You know what they say about Linux? It's only free if your time is worth nothing. I like to make stuff so I consider learning new skills a fair trade off. 3D printing opens up a new way of prototyping and making stuff without needing a lot of space or dealing with wood-chips, perfect for apartments or tiny houses you have to rent and no longer have the space for a full workshop.
There are different methods of 3D printing, when people talk about it they typically mean the low-end domestic type of 3D printers that perform what is called FDM, Fused Deposition Modelling (depositing a partially melted plastic filament). This blog is about my journey into FDM.
Thingiverse has a number of Saitek related modifications but if you want something you can't find you need to go that extra mile and learn how to use some sort of CAD software. 3D printing at home or through a 3rd party service will need your model exported to a standard .OBJ or better yet, an .STL file. STL stands for STereoLithography.
To do everything I want I'm going to need number of pieces of software.
The enthusiasts license is good for one year, however you can renew it at no cost at the end. Thank you Autodesk.
What is a slicer? 3D printers work by moving a hot nozzle in two dimensions, X and Y. To generate a 3D model, the print bed (or print head) is moved in the vertical Z axis after each layer.
A slicer contains the logic to turn a solid entity, a 3D object file, into an optimal (or suboptimal) linear path that a print head needs to travel. The slicer will contain it's own solutions to this problem, and hence results in variation in object quality. Some shapes are better turned into linear paths than others. Even the orientation of the model on the print bed will have an impact on output quality (OQ). It does other important things too such as guess where structural supports need to be added to hold up overhanging parts of a model during printing, "infill" to give hollow models strength, and they turn all of this into a code (like compiling) a printer can read.
Like most folks, I've started with Ultimaker's software "Cura". I don't think I will end up using this for printing but I wanted to look at how all of this works and what the limitations are. Cura is also the most photogenic slicing software but also the most basic.
Now I have the tools (but not the hardware) I can at least get to work on learning how to craft the things I want to build. So what do I want to build? In this blog I'm going to cover how I design and build five simulation projects in increasing complexity.
Start small and work my way up
I've already had a dozen hours of online training with Fusion 360 and got a feel for how it works. There are plenty of online tutorials and a healthy community and I'd recommend starting with the Absolute Beginners YouTube tutorials from Lars Christensen.
Design goal: Working friction and damped collective with multiple hats and push to make buttons using as many 3D printed parts for the friction gear as possible.
Learning curve: Surface modelling, assembly, tolerances, canvas attachments
So I bought one. The caveat being there's a seven week backlog of orders (curses for being so popular). So while I eagerly await my shipping window (it's Oculus all over again) I can continue undistracted with my exploration into design.
Sometime between mid to late July I shall be blogging about building my first printer. Or complaining about my ineptitude.
https://www.thingiverse.com/
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview
https://ultimaker.com/en/products/cura-software
http://shop.prusa3d.com/en/
Lars Christensen Fusion 360 Tutorials
https://youtu.be/A5bc9c3S12g
There are different methods of 3D printing, when people talk about it they typically mean the low-end domestic type of 3D printers that perform what is called FDM, Fused Deposition Modelling (depositing a partially melted plastic filament). This blog is about my journey into FDM.
Noob
Like most gaming geeks I have a desk cluttered with working and slightly broken peripherals (TrackIR clips, camera mounts, Saitek throttles, Comms panels without cases.) What if I could fabricate replacement parts, of improved components? But there's a problem, I'm a total noob when it comes to CAD and 3D printing. It's gets better, I don't even have a 3D printer. But if I did...what could I do with it? How can I take and idea and turn it into a 3D object? And how do I turn that into a 3D object, what printer? Do you even need one? (you don't, but will get to that in future posts) Let's look at what other people have made earlier.Other peoples things
Thing verse is a great site that hosts people creations. The quality of some user prints look like they came out of a MadCatz warehouse fire. Some are simply stunning. But quality is hugely variable and will depend on printer settings, the quality of the material being used and even ambient temperature.Thingiverse has a number of Saitek related modifications but if you want something you can't find you need to go that extra mile and learn how to use some sort of CAD software. 3D printing at home or through a 3rd party service will need your model exported to a standard .OBJ or better yet, an .STL file. STL stands for STereoLithography.
To do everything I want I'm going to need number of pieces of software.
- CAD tool for modelling
- Slicer software that takes your CAD model and turns it into 3D printer layers
Fusion 360 is free for enthusiasts.
