Yes, people really do 3D CAD on Mobile devices!

I've been using OnShape https://www.onshape.com/ as my primary 3D modelling package for some time now - both for designing parts for my hobby 3D printing and laser cutting, and also for general work (engineering) applications.

You can check out my early quick review here: http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/affordable-free-3d-modelling-software-5.html - and the more I've used it, the more impressed I've been.

I use OnShape primarily via Chrome browser on a Windows laptop (work or home) or a Windows tablet or a Chromebook, but I also use it on my Android tablet (and it is also available for iPads). What surprises many people is that OnShape can truly be used for full-featured 3D modelling (not just viewing) on mobile devices.

OnShape have just released a blog post "YES, PEOPLE REALLY DO CAD ON MOBILE!" https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/yes-people-users-really-do-cad-on-mobile?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=29936753&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_jJNrK2qf9-xSiJlTvoqBOoscIhi_lDT2Vjq5p3JUpel2rp7KPKmYUU2SwkCkRlqVDaBJJ5WUiwAwE5vgIpQKm9UIODA&_hsmi=29936753 which gives some actual statistics which demonstrate that people really are using OnShape Mobile for modelling and design, not just viewing. While browser use is an order of magnitude bigger than mobile use (as you would expect), it is interesting to note that the usage patterns mimic each other on both platforms, except on weekends and holiday periods, where mobile use sees proportionately less of a dip than browser use - indicating it is the "platform of choice" for many users when you are away from the office.

If you are looking for a capable low-cost (free!) 3D modelling package for your hobby use, you really need to check out OnShape, if you have not done so already!

Use your phone / tablet as a 3D printer?!

This 3D Printer concept uses your smartphone or tablet as the light source to cure photo-resins.

Virtually silent, runs off 4 x AA batteries.

And the best bit?

It's only $99 for the printer (build volume: 76 mm x 128 mm x 52 mm; vertical build rate of about 10 mm/hour or so), and $15 for a 100 mL bottle of resin (a range of hard and flexible resins available); prints with virtually no waste.

http://www.olo3d.net/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olo3d/olo-the-first-ever-smartphone-3d-printer













I want one!

It sounds too good to be true - I'll believe this is a real thing when I see one actually working.

(But to quote “The X-Files”: I want to believe!)

Ultrascope - Open-Source Automated Robotic Observatory

Here's one for the Geeks and Makers:

Ultrascope - an open-source Automated Robotic Observatory:
http://www.openspaceagency.com/ultrascope/
https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/who-wants-to-go-hunting-for-asteroids

The Ultrascope project (currently in pre-Beta) aims to develop a kit-set robot telescope (or ARO - Automated Robotic Observatory), that will allow amateur astronomers to contribute to citizen science projects for a radically reduced cost - e.g. asteroid hunting, etc.

The first project is the Explorer Series Ultrascope, which is a 90 mm (3.5 inch) reflector ARO that is able to conduct celestial photography and photometry. The kit will be released as open-source plans for 3D printing or laser cutting, paired with an Arduino controller and a high-pixel smartphone (eg Lumia 1020 with 41 Megapixel CCD).

They are also working on a 200 mm (8") version, the Odyssey.

Things I wish somebody had told me when I started building a RepRap 3D Printer

Or to be more accurate:

Things people told me which I wish I had listened to more attentively when I started building a RepRap 3D Printer

My RepRap is a 1st-generation Prusa Mendel http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa_Mendel_(iteration_1) which was pretty much the bee's knees in affordable DIY 3D printing back in August 2011 http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/first-post-inspirations.html.

I bought a kit of plastic bits and "vitamins " (nuts and bolts etc) on eBay, and self-sourced all of the other components (stepper motors, electronics, etc). The buy-and-build process was itself instructional (and fun!), and about two months after construction commenced, I had a workable 3D printer in operation. http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/cheers.html

The Prusa Mendel and its predecessors truly embodied one of the core philosophies of the RepRap Project: RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-Prototyper; that is, the 3D printer can (almost) build itself. To this end, the maximum possible number of components were made from 3D-printed plastics, right down to the z-axis couplers and axis bushes.

These days, if you start a similar adventure, you are more likely to try building a 3rd-generation Prusa i3 http://reprap.org/wiki/Prusa or similar. To the uninitiated, it is hard to see how the Prusa i3 is directly related by just two generations from the Prusa Mendel, but for those of us "in the know", the family heritage is obvious.

1st-Generation Prusa Mendel (Ref: http://reprap.org/wiki/File:Assembled-prusa-mendel.jpg )

Current-generation (October 2015) Prusa i3 (Ref: http://reprap.org/wiki/File:Prusai3-metalframe.jpg )

The Prusa i3 (and other current-generation 3D printers) embody the accumulated learnings of both the originators of the RepRap Project, and thousands of RepRappers. The kits are cheaper than ever, but use a variety of materials and forms of construction, with less of an emphasis on using 3D printed materials for all components, for reduced cost and increased reliability / performance. (Steel or aluminium are just better at some jobs than plastic!)

