rapman-education's posterous http://rapman-education.posterous.com Most recent posts at rapman-education's posterous posterous.com Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:31:50 -0800 Designing, prototyping, 3D printing... and augmented reality. http://rapman-education.posterous.com/designing-prototyping-3d-printing-and-augment http://rapman-education.posterous.com/designing-prototyping-3d-printing-and-augment

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3D CAD is fantastic and students using it can use it to design their products with relative ease. Even better if they output their designs to 3D printers or CNC machines. But there are times when visualising the designed object in the "real environment" can be difficult. Visualising the object "in situ" before committing to printing or machining can be useful in determining whether the design is correct, suitable for purpose or "looks right".

Ok so it is possible to "Photoshop" an image of the CAD design into a photo of the environment but wouldn't it be better if this could be done in 3D?.... With augmented reality this is possible and using an iPad and a suitable app relatively easy to do.

The photo attached to this post only shows half of the story... Its not possible to show a 3D scene using 2D media! The object (a model 3DTouch 3D printer) is 3D, moving the iPad around this virtual object does actually allow you to see it from above, sides, front, back, etc.

Yes the object viewed using augmented reality is still a "virtual object" but as a method of "testing" ideas before actually prototyping or making the object is another tool available to designers... Used in isolation I'm not certain how useful augmented reality actually can be, but as a first check in an iterative design process I can see some potential for some students in some design projects.

I have a feeling that teaming augmented reality with 3D printing could be a powerful combination. I hope to try this out with students soon and intend to get them to design objects, test them with augmented reality and modify their designs before 3D printing them.

If you fancy giving it a go then you might be interested in trying the iPad app "Augment" https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/augment/id506463171?mt=8 For a free app (at the time of posting this) it is really powerful, a range of 3D formats can be imported (.stl, .3ds, .obj etc) and of course these can be designed in CAD or downloaded from sites such as Thingiverse. Imported objects can be scaled, rotated, moved, photographed etc. And to get you started there are a number of lovely sample files available in the app too.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:18:07 -0800 Cubex A new 3D printer http://rapman-education.posterous.com/cubex-a-new-3d-printer http://rapman-education.posterous.com/cubex-a-new-3d-printer

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Introducing the new 3D printer from 3D Systems ... The Cubex (big brother to the Cube printer).
It has a huge print bed (just like its predecessor the Bits from Bytes 3D Touch). 3 colour printing and new software.

Cool!.... I'll have to start saving for one of these!

Further details from the Cubify website http://cubify.com/cubex/index.aspx?tb_cubex_learn

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Sun, 09 Dec 2012 04:57:30 -0800 D&T iPad apps http://rapman-education.posterous.com/dt-ipad-apps http://rapman-education.posterous.com/dt-ipad-apps Ok, so not really about 3D printing but my school blog is "locked" for updating to a new platform/hosting service. My school has just launched into a new project for students to bring portable devices into school... Mainly iPads but other devices are allowed. So students setting up new iPads face a bewildering number of apps, here are a few suggested apps that I have tried out over the last year or so. The star rating is based on usefulness, price, etc... But just a guide! There are many other apps available.
Autodesk Forceeffect ... Free *** Study the effect of forces on structures https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/autodesk-forceeffect/id476321600?mt=8

Forceeffect Motion ... Free *** Study the effect of forces in motion https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/autodesk-forceeffect-motion/id512045820?mt=8

123D Make Intro... Free *** Design 3d designs for laser cutting https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/123d-make-intro/id513915986?mt=8
123D Design... Free *** Simple 3D CAD https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/123d-design/id567821620?mt=8

123D Sculpt... Free (model export £6.99 in app purchase) ** 3D sculpting https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/123d-sculpt/id446119510?mt=8

123D Catch... Free *** Scan objects in 3D https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/123d-catch/id513913018?mt=8

Sketchbook Express... Free ** Sketch, draw etc https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sketchbook-express-for-ipad/id410871280?mt=8

Pixlr-o-matic... Free ** Another photo edit app https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/pixlr-o-matic/id450263811?mt=8

Other apps
D&T app ... 69p per subject or £1.99 for all 6 *** D&T textbook, revision etc https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/design-and-technology/id363449581?mt=8

