3D printing Widgets

This is what it turned out like, a bit raggier than the earlier one - so its not always better standing up!
The layer height was 0.2mm as opposed to 0.13mm on the other one plus there were some other changes.
 
 

Magpie
I printed out the same thing but in PLA!
 
It OK but now I understand "what is doing what" the areas in the red circles would be better formed with the part printed lying on it side.

It is indeed quite a clever design so I might print out the rest - just because.

Learning to judge orientation of a print is one of the learning steps. Sometimes the 'author' of the object will have set up the orientation for best results. Sometimes they include directives in the documentation (it is one of my usual filters on deciding whether to trust a download).

Sometimes that detail goes missing or what was convenient in the CAD tool is what gets into the STL file.  That is true for quite a few of the things I design for myself. But then I know that when I switch to a 'printer's hat' that I will rotate if necessary.

Being about to print that length of 'bridge' as seen in the photo is actually a bit impressive - it has less droop than I expected.

And another useful decision point is to choose to use PETG for a project for its specific properties... PETG is more heat resistant than PLA and for some things it is a bit stronger.  When a part does not need those properties switch back to PLA for ease of printing.
 

I had decided to switch back to LPA, I was finding the PTEG too difficult, especially as 70 on the table seems to make the Scotchblue lift & curl much more than 60, plus the hotter filament. So I've started the Schraubstock away again this morning. Its much quicker, 6hrs insead of 10.
Again the first layer (a brim this time) in the lower left corner (which is where I had the trouble yesterday) is fainter than the rest. Its away now so I'll let it go & have a look when its finished.
I had a look under the table yesterday, the adjusting screws go into fixed nuts underneath. I would expect the screws to go the full length of the nut plus a thread or two but they stop well short which means they are working on the starts of the threads which isn't good.
The home position on the Z-axis is set by a fixed home limit switch so the table height has to be adjusted to suit that.

My dead V1 Mononoprice which was made by Malyan has a removeable table held on by magnets with no mechanical adjustments. The levelling was set electronically via the screen though there was an inductive height sensor but I don't know how it worked, whether it was through active feedback of the height.
The heating for the table was via an 80mm square under the table which was not actually in contact with the table nor was there any insulation.
My Malyan M200 has a heating pad covering all of the table.


 

If you can see a difference in the thickness of the first layer as it is laid down in some parts of the bed then height adjustment is likely required not least as you may find the part "lifts" during printing where the gap was too big and it may be hard to get it off where the first layer has been printed "hard" onto the bed surface.

The height adjustment on your printer does sound a bit odd. My A8 bed is held down by 4 corner bolts with springs in between so it can be adjusted over a range of several mm if required.
Automatic bed height adjustment is the ultimate luxury as it means it is all taken care of before the start of each print. It uses a height sensor fixed to the print head. The really clever ones actually measure the gap at several points on the bed and then all the vertical axis print settings are automatically "adjusted" to account for the height variations initially measured at the various locations. The bed itself is not adjusted!

I haven't actually printed the Schaubstock but using my favoured PLA settings (0.15mm layer height, 0.3 print width, 2 walls, 3 top and bottom layers) CURA suggest 4hrs 26 minutes. Still a long print.      

My M200 table fixation is the same as your A8, I've looked one up on Ebay.
However it could only be adjusted downwards as it is near the end of the thread as it is. I'm going to take the front left one off later to have a look, it needs adjusting anyway.

I expect the vertical micro switch position is also adjustable. My A8 one is.
The full set up routine is adjust the screws so the table height between the nozzle and bed is constant over the full area and then adjust the micro switch so it stops the nozzle at the recommended height above the bed.

Apart from the price having to assemble the whole thing from a box of bits with "Chinlish" instructions did give you a good idea of what adjustments were possible.   

No the Z-axis home switch isn't adjustable. I know because on the one I "returned" one of the faults was it homed in the wrong direction & I wanted to take it off to check it out.
It is inside the column. Two screws go through the side plate with nuts on, then the switch goes on, then two nuts on the inside to fix it. It is operated by a block on the arm inside the column.

