MakerBot Industries

Improving a print through abrasion

This is the fifth in a series of posts about ways to get even better print results from your 3D printer. ¹  The prior posts provided information on calibrating hardware, upgrading hardware, calibrating software, and maintenance.  Please keep sending in your hints, tips, hacks, and suggestions!  Today’s post is about one of the most common kinds of finishing techniques:

1. Abrasion. Removing excess plastic by abrasion is an obvious way to improve the look of a printed object.  Here are the tools I use to clean up a printed object:
   1. Needle nose pliers or wire cutters to remove any large strings of plastic or plastic blobs.
   2. A spackle or putty knife to pop off any large blobs.  This is the same spackle knife I use to remove printed objects from the print platform.
   3. A utility knife to clean, smooth, and sometimes even carve parts.
   4. Sandpaper or emery board.
   5. I have been known, on occasion, to rub a printed object on concrete to sand down an edge.
   6. I’ve also used drill bits to ream out holes or clean off edges.

What other techniques do you use to abrade a printed model to get a better printed result?

Bonus Section:

1. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part I (Calibrating Hardware)
2. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part II (Upgrading Hardware)
3. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part III (Calibrating Software)
4. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part IV (Maintenance)

1. Photo courtesy of jwcline [↩]

Ah, the classic bust of Beethoven, residing on your piano, and you scribble the notes of your next aria…well…the Bosendorfer doesn’t quite fit into my apartment, and a marble bust doesn’t look right sitting next to the laptop.  Instead, print out this bust and set it next to your midi controller.

Way to go, dino-girl.  And appreciate the epic print by our own Botfarm.

Beethoven Bust by dino-girl

duh duh DUH dun! Beethoven looks pretty grumpy for a really awesome bust you can print on your MakerBot, eh?

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Paper rolls

I was chatting with a friend about the new “MakerBot party mode,” when I wondered if anyone had ever tried using a Unicorn in conjunction with an Automated Build Platform and a tape roll from a calculator. ¹²

I think it would be really cool to have something like this.  It could be used to run a Unicorn continuously, churning out little stick figures dancing on a roll of paper.  Or, perhaps, a novel written in reverse. ^34 5

I suspect in order to do this successfully you would need:

1. To run the Unicorn relatively slowly.  This way the paper wouldn’t be shoved out of shape too much as it rolled in
2. Only draw pictures within a relatively small area.  Again, so that the paper wouldn’t be shoved out of shape
3. The tape roll would have to run from somewhere outside the rear of the ‘bot.  The full roll would add a lot of mass to the XY platform.  I suppose this wouldn’t be a problem if you ran the Unicorn slowly enough.
4. A clamp might be needed to hold the tape roll to the motorized ABP axle.  This would help keep the paper in place as you print and also grip the paper when it needs to roll forward.  I suppose an alternative is to use a variation on the ABP that would
5. To re-write the Unicorn code so that it would move the paper forward as it printed.  It could advance the paper as little as one line at a time or roll through to a totally new section.

Did I miss anything?  What else might you need?

1. These still exist, right? [↩]
2. Photo courtesy of Steve Snodgrass [↩]
3. I would call it: “It Did Butler The”  A time traveling butler tries to clean up the past…  but ends up causing the disasters he seeks to prevent. [↩]
4. I have to say…  that doesn’t sound nearly as awful as I had intended it to be… [↩]
5. If you’re interested in the movie rights, e-mail me. [↩]

A close up remote

As a kid I received a few remote control toys.  Back then “remote control” was a funny term that wouldn’t be widely recognizable today. ¹  Imagine opening a toy race car – to find out that the remote control is really just a few dials with a reallllly long cord running to the back of the toy. ²  Yes, I suppose the control is, indeed, remote from the toy.

My point with all of this is that although something is technically true, it can still be a little deceptive.  According to a recent article from the TechTalk section on IEEE Spectrum MakerBot was one of only two 3D printers being displayed at CES 2011 in Las Vegas.  The other was a traditional inkjet printer except that it could blend two images so that you get a “3D” view when wearing those blue-red glasses.

So, how about a new slogan for MakerBot?  Perhaps something like, “You don’t need special glasses.”

1. Photo courtesy of jasleen_kaur [↩]
2. If you were lucky it was a long cord.  If you were unlucky, well, then I suppose there’s no real point in putting batteries in it, right? [↩]

We’ve talked about this before, but these amazing bracelets by nervoussystem are more than worthy of a blogpost of their own.

Everybody here at the Botcave is really psyched and very appreciative that nervoussystem took their designs and released them on Thingiverse for all of us to print out; these are some of the most impressive things that you can MakerBot, and are beautiful objects in their own right.  There are three different bracelet designs and each one is available in three sizes.

Thanks, nervoussystem!

Subdivision Bracelet by nervoussystem

We've decided to discontinue several bracelets from our Cell Cycle collection to make way for new designs. This is one of those designs. I've uploaded it in three sizes: small - inner diameter: 2.3in, inner circumference: 7.2in medium - inner diameter: 2.5in, inner circumference: 7.85in large - inner diameter: 2.7in, inner circumference: 8.5in Inspired by the complex forms of radiolarians, where intricate pattern is integral to structure, these shapes derive from a simulation of spring meshes which form mirrored catenoid surfaces. We created interactive software to morph, twist, and subdivide each design, transforming a simple mesh to a complex patterned structure.

