Continuing the 3D printer thingy
 

So - well I went and bought a 3D printer so I can get used to it and also creating drawings then turning into 3D things ;)

The printer comes with some items you can print out to make the printer better but mine already came with most of these. So I printed one as a test and not bad:

https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a...psdlxd2bug.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psoeron92e.jpg


Then today I downloaded a 3D cat (as per MJ - has to be done and the wife likes them....)

https://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a...psdxmqdygn.jpg

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psvfdwvzfx.jpg

Had a minor issue with it but working out on the best settings:

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a3...psiot01yio.jpg

Will need to replace the glass base as it isn't true with mirrors from Ikea so will be doing that this weekend.

So - off to play with CAD software.....

I went the IKEA mirror route, they're not perfect but are a lot better than the Chinese glass. The nice bit is that IKEA had sent me a £5 birthday voucher so four mirrors cost me less than £2.

Off to a brave start with a voronoi model as your second print +++ The bowden extruder is not the greatest for very detailed models like that so you did well to complete it. The bundled PLA filament is actually rather nice quality though. I've printed some really nice models from that.

We'll have our own CR-10 mini-club soon :D

That said, mine is barely recognisable as a CR-10 any more:

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1546541748

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1546541748

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1546541748

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1546541748

I fiddled with it a bit :ROFL:

Still a work-in-progress as I'm waiting on a few more parts to arrive, and apparently I also need a new phone camera :rolleyes: I'll post the details in my thread when its 'complete' (like it'll ever be finished :D )

You did didn't you MJ.
So we now have 3 A8 CR10's that I know of, unless someone knows better.
I have to admit that I'm not having much time with it, son Craig has taken over. His brain works better than mine, he'll inherit it anyway when I fall off my perch. Mind I am not planning that any time soon. In fact Sunday I have to attend a one day course to keep my PCV?HGV CPC current. Might have to do two this year.
You are correct about the included filament, really good. When I purchased mine I bought some Dremel filament and I advise everyone to stay away from it, too fragile and varies in quality along it's length.
ALDI are doing a 3D printer and filament but only on line. I've tried a punt with the filament to see how it is.
Back to your mods MJ. I knew you were about to do some, you mentioned in an earlier post. Any chance of some details or files? PM me if there is a cost consideration. I can always wash the tea cups when Jordan and I call in on the 7th June.Or I could sell him to you as a cat petter :D

Interesting - the Aldi one looks a bit like an Anycubic i3 derivative. I can build my own for that though ;)

The only models which may be of use to you are the Y-motor brace which is on Thingiverse, and the 40mm cooling fan which still needs work. I'll post that on Thingiverse when its done though. Its a remix of one that's already on there.

Pretty much everything else is related to getting rid of the control box so not a lot of use to anyone else. I actually binned quite a few of the other mods like the rubber mountings for the steppers as although the reduced the noise, they also reduced print quality. I've taken the frame braces off too since one of them broke. It doesn't appear to have made a significant difference tbh since most of what I print is <100mm tall.

Once the base is finished and the aforementioned dual extruder added I''ll build a new machine. I have an Anet AM8 in the works, and a Hypercube following that +++

Hi Ray - good result on the Ikea mirrors +++
Will pop in tomorrow after work and buy them.

MJ - wow, looks very different indeed ;)
Like Ray, would like to know more about the mods (obvious one is to strip the control unit apart sit it below printer - good use of space).
Where do you put the filament (I assume on the top of the printer?

I have the original filament holder mounted at the top of the frame using a couple of T-nuts and the original thumbscrews. I looked at loads of fancy spool holders on Thingiverse but no one seemed to have figured out the dead simple solution!

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1546550600

http://forum.a8parts.co.uk/attachmen...1&d=1546550600

Simple, saves desk space, and it stops the control box falling over when you have a 1kg spool hanging on it. I use a short piece of ptfe tube just before the extruder to act as a filament guide too. If I was going to print something full height then I'd either move the spool or at least put the frame braces back to stop the top of the frame wobbling with an extra 1kg of weight up there, but since I rarely do print anything tall it doesn't matter.

MJ,
I really like the idea of saving real estate on the table. That has always been my problem with everything that I do.
Bloody ALDI, they were advertising Black filament, turns out they only have grey and naturel(white?)

Just noticed - the infills look to be from an grill?
Also do you not have the mod to keep the top of the threaded rods from moving around to much as I find it annoying when printing?

The infill in the base is indeed grille material from ebay - powdercoated aluminium hex shape which is easy to cut to shape and allows airflow :) I need to fill in the top of the base fairly soon as I've discovered the power supply fan blows straight on to the underside of the bed at Y=0 which means it takes forever to heat up! I need to create a couple of flat panels and then print up a duct to direct the airflow backwards and away from the bed.

I had the top bearings fitted for a while, but like most of the other mods they made print quality worse by inducing Z-wobble. The reason Creality left the lead screws unconstrained at the top is because they are not perfectly straight. By allowing them to move around, the guide wheels on the X carriage constrain the Z axis keeping it nice and smooth. When you fix the top of the lead screws, any bends in them will push the X carriage around and make the print less accurate. I quickly concluded that Creality left them loose for a reason. Many other printers are exactly the same.

The only time you'd want to constrain the top of the lead screws is if you have perfectly dead-on straight ones, then you won't get any Z wobble. I'm contemplating a further modification to remove the two Z motors and replace them with a single one in the base, driving two aftermarket lead screws via a belt. This will eliminate the vexing flaw with the CR-10 where the two Z screws get out of sync and tilt the X carriage, and by buying good quality lead screws I can put bearings top and bottom without inducing a wobble.

In the meantime I have a plan to print up an indicator arrow with which I can align the slot in the Z motor coupler, then I have a visual indication that the Z motors are in sync before I start a print.