Moodboard Lite... Free (limited) or £6.99 ** Create design mood boards https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/moodboard-lite/id369796813?mt=8

iDT HD.... Free*** D&T "dictionary" https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/idt-hd/id383058247?mt=8

Neu.Draw... Free *** Vector drawing https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/neu.draw/id392532294?mt=8

iDesign... £5.99 ** Vector drawing https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/idesign/id342790226?mt=8

iDraw...£2.99 ** Vector drawing https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/idraw/id363317633?mt=8

Adobe Photoshop Express by Adobe...free *** Photo editing https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/adobe-photoshop-express/id331975235?mt=8

Magic Plan... Free ** Create scale room plans https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/magicplan/id427424432?mt=8

Creo view mobile... Free *** Viewer for Creo 3D designs https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/creo-view-mobile/id560549930?mt=8

3D CAD Models Engineering by CADENAS GmbH... Free ** 3d cad models (downloads) catalogue https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/3d-cad-models-engineering/id522705054?mt=8

Idea generator...£1.99 * Random ideas generator https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/idea-generator/id293258418?mt=8

Ohm work... Free ** Resistor colour codes https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ohm-work/id406539017?mt=8

Design Museum Collection ... Free *** Iconic designs https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/design-museum-collection-for/id510964197?mt=8

Dexigner... Free *** News of what's going on in the design works https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/dexigner/id319785197?mt=8

Arduino Companion... Free * Arduino reference https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/arduino-companion/id501635254?mt=8

Spacecraft 3D... Free ** Augmented reality 3D spacecraft https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/spacecraft-3d/id541089908?mt=8

Maplin ... Free * Electronics catalogue https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/maplin/id434388627?mt=8

Screwfix catalogue... Free ** Hardware catalogue https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/screwfix-catalogue/id531135973?mt=8

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Sat, 10 Nov 2012 14:33:19 -0800 123D Design http://rapman-education.posterous.com/123d-design http://rapman-education.posterous.com/123d-design

At last a free 3D design app for the iPad that can be used for 3D printing!

Autodesk have just released the 123D app for the iPad and at first sight it appears to be quite useable. Designs can be created from simple primitives and modified by stretching, rotating, shelling, chamfering, rounding etc. The design can be saved to the iPad for further editing or exported to the cloud. The designed object can be downloaded to a PC (or mac?) using the 123D design program...and saved as an stl file for printing!

The iPad app is truly intuitive to use... I was creating printable objects within minutes. Best of all it's not necessary to be a CAD expert in fact anyone with a little experience using Trimble (Google) Sketchup will in their element with this app.

I'm pretty certain that this will open up new possibilities for students to be designing and making with iPads and 3D printers. I can't wait to try it out with students to see what they produce... iPads paired with our RapMan, BfB3000/3D Touch printers look like being a fantastic combination for student creativity.

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 30 Oct 2012 14:05:12 -0700 Bits from Bytes Axon 3 (alpha) http://rapman-education.posterous.com/bits-from-bytes-axon-3-alpha http://rapman-education.posterous.com/bits-from-bytes-axon-3-alpha

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It's a couple of weeks now since BfB released the first alpha version of Axon 3. So, I've been doing a bit of printing at home over the half term holiday just to try it out.... I came across a couple of problems and reported them to Andrew (the BfB software developer and an ex student of mine), glad to see the fixes in the second release.... Thanks Andrew!

It must be remembered that this is an alpha release and many features are "missing" such as the ability to change profiles or material/build settings... But even with the standard set up I'm really impressed, and there were a few surprises too!

I was getting towards final part of a print that tapered to a point at the top and I happened to glance up from my PC to see the print head charge off towards the back of the machine.... PANIC!!!... Then it carried on printing...ERRRR?.... Next layer it did the same... And then it dawned on me... AHHHH,...Built in cooling time, like the Skeinforge option/plugin "orbiting" round the object when doing small layers .... NICE! The attached picture show the part straight off the machine,with no cleaning up whatsoever, printing this sort of point in ABS usually results in the point staying a bit jelly like (jello for readers in the US) and the squidgy point gets wobbles around by the hot end and usually ends up distorted. The point on this print is so sharp I'll have to be careful not to stab myself, certainly worth doing a risk assessment :-)

In the first alpa release there was a small problem that extruder 3 wouldn't heat up, it is fixed now so my next experiments must be to try 3 colour prints.... Really easy by the looks of it, now you only have to load a stl file for each colour (no need for the extra "combined" parts file), logic says that the stl files must have the parts in the correct x,y,z relationship to each other (and the origin) but that's simply a matter of exporting the parts correctly from the CAD software.