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Regular bracelet by nervoussystem

We've decided to discontinue several bracelets from our Cell Cycle collection to make way for new designs. This is one of those designs. I've uploaded it in three sizes: small - inner diameter: 2.3in, inner circumference: 7.2in medium - inner diameter: 2.5in, inner circumference: 7.85in large - inner diameter: 2.7in, inner circumference: 8.5in Inspired by the complex forms of radiolarians, where intricate pattern is integral to structure, these shapes derive from a simulation of spring meshes which form mirrored catenoid surfaces. We created interactive software to morph, twist, and subdivide each design, transforming a simple mesh to a complex patterned structure.

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Diagrid Bracelet by nervoussystem

We've decided to discontinue several bracelets from our Cell Cycle collection to make way for new designs. This is one of those designs. I've uploaded it in three sizes: small - inner diameter: 2.3in, inner circumference: 7.2in medium - inner diameter: 2.5in, inner circumference: 7.85in large - inner diameter: 2.7in, inner circumference: 8.5in Inspired by the complex forms of radiolarians, where intricate pattern is integral to structure, these shapes derive from a simulation of spring meshes which form mirrored catenoid surfaces. We created interactive software to morph, twist, and subdivide each design, transforming a simple mesh to a complex patterned structure.

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Hey folks! After a brief absence, we’re back with another dynamic episode of our tips, tricks and sliceo’ botcave show.  We’ve got a pitch for our brand new spooled plastics, a helpful tip about belt-lengthening, and a round-up of some awesome thingiverse things, featuring a bathtub cleaner, pine trees, egg labels, a violin, the diagrid bracelet, the buddsta, and the ballista.

Enjoy!

How to Build a Foamcore CNC Machine by Ilan Moyer

Okay, this is seriously cool.  A cheap foamcore CNC machine for $120 worth of parts and common tools?  Who wouldn’t want one of these?  Makes me wonder what else would be possible with foamcore plus access to a 3D printer.

Ilan’s website has more photos and information about this project, along with pictures of it extruding in ketchup.

Michael Tuttle's SUPER tall bot!

MakerBot operator Michael Tuttle sent in some photos of his seriously pimped Cupcake.  He’s more than doubled vertical build height of the Liberty Prototype tall printer!¹

Anyways, Just wanted to show you my makerbot mod. it has a ~26″ Z build area and I modified it to two Z stage motors to help with the mass of the new rods.  I also put a heatsink on the H-bridge to help with the added load.

As you can see I printed the wine class from thingiverse. It was actually my first print on the machine, it hasnt even been calibrated yet! Its amazing! You can even see the hex nuts not even tightened on the z rods.  My next upgrade will be the step extruder and the 2.4 motherboard.

Let’s not forget the sweet TRON themed clear acrylic case! ²  Michael, please, please, please go for the tallest print hall of fame record!  Way to go Michael!

1. Bre’s Liberty Prototype has a build height of 300mm or about 11.8 inches. [↩]
2. While still sporting the cool vintage XY platform… [↩]

In 1987 I saw AC⚡DC live with friends at the Tacoma Dome near Seattle and they ROCKED! Here at MakerBot we’re excited to bring an AC⚡DC amount of ROCK to the 3D⚡DC event happening in DC on April 28th. We’ll be on a panel as and will be enthusiastically buying beers for 3D printing enthusiasts somewhere in DC later that night.

On April 28th at 3D⚡DC, the 3D printing community will descend on Washington, DC to show policymakers what they are up to. Panels will introduce the 3D printing community to the DC policy community, and explore some of the policy issues that this disruptive technology will implicate. During a demonstration phase, you will be able to see this technology in action first hand, and speak one-on-one with people and companies on the cutting edge. Be the first person in your caucus, at your GS level, or on your adult kickball team to see 3D printing live.

Hope to see you there! Please upload your 3D models of AC⚡DC style Gibson SG guitars to Thingiverse ASAP!

via 3D⚡DC: 3D Printing Comes to the Nation’s Capitol | Public Knowledge.

PS: She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean, she was the best damn MakerBot that I’ve ever seen!

PPS: For those about to PRINT, we salute you

PPPS: Back in Black (ABS)

PPPPS: Dirty Deeds Printed Dirt Cheap

PPPPPS: She printed all night long

Finally, what we’ve all been waiting for: a MakerBottable, desktop-sized version of a Roman siege weapon.  The future is really here.

That’s right, Thingiverse designer (and classical military historian perhaps?) AbFabFab has created a Thingiverse design for a ballista, the ancient Roman weapon which helped them rule entire world (OK…Europe and most of the Mediterranean) under Trajan.

The ballista was used under other emperors as well…but Trajan just doesn’t get enough respect these days.

Ballista by AbFabFab

This is recreation of a Roman ballista. Its small (obviously), and isn't an exact replica (Romans didn't work in plastic). Its about the right size to fire a pencil. It should be fairly obvious how it works, but I have some instructions below, and a short movie. P.S. I am aware of the Thingiverse policy not to publish "weapons". I see this as a toy -- it can fire a pencil about two feet with considerably less force than I can throw it. However, please be careful as points can always put out eyes. Also I know someone could potentially beef this up until it fires knives at a 100 miles and hour. Please don't. TODO: this is a work in progress because there's some things I want to add. -- a mounting point so you can put it on a "table" (a stand on a pedestal). -- a ratchet, winch and trigger mechanism, that are vaguely period

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