For use with Makerbots Mk7 stepstruder
though it might work with other setups.

This thing is designed to "capture" the fans excess blowing to cool the extruded material. The captured air is directed to the extruder tip and the surrounding area. This will "hopefully" allow higher quality prints and/or allow higher extruding temps with reduced sagging/slumping of the extruded material.

This should also reduce lifting prints as the temperature of the extruded material matches the surrounding parts quicker. This has held true in real life up to date.

The air flow of the print needs to be improved as it's not optimal yet but it is working and has been used successfully in small and 3+ hour prints without problems.

If some knows about internal aerodynamics and wants to pass on some tips, it would be greatly appreciated

Official Write-Up at protoparadigm.com/2011/12/abs-glue-weld-cast-texture-and-more/

Here's something that should make plastic life a lot easier. Fuse parts, smooth, shine and texture prints, even cast ABS at room temperature.

Fully printable, functional mini clamps. Capable of maintaining up to five pounds of clamping force.

Mini Clamp with 85mm clamping capacity

Mini Spreader Clamp with 110mm capacity

Changes made:

Slightly shorter to better fit the TOM build platform

Jaw changed to slide more easily on Bar

Lip added to Jaw and to Wedge for easier one handed clamping/unclamping.

Three more sizes of Wedges. Wedge2 is the standard size. If the jaw fits too loosely or too tightly, try one of the other sizes. The "ClampWedges" file has one of each size of wedge so that you can test the different fits.

Added the Spreader Clamp

Added 140mm blank Bar

At long last, everyone in the world (ok everyone who has access to a 3d printer) can have their own bust of America's greatest entertainer and statesman, Stephen Colbert.

Even better, you can use this model and your favorite 3d modeling software to add Mr. Colbert's face to objects which were formerly lacking in Colbert heads, like bannisters, umbrella handles, toothpaste squeezers, and rabbits. (To name a few.)

Made with a Polhemus 3d scanner at the Colbert set on 6/6/2011.

This is still a bit of a work in progress but I think it's mostly workable now.

Warning! There be overhangs here!

I have yet to see what sort of torque this can handle but it seems like it will handle quite a bit. I'm able to stop it if I grab two of the screws sticking out of the planet carrier. Hopefully I'll measure the torque soon.

This is intended to be used with another bearing somewhere on the output shaft. I can't imagine that it would handle any load with only one bearing on there. A different cover could easily be made with a spot for another bearing.


The current design adds 38.5mm in length to your stepper, it could be less but the makerbot supplied stepper that I have has long shaft so I had to make it longer to stop it from interfering with the bolt for the output.
It could probably be 5mm or so shorter pretty easily with a shorter stepper shaft.

Change Log

5/11/2011 Initial Upload
5/12/2011 Switched to 2x 683ZZ bearings for planets, shortened planets a bit, increased backlash and clearance, added list of some possible ratios
5/13/2011 Added addendum/dedendum adjustment to gear library for internal gear.
Removed most of the constants at the top and switched to arguments with defaults
Added multi-stage capability, now you can stack multiple stages in one case
5/20/2011 Added a way to get a screw in to bolt to the stepper and nuts in so that you can bolt it to something (I didn't think it would be too easy to find screws to go through the whole thing into the stepper)
Added a relief on the underside of the cover to clear the screws in the carrier.
5/25/2011 Uploaded separate STLs and modified involute_gears library

******
Is is now ABANDONWARE!
Naaaa... its not abandoned. I'm just not developing it any more!
SUPER cupcake Mk 3 is being designed instead.
******

My second attempt at adding a floating gantry and bowden extruder to the cupcake design.

Once again, take a MBI Cupcake, add some extra bits, bake. Now its SUPER.

Hopefully.

