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Fabrication & Manufacturing

Proposed Q&A site for people interested in fabricating or manufacturing physical things. Including 3D printing & scanning, CNC milling or cutting machines, CAD/CAM software and how we can share ideas between industry and the maker & hackerspace communities.
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3
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3
answers

What description should this proposal have?

apr 29 at 1:17 Community♦ 1
0
votes
1
answer

Is “DIY Groups” unique and purposeful enough?

apr 5 at 8:40 circuit-bento 96
1
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2
answers

What about the “Maker community” in general? Arduino? RasPi? Electronics? Robots?

mar 29 at 6:14 circuit-bento 96
8
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1
answer

Should we try to unify the fabrication and manufacturing proposals?

mar 5 at 1:16 Mark Booth 2,865
6
votes
9
answers

What should we call this proposal?

feb 27 at 23:36 Mark Booth 2,865

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65 Example Questions (2 closed)

active oldest votes
up vote 11 down vote
When is subtractive prototyping more appropriate than additive prototyping?
added by Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:02
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Originally proposed by joseph-flaherty – Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:04
I think the essence of this question would be better served by ignoring the "rapid prototyping" handle. (my original question with the "answer part" removed) – Tony Hine Jul 8 '12 at 13:53
up vote 10 down vote
Are the printing materials ABS and PLA used for 3D printing recyclable? And if so, is there any way to add the correct PETE stamp to a printed object?
added by Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:06
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Originally proposed by leeand00 – Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:08
@leeand00 - If you wish to re-propose this question in this proposal, I would be happy to delete this copy of your question. – Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:44
How about : Can you recycle 3-d printed [ABS, PLA, resin, powder]? – Renoir Jul 3 '12 at 18:37
up vote 10 down vote
What is the best approach to build a home 3D scanner with about 0.01 mm resolution and a working volume of 20 cm a side?
added by Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:10
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Originally proposed by Reed Sturtevant – Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:10
@ReedSturtevant - If you wish to re-propose this question in this proposal, I would be happy to delete this copy of your question. – Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:43
up vote 10 down vote
Has anyone produced a reprap variant with servo motors rather than stepper motors?
added by Mark Booth Jun 28 '12 at 18:37
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up vote 10 down vote
Would an FDM machine with a milling bit following the printer serve to improve surface quality and fit of the parts or would it cause more problems?
added by insta Jun 28 '12 at 21:23
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up vote -3 down vote
What applications are available for a 3D scanner, free and paid versions. [closed]
added by Marcelo Jun 28 '12 at 21:32
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closed as not constructive by warren, Robert Cartaino♦ Jun 29 '12 at 15:31

This question is not a good fit to our Q&A format. We expect answers to generally involve facts, references, or specific expertise; this question will likely solicit opinion, debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion.

What do you mean my applications? Software applications for running a 3d scanner, or applications that the scanner could be put to? – Mark Booth Jun 29 '12 at 10:20
To me the question seems specific to software due to the phrasing - although I'm not sure whether that makes it more or less acceptable to a SE site. – Matthew Bernhardt Jun 29 '12 at 12:54
sounds like a shopping list / software rec list to me :| – warren Jun 29 '12 at 13:05
@upvoter - Feel free to allocate your precious up vote to a question which hasn't been closed. – Mark Booth Oct 22 '12 at 14:47
up vote -1 down vote
What applications are available for 3D printers, free and paid versions? [closed]
added by Marcelo Jun 28 '12 at 21:35
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closed as not constructive by warren, Robert Cartaino♦ Jun 29 '12 at 15:31

This question is not a good fit to our Q&A format. We expect answers to generally involve facts, references, or specific expertise; this question will likely solicit opinion, debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion.