Some may argue that this somehow "dilutes" the essence of RepRap, but for me, it makes the goal of ownership of an affordable and reliable 3D printer far more attainable, while still allowing freedom for experimentation and development/. (One of the great advantages of going down the open-source path, rather than buying a proprietary model, is that you can modify and upgrade your machine as often as you like, sharing your experience with that of many other like-minded individuals, so your humble beginnings can evolve into something better and better.)

In no particular order, here are my main learnings over the past few years:

1. You NEED proper mechanical linear bearings on all axes - 3D-printed PLA bushings are a nice philosophical concept, but realistically, the motion will be MUCH smoother and jitter-free if you install linear bearings (LM8UU or similar). Do yourself a favour, and buy a kit which uses them (most modern kits do), of else, print yourself some replacement carriage parts which are designed for LM8UU bearings instead of PLA bushings, and install them as soon as possible. http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/smooth-operator.html
2. You NEED a heated print-bed. Yes, it is possible to print on painter's tape etc, but life is MUCH easier when you have a heated print-bed. http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/12/hotbed-of-intrigue.html And this leads us to ...
3. You need a power supply with heaps of capacity. I started off with a hacked ATX power-supply http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/my-parts-list-power-supply.html which I thought had enough capacity (16 amps @ 12 volts), and while it did work, it turned out that it had trouble maintaining full supply voltage under heavy load. I have replaced it with a more robust true 15-amp sustained (18-amp peak) power supply http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2015/10/powertech-mp-3800-0-24-volt-power.html , and it runs much better now.
4. Get rid of the 3D-printed Z-axis couplers, and replace them with engineered metal shaft couplers. You can pick up 5 mm x 8 mm aluminium couplers for a couple of dollars on eBay, and I have found that they grip the smooth stepper motor shafts much better than a plastic clamp - of which, I printed and installed quite a few design variants http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/smooth-operator.html. (This is particularly important for a machine like the 1st-gen Prusa Mendel where the X-Axis is suspended from the Z-Axis motors; possibly less of an issue on the Prusa i3, where the motors are at the bottom, so the couplers are in compression, not tension.) They also run MUCH smoother, as they are able to take up the angular and offset errors between the motor and the threaded rod with a more reliable spring stiffness than the plastic clamp couplers.
5. Get yourself an LCD Controller, like the RepRapDiscount Smart Controller http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Smart_Controller - this will allow you to print without a computer attached, freeing up desk-space, and also removing one link from the failure chain. These can be bought very cheaply on eBay - highly recommended.
6. If you are running an old-generation plastic-bodied print-head (PTFE and / or PEEK), replace it with an all-metal print-head with a heat-sink and fan. These run MUCH more reliably than the old PTFE-bodied print heads, and are also much more physically robust, and are able to withstand the occasional (and inevitable) print-head crash.

My 1st-generation Prusa Mendel has had all of the above upgrades applied to it - it is still physically the same arrangement as it stared life, but it now prints much more reliably and smoothly (and faster) than it did before. Dare I think that the "tinker and upgrade" phase has ended, and my RepRap will now enter a long mature life of production printing without significant additional upgrades?

(Naaah! Who am I kidding?! Of course I'll keep upgrading it - just watch this space!)

(As in all matters of opinion, some of these points may be controversial - for example, I am sure that some people have printed very successfully with 3D-printed PLA bushings, and continue to do so, but in my opinion, you are more likely to print successfully, and much more quickly, if you use linear bearings on all axes.)

PowerTech MP-3800 0-24 volt power supply - a quick review

I have been powering my RepRap 3D printer with a hacked ATX power supply http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/my-parts-list-power-supply.html - it has been working OK, but I was finding that it could be a bit slow getting the heat bed up to a stable temperature, especially if I want to print ABS (which needs a very hot heat-bed to stick properly). When I hooked up my multimeter, I found the supply voltage was dropping a bit under heavy load, so I guess my power supply really wasn't 100% up to its rated capacity. I started thinking about getting a proper desktop variable voltage power supply.

Luckily for me, JayCar recently had a special on several power supplies, including the MP-3800 http://www.jaycar.com.au/Power-Products-Electrical/Power-Supply/Laboratory-Bench/Compact-Switchmode-Laboratory-Power-Supply/p/MP3800, which they were offering for only AUD$119 (usually $149) - not bad for a 0-24 volt power supply, with a load rating of 15 amps continuous at 12 volts (18 amps peak). It is rated to better than 9 mV ripple voltage, and has thermal and overload protection, so it ticks all of my boxes.

