3D Printing and RVing

[Neal]

@Neal, obviously you have too much time on your hands!
What is OctoPrint all about? Are you trying to spend more of my money?

Sorry, not sorry Well, I'm new to the land of OctoPrint (which uses OctoPi) and I'm sure there is a lot out there on youtube, interwebs, etc. But in the basics that I know thus far is a raspberry pi connects to the prusa printer via the USB port. You can add a camera to your raspberry pi as I have done. With OctoPrint you can view your print and start/stop your printer from anywhere (using an add-in I haven't configured yet). But I can connect to OctoPrint on my local WiFi network in my web browser and from that I can upload prints and start/stop them without touching the printer or even being near it, i.e. if it was in your basement or attic and you were in an office in another area. You can use the camera to monitor the print so you don't waste filament if things go haywire and you're creating a cat toy. And of course you can watch timelapses and also use other add-ins to detect a print gone bad and it will notify you. It's fun, it adds to the 3D printing experience. Welcome to your new OctoPrint setup It is very easy.

I'm not smart on this and used the Raspberry Pi 3 B+ setup. There are instructions for a newer Zero W but I don't read good things about it. I watched a YT video last night on the newer Raspberry Pi 4. So do your research or use the proven which I linked above.

Sincerely,

Visa

 

[Neal]

By the way I use an amazon smart plug with my Alexa setup so I can turn the printer/pi on/off through Alexa.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Here is a time lapse video of the above print as one of the features of OctoPrint

Well, the video won't play for me. Says it has been disabled by the owner.

TJ

 

[NWIP]

It played using YouTube for me ?

 

[Neal]

Well, the video won't play for me. Says it has been disabled by the owner.

Try again, I may have set something wrong which I just updated. Or try clicking here.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Try again, I may have set something wrong which I just updated. Or try clicking here.

Works now! Thanks.

TJ

 

[RandyB]

@Neal You're costing me money. I've resisted 3D printing for a long time. I'm getting the bug again. Coming from an engineering background and designing parts, pieces and trinkets, 3D printing has been a desire of mine since they first became retailed. But at the introductory prices of $3,000-6,000 there was no way. So I back burnered it. Now, you've got me going again. Thanks?!?

Question...on the sample piece you've just recently printed, is the entire finished piece a solid mass of plastic? Or is it webbed and lightened inside the rectangle and even inside the columns? If they are hollowed, is that a function of the print conversion, or does the designer need to create the void on the CAD?

 

[Neal]

Question...on the sample piece you've just recently printed, is the entire finished piece a solid mass of plastic? Or is it webbed and lightened inside the rectangle and even inside the columns? If they are hollowed, is that a function of the print conversion, or does the designer need to create the void on the CAD?

When you "slice" your design which is task the CAD file (.STL) and use a slicer software you specify all kinds of features of the print, one is INFILL. In this example fun print I set a 5% (lowest) infill so as not to waste plastic and reduce print time. You'll set this based on your designs and there are articles out there on infill recommendations for strength. You can also specify the pattern for infill from rectilinear, grid, honeycomb, on and on. Very powerful capability.

Welcome to the addiction My degree was Mechanical Engineering which I never used. Now I'm enjoying the CAD work, putting creative ideas to functional use.

Here are two sites with tons of things you can download and print. Just like the Apple motto was "there's an app for that" there is likely a design for that already done.

Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects

Download files and build them with your 3D printer, laser cutter, or CNC.

www.thingiverse.com

3D models database | Printables.com

Discover a library of high-quality models for 3D printing. Download STL files of the best designs and entire 3D printed projects for free.

www.prusaprinters.org

Many more, but have fun making your own.

 

[Neal]

I never have to use the hairspray...use isopropyl alcohol every few prints to clean the surface. The most amazing thing to me about 3D printing is the accuracy...I can tweak the design of two pieces that mesh together by .001" and notice the difference.

I tried a print with the smooth sheet and no adhesive additive (hairspray) and printed this little fun project, a prusa sheet holder and it worked great. Interesting...I've always used hairspray to help adhesion. I think with something like ABS or PETG which is more prone to warping I will still use the adhesive but for PLA it worked great. Thanks for the tip. Print this for fun:

MK3 Steel Sheet Holder Wall Mount by Tronnic | Download free STL model | Printables.com

A simple but effective steel sheet holder for up to 4 sheets. I added a step file in case you want to modify it. | Download free 3D printable STL models

www.prusaprinters.org

 

[BuckyII]

@Neal thanks for the sheet holder link. It’s printing as I type this. I haven’t done much with adding lettering to my prints. I like the way this looks...time to play with adding some text.

i added some storage trays to my frame that are handy...

Prusa MK3S Frame Tray Box by Karevski

Update:Made a few tweaks so the boxes will fit better also added clips on the lids so they stay in place and keep everything out of the way of the bedI adapted the tray for the Prusa i3 MK3S as the Y belt tensioner was catching with the original MK3 design. Also designed two lids for the boxes...

www.thingiverse.com