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Thread: Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone
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04-21-2016, 01:05 PM #1121
If you have a dremel and a 3d printer (which it sounds like you do but I can't quite figure out if you're talking from experience or research) you should print this - Drill press for a Dremel
You could also make a jig out of wood/plastic/etc. for a regular handheld battery powered drill if needed. All you need is a little ingenuity and you should be able to easily countersink those holes in 15 minutes or less after obtaining the proper bit and creating a jig that has the travel you want for the depth of the countersink.
Very cool, thanks for sharing!Last edited by cncartist; 04-21-2016 at 01:12 PM.
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04-21-2016, 01:07 PM #1122
Some other engineer purchased the Makerbot a year or so ago, he was never successful in getting it to work. I got my Qidi at home a couple months ago and it mostly just works. I've had a few problems but they have been easy to overcome. I then tried to get the Makerbot at work up and running. I definitely made more progress than the last guy but I was spending too much time on it and it still wasn't working right. From my experience at home I told the managers that we should just buy a Qidi and bag the Makerbot... and we did. I just got the Qidi at work up and running this morning and so far the first print is looking good.
I've done the basic upgrades; cable chain, filament alignment bracket, Maghold build platform with glass plate. I've also upgraded my Z-Axis rods to 12mm, still working to get the design right. I've attached a Raspberry Pi 2 and run Astroprint so I can start and stop prints remotely so I don't have to keep moving around the SD card.
I use Solidworks 2016. Since I use Solidworks at work I have access to a Home Use License which is great. I've messed around with Sketchup and don't like it much. I installed Blender last night and my first impression is that the interface is way too complicated, I can usually muddle around and figure out some of the basics when I try new software but with Blender I was completely lost. If I didn't have access to Solidworks I would probably use Fusion 360. I've heard good things about it but never tried it.Last edited by KludgeGuru; 04-21-2016 at 01:23 PM.
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04-21-2016, 01:16 PM #1123
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I had a printer if you could call it that but I no longer do since I can't get a flat bed. If it can lay down a first layer it works wonderfully well. I was going to purchase a DP over the last year but China came in a screwed the pooch so even the older models were better than the current models. Over on another forum I was basically told that short of 1k for a DP the runout is horrible now since all sub $500 machines are made by the same factory in China and just rebadged. After asking around with owners of newer machines I must concur with that statement.
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04-21-2016, 01:21 PM #1124
That's exactly what I was referring to about Blender. It's interface is so fragmented with little stuff here and little stuff there. A lot of people like blender but they always say if they are away from it for a while that it takes time to get back into it.
Fusion 360 is no Solidworks, but it also costs 20x less. I can also use my license on a work Mac, 2 laptops at home, and probably more as long as I am logged into my account.
Some of what holds Fusion back is companies that work with NDAs generally cant store files on a Shared cloud system. This might change over time as this type of storage gets used more and more. Personally I love the cloud system and how it auto versions everything. I can roll back to a version several iterations ago with no extra file management. I no longer have to think "hmm should I save these changes?" I just save and move on.
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04-21-2016, 01:45 PM #1125
To tell you the truth, I have only had 1 single print fail (out of 50 so far) on the first layer with my Qidi printer. The failure was my first print and it was me testing if the printer could lay down the first layer without any glue/hairspray/bonding agent on the print bed. It obviously was not able to stick to the print bed without a bonding agent.
In reference to the machinery, we are talking about a drill press right? I ask because it sounds like you are expecting much better tolerances than is required. 1K for a drill press is completely overkill for a hobbyist unless you require exceptional tolerances. My drill press was $150 and is nothing amazing but it gets the job done and accounting for runout is just something a machinist has to deal with.
EDIT:
One of my mechanical eng. classes in college was all about tolerances and learning how to deal with them. Seriously, it was a whole class called "Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing" and all we did was machine + part tolerance work.
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04-21-2016, 01:52 PM #1126
No we are actually just talking about a hand drill to countersink pilot holes... A drill press is even overkill. :-)
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04-21-2016, 01:57 PM #1127
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I'm not as a man has to know his limits and I know mine.
A DP (Drill Press) trying to drill 3mm holes with a lousy runout isn't going to work very well but for countersinking who knows.
As far as the Qidi I would demand a flat bed but for my printer, as I have said, nothing I get delivered here is flat. It either is the manufacturer or the shipping company not caring. My i3 Aluminum frame was bent, as was the Y frog plate, so the top was off 3mm. It is how it is here and I suspect it probably makes it to here nice then here they destroy it if you saw the drivers for FedEx, USPS, and UPS we have.
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04-21-2016, 01:57 PM #1128
That's the thing with Blender. I'm just learning. The interface sucks for 3D printing. I am not looking for free. I'm looking for ease of use / learning. It seems Fusion 360 is more user friendly but lacks beginner training. So I can make a hole in a round object easier with Fusion 360 but when its time to check the file for print it has a bunch of issues I can't resole because I don't know enough or why its even happening.
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04-21-2016, 02:09 PM #1129
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I deleted F360 and I posted on their forums why and people agreed with me. Autodesk is a nasty company to start with and they have this philosophy that you will do it their way in their UI or you can get lost while most other systems allow you to configure the input to your style. At least I wasn't alone in why I deleted it but Autodesk never once replied but many others did. That arrogance I can do without as this is the 21st century and the operator shouldn't have to mold to the program but instead the program should be easily configurable and F360 is not.
Solidworks is a nice program and very flexible except for one thing and that is X/Y/Z is hard coded and they refuse to change it. So, you make a model that looks right on the screen then the last thing you should do is add a new coordinate system with the way 3d printers work in orientation and be sure to use that coordinate system when you save off your stl (or whatever format). Doing that makes the screen happy and your model is right for printing. I do this all of the time when I save stuff for Thingiverse.
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04-21-2016, 02:25 PM #1130
I agree with your take on Fusion 360. As a novice in Cad software I looked at most of what was available for free and tried most of them.
I was able to understand and use Fusion 360 pretty quickly. Although still learning new thinks about it all the time. It seems to be very full featured.
There are a lot of online videos and tutorials available for free. Especially on Youtube
Just so everyone knows Fusion 360 is free to hobbyist who make under $100k a year with it.
New member with print issue
06-11-2024, 08:57 AM in Tips, Tricks and Tech Help