I still need to work on the hot-end mount and the extruder end of the bowden cable. I need to integrate a fan into the hot-end mount (or some method of insulating the joint between the PLA and the metal). I also need to add nuts (and holders) to hold the ends of the bowden tube, the fiction with the PLA is not enough. Oh, and the belt clamps and the parts to hold the top of the Z-stage onto the X/Y stage. And the arm from the Z axis to the build platform. And probably some other bits.

The entire x/y stage is self supporting and simply sits on the cupcake body.

It works in the current form, just.

Source files added for the folks who work in Creo (formerly co-create).

Was told I couldn't print a ball bearing. So I printed one in a single print to prove a point.

UPDATES:

* The original 0v0 zip did not have all the needed files in it.
The current MiZ_Rider_0v0_fixed.zip corrects this.

* There is now 0v1 uploaded. This corrects some fiddly stuff I
found when I assembled the thing. MiZ_Rider_0v1_No_STL.zip
has this latest OpenSCAD code but I have not had time to generate
the STL.

MiZ is a complete Z-Stage replacement for the MakerBot Cupcake. Almost all the parts can be printed on your MakerBot. It will work with many extruders: MK5, MK6, MiseryPusher ( thingiverse.com/thing:7129 shown) as well as any other extruder that is designed to attach to the standard MBI MK5 style extruder base plate (such as: thingiverse.com/thing:5684 thingiverse.com/thing:6713 thingiverse.com/thing:7113 thingiverse.com/thing:7037 ).

The goals were to have very few modifications to the MakerBot, and to have a rigid structure that would yield good quality prints (like:
thingiverse.com/derivative:8582 )

With my setup I can get 550mm/minute Z-travel rate:
youtube.com/watch?v=K-9MwgUz1v0

Here is a longer and more boring video:
youtube.com/watch?v=Fuudemoq2MQ

And yet another showing stability during a high-vibration fill:
youtube.com/watch?v=_Z8G90gfEYI

Excluding nuts & bolts, re-used parts, and shipping the non-printed cost is as low as $26:
* 2 of 12mm x 13 rods: $5 each
* 8 of 623 bearings : $10/10 (shielded) or $20/10 (sealed)
* ABS glue: $6
Links to the parts are in the instructions PDF.

I do have some tweaks and improvements in mind. Please watch for updates.

Heritage -- This design owes a lot of inspiration to these two things:

Z-Rider by twotimes thingiverse.com/thing:4740

Type A Z-Rider. v3.2 by TheRuttmeister thingiverse.com/thing:5586

Suggestions:

whosawhatsis recommended his "Minimalistic X-rod mount":
thingiverse.com/thing:6884
instead of the version in the file. His is a nice design and should work well, it is lower profile and easier to open/close.

This is another maze-box with a lid that must navigate through a maze to take it off (or put it on).

It's been reconfigured to use a little more maze-solving psychology so the user tends to make wrong turns while trying to open the box. Most of my testers made wrong turns at every intersection except one. (Closing isn't as difficult as opening, but it a bit more complex than the original model.)

This is my take on a smaller reprapable version of the Ultimaker. I was going to wait until I had it 100% working but there have been a few gantry systems posted and I wanted to get it out there. Here's a list of the current inspirations, I'll add links later: Ultimaker, brutestruder, bowden cable, mendel bearing setup and Makerbot.

The printer's external dimensions are currently 8.5inx8.5inx10in and the build area is 100x100x175mm.

The main reason I started working on this is most printer designs that have been coming recently have been getting larger in footprint. I want something that'll easily and conveniently fit on my desk, I also have no problem with the 100mm square cupcake build envelope.

Where I'm at: I have had problems with friction in the gantry and am in the process of redesigning all of the moving components. I would upload files, but I just trashed them all as not good enough. So, you'll have to wait until they are good enough. That being said the printer in the photos can easily do around 30mm/s. I just want better.

Here's a couple answers to questions that I know I'm going to get:

Yes, all of the parts fit on a makerbot.

Yes, there are diagonal supports that are not in the photo.

