3D Printing and RVing

[Neal]

I do, see post 22 of this thread. Remember I pulled a sofa and setup office. The 3D printer is under the desk far right side, other side of the chair. So it's low and right of the desk, fits perfect. I typically print on the dinette though to keep the dog from pulling off her new toys as they print. It is not as big as you think, it fits on the forward part of the counter in front of the valance, not on the table you eat on.

 

[MapNerd]

Yeah, I don’t have any cavernous free space like that. I could put it on top of our cabinets in that space, though my co-pilot would ask me just where I plan to put it when I’m done with it. Come to think of it, maybe I could do without this co-pilot chair.

 

[Neal]

Yeah, I don’t have any cavernous free space like that. Though, some days I think I could do without this co-pilot chair

Yeah, that seat is never used in my coach and is more of a nuisance than anything else. I have used it very few times to pull out the fold out desk thingy and use my laptop there to enjoy the views while I work, okay, that's a lie, surf

 

[MapNerd]

Yeah, that seat is never used in my coach and is more of a nuisance than anything else. I have used it very few times to pull out the fold out desk thingy and use my laptop there to enjoy the views while I work, okay, that's a lie, surf

I’m sure you could remove the chair and build something around the frame mount that it sits on, using that to hold it in place. Maybe just a small entry table. If you ever decide to part with the VentEssex, just make sure you can remove it and put the chair back in. Shouldn’t be a big deal.

I’m actually thinking I might be try to convince the queen to let me have the half-bay in front of the peg-board bay with a pullout drawer. There’s mostly just a bunch of junk in there now that imo, we don’t need and hardly use. My kids would disagree as its all their stuff, but good news is they’re not yet of voting age! That would be a fine place for it and there are outlets down there next to the satellite connections and it wouldn’t stink up the RV as it goes through filament.

 

[Neal]

My kids would disagree as its all their stuff, but good news is they’re not yet of voting age!

LOL! Well, I can't smell the 3D printer typically, it's not as bad as some make it out to be but different filaments do differently, i.e. ABS I think is the more smelly one people say. PLA is what is used most of the time or PETG and it's not an issue, to me.

As to storage space, it's amazing how much we carry and don't use. I think once a year I do a cleanout realizing I don't need 3 (or more) grills. Two is sufficient. Before my big 7 month trip I did a major cleanout, then at the end of that after unloading I was amazed how much space there really is in these things. Hmm, sounds like an interesting thread coming...

 

[Neal]

 

[BuckyII]

My latest 3D print project...we wanted a towel rack for near the kitchen sink that would not get in the way when the slide is either in or out.

This uses a 1/2" cherry dowel and mounts directly to the counter top without glue. It slides on to the small fence and then locks in place with the small tab behind the bullnose profile underneath the countertop. DW is happy .

 

[Neal]

Impressive!! RVing is such a perfect candidate for 3D printing creativity.

 

[BuckyII]

The latest design/print for Bucky (our RV)...

All of my computer work is done on our dinette and I dislike having to deal with the power cords for charging/plugging the laptop and printer. We have a receptacle next to the dinette that looks like this unless I put the cords away after each use:

After some thought, design, print, re-design and re-print, we now have a cable/cord garage:



The hole in the cover can be used to access the USB charging ports in the receptacle for charging mouse, flashlight or other device.

 

[Neal]

Now that is awesome! Great job!

 

[BuckyII]

The latest 3D printing exercise...

When I replaced the original Sanicon hose with the reinforced version, the black floor filler ring did not fit on the new hose. While getting ready for our upcoming trip, I remembered the missing filler ring. 3D printing to the rescue...designed an interlocking 1/2" thick semicircle and printed 2 copies:

 

[Neal]

The latest 3D printing exercise...

When I replaced the original Sanicon hose with the reinforced version, the black floor filler ring did not fit on the new hose. While getting ready for our upcoming trip, I remembered the missing filler ring. 3D printing to the rescue...designed an interlocking 1/2" thick semicircle and printed 2 copies:
View attachment 2485View attachment 2486

Here's my version:

RV Wet Bay Hole Cover for Sanicon Hose by NealC

I have a sani-con macerator pump system in my RV/motorhome wet bay in which I feed a hose through a hole to connect to the dump port. I want a cover plate to go around the empty area around the hose to prevent critters from coming in. I designed a cover plate that seals the area around the...

www.thingiverse.com

 

[BuckyII]

Here's my version:

RV Wet Bay Hole Cover for Sanicon Hose by NealC

I have a sani-con macerator pump system in my RV/motorhome wet bay in which I feed a hose through a hole to connect to the dump port. I want a cover plate to go around the empty area around the hose to prevent critters from coming in. I designed a cover plate that seals the area around the...

www.thingiverse.com

I like it! I should have checked Thingiverse first.

