives a very stable speed and has plenty of power for the job.
The speed range is has been greatly improved also the stability of the speed has given us another significant quality improvement. The motor is certainly powerful enough to cause damage if things are not set correctly. Ian is just finishing off some changes to the hot end that should enable the full power of the motor to be utilised. This will help pulling material from the drum and increase the safe temperature range for the hot end.

I would encourage anybody who has the standard PTFE (All of you at the moment!) to build the original design to start with. If you do this and take care with your settings it will last indefinitely. I have used the version that ships with the kit for many hours of printing and I not had a failure of the PTFE or any other part of the hot end. See the attached picture, the only mod is use of a 10mm olive as my backup ring, the PTFE has been in there for weeks.

If you are having problems with the PTFE the following may give a few clues of what to tweak.
The main modes of failure for the PTFE as seen during destruction testing.

Extrusion to hot
The problem here is the PTFE looses its mechanical properties around 240Deg. The insulator either balloons out above the heater or deforms and gets pushed out of the heater barrel.

Extrusion too cold.
Here the plastic viscosity goes through the roof and the pressures required to extrude it are very high, this combined with the temperature, either cause the PTFE to get blown out of the heater or more likely, the heater assembly is damaged in some way.

Extrusion too fast.
The higher the flow through the nozzle the more pressure is required to force it through, failure mode could be either of the above.

To avoid damage, get your temperatures right before you start the motor.

Its worth mentioning at this point that any temperatures we swap will always be a ball park figure. I could tell you that I extrude ABS at 235DegC, you may try this and damage the extruder.

The problem here is twofold, the calibration of your machine and the material.
Hopefully calibration errors will be small as we will both be using the same design heater with the same thermistor in the same position, even so + or – 1 or 2 DegC is possible.
In my opinion the material is a greater issue. I have ABS here that will extrude comfortably at my setting of 227 to 230DegC. I also have ABS that needs to run at 245to 247DegC. Run the Higher temp stuff at 230 an I would almost certainly break the extruder or blow the PTFE.
If I run the lower temp material at 247DegC I get a very messy print. Either way you would be contacting me to say my settings produce rubbish on your machine.

You will need to establish the correct setting for the material you are going to use, take any settings you see on the web(or from me) and run your own test just to be sure. This applies to new coils of the same material, different colours or different source for the same product.

You will find a tool set up option on the main menu, this should be used for initial assessment of any new material you use in the machine.

The way I do this is first slacken off the filament tension clamp all the way. If the motor starts its not going to cause a problem. The last thing you want is to drive the material through if the temp is low.

Load the material.

The screen will be showing the heater status, the set temperature (0), in the middle, the ambient temperature reported by the thermistor, and on the right, the extruder rpm set at 1rpm.
Note: the ambient reading of the thermistor will be unstable, this temperature is almost off the bottom of the scale for the device. Readings stabilise when >100DegC. Max for the thermistor is 300DegC

If you have a ball park figure that others are using you can set that temperature and let it warm up.
Push the material through by hand. If you can get material flowing from the nozzle refit the filament clamp and tighten the screws. If its impossible to get a flow by hand feeding, increase your temperature in 5 degC steps until you can.

Adjust temperature speed and spring tension to achieve a reliable extruded filament at the print settings you intend to use.

For hand feeding the extruder, I use a pair of small nose pliers to grip and push the filament as it enters the top of the extruder.

If you do not have any idea of the setting, take the filament clamp off and feed the material through by hand, increase the temperature in steps until you can push the filament through. Refit the clamp and tighten up the clamp springs half way. Ramp up the motor to 10 or 15rpm. See if it extrudes. Continue to adjust the settings to how you intend to print.
Turn the machine off and let it cool down.

Turn on again and immediately enter the print settings. Observe the extruder come up to temperature and start the motor. Does it work? If it starts again reliably then you are ready to try a print.

Tony

Printing.

2009-05-05T20:35:00.001+01:00

I have been using one of these printers now for well over a year, much of that time has been taken doing many test prints on versions one, two and more recently, version three of the machine.

The many hours of printing have given us a fair idea of what works and given direction to further develop the machine in order to improve quality.

It is still an emergent technology at this level and as such does take a little care and attention to get the best out of it. To ensure you are able to achieve good quality prints quickly, I will try to set down a few pointers that should help get you started.

For the first section of notes I am going to concentrate on how I have the machine set. Much of this will overlap the assembly instructions but may also contain tips that vary from them. To do the set up correctly is quite time consuming but stick with it and you will be rewarded with an accurate reliable printer. The idea is to keep this under review, I will add and edit notes as required to keep the information relevant to what people need. Please feel free to swap your experiences and tips.