What do you mean my applications? Software applications for running a 3d printer, or applications that the printer could be put to? – Mark Booth Jun 29 '12 at 10:20
sounds like a shopping list / software rec list to me :| – warren Jun 29 '12 at 13:05
Sorry, shall I repost that as software needed to create/design/render objects that a 3D printer will then translate into a workable file? I can research said software and post links or is this not the forum for that? – Marcelo Jun 30 '12 at 8:00
That's precisely the problem - it's a research / options/ list answer, not a definite answer (yes/no/use this tool _). difficult to get a 'right' answer. – Renoir Jul 3 '12 at 19:24
1  
@upvoter - Feel free to allocate your precious up vote to a question which hasn't been closed. – Mark Booth Oct 22 '12 at 14:47
up vote 10 down vote
How can I use [model 3D scanner] and [model 3D printer] in tandem to act as a 'copier' without any human interaction?
added by Marcelo Jun 28 '12 at 21:39
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I think if you reword this to "Can I use [model 3d scanner] and [model 3d printer] in tandem as a "copier" without human interaction?" it might be better. – warren Jun 29 '12 at 13:04
up vote 10 down vote
Is there a way to use recycled paper / cardboard as a wood-like material for any personal-scale CNC machines?
added by Bryce Jun 29 '12 at 1:53
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1  
I appreciate that this question is not about 3d printing, which I think will help the channel appeal to the full range of fabrication possibilities. – Matthew Bernhardt Jun 29 '12 at 12:53
I can see all kinds of uses for this ... I would like to see a discussion on this. Also would there be a way to use coreplast in the same way? – Sharon Kay Jun 29 '12 at 18:03
1  
Plastics too. I'd like to know if there's a way to turn recycled materials into useful objects via cheap CNC machines. – Bryce Sep 22 '12 at 8:45
up vote 10 down vote
What are the design considerations when building a knife cutting attachment for a CNC table?
added by Matthew Bernhardt, edited by Mark Booth Apr 5 at 10:05
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This was a question I had on the old forum (which I think is still relevant) – Matthew Bernhardt Jun 29 '12 at 12:57
1  
Good question, but I wouldn't call any stack exchange a forum if I were you. For many of us forums have bad connotations, SE is something different and better suited to it's purpose. – Mark Booth Jun 29 '12 at 13:35
Fair enough - I've struggled with the appropriate term to use, actually. I agree that forum isn't the right one, but I'm not sure what to use instead. – Matthew Bernhardt Jun 29 '12 at 20:22
1  
@Matthew: I call them frikis or wikorums. :) – insta Jul 3 '12 at 14:46
up vote 9 down vote
I have model [Y] [milling machine]. How can I automate it using an [Arduino]?
added by warren Jun 29 '12 at 13:02
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up vote 10 down vote
For home parts casting, what do I need in a [brass-melting] furnace?
added by warren Jun 29 '12 at 13:03
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Not quite sure what you mean. Compared to what? Have you cast lead, alu, before? Induction heater or charcoal furnace? – Renoir Jul 3 '12 at 18:55
@Renoir - hence the question – warren Jul 5 '12 at 13:59
up vote 11 down vote
When are printed gears or bushings not suitable and can anything be done to use them instead of industrial components?
added by insta Jun 29 '12 at 16:12
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up vote 10 down vote
What steps are necessary to safely print with Nylon weed-trimmer filament at home?
added by insta Jun 29 '12 at 16:16
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up vote 10 down vote
What sort of materials can I use with a hot wire cutter? What materials should I avoid?
added by Matthew Bernhardt Jun 30 '12 at 19:21
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up vote 10 down vote
What insurance do I need to protect against accidents incurred using personal manufacturing equipment?
added by warren Jul 2 '12 at 19:53
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1  
I think this is too localised... it will differ by location thanks to local laws and insurance companies. – Highly Irregular Jul 29 '12 at 8:33
1  
@Highly Irregular - perhaps ... but it would seem to be pretty inclusive (eg, does Term Life cover incidents like this, Homeowner's, etc) – warren Nov 1 '12 at 16:37
up vote 10 down vote
Is there an easy way to print with ABS in the house and not have the whole house fume up badly?
added by creuzerm Jul 3 '12 at 14:00
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up vote 10 down vote
Is there an upper limit to the available resolution from a resin printer?
added by insta Jul 3 '12 at 14:43
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up vote 10 down vote
At high travel speeds, the Arduino on a RepRap is pressed for CPU time. Is it possible to offload its work to auxillary devices?
added by insta Jul 3 '12 at 14:55
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up vote 7 down vote
I have a third-generation Sanguino Reprap main board. Will the Ultimaker opto-endstop boards work with it?
added by Renoir, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:25