Note that the rated output current capacity depends on the selected output voltage, so check your needs if you plan to run at other voltages:

So I grabbed one, hooked it up to my RepRap, and it works great - highly recommended!

The power supply has back-lit analogue gauges for volts and amps, which seem to be pretty accurate when I test against my multi-meter. The RepRap pulls a maximum load of about 12 amps during the heat-up phase, but this drops to around 5 - 6 amps during normal printing. The power supply handles this admirably, with no detectable fluctuation in supply voltage, even when the load is fluctuating rapidly, such as when the heat-bed is cycling on and off.

The voltage control knob has a central detent position, at which it delivers 13.2 volts, which is where I normally run the RepRap. (The RAMPS 1.4 card is nominally a 12 volt board, but it can happily take a little bit of over-voltage, and the extra supply voltage gives faster and more stable heat control.) However, I need to be sure to not accidentally overload the RAMPS by giving it 24 volts - I really wanted a digital display to give a crystal-clear voltage display, to make sure I don't over-power my RAMPS 1.4.

I bought a cheap 0-30 volt LED voltmeter on eBay for less than $3 including postage (search for "0.36" LED Digital Voltmeter", and make sure to pick one which has the right voltage range for your power supply, as they come in 10V, 30V, 100V and 200V variants). Hook up the red and blue wires to the positive terminal and the black wire to the ground terminal, and you have a nice bright digital voltage display.

I then printed a voltmeter bracket which I came across on Thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:239801, and it works great - now I get a brilliant indication of supply voltage as soon as I power up, greatly reducing the risk of blowing the RAMPS electronics. (And of course it works just as well when I am using the power supply for my other electronics projects.)

Affordable (Free!) 3D Modelling Software - A 5-Minute Review

When I started my adventures in the 3D printing world, I was using Alibre Design http://www.alibre.com/ as my main 3D modelling software. While I still have a valid Alibre licence, they have been taken over by 3D Systems (as you will see straight away if you click on the Alibre link above), and the software has morphed into "Geomagic Design", which has different features and licensing terms, and it has been increasingly difficult to migrate my Alibre licences onto new computers, running new operating systems. I thought it was time to look for a new CAD modelling software system to generate designs to feed my 3D printer.

There are many, many free and low-cost 3D modelling software options available, so where to start? Well, a good place is to list my must-haves and nice-to-have features:

Must-Have:

• I am looking for something that will design "mechanical" components, rather than "free-form" modelling (i.e. a mechanical CAD system (MCAD), rather than an artistic "clay modeller")
• Parametric modelling - e.g. the ability to edit a dimension and have the model "rebuild" itself (e.g. change the size and spacing of a group of bolt holes) 
• True "solid modelling", not "surface modelling" capabilities - e.g. I need to be able to insert a hole or cut-away, and have the internal volume recognised as a solid rather than a void
• Precision modelling capabilities - I need to be able to model to a fraction of a millimetre (even if my 3D printer's precision / tolerance are not quite up to the task sometimes!)
• Familiar UI layout / functionality / workflow - I have used various MCAD software such as Alibre, Solidworks, etc for many years, and their UI and general functionality suits me, and I don't see any need to lean a completely new way of working to achieve the same goals; I realise I will need to learn new icons and menus etc, but I am looking for the same overall workflow concepts such as Create a Sketch / Extrude / Fillet / etc
• Runs on Windows 10 (all of my home Windows machines have now been upgraded to Windows 10)
• Exports models in STL format
• 100% legal for personal / hobby use - I've been down the pirate software option, and I've used "extended trials" and "student licences" and so on, but I want to "keep it clean" from now on

Nice-To-Have:

• Import / Export a variety of industry-standard CAD formats (e.g. IGES, STEP, etc)
• Assembly Modelling (build assembles of multiple parts, to check fit and interference, etc)
• Runs on other platforms (e.g. Chromebook, Android tablet, etc)
• Will run without needing to "install" any software (I don't mind "installing" software on my own computers, but work policies prohibit the installation of software on the company's computers)
• Legal for limited work-related use (I would sometimes like the ability to create simple models for finite element analysis )

Alibre Design still works very well for me, apart from the licensing / migration issues, so it's time for me to move on. SketchUp http://www.sketchup.com/ doesn't quite cut-it - it's a terrific package for what it does, but it falls short on the precision MCAD capabilities. After doing an exhaustive search (i.e. a few quick Googles), here's what I came up with for closer consideration:

Onshape

https://www.onshape.com/

Onshape advertises itself as "the first and only full-cloud 3D CAD system that lets everyone

on a design team simultaneously work together using a web browser, phone or tablet" - and it seems to be true. Forget what you might think about Cloud software, and how slow it surely must be - Onshape has a pretty full set of professional modelling tools, and runs really well in a browser on even modest hardware such as a Chromebook, and it has native apps for iPad and Android tablets.

