3D Printing Motor/Generators

[OrthoParameter]

My project goal is to produce motor/gen prototypes with 3D printing.
I have a rather unique design in mind.

After getting this printer built and dialed in, I will first build the rotor disk to carry permanent magnets.

Amazon is late with my Kapton tape which is needed to assemble the heated bed so my progress has been stalled, perhaps until next Monday, but so far it has been great fun and learning experience.

The base is pictured as well as a view inside of the idler bearings, power supply, and a stepper motor. There are three stepper motors for the x,y, and z axis and a fourth, not yet installed that feeds the filament through the hot end/ extruder.

[ZPDM]

My project goal is to produce motor/gen prototypes with 3D printing.
I have a rather unique design in mind.

After getting this printer built and dialed in, I will first build the rotor disk to carry permanent magnets.

Amazon is late with my Kapton tape which is needed to assemble the heated bed so my progress has been stalled, perhaps until next Monday, but so far it has been great fun and learning experience.

The base is pictured as well as a view inside of the idler bearings, power supply, and a stepper motor. There are three stepper motors for the x,y, and z axis and a fourth, not yet installed that feeds the filament through the hot end/ extruder.

I wish you success with your 3D printing endeavors. I recently paid a local government run 3D print shop for a printed rotor. It was expensive and the results weren't as good as I hoped though I haven't worked with it much yet so I shouldn't be too harsh. After this I also found on the internet the company Shapeways http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/m...stions/?li=nav I haven't used them for anything yet and have no affiliation with them but it looks promising to me. I think the ability to computer draft in for 3D might be a good skill to have going forward. It really is pretty exciting to think about. If one has a good motor or other experimental project then one can inexpensively have a printed circuit board prototyped and either now or fairly soon can have the various components consistently, fairly precisely and somewhat inexpensively prototyped as well. All the information can be distributed and made freely available at essentially no cost. Alternatively, if one wanted some income for their hard work and important efforts, instead of selling kits one could sell the circuit diagram + the 3d computer draft for exactly how to replicate the machine, no variability involved it would be done exactly like the original.

[Tom C]

just a hint for feeding the drive belts.... I used a piece of clear plastic cut from the cover of those report binders you can get at office depot. make it as narrow as the 80/20 strut slots and tape it to the end of the drive belt. the stepper motor part is easy but the other is not, makes it really easy to get it thru the slots of the carriages and into the clamps.

Tom C

[OrthoParameter]

Thank you! This way will be much cheaper since I write my own 3D modelling code in openSCAD. That way, I can produce variations in my design as I go without the huge cost of someone else doing the modelling.

The best part, besides the obvious cost benefit, is that I am only waiting on myself to make the changes in code and no longer dependent on third parties and UPS.

You are right on target with the replication process. Just release the .STL file and anyone can have it printed by shapeways or any of dozens (soon to be hundreds I'm sure) custom print shops.

Just got home from taking care of my elderly mother in assisted living and found I have a package ---- It has the elusive Kapton tape!!!

Back to the hotbed! Then I have towers to erect and wires to connect.

[OrthoParameter]

just a hint for feeding the drive belts.... I used a piece of clear plastic cut from the cover of those report binders you can get at office depot. make it as narrow as the 80/20 strut slots and tape it to the end of the drive belt. the stepper motor part is easy but the other is not, makes it really easy to get it thru the slots of the carriages and into the clamps.

Tom C

My wife has those exact things in her art studio! That will be very helpful....hadn't really looked that far ahead but I can see exactly what you are talking about.

[OrthoParameter]

Heated Bed wired up and mounted (complete with the elusive Kapton tape).

[OrthoParameter]

Towers and Top assembled with wires streaming from every orifice. Next is cheapskates assembly.

[OrthoParameter]

Skates mounted and belts properly tensioned. EZStruder mounted. Wiring is next up.

[OrthoParameter]

Delays abound! I got the HotEnd of the Extruder wired up and mounted, then I broke the effector putting the axles on. I emailed them last night and asked to purchase a new effector with the axles pre-installed. They are sending just that tomorrow morning and not charging me a dime!

The people of SeeMeCNC.com are the best people I have ever dealt with!

[OrthoParameter]

It's alive! It works! This is a picture of it finishing the PEEK fan shroud which has now been installed.... I just started printing the Layer fan shroud so I can print in PLA. Still learning autoScad in's and out's as there are many. Too fun...can't wait till I can print something really useful like a Yoda head....just kidding that's tomorrow.

[Allen R.]

Hey Ortho, that 3d printer is to cool! Will you be printing some ssg parts? Thanks for sharing the build with us.

al

[Tom C]

go to www.thingiverse.com all the cool stuff for rostock max mods are on there.

Tom C

[Tom C]

my rostock is currently printing calibration cubes then a peek fan shroud also. aqua net for the build plate works well!!

Tom C

[OrthoParameter]

Hey Ortho, that 3d printer is to cool! Will you be printing some ssg parts? Thanks for sharing the build with us.

al

Hey Allen,
I think your probably better off with what is already out there with respect to the SG. Don't you need a pretty tall tower to hold a bicycle wheel? I think buying plexiglass is probably cheaper than making towers with a printer.

Shaft collars and Face Mount Shaft collars are already pretty reasonably priced so that won't be a priority.

That said, my first project will be to create bearing holders that can be screwed or bolted onto any kind of support structure, including wood. That would make a support structure cheap indeed! At least that is my thought right now. I could find I am wrong but either way wood or just flat plexiglass, it is a place to start!

Feel free to share any ideas that could be done that is beneficial and I will certainly give it a look-see!

[OrthoParameter]

my rostock is currently printing calibration cubes then a peek fan shroud also. aqua net for the build plate works well!!

Tom C

I have been to thingiverse but I only looked at a few printable "things".
I had no idea that there were mods there! I will certainly look again. I really like the carbon manipulator arms made by tricklaser.

I had read somewhere about the aquanet hairspray. How does that compare with the purple gluestick when it comes to clean up?