By the end of this series I would like everybody to be able to produce nice quality prints.

Set-up.
If you wish to print accurate parts then the machine must be put together accurately. I know this is stating the bleedin obvious but it can not be stressed enough. How many of you for instance have gone round the complete machine with the setting bars and ensured that they fit every position horizontal, vertical and diagonal? Did you tip the machine over and check all the bottom dimensions? The setting bar should slip on the rods easily, without bending or forcing in any way.

If you have taken care during the build and used the setting bars exclusively for every rod spacing and diagonal then the final test on the complete machine will be a relatively quick process, if not then I am afraid the solution is to start on the bottom frame and get everything right from the ground up. There is no short cut for this. The best advice is use the setting bars for everything during the build, when you finish sub assemblies recheck when its been tightened up and get it perfect before you move on to the next stage.

Clean the 12mm bars! Polish the bars, remove any small rust spots, preservative, paint that may be adhering to the surface. Dress out any marks.

The X carriage.
The main area to take care with on this assembly is to fit the bearing clamps correctly. Aim to get the clamp plates parallel with the top plate and then do all the nuts up finger tight only. When all three bearings are set in this way check the X carriage for movement, there should be zero to very slight play. If there is too much play tighten all the nuts a little by hand and retest. The end result is minimal play and the X carriage is very free to run on the bars. If it gets tight at either end then adjust the 12mm clamp plates on the Y Carriage.

The Y carriage
Follow the same guidelines for the Y carriage
The belts should be adjusted to remove all slack but not be pulled over tight as this puts unnecessary strain on the motor and bearings. The Y belts should be fitted with the carriage at the front of the machine, ensure both ends are resting on the frame stops when the belts are tight.

The axis should run the full length of the track very easily with no tight spots.
Tip: If you are getting holes on the print that are not perfectly round then the belts could be a little slack on that axis.

The Z axis.
If a nut cannot be easily run top to bottom of the thread then it may be worth running a die down each rod. It is not uncommon to find debris from the plating process caught up in the thread profile.

Other tips for easy running, assemble the top anti-backlash nut at minimum engagement in the plastic retainer. This will reduce the spring pre load on the anti-backlash mechanism, you could even take a couple of coils off the springs.
Check the captive nut at the bottom of the ant-backlash mechanism is fully seated in its recess.
Push them fully home with a small set of pliers.

When you install the four rods on the machine, seat the bottom bearing in its housing then run the top nut up under the upper bearing and make sure it just locks the bearing in position, hold the top nut and tighten the bottom one against it. The threaded rod should be securely located between top and bottom plates without any vertical play.
Check each rod turns freely and fit the belt. Do not over tighten the belt, light finger pressure on the long runs should deflect the belt 10 to 15mm.

The Table
Set the table height relative to the Y axis 12mm bars, use a vernier to ensure its as close as possible.

The sprung table can then be fitted and set using the extruder nozzle. To do this run the table up to below the nozzle, set so its just touching in the home corner, now push the extruder round the four corners and adjust the springs so its just touching at every point. You will have to run round a few times to get an accurate setting.

The extruder zero setting.
Move the extruder over to the home position and adjust the table as described above, now run down the setting screw on the extruder until you just hear the switch click. Move the extruder away from the corner and give the screw another turn down.
This sets the extruder safely above the table.
Run the home command and check the height of the nozzle.
Continue to make small adjustments to the setting screw until the nozzle is fractionally above the table.
Between tests run the head over the table using the manual option on the machine menu.

To Follow...Extruder Set up.
Skienforge settings

Tony

Print Crime

2009-05-02T17:21:00.004+01:00

A friend at work and I share a taste in books, and we often loan them to each other. Last week he lent me Cory Doctorow's Overclocked, a collection of short stories. I've never read any of Cory's work before but I was speechless when I read the first story PrintCrime. It's only two pages long, and as it is licensed under the Creative Commons license I'm permitted to publish it here in full.

Enjoy.

The coppers smashed my father's printer when I was eight. I remember the hot, cling-film-in-a-microwave smell of it, and Da's look of ferocious concentration as he filled it with fresh goop, and the warm, fresh-baked feel of the objects that came out of it.

The coppers came through the door with truncheons swinging, one of them reciting the terms of the warrant through a bullhorn. One of Da's customers had shopped him. The ipolice paid in high-grade pharmaceuticals -- performance enhancers, memory supplements, metabolic boosters. The kind of things that cost a fortune over the counter; the kind of things you could print at home, if you didn't mind the risk of having your kitchen filled with a sudden crush of big, beefy bodies, hard truncheons whistling through the air, smashing anyone and anything that got in the way.

