I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.
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@phaedrux Just an IDEX cartesian built to be really sturdy, reliable, and easy to maintain/work on. It's the first one so I have a lot of testing to do to see if it works out. I tried to make it very high-resolution capable as well, with 5 micron full-step resolution on Z, and 40 micron full-step resolution X/Y. I'm surprised at the speeds and accelerations it is capable of. I was expecting it to be sluggish, but it's faster than my delta.
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@bot Nice job!
That thing looks like it could print a tank in an earthquake
Love the feet
More than solid looking and a really well though out design.Congrats on the sweet machine.
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@bot Just one question...
Are those extruders working independently?Sorry for my noob-ness, I've never seen extruders at each end of the X axis like that.
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Looks great! Print some TPU shoes for those feet!
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Now it's my turn to stalk you ...
That's looking REALLY awesome. Love the dual printhead setup. You posted a video of it yet?
What's the bed surface, PEI?
Love the idea of two steel plates with rigid spacer blocks for the bed, Light but stiff, never saw that one, very cool.
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Thanks everybody!
@dennishall said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
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Are those extruders working independently?
...Yup. They travel together on Y but are independent on X. This type of setup is called IDEX, but I did not come up with it. I actually started designing this printer as a single extruder, but then the Spanish company BCNC came out with the Sigma and my wife told me I need to change the design to be like that and so I started re-working everything.
@mrehorstdmd said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
Looks great! Print some TPU shoes for those feet!
Not a bad idea! I have a few things to work out in regards to that. The printer is supposed to go on that wire shelf behind it, but it's not very sturdy because the feet only rest on some of the wires... I think I will have to slip in some long flat pieces of steel to add rigidity or something. I was gonna slip some plywood under the metal feet or something, with a bit of rubber, but maybe custom TPU jobbies are in order... or maybe down the line for the second prototype. (I bought enough of the custom parts to make 3 of these machines, and bought the off-the-shelf parts for two so I have another coming up soon).
@puterpro said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
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That's looking REALLY awesome. Love the dual printhead setup. You posted a video of it yet?
What's the bed surface, PEI?
Love the idea of two steel plates with rigid spacer blocks for the bed, Light but stiff, never saw that one, very cool. Thanks! I do not have a video posted yet but I have a small video of the first print. Typical slow first print. Very quiet except for the fans, thanks to the Duet!
The bed is hilariously not lightweight at all! I believe the bed assembly, excluding the ball screw and linear rails completely, weighs 16 kg! Lol.... yup. But I did the calculations beforehand and determined that this was within the operating parameters of the screws and linear rails, so I went for it and it works like a charm. I gotta say I started panicking when I assembled the bed assembly first and it was hard to hold with one hand! Hahaha.
The stainless steel plates act more like just a clamp. There is a Mic 6 plate sandwiched between the steel clamps, along with the thick PEI sheet, and the silicone heater, and two layers of cork. The bed is attached to the cantilever via the bottom steel plate, and the Mic 6 plate is only held by friction in the sandwhich, hopefully allowing it to expand evenly upon heating.
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@bot said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
I believe the bed assembly, excluding the ball screw and linear rails completely, weighs 16 kg!
OMG! Not quite light, LOL! You could use that as a ballistic shield in a battle!
my wife told me I need to change the design to be like that
It's really cool your wife is not only understanding, but helping. Mine pretends she's not very knowledgeable but I explain everything to her as I go and she's probably a better engineer than a lot who pretend to be ... she's extremely smart. (Smarter than me for sure!) She's forever saying something when I'm fighting a problem that totally solves it from an unexpected angle.
Look forward to a nice "Walkabout" video where you tell some of the decisions you made and why.
Catch ya later, and again, well done.
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Hahaha. Yes, my wife is great. She does a lot of 3D printing herself. This printer is actually hers. I still have to build mine. I gave her all the best parts that we had. I get the second-choices. (In terms of flatness, straightness, etc.... none are PERFECT)
Cheers! I might do a quick walk around soon, that might be cool.
TBH, I'm a little bit torn in terms of sharing too much info about the printer. On the first and most important hand, I could only do this by standing on the shoulders of giants, and literally copying other peoples' ideas. I only added small improvements based on my own preferences. So in that regard, I have an obligation to share what I've done.
On the other, miserable hand, we are trying to make a business out of offering print services, so sharing "too much" might cut into our competitive advantage (if any) too early.
Really, though, there is nothing that hasn't been done, or at least thought of before. Nothing I'm doing is outrageously different, so I am not too worried about sharing, especially with a collaborative and interesting community like the one we have here.
So, if I sometimes seem coy or hesitant to specify, that's likely where it is coming from. I hate having to survive in this competitive business world -- I wish we could all just work together, collaborate, and provide for one another. In the end I'll force myself to share, because that's why we're all here.