Onshape running in Chrome browser on Windows PC

Native Onshape app on Android tablet 

Capabilities include a wide range of import / export formats, assembly modelling, and so on. It's missing a few high-end features, but it is still undergoing active development (automatic 2D drawing generation is coming soon, for example).

The software designers come from the team that developed SolidWorks, and it shows in the toolset and UI design - if you have previous experience with professional MCAD software, you will feel at home very quickly.

What is truly remarkable, is that all of this capability is available free for hobby / personal use: https://www.onshape.com/features-and-pricing

You get access to ALL of the modelling tools for free - the only real limitation for the free account is the amount of Cloud storage space (5 GB for free accounts vs 100 GB for paid "Professional" accounts) - being a Cloud-based system, all of your models HAVE to reside on the Onshape cloud-store, but you can export models to your own file storage. 5 GB should be ample for all but the most ardent hobby modellers, though. In addition, you are limited to having 5 concurrent "Active" documents open at a time. For most hobby users, this won't be an issue - there is no limit on the total number of models you can have, but you may need to toggle some of them to be "Inactive" to free-up a new "Active" model. (Note that a "Document" can be a full assembly, with all of its parts, so you can have a lot of "Active" content at any one time!)

My only real reservation is that being proprietary software, there is always a chance that the owners might decide to abandon the free personal licence model at some future date, leaving me without free access to my models. However, their FAQ https://www.onshape.com/faqs suggests that there is no intention for this to happen, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt:

Q:  Will Onshape ever change or restrict the Free plan?

A:  Although we cannot guarantee that there will never be additional differences between the Free and Professional plans, we expect that CAD modeling, drawings, and data management capabilities will continue to be fully available under the Free plan.

All in all, if you are looking for a good 3D modelling capability, you HAVE to take a look at Onshape!

FreeCAD

http://www.freecadweb.org/

FreeCAD is a totally free, open-source 3D parametric modeller. It seems to be the best-developed open-source 3D MCAD modelling software I have come across, and it is still being actively developed and supported. As such, it has a large user community, and it is likely to be around for a long time to meet your needs. It is available on Windows, Linux and Mac, so will work for most PC users (but no Chromebook or mobile app as yet).

It's part-modelling capabilities arr pretty comprehensive (certainly adequate for my needs), and being open-source (with support for Python scripting), it has plug-ins / add-ons / extensions for a range of other software systems, such as Assemblies, 2D drawings, rendering, BIM / IFC, etc.

FreeCAD on Windows PC

In all honesty, I would have been perfectly happy with FreeCAD if it wasn't for the fact that it needs to be "installed" on Windows computers, which my work will not permit. I was looking for something that I could access occasionally at work, which is how I came across the cloud-based browser-accessible Onshape. However, if you're looking for 100% free, open-source 3D MCAD software, FreeCAD seems to be the pick of the bunch for now.

AutoDesk Fusion 360

http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview

The AutoDesk brand should need no introduction, but Fusion 360 might not be familiar to you. Basically, Fusion 360 is a professional-quality cloud-based 3D CAD/CAM tool, which supports both Mechanical and Free-form modelling. If you're familiar with Inventor, then you will understand Fusion 360. While it is a cloud-based service, it does require an application to be installed on your PC (Windows and Mac are supported) - it does NOT run in the browser, so other platforms (Linux, Chromebook, mobile, etc) are nor currently available options.

Fusion 360 UI on PC

The licensing model is rather unusual. AutoDesk has long offered free or very low-cost Student Licences, as long as you have a valid student ID, but these would expire after some period, and you would then be "strongly encouraged" to upgrade to a full licence. Fusion 360 is different:

As well as the traditional free 3-year Student licence, AutoDesk offers http://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/try-buy a free 1-year "start-up license" for "hobbyists, enthusiasts, makers, and emerging businesses that make less than US$100,000 in revenue per year". At the end of the 1-year term, you can reselect the start-up entitlement as often as you want (and as long as AutoDesk continues to support this licensing model). 

If you are familiar with AutoDesk products (especially Inventor), and especially if you want 100% compatibility with an AutoDesk work environment for example, then Fusion 360 is well worth a look. If you don't have a history with Inventor and other AutoDesk products, you might find it a bit more than you need, but then you only need to learn how to use those parts of its comprehensive tool-set that interest you. Going with an AutoDesk product has the advantage that there is a huge global Inventor user-base, and you can pick up any number of "How To" books from your local book-store (most of which should also apply to Fusion 360), so getting training and support is a no-brainer. 

And since it's free and legal (for now, anyway), why not give it a try if your interest is piqued?

