>>3008378
I have 0 experience with Solidworks and have just acquired it. How hard is it to turn existing .stl files into something I can work with in Solidworks? I've tried the free programs, and only had success using TinkerCAD, all the others were insufferable to use for one reason or another.

>>3008378
Thank you for making these OPs, OPanon.

>>3008325
>>3008338
I’ve been using a more primitive version of this same tool and I really like the shape. When using it one-handed, I can still provide good downwards force with my palm as my fingertips engage with the ribs of the body. When I don’t need much torque, I can put a finger atop the cap and spin the lower section of the body, or even the thin shaft. Being able to spin it by the shaft really makes it fast, so making it short and narrow at the end is important. And for maximum torque, you can put your body weight down on the bearing cap with one hand and twist the body with 2-3 fingers on the other hand. Or even put another hex-bit through the cross-hole and spin like a T-handle. I guess I could add a detent to the cross-hole.

I think it’s a bit too thin to cram in a spring-detent mechanism, I already have some magnets to hold the bit in place. I’m messing about with a fixed indentation, at the right protrusion it will provide some more positive location for the bit, but it will wear over time compared to a spring-loaded detent. I have been looking into cramming some sort of spring detent. I don’t really trust printed vertical springs, especially out of PLA, but it still seems more feasible than a horizontal clock-spring without supports.

The design is definitely a compromise, but I’ve already got a normal bit holder screwdriver, and this fits a different niche.

Also yeah I should probably add ridges in the top cap so it doesn’t roll away.

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let's start this thread with some positive vibes
>printing can save you money
we all know how to burn cash with a printer, but this is a post on how much you can save with it.

>The housing of the trunk release lever of one of my cars broke. The part with the red circle broke and got pulled in by the housing of the bowden cable. I guess the 35 year old ABS was at the end of its life. A new replacement part would cost me about a hundred bucks. A used part (if in stock, which it isn't) would still go for 40 to 50 bucks. So I just designed a kind of sleeve through which the bowden cable runs, while holding the housing of the cable in place. And with a large enough footprint to rest against the rest of the trunk release housing. Printed it in ASA (heat resistance and such) for the cost of maybe 6 cents (to be fair, I would have to add another 6 cents for one printed and failed design, but still 12 cents < 100 yurobucks). And the best thing is that it stays in place and works like a charm.

so /3dpg/ what was your biggest saving on a single print?

>Calibrate your printer.
ellis3dp.com/Print-Tuning-Guide/
teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html
Fix'd

>>3008392
Fixed someones car gear change cables with a tpu bushing someone else designed, that was probably the most cost saving because they only come with new gear cables.

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Can anyone explain what went wrong with these prints?
I made these supports for my box on the back of my motorbike and there's only one hole on the frame for me to mount this bracket to.
The top basically just has the hole stretched and the bottom snapped across.
Do I just need more wall layers? Not really sure how else to design this bracket, had printed them in PETG and lasted a few months before doing this on me.

>>3008392
printed a 3cm sprocket for a hoselink hose reel winding guide.
replacement parts aren't available since its a spring loaded hose with enough force to pull 20m of hose full of water, so enough force to maim if you fuck up and release the spring.
i only meant to use it for a few weeks while a replacement reel came back in stock, but its worked for 3 years now.

makes me worried about the OEM parts, since a silky PLA part is holding up better in the Australian sun than the carefully machined/molded part that cracked in half after 2 years.

so yeah, saved about $200 on that one.

>>3008397
I wouldn't use PETG for outdoors. it is more UV-Resistant than ABS, but not that resistant anyways.
Try printing in ASA or coat with an UV-protective spray.
Also probably heat cycles.
If you leave your bike outside might have expanded and contracted the part and if your blinker housing was put on there TIGHT it probably cracked the part under the pressure.

I'm not an engineer and these are my guesses at first look.

>>3008392
I printed parts for an escape room that they would have had to import at the beginning of the Ukrainian-Russian war from Russia which would would have cost them a couple thousand yuros.

>>3008397
you need to design it so i fits better.
or add some flex to it to absorb the weight changes more?

>>3008399
Thought PETG would have been solid enough for outdoor use, it's under a cover all the time I don't use it so doesn't get massive amounts of UV exposure daily. Dont have a way to print with ABS.
The blinker isn't on that tight now, just snug enough
>>3008400
Dont know how else to design it better, I made a profile of the frame of the bike and made it more or less match the shape so no clue what else to do with it.
How do you add in flex?