Even after a couple of weeks I still can't get over how fast this version of axon is! And the dimensional accuracy is greatly improved too.

Oh and finally... Reporting bugs to software developers... Don't forget that when a piece of software is in alpha (or even beta) stages of testing you do need to 1. Remember that not all the features may be present yet (a bug report isn't the place for nagging and moaning) 2. Send as much detail as possible...PC details (operating system, RAM, etc), printer details (RapMan 3.x/BfB3000/3DTouch and firmware version), the exact nature of the error, what you were doing when the error occurred, materials loaded in your machine and settings that you made... Screen shots are always useful (if you are emailing then you can paste in screenshots, remember that "Prt Scr" captures the whole screen or "Alt Gr" and "Prt Scr" together captures the active window)... Sorry if I'm stating the obvious!

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:28:09 -0700 3D printing with Adobe Photoshop! http://rapman-education.posterous.com/3d-printing-with-adobe-photoshop http://rapman-education.posterous.com/3d-printing-with-adobe-photoshop

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Yes, you did read that correctly! It is possible to create 3D objects for 3D printing using Adobe Photoshop. It came as a bit of a surprise to me too. I suppose I have had my head buried in the more CAD approach of PTC Creo and Autodesk Inventor to notice that Photoshop has this capability.

So, how did I "discover" this capability? ... Well this evening after school I had the pleasure of meeting up with some guys from Adobe (Senior Product Managers, Digital Imaging Architects and the like) together with one of the Directors of Bits from Bytes.... All to discuss 3D printing in education.

I suppose I really aught to apologise to everyone, our 1 hour meeting stretched to well over 2 hours and they had to travel up to Birmingham from the Bristol area afterwards, as usual my enthusiasm for this technology got the better of me and I bombarded these guys with examples of how we use our 3D printers and how this all fits into our D&T curriculum.

So, what's next.... I really must find out more about how Adobe Photoshop works with 3D objects and see what can be done in schools as I can already see how a different approach (other than CAD software) could be useful for students designing in schools and colleges.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 04 Sep 2012 12:49:21 -0700 3DS Cubify web apps... In education? http://rapman-education.posterous.com/3ds-cubify-web-apps-in-education http://rapman-education.posterous.com/3ds-cubify-web-apps-in-education

As most people who follow my escapades in 3D printing in education will have probably gathered I a great fan of the 3D Systems / Bits from Bytes machines... currently RapMan kits and the fantastic 3D Touch. But I Also keep an eye on what is happening in the 3D printing world in general. So unsurprisingly I came across Cubify and the Cube printer (unsurprisingly because it is part of the 3DS portfolio of machines). Anyway, one of the impressive things about Cubify is that they are supporting the use of their machines with web apps to generate parts that can be printed on any 3D printer (they export as .stl files).

At the present time there are web apps to create bracelets, earrings, tags, rings, defenders, UFO's, robots, licences and crowns. The apps can be accessed here http://cubify.com/apps.aspx

Now I'm very keen for students to 3D print their own designs but the Cubify apps open up all sorts of new educational opportunities. Now students can easily customise basic designs using the apps that are very easy to use and then print their own ring, bracelet, tag etc. So exposure to 3D printing technology need not only be for those students who have a working knowledge of 3D CAD software! And of course this also means that we can capture these youngsters at an even younger age.

Unfortunately I couldn't get the app to work on my iPad, so I'll have to fire up my trusty old laptop and see how I get on with this. Hopefully in the near future I shall report back and share my experiences.

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Wed, 30 May 2012 12:28:00 -0700 What's the catch? 3D scan for 3D print. http://rapman-education.posterous.com/whats-the-catch-3d-scan-for-3d-print http://rapman-education.posterous.com/whats-the-catch-3d-scan-for-3d-print

There is no catch.... Just feeble attempt at a "catchy" title for this post about Autodesk 123D Catch for pc and iPad.

