Building a Large Format 3D Printer - Part 4: Printing

[@MadHatter123456]

As a former furniture designer, I really have to say: I love the design of the chair. Extremely clear design language, very well done. If only my printer would be big enough 😜

[@bas1C_tv_]

Looking for a cost effective large scale 3D printer? Check out Filament Innovations. No no one can beat their prices!

[@NoBaconForYou]

Print a bigger printer. Build your own the future is now

[@matthewjenkins914]

@@NoBaconForYou Ur so real for that. Truly inspiring.

[@bradcomis1066]

40Lbs though! Good for understanding form in the studio before production at least.

[@shamancredible8632]

I'm glad you no longer design furniture. So I know what to avoid, which pieces have you made specifically?

[@PaganWizard]

I always appreciate KZbinrs who are willing to show their mistakes. It shows your viewers that you are not some mastermind who never makes a mistake or fails at whatever they are showing, or in layman's terms, you are indeed, human.

[@JNinMC]

I've worked with large format 3D printers as part of my undergrad. An interesting pellet extruder varient is to use a heated positive displacement pump instead of a typical feeder screw. This produces more consistent extrusion rates and, as a result, more uniform layers. As far as I'm aware there are no commercial extruders that provide this but you could design/manufacture your own if you are in need of content. Just a thought. Great work on this btw!

[@G-G._]

No doesn’t work. Also you sound Indian

[@Simon11354]

shut up jeff

[@rajneshchapatikumar3924]

Just a random question that I'm curious of, do you know why no one makes 3d printers that prints above 2 meters? for some reason everyone tops out at 1 meter. I tried googling but couldn't find the answer to that

[@JNinMC]

@@rajneshchapatikumar3924 tbh I'm not too deep in the rabbit hole to truly know the answers. I'm assuming it's a combination of lack of demand, bed adhesion issues due to higher moment arm of extruder, increase chance of defects due to larger print, and high cost of both printer and plastic. All that being said, I've seen some results from hang printers that go well above 2m. Look up "hang printer tower of babel". It's made of wood PLA and reaches 4.5m

[@rajneshchapatikumar3924]

@@JNinMC thanks for the reply. Out of curiousity, what did you study? You seem knowledgeable in this sector

[@PattysLab]

That moment when you enter the nozzle diameter and the layerheight and the slicer is not sure if it is a joke or not

[@4thfrom7]

Lmao

[@shotybumbati]

"error: you've forgotten the decimal places in your settings- want me to correct this for you?"

[@G-G._]

Ur indian

[@machiii7394]

@@G-G._ If you went on stage at a stand up comedy gig, you'd be gifted a wheelchair by the kind audience. Sit down, you're not funny.

[@G-G._]

@@machiii7394 if you went to India. The Indians would say. Hi Indian to you. Because of the Indian skin you have Chris

[@AustralViking]

There is a solution to your problem of not having enough support from the infill on the top layers, Cura can be set to increase the density of the infill as it gets closer to the skin, with variable parameters . You could then get the light weight and the extra support.

[@quinnobi42]

PrusaSlicer has a similar thing with what it calls support cubic, as well as adaptive cubic that increases the infill density nearer to the walls of the print.

[@ale6242]

Lightning infill could also be incredible here!

[@DavidGarcia-nx2gj]

@@quinnobi42 cura has lightning infill which is not even close to any other infill in prusa but it doesn give strength

[@jonmoore1614]

@@ale6242 PrusaSlicer has that in the current alpha, I think Cura already has it

[@notyouraveragegoldenpotato]

​@DavidGarcia-nx2gj I really don't like lightening. Its been virtually worthless to me.. maybe some prints it'd work for rapid thin wall prototype but even at that it's been crap ime

[@xxelaxela333]

Sat down to find something to listen to while I play Darktide. Ended up watching this whole series instead of playing the brand new game I just spent money on. These videos are informative, well put together, and most importantly a ton of fun to watch. Thank you for sharing this project

[@guzmangonzalez5737]

Please consider to put a big magnet filter before the plasticiser to catch any metal particles that might get into the pellet stream. I have seen simple bolts and nuts destroying nozzles of industrial injection molding machines in the past. Congratulations for your project, I deeply enjoyed the video. I will stay tuned ;)

[@TeraVoltLabs]

A desiccant-filled tube from the main compressor to the storage tank may help even more, especially if you use a large ~2" diameter acrylic tube to help reduce the impediment in airflow and increase surface area, or even on the inlet to the main compressor itself! Bulk silica gel is fairly cheap, and can be reused almost infinitely with a quick bake in the oven after saturation

[@birdpump]

Yeah, that's what I was about to say. It's relatively cheap to make yourself and a very effective solution.

