I have taken a serious look at hobbyist level 3D printing. Two kinds of hobbyists. The ones tinkering with the hardware and software (firmware) still stuck in the RepRap phase (and loving it!) – building a “better” machine that can build itself. The other hobbyist is the plastic Junque maker (like me) printing tons of plastic on Chinese made hardware. No US manufacturer of 3D printers can really compete (in price) in the base hobbyist...
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Ramblin’ On
Creative Manufacturing Art and My Personal Philosophy Best of Both I have one outstanding way of creating wax masters for lost wax casting. I use a high-speed spindle (up to 25,000 RPM) on a Taig Micro Mill. If I can draw it properly, I can machine it in 3D. The limitation is the 4-axis ability of this machine. That doesn’t sound like much of a limitation to most machinist. 4 axis means X, Y, Z...
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Read a comment made by an old (youngish 66 year old) dude about his involvement with 3D printing. He said he is a retired engineer. The reason he loved 3D printing wasn’t from what he made. It was the complexity and constant challenge to learn and understand the technical process. The CAD; the item design; the CNC; the process; the hardware; the mental stimulation. It had to be complex and difficult or he wouldn’t be...
Continue reading...Junque Plastic
My creative efforts (making tangible art and thingies) are expanding through the world of three-dimensional printing. It’s a new-age process of additive manufacturing. If you don’t yet know what that is, you have been under your rock too long… Ha! Excuse me while I holster my plastic gun… Three-dimensional printing at my budget level is mostly Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) which means hot plastic is extruded through a tiny nozzle and drawn (deposited) as a...
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