A standard motor pulley for T2.5 belts. 16 teeth, so works as a drop-in replacement for a 8-tooth T5 pulley.

Some say that this part is a vitamin, but I didn't believe them.

I printed this with 0.35 nozzle, 0.20 layers, 0.36 tracks and 10 secs per layer, with PLA.

A while back, a friend of mine asked if I could make her a version of a Fox 40 whistle.

Originally, I tried to make one in Google Sketchup but the result was unprintable. Then I made a close replica in OpenSCAD, but that didn't print well and didn't make any sounds.

So, I decided to go after a design that accomplished the same thing (2-tones & pealess) but had a more printable form. It took me 8 iterations, but I finally got it :)

Prusa Mendel x carriage using 4 lm8uu linear bearings in screw-fastened holders for easy (dis-)assembly. No zipties, no fragile and imprecise snap-in-brackets.

I didn't like the snap-fit bearing holders in Greg Frosts's x carriage for the same reason why jonaskuehling made the slim LM8UU holder derivate. So I modified Greg's carriage and integrated the new bearing holders for an easy-to-disassemble x carriage.

I attached the OpenSCAD files including Greg's configuration for some variables and Jonas' lm8uu-holder. I tidied up the source code a bit, but there are still some unnecessary lines left over from greg's code. The code is not overly clean and parametric due to the lack of time.

UPDATE 31.01.2012
- Reattached Greg's fan mount to the carriage. I updated the OpenSCAD file and added another STL.

UPDATE 03.02.2012
- One linear bearing could not slide into its bracket since the fan mount was blocking the path. I cut away a little clearance.
Not the smartest solution, but quick and functional.

I wasn't very happy with the standard Prusa Y motor mount due to it's lack of rigidity (I used a cable tie on the back of the motor for extra support until now.) Since I am running Synchromesh Cable now and not belts (see thingiverse.com/thing:15923 ) and the cable is so thin I figured there was no need for an idler pulley above the motor. This eliminates one bearing and some nuts and washers and also helps your pulley get a better grip on the cable because it wraps 3/4 around rather than about 1/2 with the original motor mount.

i wanted something to put my printer in so i build it a flightcase
things i wanted:
- it had to look cool, so no square box
- it had to be able to print, both open and closed
- L shaped, so i could add a spool holder
- windows to see it print
- less than 1/2 sheet wood (flightcase wood is very expensive, and most vendors will sell you a 4ft by 4ft sheet)

all in all, flightcases aren't cheap, and mine came out at 180€ with everything
there are 2 good flightcase suppliers (adam hall and penn) about 98% of all flightcases i see at my job are from one or the other
on this one i used adam hall material, so i'll provide you a part list from them

I was going to use a piece of ply or MDF, but then I thought a matching part printed in PLA would be a good way to mount my electronics on the Mendel I'm making.
This design is totally scalable, and the STL I've uploaded is about as big as you can print on a ToM. It's big enough for my RAMPS electronics enclosure.
As you can see in the image I've drilled a couple of holes to mount stuff. It is really up to you how (or what) you attach.
There is an option to print this for the left hand side, or the right. I've uploaded the LHS version because that is the end with the X-axis motor. You obviously could have both!

This is a latching hemostat. It works, but I wouldn't use it for medical purposes. :-)

Offset the handles a bit to unlatch.

It's based on a design by the former ICI Ltd. whose patent has expired.

Makes a handy clamp for small things. Yet another chip clip? You could modify it so the jaws close to a fixed opening if you're holding things together for gluing...

Because of the nature of the plastic (I used ABS) the hinge has a limited life. I kept flexing one until it broke, about 70 flexes. When it breaks, print another.

With URLs at eclecti.cc/computergraphics/thingidiff-visualizing-3d-model-diffs-with-thingiview-js

Thingiverse is an enormous resource for mostly open source, ready to print 3D objects. It conveniently has both a built in understanding of derivative objects and a web based 3D object viewer. It has no mechanism for combining the two though, making comparing any two objects a matter of either visual guesswork or downloading and comparing the files against each other.

