General Software\Hardware Interfacing

[Wolf]

Hi Everyone! my name is Wolf, yes that's my real name, I am new on this forum, and to 3d printers, not to electronics tho, I am an electronics technician, and on the process to build a 3d printer for work, i got a couple of questions about software and hardware interfacing, I am going to get a TinyG board for the printer, but generally speaking, how do you guys interface software\hardware? , I'd like to understand the process, for instance, i use solidworks for my 3d models, to be able to generate a g-code out of a 3d model you load the .STL file into whichever software you use to generate the g-code, then load that into your controller board, and you're good to go, right? but for instance, what if you have a secondary noozle, Do software usually have an option where you can specify WHEN to use the secondary noozle so it can spit that out on the g-code and activate the right motor for that noozle?

[f.larsen]

You basically have things correct yes.

Since you are building it, you are probably going to go the open source route.

Using a program like Cura, Repetier, Printerface, MatterControl (to a certain extend). They have internal slicers or link to external ones. They all do support multiple nozzles. You will be able to see it in the gcode where it switches to a different nozzle. Some slicers do not allow for different speeds on the extruder motors, but in that case for myself I tend to slice the object twice and mix the gcode doing a find replace situation with python, it's pretty easy, but you should know that it can be a situation.

When you are further along, let us know, let me know and we can get something down that works for you.

[Wolf]

sounds great also, by any chance do you know a good place to get metric ball bearings?

[f.larsen]

My work carries 608zz and 624zz, I hope that helps.

http://creativeshiftworkshop.com/pro...608zz-bearings
http://creativeshiftworkshop.com/products/624zz-bearing

[Wolf]

cool thx, i actually was looking at the same ones from a different vendor
http://www.robotdigg.com/product/12/608ZZ-Ball-Bearing

[Wolf]

ok, so finding compatible parts is proving to be more difficult than designing this thing, I don't seem to find threaded rods that are compatible in length with the travel shafts (guide shafts) I want the printing area to be around a squared foot so the guide shafts and threaded rods must be a little bit longer than 12", and i either find one part in inches and another one in metric, can't find a single place where they have them both on a single measuring unit, any suggestions where to find good supplies?

[beerdart]

Wolf where are you located?

[f.larsen]

Why not use an existing design, a proven one. There are many BOM out there that you can base yours off of.

[Wolf]

Im located in LA, san fernando valley, well, I want to build it as custom as possible, i don't like the way people use shafts as guides and they don't even lock the lead screw from the steppers on the opposite end, im planning to use

ball bearing v grove rails as guides for the Z axis: http://www.mcmaster.com/#ball-bearing-carriages/=rztjd9

and SIMO rails for the X and Y :http://www.pbclinear.com/SIMO-Series-Driven-Systems

hard to put parts together when everything is made on a different measuring unit

[beerdart]

McMaster is a great source for most of your hardware needs.