They destroyed grandma's trunk, the one she'd brought from the old country. They smashed our little refrigerator and the purifier unit over the window. My tweetybird escaped death by hiding in a corner of his cage as a big, booted foot crushed most of it into a sad tangle of printer-wire.

Da. What they did to him. When he was done, he looked like he'd been brawling with an entire rugby side. They brought him out the door and let the newsies get a good look at him as they tossed him in the car. All the while a spokesman told the world that my Da's organized-crime bootlegging operation had been responsible for at least 20 million in contraband, and that my Da, the desperate villain, had resisted arrest.

I saw it all from my phone, in the remains of the sitting room, watching it on the screen and wondering how, just how anyone could look at our little flat and our terrible, manky estate and mistake it for the home of an organized crime kingpin. They took the printer away, of course, and displayed it like a trophy for the newsies. Its little shrine in the kitchenette seemed horribly empty. When I roused myself and picked up the flat and rescued my poor peeping tweetybird, I put a blender there. It was made out of printed parts, so it would only last a month before I'd need to print new bearings and other moving parts. Back then, I could take apart and reassemble anything that could be printed.

By the time I turned 18, they were ready to let Da out of prison. I'd visited him three times -- on my tenth birthday, on his fiftieth, and when Ma died. It had been two years since I'd last seen him and he was in bad shape. A prison fight had left him with a limp, and he looked over his shoulder so often it was like he had a tic. I was embarrassed when the minicab dropped us off in front of the estate, and tried to keep my distance from this ruined, limping skeleton as we went inside and up the stairs.

"Lanie," he said, as he sat me down. "You're a smart girl, I know that. You wouldn't know where your old Da could get a printer and some goop?"

I squeezed my hands into fists so tight my fingernails cut into my palms. I closed my eyes. "You've been in prison for ten years, Da. Ten. Years. You're going to risk another ten years to print out more blenders and pharma, more laptops and designer hats?"

He grinned. "I'm not stupid, Lanie. I've learned my lesson. There's no hat or laptop that's worth going to jail for. I'm not going to print none of that rubbish, never again." He had a cup of tea, and he drank it now like it was whisky, a sip and then a long, satisfied exhalation. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

"Come here, Lanie, let me whisper in your ear. Let me tell you the thing that I decided while I spent ten years in lockup. Come here and listen to your stupid Da."

I felt a guilty pang about ticking him off. He was off his rocker, that much was clear. God knew what he went through in prison. "What, Da?" I said, leaning in close.

"Lanie, I'm going to print more printers. Lots more printers. One for everyone. That's worth going to jail for. That's worth anything."

Maybe I should lock my doors and start looking over my shoulder :o)

Making useful things

2009-05-02T16:06:00.009+01:00

I've seen many objects printed with a reprap machine, but few actually useful objects. Having recently completed building a BitsFromBytes V3 RapMan, I found myself in a position to do some myself.

Our dishwasher has been driving me nuts for years. The eight wheels that support the tray have worn loose, and fall off whenever the draw is pulled out. Over the floor, inside the machine or under the kitchen units. It had become a pet hate, a little like Ronnie Barker's till in Open All Hours.

Replacing these wheels became a major priority, not only for my sanity but to help convince my partner why having the printer on my desk in the lounge was A Good Idea.

Armed with one of the wheels and a cheap vernier caliper, I copied down the vital statistics. Now I am no mechanical engineer, but by looking at how the wheel moved inside the washer I had a good idea of what was important. I hoped.

I've been using CoCreate to create my drawings. It's a highly polished professional program, which is available for free ( for personal use. ) It's one of those programs that is easy to pick up, even when you are not an experienced mechanical designer ( I'm not. ) Now, I've never used a 3D CAD program before, and yet I was creating printable designs after just two evenings playing with it. I thoroughly recommend it, and I'll talk in a later post about how to use it with RapMan.

Here what my attempt at a dishwasher wheel looked like in CoCreate:

Looked fairly similar to the real thing. Of course, if I print it and it doesn't work, I can just go back and print another. I'd calculated that this thing would use about 30p worth of plastic, so it's no great deal.

I outputted the file as .stl and then ran that through Skienforge to generate a G code file suitable for RapMan. Thirty minutes later I had this:

The old one is on the left, the actual print output in the middle, and an assembled wheel on the right. Another seven prints later, and here is the dishwasher, fully assembled with reprapped parts:

The wheels worked perfectly without any modification or touching up. My wife was gobsmacked. Actually, so was I. This is what it's all about.

The printer now resides in our front room, without complaint.

If you have a De Dietrich dish washer model VN7451E1, drop me a line and I'll email you the design!