 

[Neal]

I like it! I should have checked Thingiverse first.

I try to design my own because I love learning Fusion and I have to learn Fusion. I balance the do my own and print what others have done. Your design looks great. I am very pleased with the one I did, it really works well.

 

[BuckyII]

I try to design my own because I love learning Fusion and I have to learn Fusion. I balance the do my own and print what others have done. Your design looks great. I am very pleased with the one I did, it really works well.

Couldn't agree more....Fusion is SO fun to learn. I have completed a design and actually started over from scratch, just to try a new technique that can accomplish the same result in half the steps. Even though I won't have a 3D printer on our trip, I plan to spend a lot of time playing with Fusion.

Also, I need to figure out a better way to organize my files...still struggling with which files to keep and how to organize (GCODE or STL). If my Fusion files were better organized, could keep everything there and just re-generate when needed. @Neal Have you found a good source for how to organize the files?

 

[Neal]

Couldn't agree more....Fusion is SO fun to learn. I have completed a design and actually started over from scratch, just to try a new technique that can accomplish the same result in half the steps. Even though I won't have a 3D printer on our trip, I plan to spend a lot of time playing with Fusion.

Also, I need to figure out a better way to organize my files...still struggling with which files to keep and how to organize (GCODE or STL). If my Fusion files were better organized, could keep everything there and just re-generate when needed. @Neal Have you found a good source for how to organize the files?

File organization is critical, yes, I have a system. First in Fusion there are categories so I have a "Tinker" area, a RV area, etc. so my designs are organized within their structure.

I use Dropbox for all of my storage. I have a "3D Printing" folder. Below that I have a STL folder where all .STL files go. I then have a Prints with two sub-folders for each of my 3D printers: Flashforge and Prusa. The .gcode files go into the Prusa folder. I do have sub-folders in each of those for Thingiverse files I keep around. Pretty basic but yes, organized as I hate losing stuff in my file system. I'm terrible with my graphics file storage for my business, etc. that is a constant struggle for me.

3D Printing
-- STL (.stl files)
-- Prints
----Flashforge (.gcode files, and one other Flashforge needs)
----Prusa (.gcode files)

Again, under STL I may have sub-folders for Thingiverse downloads

 

[BuckyII]

@Neal, thanks. Do you generate the GCODE files to Dropbox and then copy to an SD card from there? I think maybe the SD card is what is messing me up...I generate from PrusaSlicer directly to the SD card(s) and end up with many test versions and a few final versions that then get lost in the SD shuffle.

 

[Neal]

@Neal, thanks. Do you generate the GCODE files to Dropbox and then copy to an SD card from there? I think maybe the SD card is what is messing me up...I generate from PrusaSlicer directly to the SD card(s) and end up with many test versions and a few final versions that then get lost in the SD shuffle.

I save the .gcode files to dropbox - yes. When that's done I'm done with PrusaSlicer.

I use a WiFi enabled SD card in the prusa so I can send the gcode files from my browser. I also have the Raspberry Pi setup so I can use that to upload the gcode and even start the print from there which is my latest option.

Here is the "flashair" wifi SD card if you want to do this:

Amazon.com: Toshiba FlashAir W-04 32 GB SDHC Class 10 Memory Card: Computers & Accessories

It's a little involved creating a config file to get that to work, I can send you mine or you can find the info on the net including Prusa forums. You'll also have to configure your prusa to let it know it has a flashair sd card inserted.

Otherwise copy the files to the SD card and then insert the card into the prusa is just as easy.

 

[BuckyII]

I use a WiFi enabled SD card in the prusa so I can send the gcode files from my browser. I also have the Raspberry Pi setup so I can use that to upload the gcode and even start the print from there which is my latest option.

Interesting...thanks again. Something more to think about …

 

[Neal]

Mini bag chip clips, handy little things! Shown holding coffee bags closed.

MINI bag clip by Andrei | Download free STL model | Printables.com

This is a 40% scaled down version of my other clip. | Download free 3D printable STL models

www.prusaprinters.org