[MakeLV] Newbie

[David Smith]

Pat,

I printed it on a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic
http://wiki.makerbot.com/thingomatic.  The newest MakerBot is ~$1800 and
comes pre-assembled  (mine was ~15 hours of assembly).  They are not hard
to use at all if you are not hyper about the output, but some people find
they are very fussy to tune for optimal performance.

I printed Ellis's gear in ABS.  3-D prints are strong in the plane of the
layer, weak between layers.  We haven't tried Ellis's gear yet, but he was
confident it was strong enough.  An ABS gear is by no means a replacement
for a steel gear in terms of durability, of course, but since you are
printing your own,  you can just print a new one if it wears out in a year
(or even in a month) - it's about $0.10, maybe less, for the plastic and
electricity to print one.

Dave



On Sat, Jul 28, 2012 at 10:48 AM, <JWDoyleJr at aol.com> wrote:

> **
> Dave,
>
> Thanks for your prompt response.  I don't know a printer owner,
> personally, but there are job shops in the area who would do the job for
> hundreds of dollars, I suppose.  Looking at this as an excuse to buy a
> new toy, what kind of printer did you use, and what kind of learning curve
> is involved in getting one up and running?
>
> My take on the art and science is that it is relatively easy to make
> objects from fragile materials, but much more difficult to produce durable
> parts like gears.  What material did you use for Ellis's gear?
>
> Pat
>
> ======================================
>
>  In a message dated 7/28/2012 9:25:44 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> david at davincisciencecenter.org writes:
>
> HI Pat and welcome to Make Lehigh Valley.  I'm the guy who printed the
> garage door part and I'd be happy to print the part for you as well, but
> it's likely going to be a month before I can get to it because I run
> teacher workshops and I'm booked solid for the next three weeks. If you
> know someone else with a printer, I'm sure Ellis or I can send them the
> part file.
>
> By way of intro, I'm a geologist and civil engineer turned science
> educator.  I work at the Da Vinci Science Center in Allentown.  My
> interests, in addition to 3-D printing, are in model railroading,
> gardening, Arduino and other microcontrollers for automated science data
> collection and citizen science, djembe drumming, and pretty much anything
> mechanical (automata, robots, tools, etc.).
>
> Dave Smith
>
> On Sat, Jul 28, 2012 at 7:08 AM, <JWDoyleJr at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> **
>> Let me introduce myself to the list.
>>
>> I am a retired USAF officer with degrees in aero engineering and
>> mechanical engineering, plus an MBA.  I have tools and projects related to
>> metalworking -- lathe, mill, welding, etc.
>>
>> I found this list while searching for a part for a Sears garage door
>> opener, and found that I was not alone in seeking a pat that Sears no
>> longer has available.  (81C14)  Following that lead, I found that a
>> MakeLehigh lister had arranged to replicate the part using a 3D printer.
>>
>> So, there was a convergence of my real-world need for a gear, and my
>> latest obsession -- 3D printers.  I hope this goes far beyond my need for a
>> little gear, and on to a lively discussion roup interested in all
>> applications of new technology.
>>
>> Pat
>>
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>>
>>
>
>
> --
> David L. Smith, Ph.D.
> Director, Teacher Professional Development
>
>
>
> 3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass
> Allentown, PA 18103-3686
> 484-664-1002 x111
> david at davincisciencecenter.org
> http://www.davincisciencecenter.org
>
>
>
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>
>
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-- 
David L. Smith, Ph.D.
Director, Teacher Professional Development



3145 Hamilton Blvd Bypass
Allentown, PA 18103-3686
484-664-1002 x111
david at davincisciencecenter.org
http://www.davincisciencecenter.org


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