Stuff your 3D printer has made today...

[Onoff]

OK I know is is stuff you've made for your 3D printer!

My lad and I reached a sort of compromise. He reprinted the custom fan support bracket. I think it still needs improving as the fan casing is touching the heatsinks! He's happy with a "that's good enough attitude" that he gets from SWMBO! Imo he should bring it out a tad further and "south" by about 1.5mm. He's also content with no cover over the blades. Clearly he's not mine!

I'll prime and paint it black shortly. As is I think it has a rather steam punk feel to it! As befits what it was I suppose, as in an old oil drum lid:

Next on the agenda is the removal of the PSU. Apparently you replace the metal top cover if the psu with a printed one that you strap a bigger, quieter fan to. Printed plastic attached to a hot PSU doesn't seem right to me.

 

[MattF]

After a bit of youtube viewing i think my next print will be the upgrades for the endor 5 pro, the arms to stop the bed bouncing look good

They're a worthwhile upgrade. Bed is a lot steadier with them fitted.

 

[fractured]

If you haven't already got one, go and order one of these: https://amzn.to/3VqmREA - the Prusa kit comes with loads of M3 cap screws and it saved loads of time having a 2.5 mm hex screwdriver rather than having to use a conventional Allen key. I keep mine mounted on the printer as it's handy for the odd maintenance job as well.

You won't regret getting the Prusa. Once you've got it set up nicely with the z height tuned in, it's pretty much fire and forget. Mine isn't in an enclosure. I'm sure I'll get round to making one at some point (particularly if I ever feel the need to print ABS/ASA). Most of what I do is PETG and I've never had a problem with it just sitting in the corner of the dining room.

Many thanks for the suggestion of the screwdriver. I have a ratchet screwdriver with appropriate bits, do you think that will suffice or do you need the thin/long shaft like that?

Also do you have any suggestions as to other kit that is useful to have to hand when building, but also when using the printer? It would be handy to get some gear together before I start printing. I am thinking tools, cutters, abrasives, chemicals, consumables etc

 

[Bladevane]

Small diagonal cutters (for prepping the filament), tweezers, IPA, hairspray ( I use L’Oreal Elbert Extra Strong Hold), paper wipes.

 

[Onoff]

I use L’Oreal Elbert Extra Strong Hold

We know, but what do you use as an adhesion promoter when 3D printing?

 

[Dr.Al]

Many thanks for the suggestion of the screwdriver. I have a ratchet screwdriver with appropriate bits, do you think that will suffice or do you need the thin/long shaft like that?

That will do for a lot of them, but there were definitely some awkward little s*ds that were the small one is useful for. Worst case, you can always just use a normal Allen key, but for a fiver, the little one is worth it in my opinion.

Also do you have any suggestions as to other kit that is useful to have to hand when building, but also when using the printer? It would be handy to get some gear together before I start printing. I am thinking tools, cutters, abrasives, chemicals, consumables etc

I've got a little tool-kit on the side of the printer, but not much of it gets used very regularly. The ones I use most are:

• Dispenser pot with IPA (for cleaning the satin sheet) - these are the ones I bought, but they're not very good quality!
• Lint free cloth for the same purpose. Paper towel may be fine for this.
• Filament cutter for cleaning up the filament end before insertion into the hot-end. I use a 3D printed one and it works really well, but side-cutters would be fine too if you have a spare pair.
• Deburring set (as recommended by Kram if memory serves me correctly): the plastic cutters that come with that set are great for tidying up brims and other arrises.
• Bed scrapers for getting small things off the bed - particularly the nozzle wipe. There are billions of these on printables.com, but this is the one I use.
• Small brass brushes for cleaning the nozzle.
• A stock of filament clips to keep unused reels under control (and somewhere to store them)
• Vacuum bags for storing filament and keeping it dry.

That's really everything that gets used very regularly, although I've also got some overpriced scraping tools for getting supports out (I try, wherever possible to avoid supports, so they don't get used much). Similarly infrequently used, but I bought a dedicated 2.5 Nm torque wrench, stubby 17 mm spanner and normal 7 mm spanner and have them hung on the side of the printer for nozzle changes. Possibly overkill using a torque wrench, but I like overkill!

Oh, and of course a raspberry pi, a couple of webcams and some USB lights so it can be remote controlled. Once you've used it for a while, got the Z height perfect and gained some confidence in it, having octoprint control it is great. This is the raspberry pi case I printed.

If you bought the satin sheet (for PETG) or the plain steel one (for PLA), then you don't need anything like hair spray or glue for adhesion. Just print on the sheet and it works fine. If you start printing ABS then I think you need to use the steel sheet and some pritt stick or equivalent. Check the guide on prusa3d.com for guidance on that.

 

[Onoff]

I think I got this when Maplin was closing down, really as a stocking filler. My lad uses it for pretty much everything printer/pc related.

 

[fractured]

Fantastic responses, many thanks. Off to the garage this afternoon to dig things out and degrease them.

 

[arian]

I think I got this when Maplin was closing down, really as a stocking filler. My lad uses it for pretty much everything printer/pc related.

View attachment 378565

View attachment 378564

Looks like they're still available:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screwdriver-Precision-Extension-Electronic-Maintenance/dp/B07B933GLD

and in blue

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VCELINK-Precision-Screwdriver-Extension-Smartphone/dp/B092HNS19M/

 

[Onoff]

I think I got this when Maplin was closing down, really as a stocking filler. My lad uses it for pretty much everything printer/pc related.

