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Anyone used online 3D printing services


Gone West

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8 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

 

I did look at the link you posted to those, to see if they would fit my printer, but it would have been fiddly to slice the parts into sections to get it to fit, so I didn't offer to print it for you, I'm afraid.

 

Thanks. I think though mine will need to be specials: Makita battery to Ferrex tool. I can only find Ferrex battery to Makita tool as a ready made item.

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1 minute ago, Onoff said:

 

Thanks. I think though mine will need to be specials: Makita battery to Ferrex tool. I can only find Ferrex battery to Makita tool as a ready made item.

 

 

Making a hybrid from two different designs could be fairly easy, if the original CAD files are available, or not so easy if only the .stl files are available.  I'm not a great fan of the .stl format, as it only represents the surfaces, so can be a PITA to edit accurately.  Be nice if everyone sharing 3D printed designs would include the full CAD files as well, although some do.

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26 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

 

 

Making a hybrid from two different designs could be fairly easy, if the original CAD files are available, or not so easy if only the .stl files are available.  I'm not a great fan of the .stl format, as it only represents the surfaces, so can be a PITA to edit accurately.  Be nice if everyone sharing 3D printed designs would include the full CAD files as well, although some do.

 

Pretty sure @Temp referenced a program earlier in the thread that allows you to slice STL files? 

 

I'm NOT looking forward to learning a new package(s) I can tell you now. AutoCAD till I die! Too old & jaundiced!

 

(I will though). 

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I Google translated the text on that Tinkercad page and it said...

 

"With this adapter 20V Ferrex machines from Aldi can be operated with Makita 18V batteries. I developed it for the battery blower and the battery compressor. The contacts in the adapter come from a 2.0Ah Ferrexakku."

 

Is that the right way around for you? Or has Google translate messed up?

Edited by Temp
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1 hour ago, Onoff said:

I'm NOT looking forward to learning a new package(s) I can tell you now. AutoCAD till I die! Too old & jaundiced!

 

(I will though). 

 

TBH, I'm still in a sort of mix'n'match mode with CAD.  I'm still drawing things up in AutoCAD, then importing the files into FreeCAD, and using that complete the 3D design and  export .stl files.    FreeCAD hasn't got the best user interface in the world, but it does feel easier to use if you're very used to working with something like AutoCAD.  My main problem with any of the other 3D CAD packages I've tried is that entering coordinates so that you have precisely dimensioned parts isn't always that intuitive.  It's almost as if the focus is on creating shapes without dimensional references, then adjusting them afterwards, which doesn't seem natural to me.

 

 

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33 minutes ago, Temp said:

I Google translated the text on that Tinkercad page and it said...

 

"With this adapter 20V Ferrex machines from Aldi can be operated with Makita 18V batteries. I developed it for the battery blower and the battery compressor. The contacts in the adapter come from a 2.0Ah Ferrexakku."

 

Is that the right way around for you? Or has Google translate messed up?

 

My apologies...it was ME that messed up! Yes it is the right way around. Makita battery to Ferrex tool. I looked at so many Parkside, Einhell, Ferrex, Workzone. Could have sworn it was the "wrong way around!

 

 

 

Seems my AutoCAD 2010 offers the ability to export as a Lithography (*.stl) file, is this the correct format?

 

Capture.JPG.2213526942fe13c14caabb955a9db72a.JPG

Edited by Onoff
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22 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Seems my AutoCAD 2010 offers the ability to export as a Lithography (*.stl) file, is this the correct format?

 

 

 

Yes, should be fine.  My version of AutoCAD is older, and doesn't have this option...

 

If you want to draw up something small (no wider than about 65mm) then I could do a test print for you to check.

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19 minutes ago, PeterW said:

For little stuff for 3D printing I use TinkerCad as it’s very intuitive. 
 

 

 

Come December the Draftsight on my machines stops working. Tbh I only ever used it as my AutoCAD won't work on my 64-bit Windows 7 pc. Rather than pay for Draftsight I might pay the money and invest in Longbow. 

