What are you using your 3D printer for?

[vboratyn6053]

As a beta testing team, we've made a 3D printed part that can be placed in the roboRIO to keep the cables organized, more resistant to swarf, and slightly more secure. Link to check out the Cable Magic.

[BigBen]

Originally Posted by vboratyn6053

As a beta testing team, we've made a 3D printed part that can be placed in the roboRIO to keep the cables organized, more resistant to swarf, and slightly more secure. Link to check out the Cable Magic.

Think you should call that the WildStang RoboRio Wire Wrangler!

[MrBasse]

We are currently using ours to prototype a compact frame rail with an integrated single speed gearbox. We have printed the gears and will be printing some pulleys to save on cost and also delivery time. It will let us control our gear ratio by simply being able to print a new set of gears in just under two hours.

[Tamster]

For our robot's intake, we used our Cubify printer to prototype, and eventually create, pulleys and spacers. We also made little "bricks" used to mount our shooter to the chassis.

For non-robot stuff, we used it to print keychains that were CAD-ed by students at our robotics summer camp. We also printed some medals for our mentors, and I think someone printed a feather.

[SharonO]

We don't have a 3D printer (yet), but I think this is pretty cool.

[cadandcookies]

A small selection of what 2220 used 3D printing for last year:

• Small spacers for our electronics panel
• Mounting blocks for our polycarb side shields
• Gearbox covers
• Camera/IR sensor hybrid mount
• The all important Scorpio name plate
• Prototype of the Stratasys 3D Printing Award trophy given at the MN FTC State Championship
• All sorts of minor electrical stuff

Here's some of what Eagan Robotics FTC teams used 3D printers for last year (in case anyone's interested):

• Hook to hang on the bar
• Small "flicker" arm for scoring the autonomous block
• A variety of electrical isolation mounting components
• Mounting for the Samantha module outside of the base robot frame
• Battery holder

Overall, they were extremely useful. Many parts we developed on the printers went through many iterations in a way that wouldn't have been possible if we were machining them. The finished products (printed in Makerbot PLA) were durable enough that there wasn't a single failure in competition (though we did destroy the original camera/IR mount in testing).

[RonnieS]

So now that we are seeing a lot more people with 3D printers, I want to know what ones you have found most successful. This includes print quality, price, and durability(how much you have to play with it to get it right) all put into one.
-Ronnie

[Lydia Yeckley]

We had two, one with better resolution than the other. We've used our for many different applications. Anywhere from extra spacers in custom gearboxes, creating a shield for a gyro, wedges to help pick up frisbees, to positive stops to reducing the amount of travel a polyU band along a moving apparatus.

Obligatory "The possibilities are endless!" quote.

But actually though, they're super helpful.

[techhelpbb]

Recently printed 192 game pieces out of PLA on a small army of Bukito portable printers for MORT.

Printing parts for the Prusa I3 I gave them now out of ABS on my Up! Plus.

[wendells]

We use Autodesk Inventor for 3D dwg. Through motion analysis they are able to move the components of the dwg. then we create models with the 3D printer.
eg. Students must design a Circular Gripper to hold a 2" diameter ball.

One of my students did an excellent job; so, the drawing is now being CAM on the CNC Mill.

[Twins Inc.]

Last year we spent 40 hours of printing to make a LOT of the green and blue rollers here:
https://twitter.com/frc2605/status/436627785478848512

We also found them to be incredibly useful for encoder and sensor mounting. Be sure to test specifically for each part. Tolerances will change from warp, and the warp will change from the part shape to the printer. The more you use 3D printing, the more you will come up with ways to use it, and what you use it for won't be a question anymore!