No, it's not a fab at home derivative, I haven't seen the workings of that until yesterday. (Has anyone else actually read the Stratasys patent from 1992?)

I attached an edrawing if people want to look at it. I'll post an stl of the full assembly later.
edrawingsviewer.com/index.html

Yes, that's a Makergear compact plastruder head. It's just so small, it fits perfectly. The new version will have two heads whose nozzle tips will be 18mm apart.


About timeframe, looking back on the last 3 months, I've (spent way too much time screwing around with the Makerbot) wife's quote. Now I have to get some real work done since screwing around on the makerbot doesn't pay the bills. I would expect something in a couple weeks.

Update: Here's a link to a video showing the new center gantry unit for the MiniMaker.
flickr.com/photos/48982649@N07/5659332598/in/photostream

Update: Working on minimaker2 right now, here's a video of the X-Y gantry running a calibration cube at 400mm/s!: flickr.com/photos/48982649@N07/6550391991/in/photostream

This is a derivative of thingiverse.com/thing:4458. When I built the shorty version I had trouble getting the parts to print correctly and I wanted the ring to turn further to fully open the box.

When I designed this iris box I started from scratch and used a different mechanism to open the box.

I have also uploaded the NX6 .prt files for anybody who wishes to use them.

A probe that can make Z measurements and then retract itself out of the way. It was designed for HydraRaptor but can probably be adapted for other wooden machines like Makerbot.

See hydraraptor.blogspot.com/2011/04/auto-z-probe.html

My new 3D printer (from 3dprintingsystems.com) is going flat out and here is my latest job.
When I was a young guy...........yeah years ago I remember having an old piston and conrod sitting on my desk that I used as a desk tidy.......so I though lets print one.
I made it all up, sizes etc from google images of the parts and produced the files in Solidworks.
I even got carried away and made some rings..........the oil scrapping ring is very thin hence the few bits of support to be cleaned off that you can see in the photo.
I have laid the rings one on top of the other with a very small gap between..........this allows you to peel them off one another after printing.
Would be nice in a grey color with a bit of oil or grease stain to finish it off. Have fun!!

Man am I happy with my new UP! 3D printer (from 3dprintingsystems.com)
I designed my propeller using SolidWorks in pieces so I could dismantle them and to make each part the right size for my printer.
You will see that the blades have a rim on the top and bottom of their mounting that slips into the corresponding channels/recesses in the nose cone and base. I have put a spline on the bottom of the nose cone shaft to provide alignment for everything and to give a positive drive when used. Unfortunately it makes the keyed hole for the drive shaft rather small.
The blades are able to slip in this housing if they hit something but unfortunately they might also slip if there is too much drive power. Next time I would run the spline down the whole shaft and put them on it too.

This piece was inspired by some artwork at my friend's house, hence I am naming it after her :)

It is a beautiful piece which will confuse most people the first time they see it, as they try to figure out which part leads to where and how!

This is a derivative work of OpenX Carriage by Buback.

I wanted a rock solid X carriage for my new Mendel Prusa. So after looking through Thingiverse I found Bubacks openX carriage. the problem is that even with a heated platform the edges want to warp when printed on a cupcake because they are so close to the sides of the platform. I completely redesigned the Carriage but kept the great shape.

A bolt shaped pencil case

After spending the weekend building and testing my new MK6 extruder, I had seen quite a few of these and needed to exorcize thoughts of them rolling across the floor.

If you don't have an MK6, save up for one - they're fantastic!

MakerBot Industries now sells filament on spools! Here is a spool holder you can mount on you Thing-O-Matic or Cupcake CNC in place of any rod cover.

You should also print the spool housing to keep you filament nice and tidy. thingiverse.com/thing:8762

If you want to stack two spools, checkout tbusers Spool Stacker thingiverse.com/thing:9198

The Bathtub U-Boat,
An Experiment in Large Scale Makerbot Printing.

