This is an update to my Accessible Wade's Extruder.

The idler is now hinged using an M3 screw.
I have also added support for the central part of the 608 idler so that there is no need to use washers to space the bearing away from the plastic.

I have been using this design for a while now and love it.

Changing filament is a simple as compressing the spring then whipping out the old filament and poking the new one in.

UPDATE: 6 Aug 2011 - Add arcol (cory75 thing:10532) and wildseyed hotend mount options. Im not overly happy with the asymmetry of the arcol option.

This is the 5th version of my printable linear rail, I've gotten everything to finally work correctly. This can be used as a drop in replacement for a 3d printer's X or Y axis. It's rail system is designed to connect together to form any needed length.

This machine hopefully will be my entry for the Gada prize.


Update 06/16/2011:
I worked out a few modifications to the shuttle. Now the lower half of the shuttle can be printed as well, this removes:
4x 5/16(8mm) nuts
2x 5/16(8mm) bolts
2x 5/16 washers

-The next to go is going to be replacing the front 5/16(8mm) hardware with all printed parts. I'm trying to pare this down just the motor and the printed parts.

-I also redesigned the Large helical gear to incorporate the 608 bearing embedded inside of it. think this is an advantage of trying to use 2 bearings in the pillow block. The large helical gear is also now held in place by a printed 8mm bolt 40mm long. This removes one additional piece of hardware.

-The shuttle top now has 4 mounting holes, although I'm just securing the motor with 2 at this point.

-I printed 2 new 3-segment rails, redesigned lower half of shuttle to be printed.
-I also added 2 new pics of the x/y gantry system and uploaded all new parts - I should have another video.


Here is a youtube video of it in action:
youtube.com/watch?v=ScJMPw6UPtw

Comments and feedback are welcome.

The Many Use Thing is a tool that I designed in Sketchup. It can be used for the following purposes:

* Dremel collet tightening / loosening
* 3/8" Socket Driver
* 1/4" Socket Driver
* 1/4" Socket hold for bits

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To use as a Dremel collet tightener, slide the tool over the flat part of the collet and then squeeze the arms with your thumb and forefinger while twisting to tighten or loosen.

The 3/8" and 1/4" drive shafts are for sockets. After printing they will need to be "broken in". Trim up excess plastic and force a socket on and off a few times. After that you can be assured that once a socket is put on it will not fall off.

The hole in the middle is 1/4" so you can use it as a handle for bits.

Photoset:
flickr.com/photos/23450595@N02/sets/72157626847828041/

Video:
youtu.be/c26OSuSRPE4

A printable harness to prevent your cables from falling into the abyss when they are not in use. Keep yourself organized and save the frustration.

The STL is optimized for USB peripherals the same size as the one that comes with a Makerbot. If you want to fit a different sized cable, scale accordingly.

More pictures: flickr.com/photos/nickstarno/sets/72157624529783381/

This is V 3.0 and it is beefed up so it is a lot :p stronger and stiffer.

I added room for some washers and nuts for extra stability on this.

It's a mashup of LOLcats and derivative Things, see?

Ahem... Yes, humor runs to the bizarre in my family, sorry. :-)

This is a wrench to help open and close plastic soda bottles. I developed it for my mother-in-law who has arthritis in her thumb joints and has difficulty with unscrewing these bottle caps by hand.
I experimented with several concepts before hitting on the opposed teeth that you see here. The idea is that the teeth will flex when the wrench is pushed onto the cap. When the wrench is turned, one of the sets of three teeth will bend upward and grip the cap surface.
This particular design is a compromise between ease of pushing on (it still takes a good push) and strength of grip. If anyone makes one, I would like to know how well it works for them.