3D Printing Projects 201320 – Hair Cutting Vacuums

floyd wandsAfter experimenting with vacuum robots (We had one that was a modified Lost in Space replica) at a local hair salon we settled in on a very effective central vacuum system. We installed under-the-cabinet, toe kick space, low profile units but found that it would be handy to have additional wands as well. Makerbot and 3D printing to the rescue. The standard hose for barber attachments is 1″ OD whereas typical central vacuum systems use a 2-1/4″ OD form factor. We developed a manifold to adapt the valve and switch body to the hose and then an ergonomic and colorful wand for the floydwandlayoutother end.

 

The parts were developed in SolidWorks and parts printed in ABS. Issues with the small footprint not wanting to stay attached to the print table and wanting to avoid excess warpage caused us to incorporate some break away tabs in the original model. The size of the wand forced us to lay it out diagonally across the table and the hose attachment was large enough that it had to be printed at an angle in the Z-X or Z-Y plane as well. Originally the idea was to grind off the rib but we found it was a natural tab once the wand was in your hand. The flange holds it in place via another clip made with 3D printing (not shown).

3D Printing Projects 201319 – From Sorry Token to Mexican Train

SMexTrainTokensWe were having a party at the house and the plan was to play Mexican Train, the domino game, after dinner. Depending on whose rules we’re using invariably we end up scrounging for tokens to represent open trains. How about if we RP’d customized tokens for everyone? The original model did not print well with the old ReplicatorG 37 and version 5.5 in the Replicator. After upgrading to ReplicatorG 40 and 6.0 the prints came out with a lot more detail. Everyone enjoyed having their personalized train.

The model was developed in SolidWorks and tokens printed in ABS. Of course different colors had to be developed for all the players.

 

3D Printing Projects 201318 – Sorry Token or attack of the pawns

Sorrytokens In describing the 3D printer to some friends, one asked, “What would I do with it if I had one?” Off the top of my head I said, “If you lost a token for your Sorry Game Board, you could print another one.” Then as sort of a joke I made a collection for her and her pals. The model is sort of convenient as it prints in 20 minutes and works fast enough that people get to see the process of 3D printing. They would equally well as pawns in a chess game. Parker Brothers effectively used Social Media for the demise of the flat iron in Monopoly. In the not too distant future they may have a whole catalog where you can choose custom tokens and better yet, nicer looking houses and hotels!

This model was developed in SolidWorks but it is a simple revolution so many tools would do an ok job. These models are printed in ABS.

3D Printing Projects 201316 – Roof rack accessories

RonracksAnn
A friend’s roof rack needed some way to hold the ladders and other long things and keep them contained within the footprint of the vehicle. These stops were developed to keep things from sliding off sideways. The clamps are close fitting to the roof rack rail extrusion and have a key that engages the T-Slot on the top. The bolts pull the two halves together to form a clamp around the extrusion. The hex nuts are trapped in the bottom half so only an allen wrench is required to tighten the clamps.  Extra grooves and ribbing make the clamps very sturdy beyond the typical honeycomb core. The design is an original and modeled with SolidWorks. Extra rings on the protrusion of the stop allow for bungee cords or ropes or hooks to help fastening to the rack.

3D Printing Projects 201315 – Caster wheels with Gear Bearings

Caster wheels with Gear Bearings

Caster wheels with Gear Bearings

Some brilliant designs for gear bearings where posted on the Thingiverse. Rather than spheres which are hard to perfect in 3D printing the units use double helical gears (herringbone) so they won’t come apart. The come off the machine in one pieces and are ready to spin! We developed a mounting flange and wheel yoke to test them out. The bearings were from the OpenSCAD model and the flange and yoke were designed in SolidWorks.