Along with Westerns, Submarine movies are clinically proven to be universally enjoyed by the male population. Admit it, at some point you have walked around wanting to shout 'FIRE TORPEDOES' at the top of you lungs.

Well now you can, and look marginally less crazy while doing it.

This was generated using Scherk-Collins Sculpture Generator here:

cs.berkeley.edu/~sequin/SCULPTS/scherk.html

The form here is a toroidal warp and is printable directly from the generator with a little clean up in Sketchup. The generator can do some other cool things too though so do play around.

Notes on the generator:
- Try not to use a high resolution or the STL will take ages to process and clean.
- When saving out a file you have to manually add the .stl after your chosen name or it just saves as a generic file.
- I have nothing to do with the generator or its development, I have used it before to create cool sculptures for 3D renderings and now that I have a 3D extruder i'm all over it again.

This thing is an printable spider coupling designed for a rubber insert. It has robust clamping, and should be well balanced if tightened evenly.

If the rubber spider is cut cut correctly, there will be axial compression cushioning, angular cushioning, and rotary cushioning without slop.

This design must be kept in compression, it will not stay together under tension.

Video showing low-speed operation, with an exaggerated angle:
youtube.com/watch?v=YA71gIn71Zk

Video showing higher speed operation:
youtube.com/watch?v=QuOfSZBd0wA

(Alternative experimental version here that uses silicone sealer: thingiverse.com/thing:7831 )

Heritage:

This is an original work, but owes inspiration or is similar to these things:

Universal Joint by twotimes:
* thingiverse.com/thing:5078

Flexible shaft coupling by twotimes:
* thingiverse.com/thing:5439

Prusa Mendel PLA Coupling by Griffin_Nicoll
* thingiverse.com/thing:7153

Printed flexible beam coupling by jmgiacalone
* thingiverse.com/thing:7373

Spider coupling - 5mm axis to M8 drivescrew by lievenstandaert:
* thingiverse.com/thing:6524

Hoeken's Coupling by hoeken:
* thingiverse.com/thing:5097

version 1.5 scad has nut and bolt files included and includes offsets to make print at zero on z. also are included angle change of the threading for nut and bolt. bolt needs different angle than nut to prevent overhangs. there still is a glitch in how open scad combines the triangle mesh, and the only way to fix it causes some issues when viewing the stl file but the errors are too fine to print, so i guess it still comes out ok.

i also loaded an stl file of the combo nut and bolt. this is still a work in progress until i fix some of the final issues.


version1.scad - has ability to scale down to 10mm, and allows many custom settings for various nut and bolt sizes.i will update with more pictures later. here is a video demonstration youtube.com/watch?v=gnSJUFCxlys

you may need to modify polygonIntersect=1 to a higher value, if it fails to render for stl file.
I have here a somewhat working open-scad file that allows you to create bolts of various sizes. it works for sizes in inches, it is suppose to work for sizes in mm too, but there are some fixes still to be done to the file before it is not considered a work in progress. this is to be accompanied by a nut open-scad file as well. The hope is that people will experiment with this, and create various bolt sizes, with threads, and eventually create nuts that thread on as well. This is a work in progress. it works good enough to try out and test. mm threading has some issues. i did however resolve the overhangs of the threads, and ensured intersecting of the polygons to allow a stl mesh file.

Plates for a 3dprinter of thingiverse.com/thing:2415 . They are done in openscad and require the original files from the Mini servo gripper.

There are currently two plates: one for geared parts, another for the rest of the parts. This is so you can print the gears at better quality and to avoid possible ooze making them not fit properly.

The original versions are just a plate directly made from the original files. There is also gripper_plate_v2 which contains tweaks for 3d printing. Namely it merges both 4mm tall arms into a single 8mm tall one and the base is modified to fit an HXT900 servo and merges both servo plates. This decreases the parts needed and helps
simplify assembly.