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up vote 10 down vote
When drilling very small (<0.5 mm, 3 mm through) holes in brass, my drill bits keep breaking half way. How can I stop this?
added by Renoir, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:24
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up vote 10 down vote
I am using the laser toner method to create my own PCBs, but the black toner leaves marks everywhere after sanding it off. How can I clean it?
added by Renoir Jul 4 '12 at 12:37
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up vote 10 down vote
What sort of byproducts do I need to watch for when laser cutting plastic?
added by Matthew Bernhardt Jul 4 '12 at 14:05
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up vote 10 down vote
Can I print with the much cheaper ABS or PLA chips rather than filament. What extruder designs have been tried?
added by Stuart Jul 5 '12 at 10:52
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up vote 10 down vote
What software would I need in order to set up my Kinect as a 3D scanner?
added by Matthew Bernhardt Jul 10 '12 at 4:47
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up vote 10 down vote
How do I improve laser engraving on glass?
added by sergeantKK, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:24
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...When I laser engrave onto glasses, the quality of the etching is sometimes very poor, it appears as though the glass getting"blasted" away at the edges of the design. Is it the type of glass I'm using ? Should the glass be coated in something first ? I heard wet newspaper can help... – sergeantKK Jul 13 '12 at 10:48
up vote 10 down vote
How can I successfully 3D print my top heavy action figure designs?
added by nekollx, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:24
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up vote 10 down vote
What's important to know before I buy a laser cutter?
added by Highly Irregular Aug 23 '12 at 8:58
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up vote 10 down vote
I wish to write my own CAM software to generate tool paths for CNC milling. Where can I find details of the algorithms for generating tool paths?
added by Rocketmagnet Sep 21 '12 at 11:05
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That's an excellent suggestion, I hadn't thought that tool path generation might be a good topic, but now you suggest it, it's so obvious. It's a rich topic, since the physical constraints of different types of machines produce very different solutions for CNC machines, 3d printers and laser cutters etc. – Mark Booth Sep 25 '12 at 8:55
up vote 10 down vote
When should I use climb milling, and when should I use conventional milling?
added by Rocketmagnet Sep 21 '12 at 11:05
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up vote 10 down vote
How do I calculate speeds and feeds for my CNC milling machine?
added by Rocketmagnet, edited by WikiSpeedia hang-around Nov 10 '12 at 19:24
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Wouldn't the answer to this be the same whether CNC or conventional milling machine? – alx9r Jan 13 at 7:27
@alxr: Mostly yes except CNC machines with 0.002mm precision and corresponding scale tools are not uncommon, and I guess calculations of feed for milling 40x40x40cm block of steel into a sheet metal stamping profile can be quite different than milling mechanism of 3x3x1mm micropump. – SF. Apr 22 at 9:17
up vote 10 down vote
Despite using the heated printbed I got some warping on my print. What can I try to improve this?
added by bardiir Oct 1 '12 at 6:44
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up vote 10 down vote
How can I arrange coiled (non-spooled) filament to avoid snags or tangles while printing?
added by sugaredlightning, edited by Mark Booth Nov 28 '12 at 10:14
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up vote 1 down vote
What are some techniques for holding parts that are somewhat flexible (ie: plastic boxes) in a vise?
added by rhooligan Dec 2 '12 at 1:55
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up vote 3 down vote
What are recommended methods for finishing/smoothing the surface of a printed object?
added by sugaredlightning Dec 2 '12 at 4:56
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I would add which material you are talking about here to clarify – uncovery Dec 18 '12 at 9:02
up vote 0 down vote
How to output from [software] to a [3D printer]?
added by Renan Dec 12 '12 at 13:21
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up vote 2 down vote
Which ABS colors are least likely to change color during printing?
added by uncovery Dec 18 '12 at 9:31
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up vote 11 down vote
What 3D printing materials are food safe?
added by uncovery Dec 18 '12 at 9:35
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4  
Excellent.. was wondering this today. – naught101 Jan 24 at 12:07
up vote 10 down vote
What are the most stable connection types to combine ABS parts to a larger model without screws or glue?
added by uncovery Dec 18 '12 at 9:43
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up vote 6 down vote
Is there a social network where I can find people with a 3D printer nearby?
added by Ralf Dec 27 '12 at 19:21
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