Machsupport Forum
General CNC Chat => Show"N"Tell ( Your Machines) => Topic started by: fixittt on January 05, 2014, 12:26:20 PM
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This project started with requests. I have clients that want to do a 3D print, then be able to machine the print while it is still on the same machine. Using electronics and software control that is already in place.
The extruder is a Spider from Rockcliff. The simple effective way the extruder uses a dimmer switch to control the heating element is useful, smart and very helpful as it is all stand alone.
Set out with a small mill frame. Stuffed some big ball screws into it. Most 3d printers do not throw around much mass so they use wire or rubber belts with nema 17 steppers. I went with nema 23`s and ball screws to get the speed and accuracy and mimic existing machines.
The extruder is setup on the 4th axis stepper drive and is tuned to give me 1 inch of filament is moved when 1 inch movement is requested.
KisSlicer handles the slicing and Gcode which mach3 really has no problems running.
Its now a simple matter of heating the extruder, slicing a file and running the code. I made no other mods to mach3 other then the motor tuning for A.
The extruder is plugged into the coolant relay to toggle power off when the print is done.
So now, if the machine was bigger, the extruder could hang off to the side of the spindle. Print the part, then come back with the spindle and "LIGHTLY" machine the part.
This setup is for printing with PLA only right now as ABS requires a heated platform to build on. This is in the works.
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more
Still working out the print settings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4yrddGwlLk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujyQeC5pnXs
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wonderful job:)... Thanks for posting..
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Looks good,
I'm working on doing the same thing. My machine is a little bigger 18" x 18" x 18" travels and Nema 34 steppers running on 68vdc. I have a 12" square heated bed but the extruder isn't mounted yet as I am making new parts for it. It was a really poor design as recieved. All the wiring is already installed, I just need to make a few connections and update the PLC code to work the extruder and heated bed.
http://s811.photobucket.com/user/garyhlucas/library/?sort=2&page=1
In the pictures you can see a lathe tool post behind the spindle. The extruder mounts just behind that. So with no tool in the spindle or tool mounted for the lathe the extruder is the lowest point. Installing a mill tool or a lathe tool makes that the lowest point. So in theory I can clean up a printed gear with the mill and use a shaping tool on the lathe tool post to cut a key in it, without moving the part.
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Excellent work Fixittt.
Tweakie.
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Fixittt great work I've been trying to convince the 3-D printing community to look in to Mach 3 for a couple of years now. I have built one starting off planning on using Mach 3 works great. I did not need machining capabilities afterwards but through my research I found that nobody had reliable enough extruder and hot end for me large prints were going to take 70 hours. So I started off the build with the extruder and hot end designed and built and tested until I was happy with it worked out very well. But turned out to be quite heavy so the machine had to be good enough to drive it and accelerate it. Nema 34 motors for XYZ and Nema 23 for the extruder and 100 to 1 planetary gearbox with a large diameter serrated drive wheel from a mig welder for the filament I used to be a prototype technician for a large pro audio company this is a tool I made for myself to make my job easier here are a few pictures(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w631/richard_nelson1/3d%20printer/DSCN0058_zps25b97a35.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/richard_nelson1/media/3d%20printer/DSCN0058_zps25b97a35.jpg.html)(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w631/richard_nelson1/3d%20printer/DSCN0055_zps5b7442c7.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/richard_nelson1/media/3d%20printer/DSCN0055_zps5b7442c7.jpg.html)(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w631/richard_nelson1/3d%20printer/DSCN0062_zps24b78027.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/richard_nelson1/media/3d%20printer/DSCN0062_zps24b78027.jpg.html)(http://i1333.photobucket.com/albums/w631/richard_nelson1/3d%20printer/IMG_78652_zps430c9120.jpg) (http://s1333.photobucket.com/user/richard_nelson1/media/3d%20printer/IMG_78652_zps430c9120.jpg.html)
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Hi
Nice!
I made 3d printer with mach3 as well. Now I am trying to get dual extruder to work but kisslicer´s maker is missing and I have to search an alternative program.
What program do you use for slicing?
I am not convinced with slic3r and perhaps cura would do the job but there has to be post processing plugin to convert the GCODE to fit the mach3.
Has anybody already done this plugin?
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Hi
Nice!
I made 3d printer with mach3 as well. Now I am trying to get dual extruder to work but kisslicer´s maker is missing and I have to search an alternative program.
What program do you use for slicing?
I am not convinced with slic3r and perhaps cura would do the job but there has to be post processing plugin to convert the GCODE to fit the mach3.
Has anybody already done this plugin?