A video of it in action: youtube.com/watch?v=-3I8lXD45wI

Files:
- gripper_plate.scad: Openscad code for the original plate.
- gripper_plate_gears.scad: Openscad code for the gear plate.
- gripper_plate.stl: Rendered model of the original plate.
- gripper_plate_gears.stl: Rendered model of the gear plate.
- gripper_plate_v2.scad: Openscad code for the modified plate.
- gripper_plate_v2.stl: Rendered model of the modified plate.
- Gripperservoplate_v2.stl: The new servo holder part (in gripper_plate_v2).

Total weight assembled with Natural PLA: 53 grams (including servos and screws).

A drop-in replacement for the MakerBot stepper drivers that contains all three axes on one board.

You can order these from my web site: tinkerin.gs/p/psmd-pololu-stepper-motor-driver-triple.html
Now you can also order these from Seeed Studio!: seeedstudio.com/depot/psmd-triple-axis-driver-p-1029.html

Updated: Now smaller (same height as a Gen4 stepper driver and 1/4" wider for 3X the axes), and with dip switches to configure microstepping. Also now has a motor-power-in (or 12V out) screw terminal that can be used to drive the motors on up to 35V. I need to update the files an description.

See it in action here (with an early prototype): youtube.com/watch?v=8TEvwzTABEI&hd=1
And it's not mentioned or shown, but you can see it in action in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=2iGnlqBLn5s&hd=1

This board makes your steppers run at eight times higher resolution (1/16th steps instead of 1/2 steps), making it run smoother and way quieter.

I based the design on the MakerBot Stepper Driver v3.0 ( thingiverse.com/thing:760 ) but with a few notable exceptions:

•) I used the Pololu A4983 ( j.mp/pololu-smd ) stepper motor driver carrier board for each axis, so three of them are required for all three axes to work.
•) Circuitry that is already on the Pololu board has been removed.
•) The CD-ROM-style connectors from the Gen4 electronics are used. I used a horizontal-mount connector instead of a vertical mount for mostly cosmetic reasons on the Cupcake, and that may have to be changed for the Thing-o-magic or a RepRap. I'll have to modify the layout to support vertical connectors if they are needed.
•) This board is etchable and hand-solderable. This means that, with the exception of the thru-hole capacitor leads, none of the lead holes are used as vias. Also, traces are reasonably far apart, all of the wiring of the thru-hole parts (except the caps) is on the back, and vias (and drilling) are avoided as much as possible. I have provided the PDF I used for toner transfer.

I placed the Pololu boards vertically and with nothing under them to provide a natural flow of hot air past them. This is why the capacitors are mounted on the back. If they still show signs of overheating, there are holes at the bottom to mount a 12v CPU fan to blow air up past them and provide cooling. So far, in my testing, the steppers overheat before the drivers.

More info about the RepRap testing with Pololu drivers (and my inspiration) here: reprap.org/wiki/Pololu_Electronics

Update 1: Oops, I forgot to post my machines.xml. Now it's up.
Update 2: I added a photo of this latest revision with the endstop connectors corrected and soldered in place. I'm working on the mechanical endstops as another thing. All of the other photos are of the previos revision of this board.
Update 3: I updated the eagle files with some minor cosmetic changes, mostly to clean up the silk screen. I didn't change the version because it's all cosmetic.
Update 4: I have partial build instructions up on Flickr. flickr.com/photos/giseburt/sets/72157625473951054/
Update 5: I have updated the design a little, and bumped the version number to 0.5. (I've left the 0.2 files here.) It now has 6-pin connectors that should be compatible with the Gen4 electronics. It also has a 12V in/out screw terminal, and I've added more silk-screen to help identify parts and pins. The down side is that the -pin connectors made the traces really tight, and it will be more difficult to solder a home-etched version, since some traces to the 6-pin headers are on the top side.

I'm sorry, I'm currently out of kits. I am in the process of having some professionally made, but I don't currently have an ETA. The good news is that they will be completely assembled, and the only soldering needed will be of the Pololu drivers.

Well i wanted to have a very simple, but bearing based spool system.