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I did a quick video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mgtXoG6RIJxXrtk7-Pc1vSCRydcmscD4/view
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Very nice machine. Can't wait to see what you print with it.
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@phaedrux said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
Very nice machine. Can't wait to see what you print with it.
Benchies, mostly!
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@bot I think you must mean "perfect benchies". Beautiful machine.
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@dennishall Hopefully! Hahaha. Thank you.
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Ah ok, so I'm not alone then.
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@phaedrux Hahaha that is a nice big benchy. And a mini smoke-benchy coming from the stack.
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3x scale as a toy for my 10 month old baby boy. I actually tried annealing the PLA in the oven to toughen it up, and so far it's taken a lot of abuse.
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@bot said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
Hahaha. Yes, my wife is great. ...
That's tres cool. It's wonderful that our society is starting to really emphasize S.T.E.M. for women. I suspect if we came back in 100 years we'd find a matriarchal society with women in charge of everything.
I get the sharing it part, do what's comfortable for you, don't feel pressured to share away any slight advantage, as you pointed out this is a great community and people will understand.
Considering that the Duet boards are aimed at the higher end user, there are a LOT of people on here who are doing pro based machines that won't share E/T and we all get it.
Post yer Benchies matie! People will jump in and help you fine tune that beast.
EDIT:
Just watched the video ... Wow. That thing is industrial grade, my Friend. Nice build. Fusion 360 must be your Bioch, LOL! -
@phaedrux said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
a toy for my 10 month old baby boy. I actually tried annealing the PLA in the oven to toughen it up, and so far it's taken a lot of abuse
Nice benchie(s) ! Just as a note, although PLA itself is "chew safe" that only applies to the pure (clear) plastic. The colored PLA is food safe only if they submitted it for testing, and only a few do.
Most of the stuff comes out of China, and who knows what impurities are in there; lead, arsenic, multi-syllable compounds of all sorts! Certainly your decision, but personally I wouldn't give it to a baby. NOT judging you, just sayin ...
I bought a Power Fryer XL that has removable shelves and found it's perfect for drying two reels at once and also annealing. I check the temps with a K type Thermocouple and they were pretty spot on with excellent regulation. The Dehydrator mode allows 5-6 hour low temp drying.
It's this one https://smile.amazon.com/Power-Features-Professional-Dehydrator-Rotisserie/dp/B0769Y1JVN
Oh, and it makes killer Fries & Crispy Chicken too! LOL. I always clean it carefully and run it empty for a few mins after putting plastic in there ....
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@puterpro said in I built a printer! Thank you everyone for everything.:
Considering that the Duet boards are aimed at the higher end user, there are a LOT of people on here who are doing pro based machines that won't share E/T and we all get it.
Can you provide evidence to back up that accusation? Can you name even a few of these users who won't share? It can't be difficult for you to name them because you say there are a LOT of them and as you have only been a member of these forums for less than 3 months, your evidence must be quite recent.
As a long term user and member of what is probably the most sharing and helpful forum in the 3D printing universe, I actually find that remark quite offensive. Duet boards are all Open Source hardware and software and I think you'll find that many of the more knowledgable people on these forums also have their own Blog or Web Site or YouTube channel, where they openly share their experiences with the entire world and not just these forums.
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@deckingman OH my goodness! I certainly didn't mean to offend ANYONE, and am certainly aware of how helpful you are here!!! My DEEPEST apologies for any slight!!
I was not referring to any of the "regulars". Certainly "a LOT" was a simply a poor choice of words.
I would edit the post and remove the offending remarks but that would break this discussion, so I'll just take my whipping like a man.What I was referring to was NOT any of the regulars who spend a lot of time helping people and sharing their work, but every forum out there has lurkers that either don't post, or only occasionally, and DON'T share but only come for help.
Pros with "industrial" machines would understandably be reluctant to divulge what might be a proprietary design, which is what the OP had ALREADY STATED earlier, I was replying to that.
Despite being a complete noob here, I've already attempted to share what little knowledge I have and have always tried to be upbeat and helpful. That I'm here posting at all when I'm not try to solve my own problems should speak to that. Simply being only a member for three months doesn't mean I'm stupid or just an ass, it just means I've only recently started in the Duet world, how long someone is a member doesn't make who they are. You hurt me with your remarks.
I've also stated several times both here and on some other forums how great a forum this is, very little of the BS found on some of the 3D forums, and have referred people here.
I think you were a bit harsh and quick to jump me. I know full well who you are and regard you as "one of the good guys" who could be counted on to help out (as you have in some of my questions).
NO implied insult or put-down was intended in the SLIGHTEST. I really don't get how you could have read this as an attack or criticism, it wasn't aimed at you or anyone else here, it was a reply to the OP who was reluctant to share what might be a business advantage (HIS words). I was BEING NICE TO HIM, not attacking you.
Most sorry you took it that way, and my DEEPEST apologies.