Slic3r has setting for mach 3 and emc2
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So the 3d printer project got shelved for about a year.
I decided to bring it back to life as it was before. I ran into a very big problem. The printer volume was very small. 3.5 inches square. While frustrated, I looked over at my Chinese 3040 router and ......... well...... yeah.
Used the router to make a platform for the print head. Used my lathe to make the bar to fit into the spindle block. So now I can swap out print head, spindle in minutes.
The punisher skull was the first "test" print and everything went beautiful. So me being me.... I wanted something bigger. Go big or go home.
Found a V8 engine block on thingiverse, sliced it, crashed KISSlicer64bit a few times and went back to the good old 32 bit version. It chewed on the 5 1/2 inch long model for a while then spit me out a 63 meg gcode file for Mach3 to spew.
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Got the code into mach 3....... over 2 million lines of code.
pressed go and hoped for the best.
As of this writing, the machine has been going for over 30 hours. Funny how mach 3`s elapsed time actually counts days, hours, minutes, seconds.
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Looking good.
Tweakie.
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Its got me wondering, If anyone has ran more then 2.3 million lines of code through Mach in a single code. I have done 1.3 million before. But not almost double that.
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I think 2.3m may well be the record but as long as you remain below 10m the official line is that it will be OK.
How long do you estimate that job run to take ??
Tweakie.
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I am a little over 30 hours in now. About the half way point. I honestly expected something to quit. Filament issues, heat issues, drive wheel clog. You know, anything.
I did run into an issue this afternoon, it got about 90 degrees in my little shop building. I noticed that the filament was sagging and was generally rough. Tried adding a fan to blow air across the whole router. Turned the heat down a bit on the nozzle as well. I think it got to cool as the filament stopped flowing. took me a few seconds to get the heat cranked up and get ooze oozing again. I am also testing different heat settings on the nozzle. Make a small change and let it print an hour or so. This way I can see what changes where made in the layers of the model when its done. I am getting some good data from this print test. The power to the heater block is nothing more then a small transformer and a home light dimmer switch. No way of actually measuring temps. So I have my volt meter attached to the wires going to the heater so I can get a voltage range and see which voltages gives nice smooth walls with the fewest strings.
My shop is actually in our neighbors yard. So I have to go outside, next door and into the detached shop. Sure its only 100 ft away, but I like to think I am efficient. I have a PC in the shop with a quick cam trained onto the mill. I use teamviewer to remote into it and watch it near real time.
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1.5 million lines of code so far.
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This is bad, now I am going to have to finish the printing attachment for my CNC machine! I bought some reprap parts and they were all either poorly designed or poorly made and failed before I even got the first part. So I decided to use some industrial parts and haven't installed the new parts yet.
One question. What travel speeds are you using? Build time is a function of size and travel speed. I have no desire to print something that large, but I'd like to know what speeds you are doing with a router as my machine has ball screws.
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Kisslicer settings
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last setting that didt make it in.
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well it finally finished. 54 hours. I forgot to wire up the fan that cools the filament as it comes out of the nozzle. So there will need to be alot of clean up. I included a picture of the wiper pillar that it prints before each layer of the model to clean the nozzle. Looking at the banding, you can see where the temps got up to 90 degrees inside my shop.
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garyhlucas
my 4030 router also has ball screws on the X and Y. Unsuported rails though, so it does rock and flex a bit.
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Thanks for the setting info. My machine can reach the top speed you have used without a problem. My ways are THK ball ways that are very smooth in operation. My machine is an unusual configuration, X bolted onto a 200 lb cast iron table. Z column riding on the X way saddle, Y traveling on the Z column saddle. It's like a boring mill. So for small objects it can have a very rigid work envelope. A big work envelope gets shaky at the Z and Y extremes.
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mine is one of those Chinese 30x40 routers. I call it the noodle router because of all the flex, but you know, new motors, and electronics, its a fun little toy. I have some supported rails and bearings to stiffen up the Y, just gotta take the time to modify the machine and install them.
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printed all night.
I love the texture and frosted look.
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WOW, I like it too Robert !
That would make a real cool shift knob for a Beetle.
Nice work !
Thanks for posting,
Russ
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that is the idea, but it needs a base and hole for the shifter.
My dad restored a VW camper bus that is red and white. He is in the middle of doing a bug that will be blue. So looks like I get to add onto the design. Which I did not do, its a thingiverse model. Was just fun to print.
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Can you please tell us more about the electronics you use for the extruder temperature control. Did you use something like this one? (https://cnc2printer3d.wordpress.com/)
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Amazing setup you have there, that yoda came out looking great.