Once you have created an Autodesk account (no charge for doing so) you can download a trial and op into the enthusiasts license. Since our use is non-commercial and learning how to use CAD for personal fabrication projects I was more than happy to provide usage statistics in return.The enthusiasts license is good for one year, however you can renew it at no cost at the end. Thank you Autodesk.
The Slicer
Turns out this is complicated. It also depends on your 3D printer (which I don't have yet). The good news is that you don't need to bother with this if you are not doing your own printing. Otherwise this is going to be a journey of success and failure. I'm guessing a lot of that.What is a slicer? 3D printers work by moving a hot nozzle in two dimensions, X and Y. To generate a 3D model, the print bed (or print head) is moved in the vertical Z axis after each layer.
A slicer contains the logic to turn a solid entity, a 3D object file, into an optimal (or suboptimal) linear path that a print head needs to travel. The slicer will contain it's own solutions to this problem, and hence results in variation in object quality. Some shapes are better turned into linear paths than others. Even the orientation of the model on the print bed will have an impact on output quality (OQ). It does other important things too such as guess where structural supports need to be added to hold up overhanging parts of a model during printing, "infill" to give hollow models strength, and they turn all of this into a code (like compiling) a printer can read.
Like most folks, I've started with Ultimaker's software "Cura". I don't think I will end up using this for printing but I wanted to look at how all of this works and what the limitations are. Cura is also the most photogenic slicing software but also the most basic.
 |
| Ultimaker Cura - Slicing software showing print nozzle path for supports and infill. |
Now I have the tools (but not the hardware) I can at least get to work on learning how to craft the things I want to build. So what do I want to build? In this blog I'm going to cover how I design and build five simulation projects in increasing complexity.
- GoFlight GF166A radio panel box (with Saitek mounting points)
- A new lightweight wireless TrackIR clip
- Stylish low-profile TrackIR camera mount for a curved monitor
- Helicopter cyclic replacement handle for X52 Pro
- Helicopter collective handle (for generic USB controller)
Start small and work my way up
I've already had a dozen hours of online training with Fusion 360 and got a feel for how it works. There are plenty of online tutorials and a healthy community and I'd recommend starting with the Absolute Beginners YouTube tutorials from Lars Christensen.
The Helicopter Collective (Apache AH-64)
I've ordered the projects I want to make so each one introduces a new set of features I need to learn. Starting with simple box construction through to the most ambitious of all; the helicopter collective. I don't want to get bogged down into the mechanical side so this is intended to fit most standard fittings and even an adaptor for existing home cockpit solutions.Design goal: Working friction and damped collective with multiple hats and push to make buttons using as many 3D printed parts for the friction gear as possible.
Learning curve: Surface modelling, assembly, tolerances, canvas attachments
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| Real-time game model import |
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| Fusion 360 - Scale drawings of real controllers used as a guide to make prototype model |
Oh and a 3D printer....
Price is a factor in this. But also quality. I did a lot of research, FDM printing is slow. You can waste a lot of time (I'm talking a whole day) when a print fails. Common modes of failure or quality issues revolve around heating, unlevelled print beds, material quality (don't get the cheap stuff) and a gazillion other things. Prúsa have been around the bloc a few times and still use their own product to make parts for their printers. Recently on the Tested YouTube channel they showed a four colour filament kit option which put the Prúsa on my radar. Their i3 Mk2 kit seemed high on everyone's list of quality output (for an FDM printer). With an auto-levelling bed feature using hall-sensors this printer scores high in consistency tests as well as being Make magazines best overall desktop printer.
So I bought one. The caveat being there's a seven week backlog of orders (curses for being so popular). So while I eagerly await my shipping window (it's Oculus all over again) I can continue undistracted with my exploration into design.
Sometime between mid to late July I shall be blogging about building my first printer. Or complaining about my ineptitude.
Links used in this blog...
https://www.thingiverse.com/
https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview
https://ultimaker.com/en/products/cura-software
http://shop.prusa3d.com/en/
Lars Christensen Fusion 360 Tutorials
https://youtu.be/A5bc9c3S12g
I'm really curious about the scale drawings of the collective you have there. Is there any way you would be willing to share those drawings as I too would like to try and model and then 3D print an AH-64 collective?
ReplyDeleteI am doing the same thing, do you have links to the top and side profile drawings?
ReplyDelete