Thingidiff is my fork of Thingiview.js allowing for web based visual comparisons between related 3D objects. Colors and opacities can be set for faces that are the same in both objects or unique to one or the other. The obvious use cases for this are showing a diff between a derived object and its original or showing differences in revisions of a work in progress. Both of these cases are in evidence on the example page. Note that between this being my first project in Three.js or Javascript at all and the currently mercurial state of WebGL support in web browsers, there are probably going to be nits, bugs, or even outright computer exploding failures in your experience. I'm interested in bug reports though, if you would be willing to drop them on the github project's Issues page. The code itself is nearby.

It works!

While working with Cymon (who doesn't have a MakerBot) and NYCDESIGNER to try and get Cymon's Recorder design to work thingiverse.com/thing:11796 I decided I needed a little more SCIENCE! So I wrote a parametric OpenSCAD script based on the Whistle/Flute from ggwhistles.com/howto/ that allows you to experiment with different hole placement, size, window and lip angles, etc. This flute is much simpler then a recorder (and not nearly as pretty as Cymon's) but it is able to play 6 notes quite clearly and loudly. Now if only I knew how to play the flute...

This is still a work in progress because I think I can get the mouthpiece/lip to print a little easier. It's kind of fiddly to get it just right.

It's the Internet meme "Y U NO?" Guy.

knowyourmeme.com/memes/y-u-no-guy

My wife has been leaving this guy on the junk she wants me to pick up to say:
Y U NO PICK UP YOUR DIRTY SOCKS?!?

This is an electric motor made from a printed circuit board, some 3D printed components, 44 magnets, 44 steel washers, and a handful of electronic components for drive circuitry.

It is similar in design to thingiverse.com/thing:802 but it is much easier to make and the performance is much better. Maximum mechanical power output is about 600 mW. Top no-load speed is about 2000 rpm. This is probably enough power to do something useful.

Also provided is an open source script that runs on Matlab or GNU Octave to generate custom motor coil patterns. The script will export CAM files in KiCad or EAGLE format, so you can fabricate coil patterns of your own liking.

While this motor used a commercially produced PCB for the coilplate, the idea is that users can produce functional motors using nothing more than their own 3D printers.

See reprap.org/wiki/Automated_Circuitry_Making for an overview of using Reprap-style printers to fabricate circuit boards.

Videos of the motor in operation are at
youtube.com/watch?v=aIj4dKaEXnU
youtube.com/watch?v=Gj_GX-TvAQU

This work was presented at ASME IDETC 2011. The paper citation is DETC2011-48602, Design of an Electromagnetic Actuator Suitable for Production by Rapid Prototyping, by Matthew Moses and Gregory S. Chirikjian

THIS DESIGN IS /FULLY/ PARAMETRIC. You can specify the angle of the bend in the part from 0-90, the radius of the bends, placement of holes, etc, without having to read through into the nasty, nasty code. So if you can think of any other uses for this basic shape, have at it!

If you have been following my custom firmware for Thing O Matic and Repraps, you know that it supports hostless printing using an SD reader, keypad, and LCD.

reprap.org/wiki/Sjfw

I designed a minimal mounting bracket for the keypad and LCD so they can be held in the hand, set on the desk next to the printer, or hooked over the front threaded rods.

WIP WHY: Haven't actually printed it yet; too big to print on the ToM and the Prusa Z axis is getting replaced before I print again there.

A case for the reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS1.3 board. Used here to drive a small milling machine with pyCAM/FiveD/ReplicatorG toolpath.
It is a tight fit that does not leave much room for ventilation so take care that the drivers do not run too hot.

Couples a 5mm motor shaft to an 8mm threaded rod, ensuring they are coaxial, but allowing some angular movement if the rod is not straight. See hydraraptor.blogspot.com/2011/06/yet-another-prusa-z-coupling.html.

An issue with the Prusa X-carriage + Wades extruder combo is that the overhanging motor causes the bushings opposite the motor to be very lightly loaded, and if the bushings are loose, it can cause that end to lift/drop on direction change and chatter. In order to tighten things up long enough to print better replacement parts, I designed this bit. It attaches to the carriage using the extruder mounting screw as a stud, so it only works with Makergear or similar hot ends that leave that screw open.
Original source file is from Solidworks 2011.

