Could use some advice

[Roxy]

Alright so I'll look into the OpenSCAD, I can just try to learn some over the next few weeks. Now as for the printer, do I need to know a coding language or do most of these have a GUI. By that I mean when I need to tweek settings on that arduino, will I see a wall of text and start changing numbers or will I open a program, go to the speed tab and change the value?

Open_SCAD is a programming language. Everything you do will be lines of text. But the Open_SCAD program will show you a 3 dimensional image of what your code is doing. When you install Open_SCAD, you will find a directory called 'examples'. You can look at that code and see what it produces.

I typically have a text editor open with what I'm working on and Open_SCAD open with the same file. You can edit the source code in Open_SCAD, but you are better off using your favorite editor. Open_SCAD detects when you update the file and starts a new render of its contents. So... You can make small changes and push things around pretty easily and see what happens.

As for the printer, don't take this as I'm not listening to you. The repraps seems to be a great route to go. If I wanted to build a printer with 12x12x(pretty much and value) or maybe 15x15x(any value). If I wanted to build one with those for my budget... is that possible? If not toss one at me that would have something like that. Hell If I could have something that was 15 inches long, 6 inches wide and at least 4 tall....!

I kind of doubt you need 12" x 12". First, anything that big will take forever to print and use a huge amount of plastic. But if you really do need something that big, you can break the part into several interlocking pieces and print the pieces a few at a time.

[Mathew Saunders]

Open_SCAD is a programming language. Everything you do will be lines of text. But the Open_SCAD program will show you a 3 dimensional image of what your code is doing. When you install Open_SCAD, you will find a directory called 'examples'. You can look at that code and see what it produces.

I typically have a text editor open with what I'm working on and Open_SCAD open with the same file. You can edit the source code in Open_SCAD, but you are better off using your favorite editor. Open_SCAD detects when you update the file and starts a new render of its contents. So... You can make small changes and push things around pretty easily and see what happens.



I kind of doubt you need 12" x 12". First, anything that big will take forever to print and use a huge amount of plastic. But if you really do need something that big, you can break the part into several interlocking pieces and print the pieces a few at a time.

So I'm confused... I'm sorry, so the language is to design what will be cut... correct? Or is this the language that runs the printer. Such as windows is to a computer. Basically what is the benefit of using Open_SCAD over Solidworks? Or am I on completely separate pages here?




Also, what I might be printing would be quadcopter parts. Some of the arms are a 8-12 inches long, no wider that 2 inches for those, but some frames are in a 6x6 size. So maybe a printing area of 12x6x6?


Here is a link to what I might print:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32281




So maybe another way to look at this so maybe I will understand better... If I use the thingiverse file. In order to print it will coding need to be done (possible with Open_SCAD?) to have the arduino in working order? From what I'm getting Open_SCAD is simply drawing an object using code. So from there I prepare the printer by downloading firmware onto the arduino, and together I can print? (way more than that I know)....

[Roxy]

So I'm confused... I'm sorry, so the language is to design what will be cut... correct? Or is this the language that runs the printer. Such as windows is to a computer. Basically what is the benefit of using Open_SCAD over Solidworks? Or am I on completely separate pages here?
together I can print? (way more than that I know)....

Solidworks and Open_SCAD are tools that will produce an .STL file. This is the common format to exchange and share things to print. It is a file format that defines surfaces to an object. It defines a whole bunch of little triangles that mesh together and defines the surface.

However you get the .STL file that you are going to print, you load that into your Slicer program along with a whole bunch of values that describe your printer, how it moves, the plastic you are using, etc. etc.

The Slicer programs typically generate a GCode file telling the printer what to do, one movement at a time. The GCode is tailored to the particular type of printer you have.

Once you have the GCode telling your printer how to make the object your designed, you load it into your print manager program. This is typically a program that runs on your PC, but with the right options on your printer you could put the GCode on an SD-Memory card and your printer can read and use that.

Lastly, your printer electronics has an Arduino microprocessor on it. That is running a large piece of firmware that tells the printer how to talk to your PC to get commands and how to heat the bed, nozzle and move the stepper motors.

There is a lot of software involved at every step of the process to get something printed. But Open_SCAD is a programming language that can be used to define your object so that you can send its design through the later steps to actually get something printed.

Also, what I might be printing would be quadcopter parts. Some of the arms are a 8-12 inches long, no wider that 2 inches for those, but some frames are in a 6x6 size. So maybe a printing area of 12x6x6?

Here is a link to what I might print:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32281

I looked at the various pieces for this design. The longest is about 225mm. That is about 8". You can load that piece into the slicer program you are using and rotate it 45 degrees. That will let you print from one corner of the bed to the other corner of the bed. With a standard MK1 heat bead you should be able to get a couple of them on the bed along with some smaller parts off to the side of rotated parts. You don't need to have a 12" x 12" bed.

So maybe another way to look at this so maybe I will understand better... If I use the thingiverse file. In order to print it will coding need to be done (possible with Open_SCAD?) to have the arduino in working order?

No. Open_SCAD or Solidworks would be used to define the parts. When they are fully described, the author can tell these tools to produce a .STL file (set) of the design. That is what you are seeing at that page of Thingiverse. What you need to do is take those .STL files, load them into your slicer program to generate some GCode files, and then send those GCode files to your program that talks to the printer. Because you don't have the actual source files that generated the .STL files you want to print, it is more difficult to make any changes you might want to make. If you don't want to generate your own designs and just want to print things you find on ThingiVerse, you do not need to mess around with Open_SCAD or Solidworks.

From what I'm getting Open_SCAD is simply drawing an object using code. So from there I prepare the printer by downloading firmware onto the arduino, and together I can print? (way more than that I know)....

The firmware is what tells the Arduino board how to manage the hardware you have. It takes the instructions from the GCode file and translate that into what ever has to be done to make your printer do the right thing. But the contents of the GCode file come from the other tools that processed your design.

[Mathew Saunders]

Roxy,

That was more than the answer I expected!Haha, I really appreciate you clearing that up for me. I'll look more into that Open_SCAD, however I might go with solidworks/autocad unless you can let me know about one I might like more. So an 8x8 bed would be safe, as for the printer and price tag, for a first you're saying the reprap. I need something that is really good quality print, so maybe if a bumped my budget up I could ensure that? Honestly you know best so maybe you could toss a few options out there at me.


Here are some other Items I may print (and similar would be what I would design).
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:264955/#collections
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:94920
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:246858/#made
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:261415

[Roxy]

Pretty much, any printer you get will be able to print those items. But here is the one thing that comes to mind. All of those items you want to be strong with minimum weight. You might want to set your slicer program to produce very thin walls with no infill. If so, that might affect what size nozzle (very small) that you want and it might affect what plastic you choose to use for the print. You are going to have to experiment to get things where you are happy with them.

[Mathew Saunders]

Pretty much, any printer you get will be able to print those items. But here is the one thing that comes to mind. All of those items you want to be strong with minimum weight. You might want to set your slicer program to produce very thin walls with no infill. If so, that might affect what size nozzle (very small) that you want and it might affect what plastic you choose to use for the print. You are going to have to experiment to get things where you are happy with them.

Yeah, I don't expect things to be a "put it together and go" situation. I expect a lot of trial and error and a lot of frustration! I will keep on the search for the best printer that will suit my needs, but other than that I'll continue the research.