 

Earlier in the week the 123D Catch app for the Ipad became available from the Apple app store in the UK... So I promptly downloaded and installed it. It was a parent/teacher meeting last night so I had to wait... Grrrr.

But tonight I had my first attempt... A pretty successfully too as you can see in the photos. And even more impressive is that it really is the very first attempt!

 

I did have a go at uploading pictures using the PC program but somehow never really got to grips with it. But the iPad app is a real dream, ok the app takes the photos and uploads them and then shows you a wonderful 3D representation of your object but you still need the PC version to download the mesh file in .obj format.

 

Anyway having downloaded the mesh you do meed to do a bit of editing. The mesh is not "watertight" and has a huge hole in the base. You will need a program to do this, I used netfabb basic but meshlab is another alternative. I found that slicing off the bottom (which looks very like a pizza on my scan) saved a lot of manipulation and triangle editing.

 

Once the mesh was ready (I only downloaded the medium quality by the way) I converted the file into gcode for my 3D Touch and printed a scaled down version as I was too impatient to wait for a big print.

 

Oh, and what is the object I scanned? It's an antique plaster model of a hand borrowed from our Art Department... Thanks guys! Im not entirely certain but I think the hand is holding a borax cone. These cones used to be used by jewellers and the like, they ground the cone in a wet ceramic bowl to make a paste to use as flux for silver soldering. I used to do a bit of silversmithing so I just love this connection!

 

So, my next thoughts are... What do I scan next? How can I use this in school? And.....

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 06 Mar 2012 14:06:54 -0800 Axon 2 ... Full version released http://rapman-education.posterous.com/axon-2-full-version-released http://rapman-education.posterous.com/axon-2-full-version-released

5th March saw the release of the full (non beta) version of Axon 2 ... The 3DS BfB software for converting .stl files into the gcode that drives RapMan, 3DTouch and BfB 3000 3D printers.

The interface will look very familiar to users of the previous versions but Andrew at BfB has done a lot of tweaks and tidying up.

There are loads of changes... Far to many to list them all here... Some of the nice ones are.

Drag and drop files into the program.

Objects that are moved too far on the print bed show up as "out of bounds" and lines are displayed on the bed to show the limits of the extruders (this matches the number of extruders installed on the machine.

Tidy materials editor including materials cost... An estimate of the printed object cost is shown after generating the gcode.

Warning if trying to exit without saving the gcode.

Bug fixes ..many of these.. Such as the object now moves in the correct direction when moved on the print bed. And changing a material profile no longer needs a restart of the program.... And more.

"thin wall" settings removed as skeinforge (the engine that drives Axon in the background) handles these better.

A revert to default button... Fantastic when after tinkering with the settings has gone horribly wrong... Must have happened to us all at some time or other.

And one of my favourites ... Right click switches from 3D view to a 2D top view (great for moving the object around on the print bed and checking layers of the gcode.

A huge thank you to Andrew at 3DS BfB as many of these improvements have come about because of constructive feedback from users... And I'm really pleased to see that a few of my suggestions have been implemented.

So all in all Axon 2 is looking and working very well and as always produces excellent results straight out of the box... Great for students and teachers alike.

Oh and watch out for the new icon... It took me ages to find it on the far too cluttered desktop on my battered old laptop!

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:14:04 -0800 Creo Parametric for 3D printing in schools http://rapman-education.posterous.com/creo-parametric-for-3d-printing-in-schools http://rapman-education.posterous.com/creo-parametric-for-3d-printing-in-schools

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Really not certain what the proper name is for this program... "Creo", "Creo 1", "Creo Parametric", "Creo Parametric 1" or ?? I've seen it referred to as all of these (even by PTC themselves)

Anyway whatever it's called I found out yesterday that DATA the organisation that has been administering this software for schools in the UK are handing back the responsibility to PTC in a couple of months time. I also found out that with PTC's education program I can upgrade my school install from creo elements pro (wf5) to Creo Parametric. So I sent off my emails, registered, and downloaded the software. I must admit it was a bit of a fuss getting all the licence files, Host ID and other details up together but after that the install went really smoothly. I had a bit of a tussle getting the program to display things properly but that's down to my ancient laptop not dealing with opengl graphics very well, so had to change it to win32_gdi and now it works fine.... Probably not as pretty on screen but hey ho....