And the winner is ......

Well, for now, it's almost a dead-heat. 

I really, really like Onshape - it works well, offers ALL of the features I'm interested in, and is truly multi-platform. My only qualifiers are the fact that it is Cloud-based (so won't work without an Internet connection) if that worries you, and the fact that it is proprietary software, and they might change their personal / hobbyist licensing terms one day. (I'll probably keep using it as long as it's free). In my view, Cloud-based software is probably the way of the future, and I have access to an Internet connection almost all of the time. The ability to view / refine models on any device at any time is a real plus (e.g. put the finishing touches on a design using your tablet while you're on the bus home after work). 

Otherwise, FreeCAD will also stay in my portfolio - partly because it's very good, and partly as a back-up in the event that Onshape is no longer available to me. It does MOST of what I want, but it isn't quite as polished, and it won't run on all of my devices (I can't install it on my work computer or my Chromebook, and I can't access it on my Android tablet, for example).

In third place for me is Fusion 360 - but mainly because it's a bit of a sledgehammer to crack a walnut as far as my needs are concerned - but if you have a track record with AutoDesk software generally (and Inventor in particular), you may well want to take a look.

For now, I'll give a Points Decision to Onshape - I'll post an update after a few months use to let you know if my feelings have changed.

Interested in getting into 3D printing, but don’t want to spend a lot?

How about AU$246.28 (plus postage) for a fully assembled, ready-to-go machine?

The TinyBoy Mini 3D Printer is a fully assembled machine designed by Parker Leung of Tiny Boy https://github.com/HKCOTA/TinyBoy as an open design easy to use 3D printer.The Mini Fabrikator by TinyBoy was designed around a concept that by 2016 every student should have the opportunity to have a 3D printer on their desk.

The TinyBoy is available on-line from HobbyKing for only AU$246.28 (at the time of writing): http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__80708__Mini_Fabrikator_3D_Printer_by_Tiny_Boy_Transparent_AU_230V.html 

(Postage is extra, and ranges from AU$82 to AU$169 for delivery to Australia.)

The machine is only 150 mm x 150 mm x 220 mm, and the build volume is fairly small (80 mm x 80 mm x 80 mm) so it can only make small components.- but still, at that price, why wouldn't you buy one?

Now THIS is convergence: The PiKon - 3D Printing an astronomical telescope using a Raspberry Pi camera sensor!

A team at the University of Sheffield have 3D-printed an astronomical telescope (based on the Newtonian design), which is equipped with a digital camera and Raspberry Pi controller:

All of my hobbies rolled up in to one - how cool is that?!

Read about it here:

http://www.top43dprinting.com/university-of-sheffields-3d-printed-telescope-takes-its-first-moon-photographs/

Labelled posts on this Blog

In an effort to expand the scope of this blog, but to help people (including me!) find things that they might be interested in, I have created some "Labels" which I will use to tag all posts. You can filter for the "Label" you are interested in by selecting it from the menu on the right-hand side of this page.

Labels I have created include:

• 3D Printing
• Arduino
• Astronomy
• Raspberry Pi

Stay tuned - who knows what other areas I will choose to add here?!

A 3D Printer made out of Lego ... that prints objects out of ... Lego!

This one has been around for a while, but I just came across it again, and had to share:

Here http://www.battlebricks.com/makerlegobot/ is a 3D Printer that's made out of 2,400 Lego pieces.

That is cool!

But what is even cooler is that instead of using PLA / ABS filament to print, it uses Lego bricks to make objects.

Awesome! Simply awesome!

THAT'S not a 3D Printer!

(with apologies to "Crocodile Dundee")

THIS is a 3D Printer!

"3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) project was funded by EPSRC through the Innovative Manufacturing and Construction Research Centre at Loughborough University. 3DCP is a large-scale additive manufacturing process capable of producing full sized building components that gives architects a tremendous degree of design freedom because the components are manufactured directly from the architects’ digital model."

http://www.constructiondigital.com/green_building/3d-printing---the-future-of-concrete

3D Printing & (micro) Formula 1

When I saw this headline on The Register
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/12/3d_printer_speed_nanotechnology

Speedy 3D printer creates 285um Formula-1 speedster

I had to take a look. I have a number of interests, but 3D printing and Formula 1 are high on my list, and anything that is "geeky" attracts my attention too, so a 3D-printed microscopic Formula 1 car is about as cool as it gets for me!

It seems that a team at the Vienna Institute of Technology  has pushed the technology of laser-cured polymers to new limits, both in scale and speed.

"Until now, this technique used to be quite slow," said Professor Jürgen Stampfl from the Institute of Materials Science and Technology in a statement. "The printing speed used to be measured in millimeters per second – our device can do five meters in one second."

