"Impossible 3D Print": Bearings

erco

Well done. Not sure how smooth or durable, but quite impressive.

Jump to 3:55 to see the bearing in action:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ak03wmi-3FE#t=235s

skylight

That is impressive, Just one thing do the joints have to be broken in when printed do they stick together at first?

Martin_H

That's impressive. Most of the 3D printing I've seen has a fair bit of flash which results from plastic from the nozzle still sleeping out a bit towards edges. They usually require some cleaning up.

localroger

skylight wrote: »

That is impressive, Just one thing do the joints have to be broken in when printed do they stick together at first?

The video shows them being broken loose with an awl before the bearings will rotate.

skylight

localroger wrote: »

The video shows them being broken loose with an awl before the bearings will rotate.

That will teach me to obey erco and jump to 3.55 missed that!

LoopyByteloose

i suppose that if you could make a 3D printer that would use edible cake icing as its build material, there would be a very bright future for you in the wedding cake business. The detail is impressive.

But why would I want plastic ball bearings rather than hardened steel?

Next you can try to build 31 balls inside of balls, or a giant babuska doll. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll

rjo__

My problem is that all 3D prints seem impossible. The only way I can use my very nice Chinese CNC machine http://www.mib-instruments.com/servlet/the-3040/New-CNC-3020-Router/Detail is to program the g-code myself. I have never found any software that can generate the G-code to my satisfaction:) I make simple things with simple geometry, and the G-Code is simple to write.
3D printing seems most useful for making complex geometries that my CNC machine can't do...at that point, my brain will melt...unless there is some magic software out there... really cheap.

skylight

rjo__ wrote: »

I have never found any software that can generate the G-code to my satisfaction:).

Have you had a look at this software? not sure if it would be any better at generating the code but I have tried importing dwf files into it and it seems to work ok

http://www.planet-cnc.com/index.php?page=software

rjo__

skylight

thanks. Nope I hadn't seen it. I use Mach3, which is well worth the money.

What I find most interesting is that it the software that you linked to http://www.planet-cnc.com/index.php?page=softwarecan reverse g-code into various formats. I find that very intriguing.
I can't try it right now, because I'm on a Mac. But it is definitely worth a look see.

I tried various routes, before deciding to just role my own g-code. The one I remember best is trying to use sketchuphttp://www.sketchup.com/ to design a small part and then import the result into various software that is supposed to generate g-code. Sketchup is a real treat. I wouldn't recommend it:) But it is free and I did manage to find a way to use it. Example... a hole in a plate. This is not easy to accomplish without studying Sketcup more than I would like, but I did manage to generate a model for export to software that was supposed to turn it into g-code. Software invariably interpreted the hole as a pocket, even though it was a through and through hole. So, rather than cutting
a circular path at incremental depths, which takes very little time and generates very little detritus, the hole was removed bit by bit by pocket style logic, which takes a lot of time and generates a mound of debris. Possibly this kind of thing wouldn't be as much of a problem with a 3D printer, which uses additive logic.

I am interested in 3d printing... particularly the lithography type approach, but the machine style is getting so cheap, I don't think I can hold out much longer.

Rich