Thread: Fractal Vise Jaws

Originally Posted by BobL

I reckon thats pretty good for a 0.4mm nozzle.

Yeah, I've barely done any tweaking, it was pretty good straight out of the box.

Originally Posted by BobL

I'm at the point where I feel I can trust it to print away by itself.

My printer had no thermal protection on the hot end when I got it, so I had to wait for a patch before I would leave it alone for long.

One more version should get my latest project done. $20 of filament for a puller I paid $26 for lol But it will save a lot of space.

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Yeah, I've barely done any tweaking, it was pretty good straight out of the box.

My son is seriously into tweaking, He's probably spent most of his 3D printer time doing this. Same with tweaking computers and other electronics. But most other things like the small amount of WW and metal work he does is usually just rushed into service.

My printer had no thermal protection on the hot end when I got it, so I had to wait for a patch before I would leave it alone for long.

My son said I could leave this one immediately but I just couldn't do it. I let it print a largish calibration piece overnight and can see me doing this. Thats why I wanted to make sure it was quiet one.

One more version should get my latest project done. $20 of filament for a puller I paid $26 for lol But it will save a lot of space.

Did you design the box yourself?

I have a couple of mates that are right into it. In fact the print I bought was one of my mates "spares" new in box. last I heard he was well over 10 printers, including a rather large custom built delta. It is handy to have someone on call, he setup my raspberry pie/octoprint.

Originally Posted by BobL

Did you design the box yourself?

Yes, just working on the lid, once I know that's going to work I will make the final tweaks to the box and try again.

Perhaps I should add to the above post, its only $20 worth of plastic because I will have printed it three times.

Done, and only $25 of filament. But I learnt a few new things so all good.

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Done, and only $25 of filament. But I learnt a few new things so all good.

Well done.

I've been messing about making "qube block" corner connectors for Al square section tubing.
I want to make a large lightweight box/frame to cover the printer (600 x 900 x 720)
These connectors only cost about $2 ea to buy, but you then have use a specific size square tube (25.4 x 1.2mm) that suits those connectors and depending on where you buy that tube it costs about 5x more than buying 6.5m lengths of regular metric size stuff from Capral.
I found a parametric file (SCAD) for these connectors on thingieverse that allows printing at any size.

Cost wise the connectors work out to about 25c worth of plastic each, and my box design requires 23 of them so there is a saving there . Print time is about 1 hour for each connector but like you I'm treating it as a learning exercise.

This morning for fun I thought I would have a crack at printing out some plastic bearings.
Its supposed to be a good test of the printer and printing parameters
The size is 608 (roller blade wheel bearings).
They are actually more like roller than ball bearings.
The LHS one is printed out at tighter tolerance than the other two.
IMG_5070p.JPG
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that the inner race moved straight off the printer table.
The outer race had to be loosened with the assistance of a scalpel but that did not take long.
Obviously they are not going be any good under load or high speed but I am going to put them onto my Filament roller which currently has a plain bearing and lets see how long they last.

Will be interesting to see how they go. I should likely do something to improve my filament roller. But I did fold and will likely be picking up a BLtouch from a mate tomorrow.

It is amazing to watch what they are coming up with.
A few years back I was flying 900mm RC planes that my mates printed out at 90mph+
One of my mates tends to print a lot of things off thingie(hey he has ALOT of printers lol) so I get to see many of them even if I mostly print stuff I design.
Have you seen the ones that produce a monochrome picture from a photo by using different thicknesses of plastic and back lighting it?

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Will be interesting to see how they go. I should likely do something to improve my filament roller. But I did fold and will likely be picking up a BLtouch from a mate tomorrow.

It is amazing to watch what they are coming up with.
A few years back I was flying 900mm RC planes that my mates printed out at 90mph+
One of my mates tends to print a lot of things off thingie(hey he has ALOT of printers lol) so I get to see many of them even if I mostly print stuff I design.
Have you seen the ones that produce a monochrome picture from a photo by using different thicknesses of plastic and back lighting it?

Haven't seen one but have heard of it, sounds interesting.

This is a very small thing but I have found most satisfying to be able to do. It's an upholstery pin/clip from thingiverse. In the back of my van several dozen of these clips were used to hold a number of thin unpainted masonite panels onto the van walls. When I got the van I upholstered these panels with black indoor outdoor carpet to reduce the internal noise. It irked me that the clips are a poo brown colour and they didn't go with the black carpet. Also when removing the original panels and removing and replacing the upholstered panels several times since I have either lost of broken a number of the clips. Toyota want silly money for them so I have not replaced them, but now I can print as many as ai want and in the colour I want.

Hi Bob, Guys,

I know that this firm is in the UK

Beal UK | Workshop Equipment

But they do an awful lot of those automotive clips and fixings ! Look on catalogue pages 77 & 78. You would have to ask if they ship them to AU.

I've bought push fix fittings from them £1.50 for a pack of ten for the one that I needed !