OK, so they are only doing this on a microscopic scale (the Formula 1 car is less than a third of a millimetre long!) - but imagine when they can scale up - you could print yourself a full-size car in a  few minutes! 

Visual Illusion - balls rolling uphill

 In response to a challenge on the Thingiverse Blog blog.thingiverse.com/2012/02/21/oo-someone-make-one-of-these/ I offer this attempt to design a part which will give the visual illusion of balls rolling uphill.

When viewed from the correct angle, this piece should give the illusion that all 4 ramps slope up to the middle platform. Viewing from any other angle gives the game away!  ( I haven't printed one yet, but I couldn't resist the challenge!)

Find it on the Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:17948

Do you want some inspiration for your 3D Printer project?

Check out this link: "The Man Who Prints Houses"
http://www.themanwhoprintshouses.com/Home.html

and the movie trailer here:

http://www.themanwhoprintshouses.com/Trailer.html

From the "About" page:

http://www.themanwhoprintshouses.com/About.html

3D-printing is a method that physically realises digital designs layer by layer using a fluid substance that can be hardened by lasers or other binding agents. To date, it’s been used for small-scale manufacturing and as architectural maquettes. Enrico, however, has far grander plans.

...

Having built his printer – the world’s largest – from scratch, there’s no shortage of work offers for this highly-skilled and imaginative engineer. Throughout the course of the film, we see Enrico embark on an array of innovative projects: constructing the tallest printed sculpture in existence, working with Foster + Partners and the European Space Agency on a programme to colonise the moon, solidifying a sand dune in the desert, and printing the closest thing to an actual house: a small Italian dwelling known as a trullo.

I sure hope this movie makes it onto one of my local TV stations soon!

Lights ... Cameras ... Action!

One thing I’ve been meaning to do for some time is to rig up some sort of illumination for my printbed. The room where I do my printing is reasonably bright, but the X-Carriage and Extruder casts quite a shadow over the printing area, and it can be quite hard to see what is going on, especially if I am printing with filament which is similar in colour to the printbed (formerly blue painter’s tape, now red / orange for my Kapton-on-PCB heated printbed).

I’ve been thinking of hooking up a LED under the X-axis carriage; this could either be powered in parallel with the heating element (meaning it would switch on and off with the hot-end heater), or preferably, would have its own wires back to the power supply so it is always on. I hadn’t got around to working out what specification of LED(s) I should install, when I came across a cheap USB LED-Magnifier in a “Specials” bin at the local supermarket – only $4 for a really bright lamp with 18 LEDs in a ring, and a nice flexible “gooseneck” for positioning (and you can find similar items on the internet):

[Image copied from http://www.goodluckbuy.com/18-led-usb-flexible-light-lamp-laptop-notebook-with-4x-magnifier.html?&sl=en   – I forgot to take a picture before I hacked the lamp!]

This should cast a lot more light than a single LED, can be positioned to put the light wherever I need it (handy for cleaning out a jammed extruder!), and also has the advantage of not adding any mass to the moving X-carriage. I figured it should be pretty easy to hook it up to my RepRap power supply.

First, I cut off the USB plug (which was surprisingly difficult – the spiral wire which creates the “backbone” of the gooseneck is very tough!) and exposed the two wires – black for ground and red for 5 volts. Then, a bit of testing with my multimeter and adjustable DC power supply showed that the LED lamp draws about 180 mA @ 5 volts (and gives a really bright, uniform light in the process!) – OK for a PC USB port, but probably a bit too much load for 5 volt line on the Arduino.

The Arduino Mega is only rated at 40 mA per pin http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMega2560 , so I was concerned that connecting the light to the 5 volt rail could overload the Arduino, and I sure didn’t want to find out the hard way! However, my ATX power supply http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/my-parts-list-power-supply.html is rated at 500 W, so has plenty of capacity to power a little LED lamp on top of the existing load of the RepRap printer and heatbed.

I could have attached the lamp to the 5 volt binding posts on my ATX power supply http://julianh72.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/my-parts-list-power-supply.html , but this would have meant running an extra pair of wires from the power supply to the lamp – simple enough to do, but not very “elegant”. A tidier solution was to hard-wire the LED lamp to the incoming 12 volt supply, so the light would be “always on” whenever the RepRap is powered up. (The lamp has its own on / off switch, so I can turn it off if I want to.)

Of course, the lamp is designed to run at 5 volts, so I needed to step the voltage and current down to avoid blowing the lamp. A bit of basic maths suggests the effective load of the lamp at rated voltage is about 30 ohms, and that I would therefore need to add about 40 ohms in series to maintain a current of about 180 mA @ 12 V. I rummaged through my “box of bits”, and found a 100 ohm resistor, and the maths suggests the lamp should draw about 95 mA when run in series with the 100 ohm resistor @ 12 volts.

