Two guests tonight, Dan and Enric. Enric thinks folks are probably still recovering from Burning Man.

 

I started by printing glasses hook version II that we designed last session. I was a bit concerned about the extreme overhang on the little corner retaining pieces, but the printer handled it with aplomb.

I was also anxious to try out the new flexible BuildTak plate Sean recently installed. As the video shows, our results were rather mixed… My part didn’t just pop right off, but removing the plate did make it more convenient to use the spatula.

Unfortunately, I’m still not happy with the design.  After a bit of playing with it, we came up with an even better idea!

Important note: The plate has a distinct high spot near the middle, which may be due to the underlying acrylic sheet. It must be leveled much looser than before to account for this: Level as usual, then back off each knob by a half turn or so, until the center gap feels right. One of our members reported extreme difficulty using high-resolution, since that first layer is so thin. If you have too much trouble, just flip the plate over and use blue tape as before.

Dan is a newcomer to 3D printing, but came prepared with a few models he’s already made. His first print was a game piece for a board game he and some friends are designing. It printed perfectly on the first try.

A few announcements:

On Meetup I’ve renamed this meeting to 3d Printing Hangout to more accurately reflect what really happens here. Previously we’d scheduled two kinds of meeting, the focus alternating between 3D printer builders and 3D print design. The distinction seemed like a good idea at the time, but it turns out that folks of all interests and levels show up at either meeting, so I thought I’d rename the meeting just to make it clear. Nothing’s really changed.

In place of our next scheduled hangout (October 3) we have a special guest: Sean Charlesworth returns to teach us the ins-and-outs of Simplify3D. Serious 3D-printing enthusiasts won’t want to miss this one:

http://www.meetup.com/Ace-Monster-Toys/events/234203445/

-Matt