>>3008397
If you print it in white (or paint it white for better UV resistance), it will reflect solar radiation and not heat up. A black piece of PETG in the summer sun for an hour or two will easily get up to the 60-70C needed to soften and deform.
Though I'm unsure if that alone is why the part cracked, I don't think thermal cycling would explain that. If it's just not strong enough, PETG-CF might resist the forces and heat better, or maybe PCTG as it's more ductile.

>>3008408
You can print a piece of TPU first, then pause the print and insert the TPU before resuming and locking it in place. Or you could try using sheet silicone or inner-tube rubber or some other source of something flexible.

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I had the idea to use 3D printed files as moulds for plaster or clay slip. Like I wanted to make a Pot Of Greed mug out of clay or just a model out of plaster and then paint it but wasn't too sure how to go about it.

>>3008414
If you want the results to actually be nice, you're fucked and welcome to the world of two molds. That said, no need to wait for an answer is this thread, plenty of people have done it before.

>>3008414
do you have a 3d printer?

>>3008399
>>3008408
ABS is not UV resistant at all, you might as well use untreated PLA which in my experience lasts about 3 years in direct sun and daily handling. PETG on the other hand is a better choice than either for outdoors since it is actually UV resistant, as is ASA so covering either of those in UV blocking clearcoat is asshat retarded.

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>>3008389
I'm basically happy with this revision, at least after working a bit in and out a few times to get rid of any tiny high spots. Though it can be a bit of a pain to get the bit properly located into the hex, so maybe there's a bit of minor work to be done. I added a reinforcing M4 screw in the inside of the bearing, to reinforce that against layer-adhesion shear fractures. I added a 3D printed springy detent to both the cross-hole and the main bit holder. In addition to some magnets for the main bit holder. In each case I used a pair of 9mm long and 1mm thick printed flexures, and they bend up to 1.5mm away from their resting position. We'll see how it holds up long-term, but since they didn't snap immediately (and there isn't force along layer lines) I expect it won't be the failure point. And because of how light it is (plus the M4 screw) I can't see it breaking from dropping on the ground, even dropping on concrete from 2-3m up. If anything, excessive downward + sideways pressure could crack the bit holding area, especially now that it's got some internal voids. Instant screwdriver bit + plastic shards through the finger.

If it ever does break, I could reprint it in something stronger than PLA.

>>3008414
A clay slip cast has to be porous, no? If anything I can see it being feasible to cast a plaster slipcasting mould into a PLA plug. You could either use lost PLA method to melt out the PLA from the inside of the mould, or you could cast multiple plaster segments that fit together, allowing you to reuse the PLA plugs. If you don't mind the seam lines in the resultant part, this seems entirely doable. That said, those nostrils and the handle base are so convex that I doubt you'd get the PLA out of the plaster without it cracking. Maybe you can add extra plaster manually with a mostly complete PLA plug, or potentially design a complex multi-multi-part PLA plug that you can disassemble by undoing some screws while it's got the plaster inside it.

>>3008408
>made it more or less match the shape
theres the problem, did you leave any room for slop? up the entire thing by 1% and give it another go.

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>>3008410
I guess I'll experiment with engineer grade/TPU filament another time, only have PETG on hand.
So should I put the inner tube rubber where the surfaces have contact points?
>>3008424
I see, yeah wouldn't have thought PETG would have degraded that quick after only being out in the sun for a couple of hours after a few months
>>3008435
I meant like it matches the profile and there is a bit of clearance so it's not sitting totally flush

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>>3008378
>What CAD software should I use?
Out of these, which are my best options on a Linux laptop from 2012?
>ThinkPad T430
>OS: Linux Mint
>CPU: Intel i5-3320M (4) @ 3.300GHz
>GPU: Intel 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller
>Memory: 16GB DDR3

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>>3008444
If you have no moneys: FreeCad, it's getting the Blender Treatment right now. Hadn't had it's 2.8 moment yet, but they're getting there.

IF you have $175 to $300 that are burning a hole into your pocket: Plasticity (https://www.plasticity.xyz/buy)

t. Freetard, pic rel.

>>3008378
I'm the guy who impulse bought the Ender 5 Plus.
I've figured out that I want a multi-tool/head printer and am thinking about a StealthChanger setup.
My question: What hotend? Current contenders are Smart Orbiter 3.5v vs Galileo V2.
I've been out of the game since mid 2024 so I don't know what has happened in the scene since.

