3D Printer

[Metalcrafters]

I did not want to high jack another thread. I basically have seen a few posts about 3D Printed parts and their abilities and I wanted to share our experiences.

We have been using 3D printed parts for the last two seasons. We used them more extensively in 2011 then in 2012 basically due to need. Almost all of these parts are parts that saw a fair amount of load. They were not used as a bracket for a switch or a spacer.

Basically for us it boils down to what to machine or what not to machine. We have the machines and the ability to pretty much manufacture anything we need. Sometimes we just do not have the time or manpower.

3d printer will run all day all night unattended, allowing for other things to happen like sleep.
You do need to know how to design for the machine and the material.

Ask if you have questions, we are open to answering anything.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/38032?
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/38034?
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/38033?

[sanddrag]

We have a Dimension printer and we've had a problem recently of the support structure not bonding to itself and coming out all scraggly. Is this a problem of the cartridge being old? How long do the cartridges last exposed to air after opening and installing them?

[Metalcrafters]

Just purge the support material until the bubbles go away. Moister gets the spool and causes that.
We can go a few months in between prints, and just purge the support.

[Peck]

Originally Posted by Metalcrafters

Just purge the support material until the bubbles go away. Moister gets the spool and causes that.
We can go a few months in between prints, and just purge the support.

My team usually plunges both before printing since we have found that if we don't the bottom slides around on us and makes the bottom ugly and weaker.

[CalTran]

So I'm getting the sense that 207, ironic to their namesake, are real fans of 3D printing parts for their robots. So far, the only thing we've 3D printed robotics related is a miniature of our robot.
I'm not sure the make or model of the printer at our facility, but from how our mentors talk about it, it's quite expensive to use.

Have you ever had any issues with the stability of your parts? I read about your wheels and the redesign. Is designing more support into the parts just something to be taken into account when making them?

[Akash Rastogi]

Do you guys get your spools donated or do you purchase your own material?

Do you use multiple printers or run the same one with a larger batch of parts?

What size tip do you usually use?

Thanks! We've got printers available as well, just haven't tried them for competition parts yet.

[Metalcrafters]

I am not going to say its cheap. We buy our material in bulk to keep the overall costs down per cubic inch. If you take into account the time of machining it vs printing might be faster to machine. But looking at tooling, student power, mistakes, ability to produce a part and not be there are all a plus.

We only use one machine, just time our day to switch out the bases to keep the flow of production up.

Not sure what you mean by stability. We do look at how the printer builds to design a part that will be the strongest for that orientation. We also print small test parts to see how we have to adjust sizes of our 3d models to compensate for error in the printer so we get the fit we are looking for.

Tip size I am not sure but I will check.

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by Metalcrafters

I am not going to say its cheap. We buy our material in bulk to keep the overall costs down per cubic inch. If you take into account the time of machining it vs printing might be faster to machine. But looking at tooling, student power, mistakes, ability to produce a part and not be there are all a plus.

Hmm I suppose that every team has their cost/benefit ratios to consider when choosing fabrication methods. It is very cool that you guys are able to do this.

[sanddrag]

Where do you buy your cartridges and plates? Do you get everything through Paton? Also, can you recommend a brand and model of 'Clean Station' tank and solution? We don't have one yet. Also, what is the exact model of your machine?

[Metalcrafters]

Yes Paton Group. I have a great relationship with them.

We tried to get away without the cleaning station and gave in, I bought it from Paton also. When I get back to the shop Monday I will look up the model. It's a must.

[R.C.]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

Where do you buy your cartridges and plates? Do you get everything through Paton? Also, can you recommend a brand and model of 'Clean Station' tank and solution? We don't have one yet. Also, what is the exact model of your machine?

A few local teams here have bought from Paton Group, we've gotten both our CNC's through them. Very nice folks and quality customer service!

-RC

[akoscielski3]

How expensive are the printers? I dont think there is any close by, in our area. If there is I would love to get some parts made by them. Hopefully donated but im not sure.

What are the usual parts that you would make by 3D printer rather than machine?

[team222badbrad]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

We have a Dimension printer and we've had a problem recently of the support structure not bonding to itself and coming out all scraggly. Is this a problem of the cartridge being old? How long do the cartridges last exposed to air after opening and installing them?

Stratasys material definitely has an expiration. The expiration of opened material is debatable and depends on the environment, but I do know that the foil sealed cartridges are good for over six months.

What is the MFG date on your cartridge?

When was the last time your print tips were changed?

What model machine?

Also, can you recommend a brand and model of 'Clean Station' tank and solution? We don't have one yet. Also, what is the exact model of your machine?

I use a Thermo Scientific W45 like this: http://hylandscientific.com/process-...h-wdl30-heater

I think they might be out of production though. You may want to get an ultrasonic tank anyway which is more efficient for support removal.

Here are some other tanks http://cleanstation-srs.com/

Essentially all the tank does is heat to 70c and circulate the water. So as long as you find a tank that does that you are good to go. The only catch is that it must hold up to the sodium hydroxide over time. Stainless :-) Ebay may have some good deals if you find the right tank.

The chemical is powdered sodium hydroxide. I get mine directly from my Stratasys reseller in a bulk case.

I donate my services to the Tigertrons to make motor mounts, encoder mounts, potentiometer mounts, brackets, spacers, and other similar hardware for the last few years. I even made a whole transmission for display purposes and even scale replicas of the FIRST trophies.

Here is the prototype motor mount for our 2012 practice bot.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

There are also a bunch more projects and photos here:
https://www.facebook.com/printto3d

If anyone else has an questions about the Dimension/Stratasys machines I will try to help as I've operated thousands of hours on a 768 BST, 1200es SST, and Fortus 250mc.

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by team222badbrad

What is the MFG date on your cartridge?

When was the last time your print tips were changed?

What model machine?

The machine we have is an older white colored Dimension SST I think. Not sure when the cartridges were made, but it's at least 2 years ago, and they've been in the machine since January. I guess we aren't printing enough parts often enough. I'm not aware if the print tips have ever been changed. I inherited this machine back in January. So, I'll have to tinker with it and see what I come up with. Also, every now and then it will give a 14,8 homing error and reboot.

Anyone printed and used gears for a low-load mechanism?