(I hope this maths makes sense – I’m a structural engineer, not an electrical engineer!)

Anyway, I hooked it up in series, ramped up the voltage to 12 volts, and turned it on – success! None of the magic blue smoke escaped, and the lamp lights up nicely (but not quite as bright as before – as expected). I guess my maths can’t be too far wrong after all!

So I soldered the resistor to the ground lead, wrapped the leads in heat-shrink and taped them to the gooseneck, and then fixed the gooseneck to the frame with cable ties, so that I can point the light where I need it. Finally, I wired the leads to the incoming 12 volt supply on my RAMPS:

So ... how does it work?

In a word – great! The following video shows how much easier it is to see what is going on while printing.

It ain't Reprap, but it just HAS to be shared!

People are always accusing me of having geeky hobbies (RepRap, Arduino, etc), but this guy has me totally beat!


You may have seen the news items doing the rounds lately:

“Canadian Joe Murray excavates his basement with R/C earthmovers in just nine years”

(Check out the scale here - this is just a model under his house!)

There are some brilliant videos here:

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/canadian-joe-murray-excavates-his-basement-with-rc-earthmovers-in-just-nine-years/story-fn7celvh-1226270731287

or better still - check out his YouTube Channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/LilGiantsConstrCo?feature=watch

I am just awe-struck - and SOOOO jealous!!!

Doesn’t everybody love free stuff?!

Thanks to a posting on the RepRap forums http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,116843 , I was alerted to a limited-time offer to get some really top-class 3D modelling software for free.

Specifically, for a “limited period” (no, I’m not sure how long!), DAZ is making the Pro versions of DAZ  Studio 4 , Bryce 7 and Hexagon 2.5 available as free downloads, which can be fully registered. http://www.daz3d.com 

I’m not sure what the rationale behind this is, but I suspect DAZ is shifting their business model from selling software to selling content, and they need millions of users out there to sell their content to. (I expect to get lots of e-mail offers to buy and download model files, but I can live with that!)

In my previous tinkering with 3D software, I have come across Daz Studio (very similar in functionality to Autodesk 3DS Max etc), and Bryce (fantastic for creating "virtual landscapes"), but this is the first time I've seen the Pro versions offered for free. I’m not sure how relevant these packages are to RepRap (maybe you could print landscapes for your model railway layout?), but they're pretty interesting packages for anyone who likes playing with 3D software. (E.g. you could use DAZ Studio to create photo-real renderings of your digital creations before you print them.)

I haven't seen Hexagon before, but it looks like it might be a good tool for making "organic" models (such as "character figurines", animals, replicas of Henry Moore sculptures, etc). Most traditional CAD packages (like OpenSCAD, Inventor, Alibre, etc) are good at making mechanical components from geometric primitives (cubes, cylinders, etc), but are rather harder to use for "free-form" modelling (like sculpting with “digital clay”).

I suggest any one who is interested should download and register them all now (while the offer is still available) and give them a try. What have you got to lose (apart from possibly getting a heap of marketing material from Daz in your Inbox)?

You wouldn't download a car ...

... or WOULD you?!

I think the whole issue of copyright, patents, intellectual property and 3D printing is a fascinating legal minefield in the making. If you thought the book, record and movie companies take extreme measures to protect their publications from illegal downloading and sharing, how do you think they will react when they realise you can not only download the movie, but also download the plans to make your own DVD player and TV? (OK, my RepRap isn't THAT powerful - yet - but in 10 to 20 years - who knows?) Or how will the car companies respond when you can download the design for a tail light lens, wing mirror, or ventilation grille, instead of paying hundreds of dollars to buy "The Real Thing" (TM The Coca-Cola Company). (Making replacement car parts is already a real possibility - e.g. check out http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13071 )

Recent reports http://blog.thingiverse.com/2012/01/25/things-on-the-pirate-bay/ of how The Pirate Bay now hosts 3D files ("Physibles") https://thepiratebay.org/browse/605 left me rather bemused. Hadn't they heard about Thingiverse http://www.thingiverse.com/ ? But of course, there is a crucial difference:

So far, Thingiverse is all about people designing their OWN things, and sharing them freely. On the whole, the uploaded parts are people's own creations, although I am sure there are instances of designs which potentially infringe on someone's IP. (Are you even allowed to mention the name of a certain fruity telecommunications device when you create your own "iP*d Stand"  let alone "reverse engineer" the dimensions for a good fit, incorporating a receptacle for the patented connector, and then share it with the world, thereby depriving the company which designs and builds the tablet from millions of potential after-market accessory sales!) Thingiverse seems to understand the whole concept of copyright and intellectual property: http://www.thingiverse.com/legal

However, I suspect it is only a matter of time before copyright / patent designs are uploaded to The Pirate Bay, who will no doubt argue that they only host a file sharing service, and they are nor responsible for what people choose to do with it.