So, I'll give it a go for a few weeks on my machine before risking a full network install in school, it will give me a chance to get to grips with all the new fancy stuff and also let me find where they have hidden everything on the lovely new ribbon toolbars.... A good idea perhaps to do this before I try teaching it!

Good news is that it opens files fine from previous (education) versions of creo elements, pro engineer or whatever it was called.... And the stl files export ok for 3D printing... So let's see how it goes. I'm sure I'll be blogging about all this again soon.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:25:23 -0800 CAD to STL for 3D printing http://rapman-education.posterous.com/cad-to-stl-for-3d-printing http://rapman-education.posterous.com/cad-to-stl-for-3d-printing

The usual steps in producing a 3D printed object is to produce the design in a 3D CAD program and export it as a .stl file ... This is because many of the post processing programs that generate the instructions to drive the printer (g-code) can not read the native CAD files. But how do you create a .stl file? It's actually quite easy, here are a few clues to how this can be done in a some of the more frequently used programs. (note that this can vary with different versions of the software... It might be slightly different in the version you use)

Autodesk Inventor

Go to the File menu, then select the ‘Save Copy As’ option

Select STL from the Types drop-down

Click the Options button, and choose the High detail level

Click the Save Button

Catia

Select the STL command

Set Maximum Seg to 0.015mm

Select the model and > select Yes

Select Export > type File name > OK

Creo Elements (pro engineer)

File > Save copy as

Select STL as the file type and enter a new name for the file

In the pop up box Set chord height to 0. (The field will be replaced by minimum acceptable value with smaller triangles for a smoother object).

Set Angle Control to 1

OK

Google Sketchup

Install the stl export plugin http://www.guitar-list.com/download-software/convert-sketchup-skp-files-dxf-or-stl

Open model to export select "Export to DXF or STL" from the Tools menu.

Select "millimeters" as the units for export.

On the "Export to DXF," pop up select "stl."

Enter a filename for your new STL file.

Rhino

File > Save As

Select File Type to STL

Select File Name > Save

Select Binary

Select Detail Controls from Mesh Options

Max Angle = 20, Max aspect ration = 6, Min edge Length = 0.0001

OK

Solid Edge

Open Model & select File > Save As

Select File type as STL

Options > conversion tolerance to 0.015 mm

Surface Plane Angle > 45°

Select Binary type and OK

Name & Save STL file

Solid Works

File > Save As

Set Save As Type to STL

Options > Fine > OK

Save

STL settings: How to change STL settings

File > Save As

STL > Options

For a smoother STL file, change the Resolution to Custom

Change the deviation to 0.01 mm

Change the angle to 5 (Smaller angles will produce a smoother Object but bigger file)

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Sun, 09 Jan 2011 07:22:00 -0800 Students to hold a volcano in their hands http://rapman-education.posterous.com/students-to-hold-a-volcano-in-their-hands http://rapman-education.posterous.com/students-to-hold-a-volcano-in-their-hands

In a few weeks’ time I’m about to run a pilot “workshop session” with a group of teachers and students from the D&T and Geography departments of my own and a neighbouring school.  All very exciting and a different approach to the “Mt St Helens” volcano project that I posted on the BfB Wiki http://wiki.bitsfrombytes.com/index.php/Geography_-_Mount_Saint_Helens_Volcano . More about this later J

 

Anyway, I started to get together all the resources I need for the project and realised that even after  several months since I published the project I had never printed out a BIG “before” and after “model”. So, that was this weekend’s project!

 

For the technically minded, the details of how to convert satellite data to a .stl file is in the resource listed above. The print was made using white opaque PLA. The g-code was produced in BfB Axon using a modified version of Andrew’s new profiles (z=0.5mm, fill =0%, solid layers=3, shells = 4, Temp 195, all other settings as standard in “BfB2 z0.50 PLA Fast”)…. Build time about 2.5 - 3 hours each.

 

Anyway, I’m sure you will agree that they look pretty good… even if they do look a bit like icebergs.