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>>3008446
>FreeCad
Thanks, I'll look at that one first.
>it's getting the Blender Treatment right now. Hadn't had it's 2.8 moment yet, but they're getting there.
I don't know what that means.
>IF you have $175 to $300 that are burning a hole into your pocket
Sadly I do not, thus the reliance on an ewaste machine.

What command do you use to remove the username and machine name from your neofetch output?

>>3008449
>I don't know what that means.
Take a look at Blender 2.7 and 2.8. World's difference. The Blender Treatment is when Free Software's UX goes from janky to streamlined.
>Sadly I do not, thus the reliance on an ewaste machine.
I assumed so. If you can, update to a T480/T580, they cost as much as a T430 and are worlds faster.
>What command do you use to remove the username and machine name from your neofetch output?
None, I edit the screenshots in gimp lel.

But this is slowly derailing the thread, if you have any further Linux questions, join us over at >>>/g/fglt

>>3008446
>I've figured out that I want a multi-tool/head printer
bahahaha
You've signed yourself up for a world of hurt. I'd make a single-tool machine first to get the hang of things before headshotting yourself with scope creep. The StealthChanger and TapChanger both look kinda flawed, the locking action is both pretty precise and reliant on the compliance of the 3D printed plastic itself, compared to something like the XL's solid locking method. If you have to go for a custom toolchanger, I'd look for one that's taken inspiration from the XL. Though some of the CNC aluminium stealthchanger kits look ok, like FYSETC's.

Instead I'd consider slapping on an INDX, or one of the OEM toolchanger systems as spare parts. What do XL or U1 or Creator 5 tools sell for, and what would it take to slap them on your carriage? Or could you just buy their locking mechanisms and put custom tools on those?

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https://shop.silocitylabs.com/products/ebox-lite-smart-pcb-esp32-conversion
>$68
pfft, I could make one myself for like $10

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How is the Sunlu S2 filament dryer? Is there anything around the same price that's better?
I saw people complaining about there being no exhaust vent or something, but it looks like you can print out solutions to that.

>>3008455
Same cheap screen as the Space Pi and a bunch of other driers, their specs should all be about the same. Maybe the Sovol one is cheaper? Local ones may be cheaper. Personally I’m waiting for the new Elegoo drier, it looks to have an automatic vent for a decent price.

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>>3008461
it does, and it's nice.
It's been out for a few weeks now.

>>3008444
I'll throw out onshape, it's browser based so your shit tier laptop should be able to hang. Def do not try Freehand360 or Blender they both were click wait on my old i5 2500K with 16G. not unusable but painful for sure.

>>3008446
How is Plasticity overall compared to something like Solidworks, and is that pricing a lifetime license? I don't mind paying $300 for that

>>3008472
We sell Elegoo products where I work and I get a sick discount. So I’m waiting for one of them to arrive in our warehouse. Elegoo website says it’s still in preorder.

>>3008451
I wonder if anyone has modified the bambu AMS for use outside their ecosystem. The 4 first feeder towers are simple creatures and there are a few boards involved and a fifth feeder/sensor in the bottom.

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imagine a 3 tool multi-toolhead printer with two of these plus a standard single nozzle for support interface

>>3008500
It’s probably pretty simple, I doubt they’re using encrypted comms between the AMS and printer. Security by obscurity at the most, nothing a few hours of packet sniffing couldn’t figure out. Maybe you’d need an adapter board to convert the comms to USB or CAN or UART that your mainboard can speak, but it’s probably in a sensible protocol already.

That said, OpenAMS opted to replace the entire mainboard within the AMS, so maybe it is unreasonably difficult to get it to speak a language that Klipper can understand.

>>3008503
An IDEX with one or two of those would be good enough for 90% of toolchanger requirements.

I'm looking forward to the K3 but only if they release a plus version. Also they need to close the top of it somehow, how do other multihead systems handle the open tops?

>>3008526
Tall lids. K3 with heated chamber would be a pretty easy buy, or it would be if I could trust Creality to not put out garbage. I’d rather mod a U1, or U1 max whenever they decide to make one of those.

>>3008503
imagine what? printing severely degraded filament onto a prime tower?

>>3008545
I've enjoyed my K2 once I figured out my issues were with my filament. Although that bed is a pain in the ass