Category Archives: build

Making a Plunger for a Chocolate Syringe

Posted on by Rehorst, Mark

My latest project is a 3D printer that will produce chocolate objects.  Like many other chocolate printers, it will include a syringe to dispense the chocolate.  Unlike those other printers, the syringe in my printer will have 3.5 liter capacity to enable printing large objects.

The syringe is made from PVC pipe using mostly standard fittings.  One piece that wasn’t standard was the plunger that fits inside the syringe tube and pushes on the chocolate contained therein.  I had to design and fabricate the plunger.  PVC pipe isn’t perfectly smooth or perfectly round inside, so I needed something compliant enough to ride out the pipe’s bumps and constrictions while maintaining a seal.  The seal needed to be tough, yet safe for use with food because it will be in contact with the chocolate inside the syringe.  I found some food-grade silicone casting material and ordered it.

While waiting for the silicone to arrive, I designed a 3D printable core for the plunger and a mold and jig.  The core fits on the end of a linear actuator that will provide the push.  The jig centered the core a few mm above the bottom of the mold.  The mold was tapered and the widest part -the bottom- was a few mm larger diameter than the pipe, and several mm larger diameter than the core.  The silicone envelops the core and is locked in place by holes that connect top and bottom side of the core.  The plunger squeeze-fits into the pipe to maintain the seal against the uneven inner surface of the pipe.

Mold, jig, and core for syringe plunger

Mold, jig, and core for syringe plunger

Mold, jig, and core for syringe showing core inserted into jig.

Mold, jig, and core for syringe showing core inserted into jig.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mold, jig, and core assembled for silicone over-molding.

Mold, jig, and core assembled for silicone over-molding.

I measured and mixed the silicone, coated the core with it and then set the core and jig in/on the mold and let it cure for 24 hours.  Then I removed the jig and broke the now silicone covered core out of the mold.  Result: a perfect, tight fit inside the syringe tube.

Core in mold with silicone.

Core in mold with silicone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished plunger removed from the mold.

Finished plunger removed from the mold.  The mold had to be broken off by design.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plunger mounted on linear actuator.

Plunger mounted on linear actuator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The assembled syringe.

The assembled syringe.

Experiments in optics and image processing

Posted on by Rehorst, Mark

After successfully mating a web cam with my microscopes (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:216821) and telescope (https://www.youmagine.com/designs/web-cam-adapter-for-meade-telescope-eyepiece), I decided to design and print adapters to mount my Droid Turbo phone on the same scopes (https://www.youmagine.com/designs/microscope-adapter-for-droid-turbo-phone and https://www.youmagine.com/designs/droid-turbo-phone-to-telescope-adapter) so I could shoot higher resolution stills (21 Mp) and 1080p (and even 4k) video.   The telescope adapter fits over a Meade 32mm focal length Super Plössl eyepiece and provides about 47X magnification with the telescope.  I printed a similar adapter for my surgical microscope.

IMG_0995_crop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The telescope adapter firmly grips the phone and the eyepiece.

 

IMG_0993_crop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Initial tests were a little disappointing.  The combination of the phone’s camera and the telescope’s optics has significant pincushion distortion.  The image has only been mirrored L-R and scaled down (original is 21 Mp).  Note the lack of contrast (looking through 1/2 mile of humid air) and the curves in the power line and pole, and even the grass line:

pinch test original

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A quick search found that the Gimp has built in transform tools to correct (or create) lens distortion.

 

gimp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It only took a couple minutes of messing around to get acceptable results.  Here’s the same image with the pincushion distortion corrected (whole image), contrast stretched and white balance corrected (rectangular area).  The pole, power line, and even the grass line now look straight.

pinch test corrected

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s the final image with all corrections and cropping applied:

final

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next step: photograph known square grids through the microscope and telescope and then create and save some preset corrections to apply with Gimp.

I wonder if something like this exists for video.  Hmmmmm…

 

 

 

 

 

Son of MegaMax Enters Instructables 3D Printing Contest

Posted on by Rehorst, Mark

Many 3D printers being given away as prizes!  If I win one I’ll be donating it to my son’s school or other school or library that would like a machine and doesn’t already have one.  To do that I need your votes!