I came across a fantastic article on the whole subject: "It will be awesome if they don't screw it up" by Michael Weinberg (November 2010): http://www.publicknowledge.org/files/docs/3DPrintingPaperPublicKnowledge.pdf
Download a copy, share it with  your friends (with full attribution, of course!), and let me know what you think. As Michael Weinberg so eloquently concludes in his paper:

!"*'$.0$4":$.'$.0$+).'.+*-$<,)$',/*:E0$?@$2).%'.%($+,771%.':6$'1+9#/$

*4*:$ .%$ (*)*(#06$ "*+9#)02*+#06$ *%/$ -*306$ ',$ 9##2$ *$ 8.(.-*%'$

#:#$,%$'"#0#$2,-.+:$/#3*'#0$*0$'"#:$(),4;$!"#)#$4.--$3#$*$'.7#$

/'6+#%,2-5(64#.6&-5;#%+48$(0%6$#46,-+4#$!,6#$!0(#!"#@B>C#

<,)$?@$2).%'.%(;$=<$'"#$?@$2).%'.%($+,771%.':$4*.'0$1%'.-$'"*'$/*:$

',$,)(*%.K#6$.'$4.--$3#$',,$-*'#;$=%0'#*/6$'"#$+,771%.':$710'$4,)9$

(!#6485-(6#2!.%5;#,-160$#-+4#('6#28<.%5#-<!8(#('6#<6+67($#!"#

4./#02)#*/$*++#00;$!"*'$4*:6$4"#%$-#(*+:$.%/10').#0$2,)')*:$

J@#20%+(%+&#-$#-#'!<<;#"!0#2%0-(6$#-+4#$5!"Q-/$3#('6%0#5.-%,$#/%..#

<*--$,%$#*)0$',,$4.0#$',$/#0'),:$'"#$%#4$%#4$'".%(;
Damn copyright laws! The bugger has gone and put DRM in his download, so I can't copy and paste his words! I guess you'll just have to download the paper and find out for yourself what he had to say!

 

Applying the Thumbscrews!

I have been having some problems with some of my prints ending up slightly skewed - the vertical axis on some prints has been slightly off-vertical. It took me a while to work out what was going wrong, and then I realised I had another issue - that my print bed needed levelling all the time, and I realised the issues were related: with all the adjustments I have made recently, I had ended up raising the print-bed quite a bit, and I didn't have a lot of compression left in the levelling screw springs. This meant some of the adjusting nuts were vibrating loose (needing constant readjustment), and the lack of compression meant the whole print-bed could rack over to one side, leading to off-vertical prints.

So, I needed a means of adjusting the levelling screws more easily, and so I could get some good compression in the springs, to keep everything nice and stiff.

The obvious answer was to install thumbwheels to make it easier to adjust each levelling screw quickly and easily.

Sure, I could have just downloaded someone else’s design like this http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13807 or this http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5246 or this http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13065 – but where’s the fun in that? It's far more satisfying to design and print your own from scratch!

So I created a design in Alibre:

then I exported the STL:

And then I printed a set of 4 (in a single nested print).

They certainly make levelling my print-bed much quicker and easier. Will they stop it from vibrating out of alignment? I guess time will tell!

I have posted the design on Thingiverse in case anyone wants to make a copy: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:16428

At last - Vindication!

I have mentioned before http://julianh72.blogspot.com/2011/11/printing-without-computer-well-sort-of.html that while my kids think my RepRap Prusa Mendel is pretty cool, my "Significant Other" finds my whole RepRap obsession bemusing, to say the least. (But at least she knows where to find me - and it's not down at the pub!) She has been challenging me to "make something useful".

Well, last night, I did just that - and even she acknowledges it! Having returned from our holiday, our first action was to make good on our promise for the kids' Christmas present - we picked up a new Burmese kitten that we had chosen just before going away. Now, everyone knows that kittens like to play, and sometimes the best toys are things they just find lying around (ping pong balls, bits of string, the toilet roll hanging on the wall holder, etc). However, the opportunity to make a bespoke kitten toy was just too alluring.

A quick search for "cat toy" on Thingiverse turned up a few options: http://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=cat+toy&sa=Search

In particular, the "Mesh Ball in a Mesh Ball" looked like a great toy - and a great test of my RepRap's capabilities as well: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3493

So, I downloaded the stl file, and set it to print. A few hours later I had a really good model - and the cat loves it - it's just the right size and shape for a kitten to hook its paws in, and it makes a very pleasing rattle as it rolls around.

Happy New Year, everybody - and Happy RepRapping for 2012! May all your prints be awesome!