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:56:00 -0800 Representing print area limits in Axon (for RapMan Twin) http://rapman-education.posterous.com/representing-print-area-limits-in-axon-for-ra http://rapman-education.posterous.com/representing-print-area-limits-in-axon-for-ra

Limits

One of the users on the BfB Forum was enquiring if it was possible to have a different print bed (his own design) visible on the main page of Axon.... well this got me thinking about the "Warning -out of print area" message that axon displays if you move an object around on the bed.... the warning isn't strictly correct. So I've modified the file that displays the print bed to give a visual warning…. Great for helping students to visualise where they can place their objects on the print bed.

So,

If using ONLY extruder 1 you can use the area from near the left edge of the bed to the line marked "Ext 1 Limit"

If using ONLY extruder 2 you can use the area from near the right edge of the bed to the line marked "Ext 2 Limit"

You would need to use the extruder mapping functions in the firmware to do the above.

If using BOTH extruders you can only use the area BETWEEN "Ext 1 Limit" and "Ext 2 Limit".... if using the BfB2 Z0.xx ABSPLA profiles (for example if using ext 1 for object and ext 2 for support materials)

To use this file browse to the Axon install folder ( the default is C:\Bfb Software\Skeinforge ) and rename the file plate.stl to something like plate.old - then copy the new file plate.stl into this folder (then you can always go back to the original if necessary).... the file is attached at the bottom of this post.

Note.... The limits represented by the lines should be ok but it is best to stay on the "safe" side of these lines to prevent the carriage crunching into the framework.

Note 2.... Apart from loading into Axon to see if it works I have not tested to see if it upsets the z height or any similar nasties... so use it at your own risk and don't blame me if..... etc.

 

To download the .stl file see this thread on the BfB Forum http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/forum/post/representing-print-area-limits-axon-rapman-twin

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:46:00 -0700 Thin Walls... testing the limits http://rapman-education.posterous.com/thin-walls-testing-the-limits http://rapman-education.posterous.com/thin-walls-testing-the-limits

Over the last few weeks I’ve been playing with all sorts of settings and software to try to really get to grips with what they really mean. I got frustrated by doing large prints so I designed a couple of objects along the way that allowed me to see results quickly. The square and diamond are simple 25x25 parts that allowed me to check on solid surfaces (shells and surface layers at 0, 45, and 90 degrees.

But what was really starting to frustrate me was printing objects with thin walls (containers). Walls that were really thin were not printed, quite thin walls ok, and thick walls were no problem… it was the ones in between that were proving difficult.

So I designed a “Walltester” with walls from 0.1 to 2.0mm in 0.1 increments and also 2.5 and 3.0mm for good measure. This allowed me to see…

The smallest wall size that is processed

Walls that print as a single line

Walls that print as 2 lines side by side

Walls that print as 2 lines with a gap

Walls that print as multiple lines

Walls that print as multiple lines with zig zag infill

 

Walltester_
Tester

The full details of my testing can be seen on the Bits from Bytes forum http://www.bitsfrombytes.com/forum/post/thin-walls-testing-limits You can also download the “walltester” which is on the BfB wiki http://wiki.bitsfrombytes.com/index.php/Test_Parts

I don’t think my testing was totally scientific or the results were conclusive but I certainly enjoyed finding out what was possible and gained a better insight into the capabilities of the various software packages… and also what I can and can’t do with my shiny new RapMan.

 

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:29:00 -0700 "How to" video.... changing settings in BfB Axon http://rapman-education.posterous.com/how-to-video-changing-settings-in-bfb-axon http://rapman-education.posterous.com/how-to-video-changing-settings-in-bfb-axon

In the previous post I announced a new video explaining how to use BfB Axon. ... Here is another "How to" video that shows how to make new profiles and change settings in Axon.

The video can also be viewed on YouTube Best viewed in HD and full screen.

Other "How to" videos can be found on the BfB Wiki  and more T&L resources are available

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Tue, 03 Aug 2010 05:55:00 -0700 "How" to video... using BfB Axon http://rapman-education.posterous.com/how-to-video-using-bfb-axon http://rapman-education.posterous.com/how-to-video-using-bfb-axon

BfB Axon is a fantastic "free" program to generate the g-code to drive your RapMan or BfB3000 printer.

You can convert any .stl file generated in your 3D design software or downloaded from the internet

The video can also be viewed on YouTube Best viewed in HD and full screen.