Son of MegaMax

Son of MegaMax

Please see my Instructable here:  http://www.instructables.com/id/An-Almost-Reliable-High-Precision-3D-Printer-Son-o/and vote for me by clicking the little red “vote” ribbon in the upper right corner of the start page.

Thanks!

http://www.instructables.com/id/An-Almost-Reliable-High-Precision-3D-Printer-Son-o/

Scrap Yard Success

Posted on by Rehorst, Mark

Yesterday some of us went on a little field trip to a couple local scrap yards.  We met the people there and learned the ropes of how to do things right and not get hurt while digging for treasure in the piles of stuff they have laying around.  Wear gloves, old clothes, safety glasses, and sturdy shoes!  Stay away from moving cranes!

Here’s one of the discoveries from yesterday’s trip- explosion proof mercury vapor light fixtures:

A pallet full of explosion proof lamps at the scrap yard.

A pallet full of explosion proof lamps at the scrap yard.

And here’s what can be done with about an hour to figure out how to get it apart to remove the mercury vapor lamp and ballast and  clean it up a little.  Another 10 minutes went into installing the hardware, wiring, and a 6W LED bulb.  I wouldn’t call it finished yet- the base is crying out for installation of pipes to act as feet, a little more cleanup, and maybe a dimmer switch.  Total invested: $18 to get the fixture from the scrap yard, and another $12 for the hardware and LED bulb.

Explosion proof industrial lamp turned into table lamp.

Explosion proof industrial lamp turned into table lamp.

Further Adventures in 3D Printer Upgrades (upgrades?)

Posted on by Rehorst, Mark

As previously promised, MegaMax’s Y-axis has been converted to screw drive along with the addition of a larger motor, DSP based driver, and 32V power supply.  The SmoothieBoard arrived and was quickly swapped in to replace the ATMega2560/RAMPS combo.  After studying and configuring the Smoothieboard I attempted a few test prints.  That’s when the problems started.

32V Power supply for Y axis motor. No regulation necessary!

32V Power supply for Y axis motor. No regulation necessary!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoothieboard is supposed to read the config.txt file from its uSD card (conveniently accessible via USB) every time it boots.  That makes changing configuration very easy and fast – all you do is edit the config.txt file, save it , and reboot the board.  Firmware is updated the same way.  With the ATMega2560 you have to find the configuration variables by searching through multiple configuration files, make the necessary changes, recompile the firmware, then flash the controller.  I said the SmoothieBoard is supposed to read the file every time it boots, but it wasn’t doing it.  I’d make changes and they would not appear in the behavior of the printer.  Hmmmm.

Layers kept shifting in the X-axis- I expected Y-axis problems, but not X!

Layers kept shifting in the X-axis- I expected Y-axis problems, but not X!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I attempted some prints and managed to get two decent ones in about a week of screwing around with it.  I tried dozens of combinations of speed, acceleration, junction deviation (smoothie-speak for jerk) and even tried different slicers.  The machine went completely nuts on two occasions and ignored the Z-axis limit switch and slammed the extruder into the print bed, gouging through the Kapton tape and into the aluminum!  I decided I needed some professional help so I got on the #smoothieware IRC channel and discovered that the developers of the board/firmware hang out there quite a lot.  After a lot of back and forth Q and A and testing someone suggested it might be the uSD card causing the problem.  I picked up a new card at Walmart, put the firmware and config files on it , booted the machine, and attempted a print.  PERFECT!

The new uSD card worked! The small round post is 4mm diameter.

The new uSD card worked! The small round post is 4mm diameter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have made several prints since last night and they have all come out fine.  I still have a little tweaking to do and to test the limits of the machine’s performance, but I think the problems are behind me.

Next up:  X-axis redesign/build.  I’m replacing the two guide rails with a single linear guide.  I have also ordered and received a BullDog XL extruder to replace the hacked up QUBD unit I’ve been using.  I’ll be adding a DSP driver and 32V power supply for the X-axis motor, too.

After that, I have some ideas for a filament respooling machine and ways to fix the retraction problem in the SnakeBite extruder.

It never ends!