[@darkspeedy26]

look up "compressed air dessicant dryer": they use 2 collums of dessicant: 1 for drying, 1 for regenerating. This way you wouldn't need to bake it

[@-1-2-1-]

Plastic injection moulded sprues usually go back into injection plastic as regrind. Not wasted.

[@VirginiaRican]

What I love the most about this is it can print using shredded recycled plastic. Essentially turning landfill plastic straight into "filament" without having to extrude the filament.

[@4thfrom7]

Right up until you printed the chair, I thought this was nothing more than an incredibly interesting project to watch. Now I want one. Awesome series! I'm loving your videos!

[@fitybux4664]

Or, just send your designs to someone who has a large format printer, and wait for large boxes to arrive in the mail. 😀

[@neilomalley9887]

I'm a process engineer, and I work with pneumatic transporters. I think an alternative to the venturi setup that may work is a simple vacuum motor pulling through a cyclone. So mount the cyclone on top of the existing nozzle. Put a filter inline.

[@BeefIngot]

For the problem of infill being too sparse, perhaps if it hasn't been thought about already, you could use a trick I like to use mainly for supports but that I feel could solve the problem here while remaining at the same percentage of infill. The potential solution would be to decrease the line width of the infill specifically. This would decrease the sparseness of the infill by allowing for an increase in line count while still sticking to the same percentage of material weight. I have found success with this method generally even to the point of printing to a smaller diameter than the nozzle, so perhaps it's worth a try if you haven't already.

[@Agustin-Q]

For the hose problem, you can set a timeout to the pellet sensor on the hopper, if it is asking for pellets longer than X seconds this means that the hose got loose or there are no more pellets in the container or a blockage in the pellet system, and you can stop the vacuum and printing. Really nice video and machine!

[@DakotaActually]

Nice! I started making a 6-foot by 6-foot by 6-foot one, got everything together, start printing the pieces I needed to assemble and life hit me like a freight train. A lot of people were naysayers about if it would work. You and Ivan Miranda give me hope I will eventually finish it.

[@mitlanderson]

If you get it working you should upload a video for us!

[@DakotaActually]

@@mitlanderson I plan to. Already have a channel with some of it already uploaded.

[@mitlanderson]

@@DakotaActually what's the name?

[@DakotaActually]

@@mitlanderson kzbin.info/door/3Smqjp0nZGtUJzFV9-WhCA

[@lukesmith1519]

This man would do very effective research on which kind of pencil to buy. And I LOVE him for it.

[@postmann_pot]

FYI: on industrial machines, the indicator lights work the opposite way, with green indicating it's running and red that it's not, or that there is an error.

[@4thfrom7]

That was bugging me, too. There are 3-light options that include a yellow light that would be a perfect heat indicator. Probably doesn't make a big difference unless you want a mill or lathe in the room as well.

[@kissingfrogs]

Interesting. i was thinking the colour was right because mining industry here uses red to indicate danger - the machine is running. But as you say on production lines it is opposite

[@nocare]

The lighting choice tends to be a matter of what is more important to communicate in the environment in question. A lot of industrial machines work in pretty sanitized environments where no people are in the same room if its running. So green lights indicate a functioning machine more so than trying to communicate danger. In something like the mining industry humans work in close concert with the machines rather than observing them from a distance. Often giving manual instructions during operation. A red light indicates the danger of a functioning machine to trigger a cautious mindset. Often times for industrial locations the doors have indicators opposite to the machines, red or yellow it dangerous to enter the room. While the machines would indicate green everything is running fine.

[@averagejoe9040]

depends on the machine. in this case, you want a red because it is telling you to stay away from the machine while its hot enough to injure you and a green that tells you when its safe to engage with the printer. the green light isnt telling you its off, its telling you its safe to touch.

[@birdpump]

It's a safety light not a status light

[@thomasr1051]

Your printer is more gorgeous and practical than any piece of equipment I've seen. From Gen sets to fire pump controllers. Your printer takes the cake

[@DJ-wl5yi]

Suggestion from my personal viewpoint, I would have build a small centrifugal dust separator vacuum unit, it's simple and 3D printable and you can easily power it with your shop vac via a hose. Doesn't weigh too much also which comes in handy

[@gamingastronaut517]

That's a really good idea! Way more affordable I think it's called cyclone, right?

[@simona625]

I was thinking the same thing, but it requires 2 hoses that go in different directions, one for the pellets (coming in from the side) and one for the vac (out the top), which means redesigning the printing mechanism to cope with the extra resistance of the pipework. Personally, I think it's a good idea, but extra work.

[@the_real_sauce_boss]

Check out RC Test flights video on these, its great!

[@gort5583]

I look on in awe at what you are doing as well as the wealth of knowledge and helpful suggestions being provided in the comments. This is truly amazing and renews ones faith in humanity in these not so bright days.

[@Mockedarche_old]

Really want to see that video going over recycling. Love this series.

[@symik3]

That thermal "fuse" resets itself which was shown in the video. This is a unique content on KZbin great job.

[@milestehmad117]

The most impressive thing to me in this video is how little power costs for you!

[@P10101G]

I am in east Tn. I use a dehumidifier set to 50% in my shop. It helps tremendously with the moisture of my compressor, helps keep the shop more pleasant, and saves on the AC bill also. Nice build.

[@ChristianBehnke]

The chair looks great - I like the the style and while it's got a cost associated for the materials, I would say it's worthwhile for the unique nature of the outcome.

[@Goldenfightinglink]

I wish there was a way to like more than once, I liked how you explained everything and then even went into the true cost of the whole chair!!!

[@FilamentStories]

Almost to 100K! What a great video, so much great information and experience shared. I've had some bad print fails but now all of my fails seem like mild stringing in comparison. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to seeing your Super Mega Ultra Dr. D-Flo Boat soon!

[@chrisharvie-smith486]

The air cooler doesn't look good. Bursts of air used will entrain moisture droplets in the cooling tube walls past the collectors at the bottom. You can get a car ac condenser cheaply to chill the air right out of the compressor. Then use a coalessing filter to strip the droplets from the air. Both water & any oil. An oil lubricated compressor would probably survived being on for that long. This will store more cold air in the tanks & save them from the moisture. Bursts of now dry air don't have any droplets in the tubes to push onwards. Keep D content Flowing thanks :-)

[@hnic5416]

Still no boat

[@DennisMurphey]

Outstanding project I just stumbled into the room and there you were 3D Printing with beads. I had written a white Paper for NASA regarding life in the Moon way back in the 70s. I thought plastic beads should be considered for spare parts instead of shipping up spare parts in cargo rockets. I felt the beads could be formed into any shape we need via templates. I was not thinking 3D Printing but i was thinking flexible forms assembled, then the beads pumped in, heated and cured to form the needed parts. When I saw this video I had the biggest grin and was so happy to see beads in your concept for large scale prints. In retirement I am using Fusion 360 and a Creality 10S Pro printer to reengineer parts for my 1950s Model Trains. For example I am converting AC wire wound motors into PM DC with fields that are 3D Printed frames and Super Magnets. Thank You so much for sharing your work, now i going to Part 5 Wowie! Such a great project. Dennis in Virginia

[@3dpchiron709]

Nice! Some thoughts: Design the stool to be printed upside down? Thinner skinned parts could have expanding PU foam poured in them as a structural core material. Design chairs that are sort of scaffold / core for skinning with glass or carbon cloth. Seems you could do some cool stuff using composites techniques - eg car parts, bike frames... :D

[@addohm]

For mixing, you can add a mixer just before the nozzle. This is typically a metal piece that gets sandwiched just after the material is melted. Its usually a metal ring that consists of 4 veins attaching to a conical shape in the center. You can also add what's called a "screen pack" though that will require periodic cleaning.

[@sssfsfdfsdsdffsfsdf4]

For cooling, rather than adding a fan to the printhead, use a fan mounted to the frame and a tube just like your pellet feeder to get air to the printhead

[@aSingluarFemboyHooter]

Maybe just use the compressed air. Set the flow using a flow control valve or a bank of small solenoids.

[@fitybux4664]

I think it would be nice to refrigerate the air, so you can keep the CFM really low and avoid sagging your prints, but still cool them effectively.

[@SmallEngineVelocity]

Okay, these are the kinds of videos I need to watch. Push the envelope, predicting outcomes, design, and ingenuity. My projects don't even come close. Keep up the great work!

[@gavinhicks7621]

I don’t understand why the comments are being so rude to dr d-flo this guys just trying to make a huge insane 3D printer and you guys are giving him shit for it. As someone who likes to take on massive projects, give him some time. These things take a long long time to do. If you’re upset with the time it’s taking him then spend the thousands of dollars and build one yourself.

[@BeefIngot]

I haven't seen many comments like this but I will agree the few I have seen are somewhat strange. I wonder what inspires them.

[@thomasr1051]

Your wife is a really good sport and really good on camera. It answered my question of is his wife okay with all his crazy inventions

[@SeanHodgins]

Nice machine! I definitely have a need for a few giant prints in the not so distant future.

[@B3L13V3R]

What an awesome system. A finished version of this chair would easily sell in the $500 range in a retail environment.

[@DrDFlo]

Contribute to the 100k Giant Benchy Fund by checking out my Amazon store ( dflo.info/Amazon ) or supporting this project's sponsors Openbuilds ( dflo.info/OpenBuilds ) and Massive Dimension ( dflo.info/MassiveDimension ). This will require a boat load of pellets 😂 Thank you to everyone who made it out to the premiere! Keep the conversation going in the comment section by posting your suggestions and questions.

[@c.hector5425]

Be aware that the benchy doesn't float upp right.. :)

[@DrDFlo]

@@c.hector5425 I’m going to modify the design!

[@grahamturner2640]

@@DrDFlo I wonder what the modifications will be, and if it would be possible to print a smaller one.

[@TheNebojsa47]

I can't remember when was the last time when i watched video from start to the end without skipping. Top tier my dude, top tier!

[@vizionthing]

Excellent progress, looks like a dynamic density infill option in the slicer would help with these larger prints.

[@thiagoennes]

That chair can be improved massively. You did a great job on that printer, congratulations!

[@saf3ty3rd]

I've really enjoyed this series. Is there any chance of posting the fusion model for the chair? It would be interesting to run simulations on that type of vase mode optimized design.

[@L3X369]

from the moment I ever brought my first 3D printer, I wanted to build a big printer to print furniture. You waked me to reality. It's incredibly expensive and hard to do it... Kudos to you!

[@drewrinker2071]

It doesn't have to be this expensive for instance you could get regular 24volt 600x600mm and make smaller furniture and cut down costs by using recycled pet plastic

[@billyjoe3309]

Cmon, I can't wait 2 freaking days :(

[@maikeydii]

Regarding the air dryer setup, one thing you might want to add between your compressor and secondary air tank is a cyclone/vortex-based water separator (like for example Atlas Copco WSD Series separators). These kinds of filters are used also in industrial systems before the chill air dryers. Cheaper than chill air dryers are either desiccant or membrane dryers which might also be suitable as your air usage is not so great.

[@AuthenTech]

Such awesome work - very impressive man!!

[@Shadowhurtz]

just watched your ultimate building guide and would like to say, yes I would like to see a video on that filament extruder

[@ColinMacKenzieRobots]

I loved the story of the epic failure! It sounds like something that would happen to me. Misery love company ;) Sorry to hear you lost a compressor.

[@rhadiem]

I agree you should show failures, it makes you more relatable and gives teaching points.

[@marsgizmo]

good progress 👏 And congrats for the 100k 🎉🎉

[@5FSF]

You should consider some kind of soft interface between the glass bed and the retention clips you made, maybe just flip them over so the plastic sits against the glass and the metal sits against metal. Its possible that heat over time could warp the plastic pins, its also possible that the glass could break at the metal clips with only moderate forces due to a very rigid connection.

[@bogmaerke]

Doesn't the high heat, 60°C, permanently affect the PLA? I recall hearing something like max 50°C for drying PLA?

[@linuspauly2380]

I wouldn't really worry about it. The drying limit is mostly because somewhere slightly above 60C PLA (especially modern blends!) may start deforming and sticking to itself, thus ruining the filament. Since it didn't form a huge clump, this didn't happen here. As for it changing properties: the internal structure does change a bit, but that really doesn't matter considering how the pellets are completely melted in the extruder.

[@leggy5294]

Finally the algorithm recommended a good channel!

[@3DPrintedEngineer]

when benchy?

[@robertohernandez1642]

This dude living the life,what a meal! And on top of the large prints , wow

[@SirDragonClaw]

You really shouldn't set these to premiere multiple days in advance, this won't even be on my front page of subscriptions anymore by the time it airs, and I will never see it again. Bit of a waste really. There is a reason why people normally limit premieres to 24 hours at max.

[@DrDFlo]

Hey man you can set a reminder 👍

[@BeefIngot]

@@DrDFlo I believe their comments goal was more in support of the future analytics success of the channel rather than one of personal convenience. More watchful/supportive fans of the channel may set reminders, but I do question how many subscribers of lesser dedication might. I say this as a few channels I subscribe to have echoed the same sentiments regarding the limited success of premiers and the effect they can have on channel viewership when set far ahead in advance. Ultimately though, I of course say this without the privelege of accessing channel statistics so perhaps their situations were different or times have changed in those regards.

[@matthasaname]

Massively impressive build man! I know what you mean about the water in the air in TN. I have a dehumidifer running in my printing room 24/7 and it removes roughly a gallon per day on days it hasn't rained. On rainy days it's easily 3 gallons. And it's a small room!

[@mushroommania841]

This guy disappeared.

[@sofronio.]

The last recycling part is amazing! Just cut and grind and print again!

[@leoneventicinque6731]

for the infill, Cura slicer has a function ("gradual infill steps") that gradually increase the % with the height, so that the ceiling of the object has better support under it

[@alexanderjamesINC]

Dude....that was frigging amazing. The possibilities available with this machine is next level.

[@Otras_cosas_de_Jorgito]

Excelente, llegué no se como a este video, me impresionó sus sencillas explicaciones y su buen caracter. Se ganó un suscriptor. Un abrazo desde San Luis, Argentina.

[@Atlantismonkey40]

The error is by far the best part! Why you say? Simply put. You learned! All the planning in the world does nothing for a variable not identified. The cost of learning about the hose uncoupling is define. I see at least three adjustments. Not to mention sending this information to your sponsor. Let alone all of us watching and learning. Thanks for showing the error. Laughing is funnier than banging your head. Besides the time spend with the wife.

[@FoamFlyinFool]

Also with raw plastic say 50lbs we add in 2oz of motor oil or hydraulic fluid and mix before adding the colorant keeps the color stuck to the pellets and makes it uniform.

[@fredfarnackle5455]

Far out! I don't own a 3D printer and have no plans to get one either - but this was a fascinating journey from start to finish. Can't wait for the next video. Good one!👍😎

[@woodywiest]

Nice job on the bridging, no small feat with such huge extrusion volume.

[@DrDFlo]

Thanks! The part cooling fan is a beast at 30 CFM (total power draw of 13W), but I think I need even more cooling.

[@neondreams2337]

For pellets, I think this would be a better and quieter option: A large, but short, rectangular bin/hopper above the printer. And just like a 3D printer, a lead screw and a motor can push a wall along the length of the bin as pellets deplete to keep the depth of pellets consistent in the bin. A photoelectric sensor can tell you when the funnel is about empty, and the print head can move to a corner of the printer, to be refilled by the bin/hopper via gravity.

[@VaibhavShewale]

the bgm and intro felt like a tv show that childrens could watch it!

