New member

[Maxime]

Hi guys, first let me introduce my self

My name is Maxime I'm 23 years old, I'm a machinist and I'm studying mecanical engineering.
I have been interested in 3d printers since many years but I never took the time to dig into it.

Lately I have seen a very interesting kit, yes I am talking about the Prusa i3.
It looks like a nice product to begin with, and I am interested to buy one.

I am familiar with CNC programming, doing set ups and all that kind of stuff but 3d printer is new to me.
I have some questions that I have not been able to find the answers.

ie: how is the programming done and why the heat table

Is there a good website out there you guys can recommend me ?

I know every printers are different but some specific general information would be nice... which is hard to find

Thanks have a good one

[GOC]

...
ie: how is the programming done and why the heat table
...

- If your in the engineering industry your probably very familiar with "PTC Creo/NC", "MasterCAM", "Esprite", or "UG". These programs create milling code for the CNC machining. In 3D printing a similar pathing is generated to create objects. There are a few different pieces of software out there that do this pathing. My preferred software is called "Repetier-Host" and within it I utilize the "CuraEngine" slicer (which is similar to a post processor in the CAM world). I've found it generates very nice pathing and I've had the best printing results using this setup in both speed and quality.

- The heated bed is for controlling the material temperature. This is useful for enhancing bed adhesion and to control warping/curling of the part. Temps can vary depending on your particular material and working environment. I have written some short articles that may help you gain some additional knowledge on the subject, I too work in the machining/engineering world.

[Maxime]

Thats a great responce, thanks I will dig into your blog that is great!

I guess there is a way to set the feed, quantity of extruded plastic, safe z, temperature and things like that ...?, (Stupid question sorry, I just downloaded the program and will try to find by my self)

Wow this is GCODE, I love 3d printers allready lol

Yes indeed I'm familiar with mastercam, depocam and catia, I also do some modelization (catia, inventor, solidwork) which is particulary interesting in this case.

I got one semester left before getting my diploma so I will try to learn as much as I can on the 3d printer that we got at our school (or maybe buy one and learn by my self).
By the way, I need to find a final project so making my own 3d printer would be interesting but I'm afraid that it would be too complicated ?

My main objective with that printer is to create parts which I would use to make sand castings, but thats another story lol
And ehhh... I'm craving for a 3d scanner too... what is wrong with me ?

[GOC]

- If your any bit mechanically inclined you'll be able to get a kit running. Plus there's a lot of great help here in the forums to get you through it.

- If your looking into buying a DIY kit I would recommend the RockStock Max v2 from SeeMeCNC, I'm very impressed with their designs and machine quality. I own their Orion Delta series and have had phenomenal results with it. I've put over 1500 jobs through it and it still runs quick and smooth.

- On a side note: Brian K. has a short article showing SeeMeCNC's Eris Prototype from CES which is very nicely priced and very similar to my Orion Delta.

[printbus]

Lately I have seen a very interesting kit, yes I am talking about the Prusa i3.
It looks like a nice product to begin with, and I am interested to buy one.

If you do like a Prusa i3, I'd suggest taking a look at the i3v series kits offered by MakerFarm. The use of aluminum rails and wheels improves on the basic Prusa i3 design. There's a lot of info and support available in the MakerFarm hardware subforum here.

[Maxime]

GOC I have heard that this machine is a pain in the ass to calibrate is that right ?

Last night I did some research on the ultimaker 2, good machine but what I doesnt like about it is the "dummy proof" side of it.
The way the machine is set (the 3 screw table is great but the overall machine looks like an old ipod to me), the program that goes with it (I think there is a basic mode which you dont need to set anything and an expert mode) etc... it seems like a toy to me, with all the lights and stuff, nothing professionnal. Well I still got a lot to learn but thats my first impression.

The program that you referred me is very interesting, well made and conversational. The only thing I dont like about it is the interface which doesnt allow you a good view of the theoretical printed part (I would like to see the extruding path, be able to do some cut to see inside of the part, things like that).

Thanks printbus I will take a closer look at that

Well I'm still a neophyte so dont take my comments so seriously.

[GOC]

GOC I have heard that this machine is a pain in the ass to calibrate is that right ?
...

- My Orion wasn't very difficult to setup, although being familiar with milling machines may have helped me to better understand what needed to be done. Documentation is supplied for calibration makes it cakework.
*PS: A big sell point for me was also the fact that the firmware is open source. As a programmer its very convenient to dig in and see how/why it works.

...
The program that you referred me is very interesting, well made and conversational. The only thing I dont like about it is the interface which doesnt allow you a good view of the theoretical printed part (I would like to see the extruding path, be able to do some cut to see inside of the part, things like that).
...

- The software actually has more functionality than the manual specifies. Using the path searching technique below I can restart prints that have the filament break or run out rather than restarting the whole print again.

- For searching GCode pathing simply set the selector to "Show Layer Range" then select the desired layer you would like to inspect. Then search the GCode for the end of the previous layer (in the example below its LAYER:31). When selecting and highlighting the GCode it will also highlight the pathing in the preview window.

[MercedesStolp]

There are various sites available for learning about 3d printing. I want to suggest you my website fabbly for learning it. Here you can see various types of 3d printed products that you have never seen.

[GOC]

...I want to suggest you my website fabbly for learning it...

Its just a model repository, there isn't any tutorials or informational docs on 3D Printing.