This is my second modified Prusa Mendel X Carriage that will fit the standard Mendel X axis. It uses PLA bushings instead of the standard bearings. These now clip in place and have pins on top that locate into generous spaces in the carriage. This allows the user to optionally bond the bushings in place by dropping glue, blu-tak, gum, earwax etc. into each hole.

This is designed not to fix to a Prusa Mendel, but to clamp to the Mendel drive belt using the 2 clamps provided in the design.

Two pinch extruders thingiverse.com/thing:8830 or one Wade extruder can be fitted to the carriage.

This is my WIP of a linear rail system. It consists of 2 main parts, the shuttle and the rail. The rail has 2 v-grooves that the v-groove bearing of the shuttle fit into. The rail also has a linear rack that will mesh with the gear drive system contained in the shuttle.

The rails are designed to be connected together end-to-end so any length can be accommodated.

The shuttle will also contain a stepper motor propelling itself along the track via a gear.

I believe that with a little more work, I can expand this design into a full fledged 3D system that can be used for 3d printers, laser cutters, light CNC milling,etc...

I'm surprised how well the shuttles v-bearings ride in the track. Overall, it appears to be very stable. I may add some additional bearings between the shuttle and the top of the track to support heavier loads.

******
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).

Simple connector. just print and insert one wire to each half.

STILL EARLY BETA!!!

TODO:
- more printing and testing
- more presure applied to connection of wires by shape of connector
- parametric design that will allow to specify any number of terminals (currently you have to print two separate connectors if you want to make more than one connection)

Printed Parametric Chainmail

I've been wanting to try this for a while. This is a sheet of interlocking rings, printed in place. The rings are basically square, with cut off corners. Two sets of diagonals cross each other at different heights, with four posts at the corners. Well, it makes sense when you see the pictures!

This is the first thing I've designed in OpenSCAD, so the code is probably pretty sloppy. The major parameters that can be changed are the layer thickness and line width, along with ring size and number.

I searched for "chainmail" on Thingiverse and the only result was a post by Vik on the Interlocking Rings thing: "Next, chainmail. Right?" So I hope you like this, Vik!

This is my design of a peristaltic pump or hose pump if you translate it directly from german.

I built this pump for reseach to gather basic hands-on knowledge of the inner workings.

If you have a MakerBot/3D Printer you can start right away. I built it in a few hours with common parts i had at hand.

Unfortunately you definitly NEED a very flexible silicone tubing, to get it really working. I did my first try with a short piece of tube i cut from our fish tank - this was definitely to hard for the ABS. unfortunately i was to eager to pump some water, so i did, but the contraption got too hot and broke.

The Pictures are from the rebuilt, but this time i'm waiting to get the silicone tube.

Currently there are no mounting holes for a motor. i used my electric screwdriver for testing. Gearmotor is planned, but i had to determine the required torque with this build.

The ultimate in Bezier curviness in OpenScad is to have thickness of surface, without having to use a bazillion granules to render an object.

This thing is some updating of the bezier functions to deal with the mesh better. Specifically, you can hand the BezierMesh() module a set of 4 Bezier curves, and it will do the surface interpolation/tesselation, and generate a mesh of triangle patches that will represent the surface.

I labelled this as version '0.5' because there are some pretty horrible bugs. As can be seen in the first picture, those blue dots are the calculated surface normals for each of the quad faces. There is a flaw in the rotation angle calculations such that there is a bias, which causes the normals to point off axis in the wrong direction depending on this and that. On more interesting meshes, this will show up even worse.

Also, there are still cracks between the 'rows' as I am not properly calculating the lengths of the sides to match up properly. I know what needs to be done, but I was trying to get the normals right first.

I'm releasing this now, even though it's not quite functional, because I want other people to take a look and possibly do the math better than I am. It's all really straight forward actually. Nothing too harry other than getting some trig right. The rest is just multiplication and addition. Easy optimizations abound, particularly in the BezierMesh() module. The first, to speed up processing, would be to separate the Bezier coefficient calculations from the general 'pointoncurve' calculation. That would be way efficient.