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38 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

 

 

Yes, should be fine.  My version of AutoCAD is older, and doesn't have this option...

 

If you want to draw up something small (no wider than about 65mm) then I could do a test print for you to check.

 

Thanks, what a polo sized thing maybe?

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4 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Thanks, what a polo sized thing maybe?

 

 

Yes, or a bit larger if you like.  Ideally it needs to have a flat base, as that saves having to add a support layer where the part attaches to the base plate at the start of the print.  A polo with a flat base, or something with a bit more shape to it if you like.  To avoid supports it needs to be a shape that doesn't have any isolated areas when sliced, so that the bit that's already been printed can hold the next layer to be printed, if you get what I mean.

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45 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

 

 

Yes, or a bit larger if you like.  Ideally it needs to have a flat base, as that saves having to add a support layer where the part attaches to the base plate at the start of the print.  A polo with a flat base, or something with a bit more shape to it if you like.  To avoid supports it needs to be a shape that doesn't have any isolated areas when sliced, so that the bit that's already been printed can hold the next layer to be printed, if you get what I mean.

 

How about this? I quickly knocked up my missing keyboard leg! Nom 27 x 24 x 3.

 

keyb_001.JPG.0851f08807a2a09a02e5c41264eb0fa9.JPG

 

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On ‎28‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 06:30, Onoff said:

Found what I think a 3D printed adapter that will allow me to use my 18V Makita batteries on, for a start this Aldi 20V Ferrex multi tool I bought for the princely sum of £7.95 in the clearance section. All in German. I need to buy a 2Ah Ferrex battery to scrounge the contacts from:

 

"Die Kontakte im Adapter stammen aus einem 2.0Ah Ferrexakku"

 

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/fKCaQO3vZn2-makita-18v-ferrexaldi-20v-adapter

 

 

That will fit on my printer. I couldn't see any print settings recommended for that design but I loaded the stl into Cura to see how long the print would take with my default settings of 0.3 layer height and 25% infill. It said it was about a 12 hour print for all three parts at once. I'll have a look to see if I can separate them or speed it up somehow. I'd need to do some maintenance on my printer before trying a 12 hour print - I have a squeaky bearing in a belt tensioner.

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Temp said:

 

That will fit on my printer. I couldn't see any print settings recommended for that design but I loaded the stl into Cura to see how long the print would take with my default settings of 0.3 layer height and 25% infill. It said it was about a 12 hour print for all three parts at once. I'll have a look to see if I can separate them or speed it up somehow. I'd need to do some maintenance on my printer before trying a 12 hour print - I have a squeaky bearing in a belt tensioner.

 

 

 

Honestly, please don't waste your time and kit to this extent. I'm in no rush. We should have  a machine here come Christmas anyway!

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35 minutes ago, Jeremy Harris said:

I'll PM you.

 

Thanks got the pm. I'm not hopeful, AutoCAD has saved the file with a weird .sv$ extenstion???

 

I'll send it anyway shortly, maybe it needs a package that reads STL files?

 

Any colour's fine! Just seemed sensible to print something practical if we're going to try it so I grabbed the vernier and measured the remaining keyboard foot! :)

 

Cheers

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29 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Don't joke but someone is reproducing hard to source door handle inserts for the Capri already.

 

 

An injection moulded part inside one of our blinds broke a while ago.  It wasn't available as a spare part, so we'd have had to buy a whole new assembly.  I used the old part as a pattern, drew a new one up, beefed it up to try and stop it failing in future and printed it off.  It's been working fine for a month or so now.

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I tried changing the suffix to .dwg then converting it to .dxf, with the intention of opening it in FreeCAD so that it could be exported as a .stl file but for some reason that didn't work either.  According to AutoDesk, all that should be needed to convert an autosave file to a .dwg should be to edit the suffix, but for some reason that doesn't seem to work.  I can't open .dwg files in the newer format, unfortunately, as my copy of AutoCAD is an older one.

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