I Make Stuff!

I make stuff.  There is little that I have ever done in my life that brings me greater satisfaction than coming up with an idea, drawing and designing it, and 3D printing and/or fabricating/machining it into a real life thing.  The tools available to achieve this are nothing short of amazing.  After the napkin drawing, I use Autodesk's Fusion 360 3D modeling CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Manufacturing) software to create a 3 dimensional model. Fusion then allows me to either export a 3D print file called an .STL file, or I can use Fusion's CAM capabilities to create a file for a CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) milling machine or lathe.  The finished items are often pieces of assemblies that are screwed, glued, or snapped together, often containing electronics.

My 3D Printer is an Original Prusa i3 MK2.  It is a FDM or "fused deposition modeling" printer that super heats plastic filament into a semi-liquid state and then precisely extrudes the plastic onto a print bed, building layer upon layer.  I can make just about anything that will fit in the 250mm x 210mm x 200mm build space from a variety of printable materials.  Materials range from flexible rubber-like to high temp wax (to create mold negatives for lost casting) to common plastics like ABS, PLA, Nylon, and PETG.  There are even materials infused with carbon fiber, and wood.  If you want to get into 3D printing, this printer is a great way to do it as it uses induction probe technology to get the printer calibrated.  Most of the challenge to 3D printing is laying down a good first layer and proper calibration is key to achieving this.  Another first layer issue is getting the extrusion to stick to the bed.  The MK2's bed has a sheet of PEI laminated to it and this solves the sticking issue for most common print materials without the need for glue.  This printer was named the best desktop printer of 2016 by Make magazine.

If you are interested in having me make something for you, visit my 3D Hub:

My 3D Hub

3D printing is not that tough, but there is a learning curve and if you aren't going to be making a lot of parts, it is likely cheaper and easier for you to use a print service like my hub.  Ready-to-print .stl files of myriad designs are readily available on the internet on sites such as Thingiverse.  Or you can hire someone like me to draw your idea.  There are also print-on-demand repositories like Shapeways where designers upload their designs for you to order.  The service prints and ships you the part and the designer gets a cut.  So you don't have to learn design.  If you are good at design but don't want to deal with physically printing things yourself you can make money by uploading your designs to these print-on-demand sites for you and/or others to purchase.  Point being, you can wade in to this.

Prior to printing, the .stl file must be loaded into a slicer program which slices the 3d model into the layers that are stacked upon each other vertically by the printer.  This program also defines other printing parameters such as layer height (resolution), extrusion nozzle and print bed temperatures, feed rates and speed, and print density (infill %).  My printer has a .4mm diameter nozzle and can produce layer heights as thin as .15mm.  I can go even thinner, but it requires a nozzle change.  For most purposes, a .2mm layer height provides the detail I'm after.  The slicer program produces the g-code file that the printer runs to actually make the part.

I find myself helping folks on forums and Facebook and this help eventually ends up getting lost in the information overload of these sites, so this blog is my solution.