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More parts, more f***ups
12/08/2016 at 14:15 • 0 commentsGot one of the two mounting brackets for the second axis printed and test fitted, works like a charm, only after assembling it I realized that I'd either have to mount the motor and belt sprockets for the x axis infront of the mounts for the x axis or redo the belt attachment/ball bearing brackets for the rods as it does not have enough clearance.... time will show what I figure out...
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More parts printed, some progress made.
12/05/2016 at 10:27 • 0 commentsYesterday I:
- printed more parts for the first axis, they all seem to fit nicely, a few more hours of printing and I can start building the frame for the printer.
- Redesigned the mounts for the second axis so that the rods are mounted further up and the belt to move the dispenser carriage runs in between the two rods and somewhat level with the rods.
I've also ordered a 2000W "plancha" which is some kind of electric barbecue with a cast iron plate that I hope will be sufficient to cook the pancakes.
I'll post some pics later when I have something more exiting to show.
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First log: 3D printing and poorly fitting parts
11/30/2016 at 23:20 • 0 commentsAlright, so first log:
woha... documenting stuff... feels weird.
What have I done so far:- I have some NEMA17 Steppers and controllers that I picked up last time I went nuts on adafruit.
- I have some linear ball bearings and some suitable rods
- I have some various bits and bobs such as belt gears for the steppers and we actually have a really good stock of components at Hackheim at the moment,
- I have designed a good share of parts in Fusion360
- I've already wasted like 2 hours on printing some parts that didn't work out
- I have printed a few parts that do work out and the 3d printers are slaving away right now spewing out ABS in somewhat controlled patterns.
I've heard a picture says more than a thousand words so i'll throw a few thousand words in that way below here as well as some somewhat descriptive text:
First version of the thingamajiggle that will make the printer move the nozzle in one of the directions, I call it Y but it might be X.
As you might see I didn't make enough room around the rod to make the thing slide, when I tightened it down with m3 bolts it was pretty much the most solid thing I had ever made and wouldn't move even if I used brute force #fail.
Put some serious thought into my next version of the slidey thingamajiggle with a locking mechanism for the drive belt and enough space for the rod to slide freely, I also lengthened it a fair bit just to make the other axis more stable as it will carry a fair bit of weight, the two blocks on the top are for mounting the rails for the other axis, though I might redesign them as they at least look a bit flimsy.
The new slidey thingamajiggle together with the old one, great improvement, this time it slides super smooth and I'm kinda proud of the belt locking mechanism, it does at least so far look well thought through.
Mounting bracket for Y axis rails.
Rail mounted into the brackets, all the plastic shavings are in the picture as I magically assumed the rail was 8mm and for some reason it didn't fit.. (spoiler: it is a 10mm rail), I just drilled out the holes to see how it would work out.
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The two pictures above show how the brackets will be mounted on the alu profiles, notice the notches on the back there to put the bolts through, I made notces to prevent aligning the holes perfectly.
Bracket for mounting the stepper for the X axis as well as the rails, this component fits ontop of the slidey thingamajiggle on the pictures above just like those two under engineered blocks, I've designed this part as two components with a little dowel(?) to slot them together nicely as printing it as one part would have sucked.
Alright, that's all for this time, more 3d printer fails and poor design next time! -
I'm trying to actually document a procjet!
11/30/2016 at 22:32 • 0 commentsAlright planning sucks....
Disclaimer: I never plan more than I have to and I tend to leave all planning to the last minute possible(proper hacker attitude isn't it?).
The thought of a pancake printer has been in the back of my head for ages, square pancakes with 8-bit graphics.
Pancakes is also one of the dishes I might say I excel at making, not the thick, fluffy american ones, thin european ones, those used to thick pancakes might call it crepes just as you call football soccer, I don't know...
Well I must admit I have made some planning, or well, done a bit of research / ideas that have cooked down to something concrete in my head and i'll try to put down some of the mess in my head using bullet points, because there is no better way of organizing stuff than bullet points:
* I will use a cartesian x/y setup just as any CNC mill or 3d printer, mainly so I can just spit out some gcode to make shapes in messy batter on a hot metal plate
* Peristaltic pumps to supply batter to the nozzle* Main body constructed from aluminium profiles
* Design and 3d print as many components as possible.
Challenges:
* Figuring out EVERYTHING
* 3d printers failing halfway through a print
* Finding the optimal viscosity for pancake batter meant for printing.
* All the stuff that will go wrong