There are some updated functions in the 'maths.scad' file, as well as the 'Render2D.scad' file.

For the final, I'll separate out the "render" stuff for granules from the core drawing. The ideal would be that you could drop in your own renderer, and get totally different behavior. I think that's a fairly easy way to extend OpenScad.

At any rate, just a step along the path...

UPDATE: Here's a blog entry to go with it...
williamaadams.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/mr-beziers-new-perspective/

The goal of this project was to develop a low cost, open source inkjet printer utilizing standard inkjet technology, for personal use. This project was partly in response to the fact that there are no DIY inkjet kits available. There was a kit available from Parallax parallax.com/dl/docs/prod/robo/InkjetKitDocs-v1.0.pdf. This kit is no longer made and the book amazon.com/Inkjet-Applications-Matt-Gilliland/dp/0972015930 that was written to use that kit is now out of print.
The prototype design used a carriage assembly constructed from steel rods that were assembled using connectors that can be printed on an FDM machine. The entire carriage system is driven along the x-axis by a belt attached to a stepper motor. The print cartridge, taken from an HP point of sale printer, is driven along the y-axis by another stepper motor belt drive. The electronic controls use an Arduino Mega to run all of the printing systems.
The design resulted in a working prototype that fulfills all of the design constraints. The rod frame carriage design is lightweight, easy to assemble and easy to integrate with the other systems. The Arduino used in the electronics has a large library of resources available to perform things like LCD, SD card, and stepper control.
Areas where future work should be focused include making molds and casting printable parts to bring down the overall cost, developing host side software, and optimizing the speed.

There is a video of this working here: youtube.com/watch?v=fYeYeTGkvJM
There are additional pictures here: flickr.com/photos/nicholasclewis/sets/72157626730985822/

This was a group project involving:
Patrick Hannan
Jared Knutzen
Nicholas C Lewis
Joy Markham

Printable version of blddk's great idea.

Because thingiverse can never have enough bottle openers...

Here's an openscad wall mountable penny bottle opener.

The scad file is parametric though you'll have to play around to see what works. It's not commented at all and rather poorly written...

There is now a first attempt at a version with a tongue and eyes. I haven't printed it though. You can turn it off and on with a boolean in the scad file.

Turn your pencils into a couple of stacked cooling towers, very cool(ing)
I got the idea from a suggestion by relet thingiverse.com/relet

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

The Starship Enterprise from Star Trek.

I split this into parts to enable printing without support.

[EDIT] for some reason these STL files aren't rendering here but my BFB Axon as well as Solidworks do in fact load them up. I have also started printing some of these parts with no problems.

I Had a problem when using a PLA bushing for my new prusa x-carriage, i found that a PLA bushing seem no good to holding on a X Axis Rod and make it less gap btw them. So, i redegin a whole x-carriage by using a PTFE as a bearing and I also using a two side screw tensioner fit onto x-carriage, it works very fine for me to tightened X axis belt just by (un-tightened 2nos M3 belt clamps screw + turning screw tensioner as you want how x belt to be tighten).

However, I notice that this design may be no suitable for whom who is using
a two supporting screw to holding a hot-end nozzle, due to the opening of this carriage is not to big. (What i'm using is PEEK sleeve inside with PEEK thermal barrier, So, i dont need that supporting screw.)

BOM List.
1. PrusaXCarriagePTFEbearing RP x1
2. PrusaCarriageBeltClamp RP x1
3. 12mm or 12.5mm PTFE ROD with 8.2mm hole x2
4. 7mm dia screw tensioner x1
5. m3 nut x6
6. m4 nut x2
7. m3x20 x6
8. m3x12 x4
9. if you interesting to using my another Wades Geared Extruder +
Thermal barrier clamp -> thingiverse.com/thing:5577

UPDATE: Version 0v1 is a bit taller and I worked on the symmetry and cleaned up the base. Enjoy!

I wanted to put a base on "George Hart's 3D Sculptures" hyperboloid ( thingiverse.com/image:40818 ), but I could not get it to render in OpenSCAD.

So I cooked up this one.

It looks a little like this one from MakeALot:

thingiverse.com/thing:6917