My case for the FloppyEmu!

[olePigeon]

So we're ordering a few more upgrades for our 3D printer. Talked to someone at a hackerspace, and all of their Replicators are having the same problem we are. They'll get about 50% up on a build and it starts to fall apart from vibration.

So we're ordering some aluminum arm upgrades that should help. The same company also makes a fancy heated build plate, so we might buy that, too.

In the meantime, I'm fiddling with my HDD adapter and riser. They're small and flat, so I should be able to print them even with the vibrations.

 

[techknight]

I think the whole filament/extruder hobby design needs re-thought out. It started with the makerbot I believe.

if the plastic was bonding correctly, and the part was adhered to the table, it should never fall apart. I think the types of filaments and temperature are key here..

 

[olePigeon]

It sticks to the table fine, and the plastic bonds fine, as well. The problem is that the build plate vibrates. When it does that, the movement is compounded by the height of the object being printed. As it gets to about 1 1/2 to 2 inches above the build plate, it's vibrating enough that as the plastic melts and tries to adhere to the plastic below, the plastic below it is moving, preventing adhesion. It's like trying to glue two pieces of wood together that are constantly moving. It's not gonna work.

I've been printing a few prototype brackets and they're all coming out fine because they're flat pieces of plastic. The risers are only 1/2" tall, so they print fine too. Anything taller than that, then it gets more and more brittle as it gets taller, to the point where the print head is just moving around dropping a string of plastic as the whole build plate wobbles around.