Yes, I now have a 3D printer! After one failed attempt, I moved on and now have a Da Vinci printer scanner from XYZprinting that I am very satisfied with. The printer is excellent, and as long as you keep the print head clean, it works flawlessly. The scanner has a few minor flaws, primarily that it does not scan as much volume as it can print, and also that it doesn’t scan well near the base of the object. I have still been able to use it very effectively within these limits

One of the reasons for being interested in scanning as well as printing was an idea arising from the question of what to do with some of my mother’s sculptures that I inherited. In particular, there is a nine inch tall sculpture of a Dutch Hansel and Gretal that turns out to be just about an inch too tall to scan with this printer. Another smaller sculpture has worked out better. Both Hansel and Gretal and the Dumbo sculpture are made from a starch based clay, that in Orlando was almost impossible to keep away from roaches. While Hansel and Gretal only have a few minor nibbles, poor Dumbo has one whole side eaten away and many holes and nibbled away sections on other parts of his body. I’m not much of a sculptor, but I was able to fill in all the holes and rebuild the hip to sort of match the other one. I’m not sure how successful I was with the tip of the trunk, but overall I felt pretty successful. So, I scanned the critter, and have printed several white plastic replicas as a proof of concept. While I started this as a “Save Mom’s Art” project, I am beginning to see it as a technique for making copies of 3D art in just the same way that painters use 2D printing technologies to make copies of their art for general distribution at reduced price.

Another project that has been directly impacted by the acquisition of a 3D printer has been the rebuilding of my lathe. I inherited a six inch Atlas/Craftsman metal working lathe from my Dad. He bought it back in the 30’s for around fifty dollars. I have spent several times that in this restoration, some of which would not be possible without the 3D printer.

The pulley for connecting the idler arm to the motor was missing, and the original lathe was built with an A/C motor, which shorted out during use in it’s previous location. The shop I am setting up is solar powered with a 12 volt battery system, so I bought a 12 volt motor to replace it, and was also able to print a pulley to fit the motor so it could drive the lathe.

Yet another project that has been on the back burner is a project I’ll talk more about once it is nearer completion. The project involves making a two wheeled robot from a couple of CD cases. The challenge solved by 3D printing was in making the motor gearbox to drive the wheels. One of the things I learned at around 9 or 10 years old was that I could not build a motor gearbox with a hand drill to place the shaft holes. I could never get enough precision. Even gaining access to better tools, like a drill press, still did not produce the precision needed for a functioning gear box.

With a 3D printer that has all changed. The precision available from the printer allows the precise placement of both holes and bumps in a 3D structure being printed. One of the things I learned, developing this particular part, was that the shaft that a gear goes on can not be printed as an extension of the base of the gearbox. These printed shafts do not have the structural strength to stand up to the torques imposed by the gear motion. Placing a hole in that location allows a shaft to be mounted into the hole made of a material that will support those torques. I will be using a brass machine screw, but I can not proceed with this part because I need the lathe to turn a portion of the threaded shaft down to fit the gear hub, so the gear can rotate on the shaft. So this project must wait until the lathe is finished. The all have depended on the 3D printer to get this far, and all are looking like they may reach a successful conclusion. Many issues faced by the hobbyist are now solvable with 3D printing that were never possible before!