So i came up with this.. its only one new STL file needed twice.
And I used two old z-leadscrew-base_2off parts.

So here is complete list:
2x z-leadscrew-base_2off STL
2x spool_v2 STL

6x m4x16 cap screws
12x washers m4
6x m4 nylock nuts

3x 180mm stud m8
1x 280mm stud m8
4x 250mm studs m8 (depends how high you want your spoolsystem to be)

28x m8 nuts
24x m8 washers
4x m8 large washers (regular might also work)

2x bearing 608
2x block of wood, doesnt really care what size etc.

Its possible to adjust the diameter from 100mm to 180mm, so most spools should fit.
Also its partly shelled out to reduce print time, while not really reducing strength.

Ow and yes this cannot be printed on a makerbot.
First I wanted to design something smart/smaller that could be assembled.
But i was in a hurry and thought.. well who has a makerbot anyway these days? Better put yours on ebay and build a Mendel ;).

Update: there is now a v3, it has small marks so you can balance out the studs correctly.
If they are all equal positioned the force required to rotate is least.
also making the spool a bit higher (+ 10-20cm) then in the older pictures here, will reduce force on x-carriage in horizontal direction.

Update2: I've made a revision of the z-leadscrew-base. Making the part a bit smaller/faster to print. (Because I didnt have any old z-leadscre-base parts left and wanted to make another spool system..)
And I've extended the spool a bit (v4), because i noticed it was a bit on short side with new full rolls.

(ps. in my opinion: innovation = simplicity / re-use)

I have changed the design to put the bearings in the spool itself. This way you can be more flexible in what you use to support the axle.

An optimized key component for RepRap Mendel - the frame corner bracket. This version is less prone to warping, easier to print, uses minimal material while providing excellent mechanical properties. This final version comes after several weeks of testing various different designs, although there are two key designs for comparison:

[A] 'Low warp, shelled Frame-Vertex' by MarcusWolschon
thingiverse.com/thing:2413 (frame-vertex 6off.stl)
+ Elegant design, uses compliance to minimize warping. Very minimal use of materials (~14cc).
- Poor mechanical properties. Not sufficiently stiff or strong. Would require infilling with epoxy or resin which is expensive. Difficult to print due to very thin walls.

[B] 'Mendel frame vertex thin shelled' by camiel
thingiverse.com/thing:4173 (001010 frame vertex vc2.stl)
+ Structurally very stable. Fairly minimal use of materials (~19cc).
- Excessive warping. Cannot be printed in ABS without a heated bed. Some thin walls tricky to print.

The volume of the first 2mm of a print, is a good indicator for warp. (See image for comparison of design footprints). Design [A] uses complex geometry to reduce warp, but has a moderate footprint due to the solid base (3.0cc). Design [B] is worse than the original Mendel bracket with the greatest footprint (4.3cc). By eliminating a solid base and using shelled geometry, this design has a reduced footprint (2.5cc) and substantially less warping.

I had been using a variant on the original mendel hot end ( thingiverse.com/thing:2018 ) and was constantly getting heat transfer up to my (sadly) PLA printed extruder parts. These parts were actually deforming a little under the heat. So I redesigned to fit my needs.

This is a new hotend design borrowing from from makerbot's MK5 extruder (see thingiverse.com/thing:3290 ).

It has a nicrome wrapper cylindrical solid aluminum core and fits into a PTFE sleeve at the top which allows it to be used with the original mendel X carriage. Additionally it can be used with the MOSFETs on the mendel extruder controller board and doesn't require large clicky relays. ;)

It makes use of the MK5 nozzle and thermal barrier tube that you can get easily from Makerbot Industries storefront.

I designed this tool to help me hob a toothed channel in a drive bolt for a wade's extruder. I've printed one, and used it successfully.

Continues the theme of thingiverse.com/thing:3272 :)

The spheres stack into each other like Matryoshka dolls en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll