Last week I was away on vacation. The week before, I'd loaned my Cube to Peyton Duncan, who brilliantly used it.
This week, the Cube is visiting the Hagley Museum in Wilmington, DE. I will be writing more about Hagley in the near future. It's a wonderful place.
In the meantime, I am printing with my RapMan 3.2 to test designs for the Cube. And, I'll have some observations about what it takes to get layer-to-layer print accuracy with a 3D printer... something the Cube doesn't have any issues so far. :)
UPDATE:
My contact at Hagley reports that the Cube has caused considerable excitement and that they are enjoying their foray into 3D printing. So, we agreed that they can keep it at least for another week beyond this one. In the meantime, I've begun to explore Cubify Invent in a more detailed way.
I'm also happy to report that being able to turn my attention back onto RapMan improvements has resulted in finding a way to completely eliminate Z-Axis wobble caused by slight deviations in the long screw rods. I'll post these findings in my more generalized 3D Printer Users blog shortly. And, I will print the new part design out on the Cube when I get it back. While the PLA parts are working, ABS is a tougher, more robust, material than PLA.
Hi, Tom:
ReplyDeleteWhile you're without your Cube, I have a general 3D printing question that's been bothering me, and I expect you can shed some light on it:
Are there ever times when it's a good thing to have a fan blowing air on an object you're building, or is that always a bad thing?
Should I even be concerned about strong breezes from a nearby open window?
On the assumption that no air movement is good air movement, I've rigged a cardboard breeze blocker in front of my Cube and I put it into place when I've got the window open. I don't know if this is overkill though.
If the fan is constant and controlled, it's probably a good thing. The RapMan, for instance, includes a fan that blows on the piece as it is printed. But, it's software controlled.
ReplyDeleteThe problem, I think, is intermittent changes in rates of cooling that an uncontrolled breeze might present. Some have observed that with ABS this has been known to cause warping. So, I think your idea of blocking a direct, uncontrolled breeze is a good one. It certainly can't hurt.