Other "How to" videos can be found on the BfB Wiki  and more T&L resources are available

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Sat, 17 Jul 2010 11:53:00 -0700 Axon on the BfB Website http://rapman-education.posterous.com/axon-on-the-bfb-website http://rapman-education.posterous.com/axon-on-the-bfb-website

BfB axon is now available on the BfB Website. BfB Axon Download.

For more details see previous post on July 2nd 2010.

Dave

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Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:53:00 -0700 BfB Axon... "new" RapMan and BfB3000 software http://rapman-education.posterous.com/bfb-axon http://rapman-education.posterous.com/bfb-axon

Really hope I don't get into trouble for this from the BfB Guys.... But I was so impressed that I just had to post this!


I dropped into BfB HQ today to collect a BfB3000 machine to take to the Design & Technology Association International Conference next week (see a previous post on this blog)  ..... The BfB3000 will be so much more impressive than my beat up and very old RapMan (but it still has real "character") . Whilst I was there the guys very kindly gave me a pre-release copy of their new software "BfB Axon".... My first impressions at least from an education point of view are.... WOW!!!!

The place that this takes in the suite of software seems to be that this is a (fully working!) replacement for the "BfB front end Beta" and is in no way intended to challenge the position of NetFabb.... in my view it complements and joins the suite of Skeinforge and Netfabb. Infact Netfabb will remain an essential part of the RapMan kit for its superb stl fixing ability and build quality.

BfB Axon is built on Skeinforge (in fact clicking on the Advance settings button opens the familiar SF interface which should keep the settings tweakers happy)... but there are some significant enhancements ... Easy user interface.
Tried and tested settings for BfB 3000 and RapMan with 1 to 3 heads (including support)
Rotate and scale (but not repair) stl files before processing.
Nice simple g-code viewer to view in 3D and step through layers

The program installer installs Python, Skeinforge and the interface (not certain about psyco or if installing this would have the same speed increase).... and on my win 7 laptop worked brilliantly (I have not tried it on any other OS).

So an "out of the box" solution is on the horizon.... don't quote me but I think it is going to be downloadable from the BfB website soon, and if I'm not mistaken at zero (or very low) cost!... now we can afford to install it on lots of machines and teach several/students at a time I know that the BfB guys have been working VERY hard on this whilst at the same time trying to push out huge numbers of RapMen and BfB3000's. For me and for schools/colleges who are finding funding increasingly difficult in this current economic climate this looks like it will be a brilliant solution... Thanks BfB Guys I really can't wait to show it off for the first time in public at the DATA Conference... Thanks guys for letting me do this.

Dave

PS As I said at the start... I hope the BfB Guys don't mind me "leaking" this info... So to save my neck please don't bug them by email (or on this forum) for further details, release dates, cost etc... at least not until the official release has happened

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Mon, 10 May 2010 11:01:00 -0700 NetFabb Engine for RapMan- Revisited http://rapman-education.posterous.com/netfabb-engine-for-rapman-revisited http://rapman-education.posterous.com/netfabb-engine-for-rapman-revisited

I finally got my licence for NetFabb at the end of last week... Yay!!

 

Just  installed and will be testing soon..... First impressions.... wow.

 

When I get a bit more proficient and have produced a few prints I’ll try to put together some “How To” videos and/or worksheets, so watch this space.

 

From what I can see NetFabb produces some excellent prints in a far more straight forward way than Skeinforge (from the point of view of students/teachers) .... and this is from software that is still in beta, and judging from the discussion on the BfB forum it looks like there are some significant improvements in the pipeline.

 

 

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http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1324605/me.jpg http://posterous.com/users/5emrVdsQknst Dave White rapman-education Dave White
Thu, 06 May 2010 09:47:00 -0700 What software??? Part 2 http://rapman-education.posterous.com/what-software-part-2 http://rapman-education.posterous.com/what-software-part-2

In the previous post on this subject I temptingly posted a screenshot of a page from this resource. Well i thought I would play a bit more with the blog and post the actual pdf file. (note. ALL resources will still be published on the wiki!).... but i might be tempted to also post new resources on the blog directly, Not certain about this yet so if you have an opinion please leave a comment

Dave

What_Software.pdf Download this file

 

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