Its been a while since I posted about the 3D printer build. This is because I decided to wait for the rest of the parts to arrive before finishing it all in one go.
I apologise that there may be a few black holes in this section of the build where I am missing photos.
Here is a summary of the second half of the build. Continue reading Finishing the idbox 3D Printer
Its been a while due to some shipment delays but here are the next two 3D Printer packs.
In this stage we add some acrylic cogs to the slider rods facing the front of the printer.
Continue reading 3D Printer Part 5 & 6
Pack 4 contains some rods and pulleys for the build.
The first step was to put one of the timing pulleys Continue reading 3D Printer Part 4
I decided to have a go at making a basic 3D humanoid in blender. After a little research I gave it ago and I am rather pleased with my initial results.
Here I am using a mirror modifier Continue reading Poseable 3D Models & First Blender Creations Printed
I decided to attempt to add some tracks to my tank model I am working on in blender. From what I have read making good tank tracks is a kind of rights of passage in 3D Modelling. The detail some people have gone into is Continue reading 3D Modelling Making Tracks
The first stage in part 3 is to fit the Z-axis limit switch to the rear panel.
The rear panel already has a X-axis limit Continue reading 3D Printer Part 3
I recently been playing around more and more with 3D modelling.
There are two reasons for this.
Firstly as you may have seen from my previous posts I am building a 3D printer. Secondly I have been prototyping different computer game ideas in Unity for a while now and decided to switch to 3D for some of my ideas.
Here is a couple of images of a tank model I am working on. It does not really have a dedicated purpose yet but I thought if I made any models for use in games they could be simplified for printing purposes.
The weapon of choice for my 3D modelling is Blender. This is because it is a free open source application with plenty of tutorials on itself and integration with Unity.
It looks like 3D printing will pose its own challenges where things like over hanging parts will be a challenge. This does give me the idea of printing a model over several runs in kit form though which would be cool.
The first thing to do in part 2 is to build the bracket for the printers z axis motor.
This is put together in the same way as the previous acrylic parts Continue reading 3D Printer Part 2
3D printers have been exciting things to follow for a while now and when I found there were kit versions available to build I thought it would be a great thing to do.
Not only can I use a 3D printer to create even more models but it also could serve some more practical purposes as well.
This build starts with the area that the model will be printed on.
We start with the supporting structure that sits under the surface the model is printed on. The structural parts are all transparent acrylic which will mean you can see the printer mechanisms working as it prints a model.
Washers are added to each reinforcing plate to enable them to be attached to the table base.
The reinforcing plates are then screwed onto the table base. I had to be mindful not to screw the screws in too tightly as this could crack the acrylic.
A metal plate which is part of one of the limit switches added at a later part it attached to the side of the table base.
Next The upper section of the table base is prepared to be attached to the lower table base. Screws are screwed into each of the conical holes.
The upper base is then flipped over and a spring between two washers is added to each screw.
The two table base sections are then attached with nuts.
The nuts can then be tightened to put pressure onto the springs in order to change the alignment of the table base.
Lastly the right side panel is unwrapped and the y limit switch circuit board is attached to the panel with some screws and nuts. Spacers are used to keep the circuit board away from the acrylic.
In 3D printers limit switches are used to determine the point of origin for an axis that the printer moves on.
I already have the second pack of parts for my printer so part 2 should follow soon!
Shane's Shed 