View attachment 378565

View attachment 378564

A lum

Looks like they're still available:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Screwdriver-Precision-Extension-Electronic-Maintenance/dp/B07B933GLD

and in blue

https://www.amazon.co.uk/VCELINK-Precision-Screwdriver-Extension-Smartphone/dp/B092HNS19M/

Good to know!

 

[Onoff]

The modified, re-printed bracket in grey PETG:

https://flic.kr/p/2o8HF9o

https://flic.kr/p/2o8JZPL

Wiring mod to the fan:

https://flic.kr/p/2o8LkCF

Old oil drum reimagined:

https://flic.kr/p/2o8LkkG

 

[DAPPH]

I got 2 thousand lint free make up remover pads , with a few drops of 90% Isopropanol they'll even take money back from the tax man .
They're good for doing a six monthly guide rod cleaning as well as lubingn a new new pad with a few drops of super thin silicone oil on it to re-lube the rods . I also use a fine syringe & needle to put the super fine lube on the various pivot points and use it to lube my hair dressing shear blades .

 

[Onoff]

I'll be bolting some galvanised frames against a damp wall at work. Got my lad to knock up some 2mm thick, PETG spacers. 16 to do. This is the stuff I use for "garden" things:

 

[Dev]

A copy trailer hitch pin for the small ones so they have one each. Original on the left.

 

[Onoff]

Whole bunch of keyrings:

 

[ChrisBailey]

Final version of my rear light clusters for my kitcar.

 

[My Old Landy]

Final version of my rear light clusters for my kitcar.

They look really cool, superb job!

 

[mrsbruce]

I’ve been playing with my resin printer, trying to grasp upside down supports, everything being sticky, and up to date slicer software.

The rooks are the standard test prints, and the other tiny prints are for a couple of future dioramas I’ll be building. Fairly impressed with the little motorcycles, but I did miss a couple of stubs from supports.

All the files are from thingiverse, as I’m still trying to sort out 3D software I feel comfortable using.

 

[fractured]

That will do for a lot of them, but there were definitely some awkward little s*ds that were the small one is useful for. Worst case, you can always just use a normal Allen key, but for a fiver, the little one is worth it in my opinion.



I've got a little tool-kit on the side of the printer, but not much of it gets used very regularly. The ones I use most are:

• Dispenser pot with IPA (for cleaning the satin sheet) - these are the ones I bought, but they're not very good quality!
• Lint free cloth for the same purpose. Paper towel may be fine for this.
• Filament cutter for cleaning up the filament end before insertion into the hot-end. I use a 3D printed one and it works really well, but side-cutters would be fine too if you have a spare pair.
• Deburring set (as recommended by Kram if memory serves me correctly): the plastic cutters that come with that set are great for tidying up brims and other arrises.
• Bed scrapers for getting small things off the bed - particularly the nozzle wipe. There are billions of these on printables.com, but this is the one I use.
• Small brass brushes for cleaning the nozzle.
• A stock of filament clips to keep unused reels under control (and somewhere to store them)
• Vacuum bags for storing filament and keeping it dry.

That's really everything that gets used very regularly, although I've also got some overpriced scraping tools for getting supports out (I try, wherever possible to avoid supports, so they don't get used much). Similarly infrequently used, but I bought a dedicated 2.5 Nm torque wrench, stubby 17 mm spanner and normal 7 mm spanner and have them hung on the side of the printer for nozzle changes. Possibly overkill using a torque wrench, but I like overkill!

Oh, and of course a raspberry pi, a couple of webcams and some USB lights so it can be remote controlled. Once you've used it for a while, got the Z height perfect and gained some confidence in it, having octoprint control it is great. This is the raspberry pi case I printed.

If you bought the satin sheet (for PETG) or the plain steel one (for PLA), then you don't need anything like hair spray or glue for adhesion. Just print on the sheet and it works fine. If you start printing ABS then I think you need to use the steel sheet and some pritt stick or equivalent. Check the guide on prusa3d.com for guidance on that.

Well the printer is together and I hope I have calibrated it correctly. I printed the batman logo first to check the first layer adhesion, which seemed to work, and then the tree frog, which again came out reasonable.

I to learn the slicing software now and also learn the ins and outs making good usable prints. I also need to get some PETG on order as I currently only have silver and orange PLA.

Regards cleaning the print sheets, where do you guys get the IPA from? Do any highstreet type shops sell it?

By the way, I had one of the small screwdriver sets already. It actually came from B&M bargains and was about £5 when I got it. I think they still stock them but a pound or two more. It doesn't include the extension but it worked a treat putting the printer together. I also had a set of the cheap jewelers screwdrivers. They were useful for scraping out the slots and recesses for screws and nuts so I will keep them handy for my own creations.

I bought the printer on a bit of a whim really as I don't have anything specific in mind for it, but something I have fancied for a few years. I bought it on prusas black Friday/cyber Monday deal so it included an extra roll of PLA, a textured sheet and free delivery.

So, now I need to find some things to make (not really ornaments or trinkets) to justify my purchase!

One thing I am thinking of is getting together some construction parts. I will start another thread on that so I can avoid hogging this thread, and on that note I will include an image of the tree frog to keep on topic!

Thanks again for the help folks.

 

[Dr.Al]

Regards cleaning the print sheets, where do you guys get the IPA from? Do any highstreet type shops sell it?

I buy it from hexeal chemicals: https://hexeal.co.uk/products/ipa?variant=52047399174

They also sell on ebay, but I think it's cheaper buying direct.