[@KaidoLP]

I am currently in the process of servicing a similarly sized 3d printer. The main difference is that the machine that I'm working on is filament based (1.75 mm). It has 2 extruders with the bigger nozzle being a 1.8 mm CHT. There were some extremely surprising things that I discovered during the process: Bridges are a none issue 300 mm without a problem. Print speed is slow, with our current underpowered extruder we cannot get past 12 mm/s print speed. (20 mm³/s) Bed leveling and positional repeatability is difficult, currently working on that.

[@grahamturner2640]

What extruder are you using? If you have the money, a Bondtech or E3D extruder would probably be a good idea (preferably Bondtech, as their extruders are built for more power, especially the QR extruder, which can supply a Mosquito Magnum+ hotend with filament). Is your hotend capable of ultra-fast printing?

[@KaidoLP]

@@grahamturner2640 we are currently using the BigRep One Gen 1 extruder with some modifications. The motors are definitely strong enough, they are the strongest NEMA 17 that nanotech sells. The hotend is the current bottleneck. Cheap coldend with V6 Heatblocks and presumably 30 W heating elements running on 24 V with 50% PWM as they are 12 V heaters. The parts to upgrade to a volcano hotend with 60 W cartridges are ordered.

[@superthumper1]

the piston actuator has a controled leak into the valve body that keeps media from getting suck in it and the valve opens automatically with spring pressure when the air pressure is stopped. this permits even a second hopper above the pressure hopper to act as a surge hopper when the pressure hopper gets low. electric ball valves work also but 2 " one is expencive compaired to a $15 black water valve and a piston made from washers and pipe fittings.

[@allarvalksaare7617]

put a thinner walled hose from the air regulator to the head. use a spiral hose for it, and you also can let the pressureized air out before the head when you make a seperate container, so you can get the weight of the head down :)

[@giovannidega93]

This is a good tutorial on how to do simple things in complex and inefficient ways

[@rhadiem]

You need a more flexible connection from the hose to the orange thing that inputs off-axis from the hose direction. Maybe a rotating coupler or 90 degree rotation of the input port. Also you can get weaker hose pullers with a series of VR cable pulleys to lift the hose while not pulling so hard. This could help keep the hose on the machine.

[@NoBaconForYou]

This is super cool! I love how industrial it all is. This has many use cases

[@evanchi9460]

A much simpler way to cool compressed air to condense the water within it is to plumb it through any automotive transmission cooler, and either use the pumps fans to flow air through it, or rig up your own. Then all you need is a water trap to separate the liquid out, and then you can filter it.

[@tackletestdummy9096]

You are very talented my friend. You make my build look like childs play

[@Tore_Lund]

23.7 kWh That is only cheap in the US. In Europe, especially now, that would be $12. Insulating the bottom of the hotbed and possible use loose blankets on areas outside the print, or go completely nuts and overengineer the hotbed by using a matrix of small 2" heating pads controlled by as many temperature sensors?

[@yellowcrescent]

Awesome progress! I'm surprised the bridging worked so well over such a long gap. Re: the "accident": at least you then had an excuse to upgrade your air compressor!

[@JulianMakes]

Gotta love that gyriod infill!

[@FLMan180]

This nerd spent some serious loot building this thing! It’s awesome !

[@stevekohler2876]

Very interesting project, and feel your pain as you go through your process of making your printer function the way you want. When you are doing something no one else has done you learn as you go, hopefully your failures are cheap and nothing is damaged as you learn enough to achieve what you are striving to do.

[@Liris777]

You are the best 3d printing mate have I ever find on youtube!!!! Thanks looottt!!!!

[@PoefManPat]

One really cool method you could also use is to increase the infill % right before it prints the top layer. Thanks for the great video!

[@hardwareful]

8:27 "passing air over chilled coils" Suggestion: try a plate heat exchanger where one side is water-cooled. It might need to be clamped between two aluminium plates, but it's already rated for water pressure (8-10 bar) and is perfectly sealed while providing large-area contact.

[@Ughmahedhurtz]

It's interesting to see that even huge prints apparently need the same calibration tests run before you can expect great results.

