The Unlab is building a Kossel !

Posted by on April 10, 2013  

What is a Kossel ?
A Kossel is a type of 3D printer that is based on a delta robot.
http://deltabot.tumblr.com/

Building it
Unlondon Board approved our plan and the first batch of parts has been ordered.
We will try to have most of the building process on Thursday nights,
and everyone is invited to participate.

The three main parts of the printer are:
Frame+Motors+Arm
Electronics
Extruder + Hotend

The parts that have been ordered are for the first stage, the frame.
We already have the plastic parts needs (Wess painstakingly printed all of them).

We want to make our own electronic boards if possible.
http://reprap.org/wiki/Gen7_Board_1.4.1
If you have access to PCB making tools and want to help out that would be great.

There is still debate on what kind of hotend we will use.
This is one of the options, it is a all-metal design that was released just a few days ago :
http://e3d-online.com/

I’ll post more updates when the parts arrive and we start hacking.
Cheers,
Vice.



UPDATE:
Parts from TriDPrinting.com have arrived !
Frame construction to start on Thursday.
20130419_133817

20130419_134353

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Sourcing Guide for building a RepRap 3D printer

Posted by on March 28, 2013  

Here is a collection of useful links for anyone that wants to build or buy a 3D printer.


Kits
Full RepRap Kits:

Partial Kits:

Other non RepRap 3D printer kits 

Assembled 3D Printers (Should not be used unless you have access to someone to help you fix)

  

Designs

General Stores

Hot Ends: (Not full extruder, just the part that gets hot)

Electronics: (Assembled)

Electronics (Kits)

Electronics (Bare PCB)

  • Ramps 1.3 PCB(no ledgend) for USD 5. contact karandex on irc or email on karanchapehekar@gmail.com

Stepper Drivers 

Firmware:

Electronics Power Supply

Heated Build Platform (HBP) PCB

Stepper Motors (new)

Geared Stepper motor:

Cheap PCB fabrication:

Hardware links: 

Prusa Hardware Kit 

Belts&gears

608zz Bearings:

Springs:

Drive Gear

Precision Linear Rod (used):
Used/Broken HP and MicroTek flatbed scanners are great sources for high quality 8mm linear rod and bronze bushings, as well as a pile of other useful bits (optical endstops, tin-can steppers, etc…).  Avoid Epson flatbed scanners, as they use 7mm linear rod.

Precision Linear Rod (8mm): 

Threaded Rod:

Self aligning linear bushings:

LM8UUs:
Please add sources

IGUS High Density plastic bushings:

    

Brass Bushings

http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=G15956 $1 a peice, great little Bushings
Note: The linked part numbers are for M8 rod.  If you try to use them on 5/16 rod, you will find that they bind, because the extra slop makes it impossible to align them.


Cheap PID Controller

PLA/ABS Plastic Filament

 *  protoparadigm – ordered 1.75mm PLA, seems to work well, fast ship.
 
Polyimide (Kapton) tape

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Change of occupation

Posted by on March 15, 2013  

IMG_1010Spoolholder
There comes a time in a broken tables life, when it think’s:

“What would life be like, if I did not choose the career path of a table?”


“Why did my MAKER, not make me strong enough to hold the weight of more than a bag of chips?”


“What did I do, to deserve someone missing the couch and sitting on me, am I that transparent!?”


Well the day has come for this table to take it’s best parts, hold it’s head up high, arms up strong and get spools on like Donkey Kong! Avoiding life’s dustbin in the unemployment line.

I present to you… SP0000000000L HOLDER!


I wish you luck in your new endeavors, you’re a Champin’ Playr!

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Fire Drill Feb 4th

Posted by on February 2, 2013  

The Research Park semiannual fire drills conducted by the UWO Fire Department in conjunction with the London FD are scheduled for Monday, February 4 between the hours of 8:30am – 3:30 pm. These mandatory drills  take approximately 15 minutes to conduct. All three of our Research Park buildings will be completed on the same date.

Just a reminder if you are in the lab and the fire alarm goes off. Please exit the building and wait in the parking lot across the road from the front of the building. If this occurs during office hours other building tenants will be waiting there as well.

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See a need, Melt a need?

Posted by on January 27, 2013  

K.WC3
One of our unLab community sculpture artist members, was looking for a better tool for defining lines in wax and melting / cutting PLA 3D models to clean them up.



Avi was using a wax carver from foredom




Looked like a fairly nice tool, but all the end bit’s we’re too blunt for what Avi wanted, which was the sharp precision of an X-ACTO:







A quick brainstorm of what we had to work with and then off to the Batcav… unLab.




First attempt:
Bore out the X-Acto knife blade holder threads with the drill press to 3mm, which is required to fit over the Foredom Wax Carver hot end. This was too much and all the threads just pulled right off blade holder.




Second attempt:
Shave down one of the brass extra blank end bits. Working as a heater core, for a smaller bore hole in the X-Acto blade holder, leaving a slight taper to add a friction grip with the brass core.



Worked like a charm!






Bore all the way in past where the blade hits the bottom of the holder and sliced a thin line in the tip of the brass core with the unLab Dremel. To grip the blade, to prevent the blade from spinning around the core. Found a 1/4 flange washer and nut in the extra parts bin at the unLab, so the blade would grip nice and tight and

put the puzzle together.






Made a gag faux product box of what should exist in the real world with FOSS gimp editing software:

X-ACTO Hellfire Series, now that’s hawt!





Let’s have a look inside:
Nice limited edition h4><0r'd signature.





Time for a test:
X-ACTO Hellfire ASSEMBLE!






Avi giving the tools of the trade, a test drive:

It slices, it dices, it makes julienne wax figured fries!






Last test 3D printed PLA, touch up, melt/cut:

Cut’s like a knife through Marag Dubh…






Faux Product completed and shipped,

Avinash approved!

Says “this will help him greatly with all that FINE detail”. Avinash does awesome work check him out @ http://aysculpture.deviantart.com



300°C Degree knives what could go wrong? If you cut yourself, it just cauterizes the wound for you, DoUbLe BoNuS!



To have more hack-ventures with me, drop me some tweets @WessleeT




Or come hang with us, on a community collaboration night! Every other Thursday, open and free public access, you can help with some inspiring thoughts in the create & critique process.
@unLab




Products used in this hack, X-Acto Blades & Foredom Wax Carver bit’s are trademarked by their respectable companies, in no way is this a factual product or affiliated with said companies.

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Contact the UnLab

999 Collip Circle, Box 8
Convergence Centre
London, On N6G 0J3
Canada

e: unlab@unlondon.ca
p: 519 438 9064 x 1337

About the UnLab

The UnLab is London, Ontario’s own hackerspace. Located at the Convergence Centre at the UWO Research Park, the UnLab is a place where you can find the intersection of tech, make and design. Find Out More

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