They are great for making that sort of thing. I've made a few drill jigs. Sure I could make them out of steel but I don't need them to last more than a dozen holes so plastic is "close enough" and "last long enough" and I can do it inside where it is warm


A lithograph my mate printed.

Still getting my hand in with the 3D printer.

The designs for the following were all downloaded from Thingiverse and size adjusted using SCAD or Printer slicer software.

Irwin Quick Clamp pads made out of Thermoplastic Poylurethane (TPU)
I have about 30 of these clamps and about half a dozen have lost or melted/burned pads.
TPU is a toughish slightly flexible plastic similar to the original yellow pads for these clamps.
Irwinclamppad2.JPG

Soft vice jaws in TPU
SoftLathechuckjaws.jpg Softvicejaws.JPG

Sawdust deflector scoop for my mitre saw. This works surprisingly well.
Scoop2.JPG

I have finished the Qubelock frame for the printer and now am cladding it using 1mm thick polycarbonate sheet.
3Dprinterencfrme.JPG

Wow you have been busy. I've never used anything other than PLA+. Might me time to broaden my horizons. The enclosure for ABS?
I did plan to add BLtouch, of course my mate has a spare but I cant get there ATM.

My latest print is a tiny box girder to hold a 14mm x 14mm x x100m stone so it will A, hopefully get though the post in one piece. B, come in under 20mm so I can post it as a large letter and save $7

I see more widget printing for me in the near future as I have just added a 4 x 4 cube storage shelf to my desk. much organizing to be done.

Originally Posted by Stustoys

Wow you have been busy.

Yeah, well I have a painful/bung/swollen left ankle so 3D printing is about the only thing I can do. Can't stand for more than about a minute, or walk for more than a few dozen yards without it becoming very painful, so I now hobble between the electronics room - kitchen - loo - bedroom. Stairs extra painful. I can readily drive the auto vehicle, and even the manual van at a pinch so can still get to a few places. Cant walk around hardware shops though. The headache is parking. Have had X-ray, Ultrasound and CAT scan but so far nothing obvious. Last week when I went for the X-ray I decided to drive myself I had to park about 200 m from the clinic and boy did that hurt. On Friday when I went to the city for a CAT scan, SWMBO drove me - still had to walk about 50m, ouch.

I cut the Al tubing for the enclosure frame in the shed last week and could not walk at all after that.
I tried wearing my moon boot (from when I broke my right ankle last year) but that throws my dodgy right knee out.
They've both got especially bad the last couple of days.
I'm because I have a heap of shed projects to finish but now by the time I go downstairs and across the yard I'm ready to lay down.

I've never used anything other than PLA+. Might me time to broaden my horizons.

My son gave me a bunch of 3/4+ used rolls of filaments (TPU, PETG, ABS, PLA and PLA+) and after trying the TPU I raved about it and he then gave me a whole roll of TPU and some wood filled PLA for my birthday.

The enclosure for ABS?

Yep.

I did plan to add BLtouch, of course my mate has a spare but I cant get there ATM.

I didn't know any different but according to my son they are worth having and he reckons it really shows up on the quality of the printing/

My latest print is a tiny box girder to hold a 14mm x 14mm x x100m stone so it will A, hopefully get though the post in one piece. B, come in under 20mm so I can post it as a large letter and save $7

LOL!

SWMBO has this morning discovered Thingiverse has heaps of sewing related widgets and she now thinks the 3D printer is the best thing since sliced bread because se too can save $7 on a particular sewing accessory

I see more widget printing for me in the near future as I have just added a 4 x 4 cube storage shelf to my desk. much organizing to be done.

Perfect!

Finally able to get down to the shed and work on the printer enclosure.
Al tubing and polycarbonate sheet cladding.

A 2.4 x 1.2 m PC sheet was not quite enough to clad the whole thing but I had enough scraps left over from a previous job and one of the back/side panels is made up of 3 pieces

The enclosure is made in 3 parts to make it easier to handle/install.
1) Full width front door on loose pin hinges - can be easily taken off
2) Front half - also can be removed with lifting it over the printer
and
3) Back half stays in place. It had a power cord trapdoor, an HT is a dual probe Humidity/temp meter (inside and outside the enclosure)
F is a 120 mm fan - will vent that out thru the wall - can't believe SWMBO is letting me do this.

enc2.JPG

TempHum.JPG fan.JPG
The front door has a 300 x 100 access hatch in it for printer LCD panel access.
access.JPG

Sorry to hear about your foot Bob. Hope they get you sorted soon. I have a knee that isnt the best. While you wont see me running I can mostly ignore it during the day, at night it can make sleeping a PITA.

The enclosure looks great, but why the fan? I thought the idea was to reduce heat loss?

I had my second seemingly random printer reset yesterday.

My latest print is my version of the bigclive toilet paper filter fan.


P.s. I have a tree question I will email you shortly