The clamping block for the vice is now printing in PLA. I adjusted the corner screw, the gap was too narrow.
I could start the spindle for the vice after it is finished but I wouldn't be able to monitor it & being tall (only 2.6 mm short of the 120mm capacity of the printer) it could easily be knocked over.
I don't know whether to put it on a raft but that adds to the height. It doesn't say how thick a raft is but its a thick grid with a roof so I'll not go the Kon Tiki route.





 

I got a chance to put the spindle on so as to be around when it started to approach the climax.

I got back when it was nearly to 90mm, it was a good job I did, it was wobbling around like a drunk, so I aborted it. There had also been a crisis at about 40mm where the diameter changed.

It obviously needs more adhesion, the Scotchblue had become completely detached from the table & the part detached from the Scotchblue.
No damage done though.

So I printed a new spindle this morning, with a brim & directly onto the table - no Scotchblue.
It printed well though I was nervous as it approached the end - the end of the print, not its end.

When I tried the moving plate on the schraubstock it wouldn't go on, the tenon was too wide. I tried filing it but it wasn't making much impression so I increased the width by 3% in Cura.
It works quite well, however I overdid backing it off once & snapped the end off the spindle. It superglued back on & you cannot see the join.

Is it possible to edit STL files? I think a hole in the end to glue some carbon fibre rod in to strengthen it would be good. or even making it a solid fill near the end.

While I was in suspense I drew up a soft jaw & intended to print them in the yellow PLA sample which came with the printer. I struggled to feed it through, it was reluctant to go in at the top end & refused at the hot end (note the use of the jargon). The white was the same & I had to revert to the black.
It must have been because it had been fairly tightly wound. I did try to straighten it out.
But I've just had a close look at the ends. Cutting the slant has give a hooky shape right at the end - I need to practice my slanting.

 
 

Feeding the filament into the hot end is a problem when it is from the end of the roll as by then it has acquired a natural curve.
It means the filament is very likely to miss the hot end tube.
Straightening the filament certainly improves the chances oi it entering the tube but the filament attracts moisture over time so by the end of the roll it can become very brittle. Some colours are worse than others possibly due to the pigments used.

Although it is a very clever design for printing There are some features that could be considered suspect like why is there a hole right up the middle of the spindle?. I cant see it adds any strength to what is a relatively long thin item.
The same could be said for the grooves in the underside of the schraubstock.
When clamping lt is under a bending load so the grooves and the fixing slot in the centre reduce the amount of material on the surfaces where it contributes most to stiffness. It note there is a "high strength" version which uses 6 layer walls so flexibility must be an issue. 

It is not possible to edit stl files that I am aware of, which is why the part designers only publish them and not the base CAD files!  
     

The hole doesn't go the full length, it finishes about at the end of the thread. The hole is required at the other end where I snapped it then you could put a piece of carbon fibre rod in to strengthen it.

I don't know if it shouldn't be called a "Table Vice" (it might be the translation from the german) as its meant to hold PCBs & pieces of tube. I wouldn't trust it on a Bench Driller.

The yellow & white filament were just in coils about 100mm diameter.
Can you not get a filament straightener (like a cucumber straightener) or filament sharpener?

I've had a look at the adjusting screws, they are M3 x 16mm C/S. I'll try locally to get some M3 x 20mm otherwise its for the next order from Model Fixings.

 

It is possible to import an STL file into FreeCAD and then there are some types of changes/edits that can be done.  It is a multi-step process to import an STL and then convert it into a body that can be worked with.  I have several videos showing the process (I can provide links if that would help).

I edited an STL file that Tony sent me to adapt the nose section to better fit a slightly smaller spinner.  I have taken motor mounts and control horns STL files and 'beefed them up'.  It is also possible to create a solid body - say a rod shape and subtract it from the STL.

So generally the following is possible:
* Bits of an STL object can be removed.
* Depending on the shape of the object stuff can be added. 
* External shape bodies and the solid mesh of the STL can usually have boolean logic applied.

One would need a rather pedantic description and/or sketches describing what adaptation is required.  Would be happy to try...
 

For the spindle I would like the top to have a 3mm countersunk hole so a screw can be glued in to reinforce it.
If it were another infill, say Gyroid, would that inprove the overall strength & give a better thingy to glue into?

I would like to see a video.