Dry filament

A little while ago a had a run on investing in verious kickstarter projects, one of which is the PrintDry.  It’s a bit like a large food steamer that works in reverse, heating up and drying out rather than steaming :).

As you can see, you can feed your filament straight out of it, which is useful, both in terms of feeding nice dry filament, but also as it takes so much space!.

When putting your filament in, it helps to use open reals that allow air flow, but as most suppliers seem to use nonstandised bobbins of verious sizes and diameters it comes with some nice open spool, and a tool to transfer you filament.  I got the stl’s to build the de-spooler tool, so it took a little time to build.

But it was worth it, not only for what i learned in the process, but the fact I’ve built a fully useful item with my 3d printer.

In case you want one too just look up PrintDry.  Note: this isn’t a full endorsementand i don’t getting any credit for sharing this, just thought it’s a cool addition to my growing gadget collection.

www.printdry.com

aNet A8 Printer Update 14/1/17

Quick update on how I’m getting on.  Not really printed anything out of the A8 yet, to be honest, having read about overheating issues don’t want to leave unattended.  

I have added another upgrade I printed on my Hadron OrdBot.  aNet A8 acrylic frame brace 

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1430727

I’ve also been reading up on the options of replacing acrylic frame with a aluminium one, as the acrylic does flex a lot.

Just a final note, when I built the printer I followed the aNet YouTube guide, which  was really helpful. I found it best without sound!

https://youtu.be/5noM4AlJmfg

Still undecided whether to replace electronics, or just put the whole unit in a fire resistant box.  I post another update soon.

Day3: aNet A8 3D printer assembly Part3.

I completed the final assembly and wiring last night, probably another 2 hours total build time.  Turned it on and had immediate issues with one of the z steppers not moving properly.  A bit of googling and all I needed to do was turn up the current, via a tiny pot on the controller board.

I also printed a chain to take the cabling for the hot bed.  Not the best print from my other printer, but it works well.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1888260

Next upgrade has to be the z stop adjustment as it’s useless.  Basically you have to unscrew and move the switch to set the build plate height. Ie no fine adjustment.  Just printing this replacement on my other printer.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1930601

This is it printing on my OrdBot, which is about 3 times the speed of the aNet A8 at the moment anyhow.

https://youtu.be/UcvqiOcLtII

Day2 : aNet A8 3D Printer assembly Part2

Today I found the DIY kit nemesis, a missing part!.  Well I could contact my supplier and get the part shipped from China, or I could find one on thingiverse and print a upgraded one.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1666094
And here’s it installed.

Probably spent about 2 hours today, and I’ve just got the cabling to tidy and connect.

Already printed a y axis tension upgrade which I’ll fit tomorrow.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1687541

Introduction

Having been involved in the technology industry during some of the most exciting times in the history of the internet and it’s mass acceptance into our daily life’s, I have finally decided to join the diverse and creative community of people who share their experience through the medium of a Blog.

From the time I got my first Computer, which was a Commodore 64, I’ve been excited by technology and what technology can do.  Computers have been a very key part of my life, from helping me to learn to read as a youngster, to keeping me and my family in a comfortable lifestyle.

Over the last few years I’ve been increasingly involved in a number of initiatives that have been setup to introduce a new generation to the world that computers have made for us, not as a consumer, but as a creator, inventor and developer of new and exciting technology.

Through this site I’m going to attempt to share some of the ideas, experiences and interesting stories I witness as I continue this exciting journey into our technology filled future.  As you will no doubt note, I’ve not managed to keep up the momentum, so I need to do better!