CAD/CAM Software

[Tom C]

you can make extremely robust bearing supports with ABS.... I have done so,my last print was one of the bearing supports for a Zero Force motor. the part used 500 grams of filament and took 36 hours.

the bearing will fail before this piece does. its all about how you design, what your infill is, what the perimeters are. I have 3D printed parts running on a friends hot rod, throttle cable stuff, custom brackets for parts in the engine compartment. the list is endless.

the ability to print a rotor where the magnets can be made truly captive is a HUGE advantage

Tom C

[RS_]

Their are several very High Strength filaments like XT-CF20 and NylonX, that would be better than PLA or ABS to use for rotors and such......

[wrtner]

The bottom line is that many of their customers have a need to know the specs of the material. Some products may turn out to be very impressive. If so, it will enable people to design thinner components allowing for more turns on coils. The suppliers should supply the figures.

[wrtner]

I might take to testing some builds out with different material magnets speeds and verying degrees of thickness and density etc...

One of the manufacturers claims a filament that is magnetic. I don't really get it since the process must involve considerable heat and this might demagnetise. It might be up to the user to remagnetise afterwards.

[BobZilla]

Hey guys,

I wonder if you might offer an opinion on a printer I am considering since as I have said already I have no experience with them.

This one comes as a kit that you have to put together, I'm ok with that since I am pretty good with that sort of thing. What seems to set this one apart from others is the large print area (300x300x400mm) and they have plans for an add-on CNC attachment to come out at a later date.


Thanks---Bob

Link:
https://folgertech.com/collections/f...3d-printer-kit

[DMANN]

That looks great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q85tSHDfi6U I would definitely opt in on the auto bed leveling. It will help with your make ready time.

Mann

[wrtner]

Hey guys,

I wonder if you might offer an opinion on a printer I am considering since as I have said already I have no experience with them.

This one comes as a kit that you have to put together, I'm ok with that since I am pretty good with that sort of thing. What seems to set this one apart from others is the large print area (300x300x400mm) and they have plans for an add-on CNC attachment to come out at a later date.


Thanks---Bob

Link:
https://folgertech.com/collections/f...3d-printer-kit

They quote a filament diameter of 1.75mm and a resolution of 50 microns. I can see the vertical resolution could be OK but not in the X and Y directions.

Also, are ABS and PLA (plastic) the only filaments it can handle?

[BobZilla]

Thanks for the feed back guys.

@Wrtner

I could not find exact specifications on the resolution but in looking through the user manual thay have posted on google docs it seems that it is adjustable to some degree. As far as the materials it does say in the kit includes section

"x1 Direct Drive Extruder w/ Injection Molded Parts for 1.75mm ABS/PLA/Wood/HIPS/PETG "

I'm not sure if resolution will be a problem for me but I think the large print area is a good trade off if it is a bit less resolution than other units. At any rate I appreciate you pointing it out to me.

I do not see myself wanting to print highly detailed items like some do such as little action figures and whatnot. For me I want to be able to fabricate mechanical parts like gears, wheels and brackets. I am looking at it like the cost of this thing is basically the same as a single order at the machine shop without having to order high quantities of something just to bring the unit price down. Most things I have had machined have been great but once you get them and start using them you start to think, well I wish I had of put a hole here or this should be a little longer etc.. no going back once you order out for the thing.

[Tom C]

Bed leveling +1 for sure

on the filament resolution in the Z axis, this has to do with the stepper motor resolution, the hot end diameter and the speeds. this is a callout of the thickness of the layer. the x and y are dependant on the nozzle diameter, and software settings for filament overlap.

Hot end and materials- this is a conundrum, there are lots of variables:

1- the cartridge heater needs to be a 40 watt heater, most inexpensive ones come with a 25 watt heater, it is harder to maintain temps for exotic filaments
2- you need an ALL METAL HOTEND to print above 245C nylon prints at 300C. companies like hexagon, E3D, and such

http://reprap.org/wiki/Hot_End_Comparison

you need to know what the print head assembly is designed to hold, if it is a J head or other style.

EVERYONE needs a 3D printer!! I would get a prusa or a flashforge. the prusa is not enclosed buthas a bigger build volume than the flashforge.

Tom C

[BobZilla]

Ok so now I am starting to second guess the kit route. I know how to put things together but lets be honest here, there are a TON of things I do not know about when it comes to 3D printing. Perhaps I should get a more ready to play model for a first go at it and later worry about DIY stuff.

