My MakerBot Replicator Z18 - Early Experiments

[Joe Jones]

The replacement user control panels for my MakerBot Replicator Z18 3D Printer arrived today. Friends were in from out of town. One of them is (was) an A&P mechanic for FedEx. so we tackled the project of disassembling the machine, replacing the panel, and then reassembling the machine with makeshift parts that no longer exist, from ACE Hardware. A dab of super glue here, a strip of duct tape there .... It is together now and working well. I did not calibrate the machine or let it level the print deck. I just wanted to see it print SOMETHING.

I set it to do a simple test print of a five-link chain. I am happy!

3D CHAIN.jpg

They call this "Additive Manufacturing."

They should have called it ADDICTIVE Manufacturing.

This is only my "toy" 3D printer. I can't wait to begin playing with the 'YUGE machines in the shop!

Joe

3D NUT AND BOLT 2.jpg

3D NUT AND BOLT 1.jpg

[AREA]

Super cool! Love the idea of a 3d printer and would love one but i really don't NEED one and no time to really learn it. Maybe some day. Impressive Joe.

[Joe Jones]

They are out there on the online auction sites for pennies on the dollar. so you can buy one, even a small one, for a very low price just to experiment with in your spare time. It seems that the software is the trick. Once the .stl file is loaded or created, the printer takes it from there.

Joe

[adbuch]

Typical-work-flow-of-3D-printing-process.jpg

[Joe Jones]

Making progress. I designed this simple pillow block shape using Fusion 360 and printed it successfully. THEN the $%^&* printer started belching out "filament Slip!" errors, one after the other. Dang! i tried everything. Then I saw a setting that turns OFF the error message, and now it is printing again.

I figure I will learn this machine by the time I go through this 'YUGE spool of PLA that came with the machine.

Joe

SHARK GRIP.jpg

PILLOW BLOCK 1.jpg

PILLOW BLOCK 2.jpg

MAKERBOT 9 JPG.jpg

[Joe Jones]

Education is expansive (pun intended!)

I printed the smaller pillow block shape. Then I SCALED the shape to 200% size, but only 1/2 Z height. I thought the software would scale the thing down, but instead, I only printed 1/2 of the total height of the larger file. Eight hours!

I have to think of the build volume like a block of styrofoam. Shorten the Z by 50% to cut the block of foam in 1/2.

Live and learn ...

Joe

PILLOW BLOCK DBL SIZE HALF Z 2.jpg

PILLOW BLOCK DBL SIZE HALF Z.jpg

PILLOW BLOCK DBL SIZE HALF Z SIDE PROFILE.jpg