[MakeLV] Newbie

Sun Jul 29 13:55:24 CDT 2012

There was a day when I would accept a short-life part, but my  aching body 
complains so much about the lifting of the unit that I don't  want to do it 
again -- ever.  (Last Fall, I lifted more than the rated load  for my back, 
and broke it -- compression fracture of vertebra.)  Life is  too short to 
torture yourself.

I explored the parts suppliers, and asked if the newer parts could be used  
on the old machines.  Answer was, "NO" but I may order one to see if it can 
 be modified.  They look exactly like the one you printed.  If all else  
fails, I may be back with you for a sample.  <grin>

========================

In a message dated 7/29/2012 1:43:59 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
david at davincisciencecenter.org writes:

Pat,  

I printed it on a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 
_http://wiki.makerbot.com/thingomatic_ (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_ 
(mailto: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_ (mailto: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_ 
(mailto: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_ (mailto:david at davincisciencecenter.org) 
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