3d printing conundrumss

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Occashokka
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3d printing conundrumss

Post by Occashokka »

So, I can afford a decent 3D printer after Christmas and early January birthday but my school have said I can use theirs if I want, which would save me hundreds of pounds to spend on other robot things BUT they will only print in PLA and I know it's not the best but if I screwed polycarb armour onto it would it be strong and competitive or not?
Team Badger
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peterwaller
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by peterwaller »

It is certainly possible to add polycarbonate armour to a 3D printed chassis as below.
Image
Image
You can also get a much stronger high impact PLA here.
http://smartmaterials3d.com/en/home/23- ... -flex.html
The ability to print in what and when you like is very useful though so I am not trying to convince you not to get a printer.
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Shakey
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by Shakey »

I find being able to iterate in 3d printing is very useful. Most robots I print are actually print 2 or 3 with some minor tweaks between them to improve. There's also the advantage of being able to print when and what you want as Pete says.

My main problem with PLA is that it is too brittle, even with polycarb armour it has a tendency to snap or shatter on hits. ABS is the best 'common' material and cheap aswell with some flex to hit to survive. Though I haven't tried stuff like PLA+.

Really you have to try and decide whether the use you'll get out of the 3D printer is worth the cost (Though you can get some great cheap printers nowadays). If you do get your own don't even consider anything without a heated bed.
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Rapidrory
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by Rapidrory »

I got a printer a year ago and definitely have not used it enough to justify the cost :L I still think your build style suits polycarbonate construction better.
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UserFriendly
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by UserFriendly »

My printer's about 8 months old. I love it. As Alex says, there's great value in iterating a design (except most of my bots are about the 10th print not 2nd or 3rd like Alex!)

There are other pluses too. I go to a local market once a month with my printer and demonstrate it working. People are fascinated with it. They often ask if I can print some obscure something-that-has-broken.

I've also been into my sons school and demonstrated it to his class as part of an ICT lesson.

It's also useful round the house, I've printed clips, brackets, draw runners etc.

There is an ongoing costs, but ABS is relatively cheap (50p a bot) when you cost it out.
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Occashokka
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by Occashokka »

I guess it all depends exactly how much money I receive at Christmas and birthday, and indeed how cheaply I can get my hands on a good quality printer but until then I'll just create polycarbonate blobs, my only their question is whether PLA would be sufficient for wheels and how messy and difficult is tyre making
Team Badger
Has a 3d printer now yay
-£4.82+VAT (intact)
-cool modulated printed thingy
-not yet built nasty mean spinnt thingy

I'm gonna build something huge and stupid, try and stop me :P
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Shakey
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by Shakey »

I used to use PLA for wheels and they work fine, spinner hits will shatter them though.

Tyre making is a bit tricky, it takes a few attempts to get it all working well but not too bad once you have the hang of it. It is messy though and expect the first few batches to be throwaways.
Nuts And Bots - For all your components and ready built antweights!

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Rapidrory
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by Rapidrory »

Why Wait's wheels are PLA... but they've never yet been hit by a spinner :L
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Occashokka
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Re: 3d printing conundrumss

Post by Occashokka »

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/SINTRON-3D-Prin ... 0408.m2460

I was wondering where the catch was and how hard it is to assemble and if me and my dad can realistically do it and indeed how reliable the i3 actually is
Team Badger
Has a 3d printer now yay
-£4.82+VAT (intact)
-cool modulated printed thingy
-not yet built nasty mean spinnt thingy

I'm gonna build something huge and stupid, try and stop me :P
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