And We're Off!

Okay, so a 3D printer is not really a "plug and play" device.  The Gnomery has been hard at work for the last 2 weeks trying to get some good prints.  Really, trying is an understatement.

I mentioned to Justin that I couldn't have imagined the frustration level if we had spent months building this thing and then having all of the print problems we've had.  There was a stretch we thought we had a really expensive door stop.

With some excellent support from Andrew at Type A Machines (like I said yesterday, buying from a local company that we can walk over to with problems is AWESOME) and some (okay, a LOT) tweaking by Justin (I had to go to work) WE ARE PRINTING!!!!!!

I think this video really sums up what we are doing.  We've gotten a lot of blank stares when mentioning "we have a 3D printer".

Every time we've being doing test prints and I've shared it on facebook, people seem to look pass the phrase "3D printing" or "we're printing _______".  Another fun response has been "oh, so you can print 3D pictures?"

Think about it.  We're printing objects people.  Mind blowing, isn't it?

Print prior to wire crimp being fixed using default settings

This was my first attempt at printing prior to us knowing there was an issue with a wiring connection.  I call this look "bird nesting".  We have a whole pile of prints that look like various states of bird's nests in a variety of shapes.

Left: Print after wire crimp fix - using tweaked printer settings
Right: Print after wire crimp fix - using default settings

Unfortunately, for much of the tweaking phase, I've had to be at work.  Justin has worked tirelessly to get this thing up and running right!

What a difference MATH makes.  Wait, I was told there would be no math.   A lot of the tweaking has been based on trying to get the flow rate right, which, of course, requires math.

Well, it looks like Justin has worked out some great math so far.  He's running another test print of the Go Pro Camera mount (some of the issues we have been having in that print may mean we need a dedicated computer just for running prints).  I'll share more on that project tomorrow.

Happy Printing!