The Long Road - Part 3b - Testing Longer Drying Times and Cover Insulation

3D Printing + The Long Road

I used my printed drying cover to heat two spools over a longer period of time, and the results weren't impressive, so I decided to try to improve it. 1. By printing it with thicker walls, and 2. by adding some heat reflecting material. Those two steps did the job!

The Long Road - Part 2 - (Stacked) Peltier Elements

3D Printing + The Long Road

Peltiers are interesting things. Inefficient interesting things.

The Long Road - Part 1 - Modifying an old 123-3D Spool Holder

3D Printing + The Long Road

"I love it when a plan comes together."

Yeah, so do I. But sometimes... It doesn't.

So, here's the challenge I set myself: design and build my own filament dryer.

Now what does that have to do with a 123-3D Spool Holder?!?

FB-10000-5 - Calibration Package v5

3D Printing + Frankenblocks

These objects can help you calibrate your printer. This should make it easier to print Lego compatible blocks, such as the Frankenblocks. You can find the files on Makerworld.

For most people it will be enough to print plate 1, play a little with X- and Y-compensation for 'snappiness', and be done with it.

Still want to know more? Read on...

Plate Lab - Cool & Cold Plates

3D Printing + Plate Lab

Not all cold plates are created equal. And many are simply not cold plates at all.

Here's a comparison between several (cheap) cold plates. Note: if you want me to test another plate, drop me a line, and send me that plate 😊

Disintegrating PLA - 4 years with limited heat load

3D Printing + Old Filament

This is an electronics housing printed in Innofill FR PLA, and this is what happens after a few years. Note that this is with a heat load of just 4W!

(Click on image to enlarge)

It spontaneously disintegrates. It makes you rethink on the use of PLA in certain applications, flame retardant or not...

Fire Resistant / Flame Retardant / Self-Extinguishing / Non-Flammable Filament

3D Printing + FR Filaments

In the past I've printed some small housings for electronics. Most hobbyists do, and most of the time we're not considering how flammable (printed) filament can be.

I've gathered a few illustrative videos, as well as a list of materials and possible (Dutch) sources. This may lead to a little investigation into the flammability of filament. I might turn it into a YouTube video, yeah! (Pfffff 🙄)

The cheapest filament ever (or is it a scam?)

3D Printing + Cheap Filament

I'm still waiting for the delivery of my 10 kg PETG... and somehow I doubt I will ever get it.

So, am I being scammed, and will I ever see a refund?

The cheapest filament ever (and where to find product details on orders on AliExpress)

3D Printing + Cheap Filament

Well, there must be cheaper, but this was the cheapest I ever found so far... 10 kilo of PETG, for  5.17 euro per kilogram, including shipping from Spain.

I've ordered it, and it should arrive tomorrow. When checking my order, I found a few interesting details that have me ever so slightly worried... if a. I'll ever going to get it, and b. what the hell is it?

Plate Lab - Glass Fiber based Building Plates - Part I - The Basics

3D Printing + Plate Lab

This is a boring page. Skip it if you don't care about the materials used in your glass fiber / carbon based Building Plate.

Still with me? Okay. Here we go... Remember: everything in this post is about using glass (carbon) fiber based materials as build plates.

Plate Lab - PEY and relatives - All the holographic stuff

3D Printing + Plate Lab

To be honest, I don't own a single one of those PEO / PEY 'holographic' plates, except the 'PET Carbon' one. Which a. isn't made of carbon, and b. has some very minor texture to it (though I can't feel it). And c. This page is pretty useless 🤣

Read more...

Old (PLA) filament - What to do with it?

3D Printing + Old filament + PLA Filament

My Sunlu S1 mods have been partially successful, and I guess I'll have to consider a DIY solution using Peltiers to move to the next level... Though that one is still in the 'idea phase' 😇

Next challenge / experiment: what to do with old filament, and how to make sure it will last longer?

Filament drying - Temperatures and Time

3D Printing + Filament Dryer

I've compiled some numbers. Make sure to check your filament specifications - do not rely on my data!

Update: use this table!

Sunlu S1 Mod - Second (more challenging) ABS print on my Bambu X1C

3D Printing + Sunlu S1 Mod

I'm trying to mod my Sunlu S1 with a design of my own, which also offers me a challenge to better understand Fusion 360, the Bambu X1C, and printing in ABS. And if it all works out I should end up with an enhanced filament dryer, so win-win.

If it works...

Sunlu S1 Mod - First (real) ABS print on my Bambu X1C / Jupiter ABS Filament settings

3D Printing + Sunlu S1 Mod + ABS Filament

Time to go to bed, but first share an image of the bottom section, this time printed in ABS. The first attempt warped a bit, but the second try was a lot better.

3D Printer / Wall Thickness, Detail Level and Accuracy

3D Printing / Slicer and Printer Test.

This isn't about the actual accuracy of the printer itself (which depends on build quality, design, components etcetera) but about the minimal detail level that the printer can handle, and when to use what wall thickness.

Again, I'm not an expert, but got lost on my way to redemption... 😅

3D printing a LED driver enclosure - 2 - Work in progress

3D Printing + Domotics + DIY

Long ago 😅 I said I was planning to design my own enclosure for a led driver and led controller. Of course, reality interfered and lots of other things got in the way.

Still, I made some progress. And hit a couple of snags on the way...