Thursday 6 September 2012
Wednesday 5 September 2012
OK, what's it all about?
I have an ABSPrusa Mendel RepRap purchased as a complete kit from thereprapkitstore.co.uk. I bought this with an annual works bonus (lucky me!) and built it during May of this year. But, in this blog I don't talk so much about this reprap, I speak of none but the RepRap that is to come after it!
I have contributed quite a few posts to various threads in forums.reprap.org under the username MotoBarsteward. Odd user name I know, it made sense at the time!
Why do I want to build a new RepRap?
Two words: - Support Material.
One of the fundamental weaknesses of Fine Filament Deposition, the process used by my ABSPrusa and most RepRap machines is that they have to print onto something. There are exceptions to this rule (Google 'reprap bridging') but there are limits to what can be achieved. One way to work around this problem is to build a removable support structure. This works as a scaffold on which laters a built up. At least three popular slicing programs already generate this support structure, on request, for printing overhangs with kisslicer being particularly good, in my limited experience. The problem with printing support is that it has to be removed. This is time consuming and there is a real risk that you will damage the thing that you have printed when removing the structure from finely detailed parts.
My intended solution? Make a machine that has a dual print head. One print head extrudes PLA or ABS to for the actual object whilst the other head prints in a material called PVA (polyvinyl alcohol). Search the reprap forum, above for this material. It is a water soluble plastic with similar extrusion properties to PLA. Such a dual head is a lot heavier than the one employed on my ABSPrusa and I don't think the structure will support it swinging about. And, anyway, I want to increase my print volume as my printer is somewhat restricted in the Z axis to about 75mm.
I intend manufacturing the frame and running rails from aluminium extrusion, 20mm or larger. I will be experimenting this weekend with using these standard aluminium extrusions as a running rail. and I will post my results then.
I have an ABSPrusa Mendel RepRap purchased as a complete kit from thereprapkitstore.co.uk. I bought this with an annual works bonus (lucky me!) and built it during May of this year. But, in this blog I don't talk so much about this reprap, I speak of none but the RepRap that is to come after it!
I have contributed quite a few posts to various threads in forums.reprap.org under the username MotoBarsteward. Odd user name I know, it made sense at the time!
Why do I want to build a new RepRap?
Two words: - Support Material.
One of the fundamental weaknesses of Fine Filament Deposition, the process used by my ABSPrusa and most RepRap machines is that they have to print onto something. There are exceptions to this rule (Google 'reprap bridging') but there are limits to what can be achieved. One way to work around this problem is to build a removable support structure. This works as a scaffold on which laters a built up. At least three popular slicing programs already generate this support structure, on request, for printing overhangs with kisslicer being particularly good, in my limited experience. The problem with printing support is that it has to be removed. This is time consuming and there is a real risk that you will damage the thing that you have printed when removing the structure from finely detailed parts.
My intended solution? Make a machine that has a dual print head. One print head extrudes PLA or ABS to for the actual object whilst the other head prints in a material called PVA (polyvinyl alcohol). Search the reprap forum, above for this material. It is a water soluble plastic with similar extrusion properties to PLA. Such a dual head is a lot heavier than the one employed on my ABSPrusa and I don't think the structure will support it swinging about. And, anyway, I want to increase my print volume as my printer is somewhat restricted in the Z axis to about 75mm.
I intend manufacturing the frame and running rails from aluminium extrusion, 20mm or larger. I will be experimenting this weekend with using these standard aluminium extrusions as a running rail. and I will post my results then.
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