I still want larger print size than seems available on most units though. I was looking at the Robo R2 which is ready to go out of the box pretty much but at a high price. It claims to be able to run pretty much any material and it is enclosed. I think enclosure is important in my case especially because my house is often drafty and the temps vary a lot. The Robo R2 has a heated bed which I understand to be important, upgrade to two extrusion heads for multiple materials and a bunch of other bells and whistles.

It's a lot more than I wanted to spend but what do you think about this unit? I want to be happy about whatever I get, sure cheaper seems great but not if the thing you buy does not perform well enough to make you happy to use it right.

I saw a video where they said they were planning to offer different attachments for it in the future also like CNC and laser engraver.

https://robo3d.com/robor2/

Sorry to keep stepping on your thread asking about printers Tom, I know you wanted to talk software but I will be up to speed for that after I get a printer.

Maybe Aaron would be willing to set a section up just for 3D stuff on the forum?

[Tom C]

Bob,

I dont mind talking about this stuff, its all good. I have a Robo R1 plus, it works great, it has a hexagon all metal hotend as stock, so it can print at higher temps, you just have to mode the code to change the temp.

in general, if you want good prints in abs or other higher temp materials, you need to enclose the printer so the temp is even from bottom to top of print.

Heated beds are very important, especially for ABS.

I was helping get rid of the printers John had in his shop. he really liked his Davinci printer, and I have a 2.0 duo new in a box from his shop. it has a proprietary filament cartridge, which costs about double what a standard bulk filament costs, but out of the box it just prints, and amazon sells them at a better price. I have a 1.0 aall in one I use occasionally. needs a new heated bed right now I have not gotten around to fixing it.


if your interested send me a P.M. we can work out a price, its a big box, so shipping will have to be calculated at ups freight.

Tom C

[wrtner]

Can fairly low end printers use mild steel filaments?

[Tom C]

I don't know what you mean, a 3D printer is basically a hot glue gun on an gantry.... it melts plastics. you need to look at the filament, its properties, the max temp of the print head, if its an all metal head, and if it can handle the filament you want to print with. some filaments are extremely abrasive and will wear out a print nozzle quickly/. there are brass and copper filaments out there, and semi magnetic ones, and conductive filaments, I have never seen a filament that has steel powder in it. remember all the supposed ferrous and non ferrous filaments, at th very best are a compromise. no print head on a low end 3D printer can melt steel.

SLL printers, (stereo laser lithography) use a different method, printers like the ones from stratasys, are 30K or more and use powdered or sintered metals, and are welded by a lazer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6Px6RSL9Ac

[wrtner]

I don't know what you mean, a 3D printer is basically a hot glue gun on an gantry.... it melts plastics. you need to look at the filament, its properties ...

I would have thought this could all be scaled up with a pulsed laser melting a mild steel filament. Maybe this is for the future.

Very interesting video.

[BobZilla]

Bob,

I dont mind talking about this stuff, its all good. I have a Robo R1 plus, it works great, it has a hexagon all metal hotend as stock, so it can print at higher temps, you just have to mode the code to change the temp.

in general, if you want good prints in abs or other higher temp materials, you need to enclose the printer so the temp is even from bottom to top of print.

Heated beds are very important, especially for ABS.

I was helping get rid of the printers John had in his shop. he really liked his Davinci printer, and I have a 2.0 duo new in a box from his shop. it has a proprietary filament cartridge, which costs about double what a standard bulk filament costs, but out of the box it just prints, and amazon sells them at a better price. I have a 1.0 aall in one I use occasionally. needs a new heated bed right now I have not gotten around to fixing it.


if your interested send me a P.M. we can work out a price, its a big box, so shipping will have to be calculated at ups freight.

Tom C

Tom thank you for the offer but I decided to order a Prusa i3 Mk2. I don't like the idea of proprietary cartridges and people seem to love this model. It can print lots of materials and this one has many updated features. It's going to be awhile until it arrives though, they are on back order. I almost got the Robo R2 but this was a little cheaper and I figure I can build an enclosure for it out of some Plexi or something to make up for it's open air design.

I also ordered a hardened steel tip for printing exotic materials and the multi filiment upgrade package. All of this was cheaper than just the baseline Robo R2.

Have you guys seen the multiple filament upgrade? Wow it looks nice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpcH74DXyy0