Wednesday 26 November 2014

Update on 3D Printing Filament Spool Standard

Hello Everyone,

Here is an update and release of the universal 3D Printing Filament Spool Standard.


The Idea was first discussed and proposed here in March 2014, the draft standard has now been produced for comment and further discussion. It's available for download from the 3D Printing Association and Youmagine.

If you wish to discuss, comment or ask questions about the standard, a Youmagine page also contains the standard and can accommodate any drawings, model files or tooling information as required.

To get you up-to-speed quickly take a look at the original blog post here, and also view my update video on Youtube or below.



The discussion thread on the RepRap Forum is also still alive and active if you prefer to keep that discussion going.

The document standard is - Document Number - 88-22963-1 (Issue 1) 25th November 2014

The 3D Printing Association is supporting this project and also looking for feedback and implementation from filament manufacturers and everyone in the 3D Printing community, please get involved if you can.

 Expanded Biofoam (PLA based) half-spool - can be rotated together to form a Filament spool.


Dimensions are outlined in the spool standard along with suggested deviations.



Space reduction was an important factor for the spools, both is shipping weight and the volume of space the take up while in storage before being used to hold 3D Printing filament.




The idea of a standard filament spool size and compatible mechanical mounting dimensions will only be a reality of filament manufacturers decide to work with the standard and help make it a success.


At the moment still more spool types, sizes and mounting methods just keep on being introduced without any common standard or general compatibility with existing or future 3D Printers.


Thanks for reading, and a special thank you to all of you who got involved in this and spared time to talk to me, I really appreciate it.

The 3D Printing community thanks you all.

Rich.

Thursday 6 November 2014

Sli3DR 3D Printer design files up on Youmagine

Hello everyone,

Just a quick update to say the design files, source files and other info are now (finally) up on Youmagine (and GitHub) - Yay!

Yet another 'FreeD' RepRap Printer for you to play with :)

Sli3DR, originally discussed here, (wow! was that really back in July,  sorry for the delay, time is going fast) - files are now posted up on Youmagine Here

Do also take a look at the images on Youmagine to see how to build one, most of the fittings are M3 and M4.

You will need some 20mm Alu extrusions - (sizes on Youmagine) and some M4 V groove bearings (eBay)



I have added Repetier Firmware for it up on my GitHub here

It's also as a RAR archive on the Sli3DR Youmagine page 

Firmware is setup and running for RAMPS 1.4

You can configure Repetier Firmware for other Hardware using the fancy online tool here - Load the Config.json file.


This time, I didn't do a Marlin release for it, if you make one, let me know or just share it.


 I hope you build one, the print results I have had from it are outstanding.



0.2mm Layers - Really great Z -layer registration - finally as good as my Delta's - 
My quest for the perfect Cartesian Z axis is complete... for now.

********************************************************************************

Sli3DR_MAR2014_REV3_012_Final_machine_build.

License, project and contact info -

This Design is part of the RichRap Sli3DR 3D Printer (A RepRap project)

Thank you for downloading, please be aware and abide by the license all these files.

The RichRap Sli3DR 3D Printer uses an Attribution - ShareAlike Creative Commons V3 (CC BY-SA 3.0) - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

This License is not greatly restrictive at all, so please don't forget to attribute my work and acknowledge.

If you decide to print and sell these or make further changes, improvements or additions, that's great! I want you to do that !

I hope this work has been of some use to you, if you wish to say hello or donate towards further developments please see my Blog here - www.richrap.blogspot.com

Many thanks - Richard Horne (RichRap)

Please feel free to contact me.

My website - www.richrap.com
Catch me on Twitter @RichRap3D
Watch me on YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/RichRap2011
Google+ https://plus.google.com/+RichardHorne_RichRap3D/about

Please see www.reprap.org for information about the RepRap Project.
Please visit the RepRap forum - http://forums.reprap.org/

These files were originally shared on  -  https://www.youmagine.com/          

Please support this growing and open community.


Sli3DR What? - Reminder what Sli3DR is -

Sli3DR - (pronounced Slider)
Sli3DR is not a Delta based printer, rather it's based on an intriguing 'unnamed mechanism' that was floating around on the RepRap Forum and G+ last year. Billy ZelsnackIdentified it as used in a very old (Rikadenki) Pen Plotter design here.  A few people have tried it out for 3D printing using off the shelf mechanical parts, I wanted to make it with 3D printed parts and Spectra Line based on this mechanism. 




Edit - This bit's updated for correct back credit of bringing the mechanism to the attention of the RepRap and 3D printing community - David Moorhouse over on G+ showed a cable bot design 1st November 2013, see here -https://plus.google.com/104904818050178236499/posts/WpzzVuULM2z

David's original video sparked great discussion over the mechanism, Tim Rastall Made a great sketch of the 'unnamed mechanism' - still unnamed as far as I know. 



It just needs a door and it's complete.



Spectra Line - Fantastic stuff.





All the essential 3D printed parts



Designed for an E3D V5/6 hot-end


Hopefully the 3D model of the entire machine in Sketchup will help you understand it, if you decide to build one questions are best asked over on the Youmagine Sli3DR comments page here

Happy Building, and as always let me know if you build one... or thousands.


And a quick grumble about backing up files - I had a hard drive crash last night, and like all disasters with computers it wasted a lot of time trying to restore things. I'm not yet sure how much was lost, most was backed up, but the last 3 months - not so much. I do already know I lost half of the 3DRnano V2 design I was working on a few months back. That caused much swearing and grumpy kicking of things.

Instead of getting too annoyed, I managed to finally release Sli3DR, so at least that's made me happy again. - If you do nothing else tonight, back up your projects to a memory stick, or on-line.

I will be releasing 3DRmega next, (as soon as possible) stay tuned.

Back soon.

Cheers,

Rich