[@mr702s]

Just imagine the waste casting opportunities this machine can provide 👏 👏 👏

[@XXXXIndices]

Have you considered a hopper above one corner of the printer. when pellets gets low have the printhead move to the hopper and drop pellets into the print head chamber. It would be similar to a nozzle cleaning routine.

[@chazbarclay]

I made something similar with a dryvac and some pvc. It worked well for my application and time needing it.

[@SplitPhotography]

Sick! Man you look so proud when you finish that chair 😁 Printing it in abs and smoothing it would be awesome 🤩

[@linostavole6457]

I have been really enjoying this series. Thanks for doing them

[@wldone95490]

For the pellet issue what about using something like a 2 inch round tube that’s flexible with a piston in it that’s got a flexible rod that will take a certain amount of pellets that’s gravity fed and dropped into chamber that has the piston in the tube so it can be pushed into the top of the funnel are or some of type of chamber to hold the pellets on print head. Have a sensor in chamber so when pellets get below that level it will activate the piston to push a desired amount each time into print head chamber until it gets above sensor level then it will stop filling until it gets below sensor again then repeat process

[@peta1001]

It is always a pleasure to see what this great professional/engineer can make. His explanations are sized properly and his videos are therefore easy to watch. I have built a bigger printer using arduino/marlin setup. Marlin firmware allows virtually any bed size. What I am wondering is if the hot bed can be eliminated as it was the case with the first 3D printers, where a sticky tape was used to hold PLA to the cold print-bed/surface. The benefits would be energy costs reduction as well as complete price of the printer and its maintenance. Can the weight of an ABS printed part be enough to hold the part down and prevent warping? Awaiting your comments...Thanks!

[@hiroshrosh3535]

you should add a safety feature that prevents feeding issues from getting too bad by for example measuring the time it takes for the hopper to get filled to the sensor level plus a few seconds for margin of error and having that automatically shut of the pellet feeder and pause the print if the extruder hopper doesn't fill in approximately the expected amount of time. and adding a fill level sensor to the pellet reservoir that also pauses the print if the pellet level gets to low would be a good addition to the printer imo

[@hiroshrosh3535]

ok neverminded you literally said almost the exact same thind 5 seconds after where i had the video paused...

[@ADRIAAN1007]

If you are looking for dry air you can add a SMC P/AMG350C-03D water separator before the inline vacuum and after the auxiliary air tank or the much cheaper option is adding a SMC P/AMG250C-02D inline between the compressor and aux air tank both have a greater than 99% separation rate. Make sure to get the auto drain in normally closed some smaller compressors struggle to close normally open auto drains.

[@3DprintedLife]

This is so awesome! So many possibilities. I'd love to see a voroni style chair print to see how much weight you could save while retaining strength and the unique look only possible through 3d printing. And man sorry you had to go through that mess when the hose clamp failed....that's a tough price to learn a lesson!

[@rickyh2896]

I asked my wife if I could have a printer this big...and she laughted at me and walked out the room. So for now I'll have to live vicariously. Seriously awesome job! I wonder if you could use duet to set a timer for the pellet vacuum so that your compressor cycles less? Maybe based on your volumetric flow duet does some calculation for how much filament is remaining in the hopper after the proximity switch shows 'open' and waits until the hopper is 1/4 full or whatever before engaging the solenoid. Your compressor will run longer but less often!

[@spencerhanson7808]

For a bag and funnel setup, you can use a hoist or winch to lift the bag after filling in the ground

[@baptisteg4728]

this project is just so friking cool man... to say that i a envious would be an understatement.

[@jessie38supercharged]

You probably already know, but beads that size can bridge up inside the tube. It's only an issu when it bridges up around the sensor. The last place I worked, bought beads that were coated in some sort of powder. I wanna say it was just the powdered version of the same material.

[@robinterheide5795]

Great video! One thing you could do to increase the quality of your top layers, is to decrease the line width for infill. This means that there will be more infill lines, with less space between them. This means that you will use the same amount of plastic but your bridges will be less difficult. For cooling, maybe look at mounting some big fans on the gantry, on the y extrusions. For example look at 24/7 printing’s voron 0.1’s cooling setup.

[@jamez_3824]

20:45 That was incredibly satisfying to watch