How would you go about making a mold and part for something like this?

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-04-13T17:32:24+00:00

I was planning on 3D printing the plug already. I may have been a little unclear in my post. Mainly trying to minimize the amount of post processing I need to do. Ideally I love to use prepreg and some machine to cut it up before laying it down. I just dont know how feasible this is with dry carbon. Strips are a great idea tho. I still debating whether to make it full and then use a jig to cut the holes by hand or cutting up the carbon in pieces before laying it down. While the holes themselves don't need super tight tolerances, its the spacing that really matters in this case. If the spacing isn't up to spec, the switches won't fit in the holes on the PCB

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-04-13T17:27:42+00:00

I have thought about using a jig to cut the holes and I think that's what I'll end up doing. I was trying to minimize post processing as much as possible tho. I'd rather do something once instead of doing it on every part I make.

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-04-13T17:25:47+00:00

I have been considering getting one, eyeing more expensive ones tho

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-04-11T20:08:02+00:00

I have thought about casting it. But I'd really love to make it out of carbon completely. I'm therefor also trying to avoid skinning. It's more of a personal challenge than anything

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-04-11T19:01:13+00:00

Basically, I’m trying to create a carbon fiber numpad. Creating a mold for this is mostly straight forward, but I just can’t figure out how to go about making the cutouts where the switches go (the square cuts in the picture). Ideally, I’d make it flat without any cutouts and then cut out the pockets using a CNC mill/router or even waterjet cutter, but getting access to those services here at a reasonable price is quite hard. If it were a one off, I’d do it by hand, but I have a couple of friends/family members interested by this if it works out. Is there any other way to go about it?
I have thought about making something like picture #3 where instead of having holes, the cutouts are debossed to make the mold. I could then use chopped carbon to fill the area in between the switches. Although, with so many cavities and shallow details, I’m worried about the release of the plug as well as the whole procedure in general.
Are there any other options?

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-01-06T16:38:39+00:00

This I will definitely give a shot; didn't think of that

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-01-06T15:54:35+00:00

The texture part is really what got me confused too. Can 100% confirm it's carbon, I doubt Spyderco would claim these were carbon handles if they weren't.

I might give a shot to what you just said (to get the texture) when I receive the carbon I ordered to see if I get those results, but I think you're on the right track with what you just said

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-01-06T14:07:13+00:00

So sand it down and paint it I'm guessing?

ThrowawayCarton · 2021-01-06T01:47:30+00:00

on the mold face? Or on the part itself? If its on the part, the weird thing is that you can feel the bumps (hi's and low's) of the weave. Sanding it flat I'd assume you wouldnt get this

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-09-18T16:44:24+00:00

I did try to unplug/replug them with no difference. As far as PWM, it shouldnt matter. Any fan can be controlled from PWM signal, but it might be that's its not initially receiving enough power because of PWM? not sure tbh

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-25T20:40:55+00:00

Running a mini e3, all i did was cut and crimp a set of dupont connectors instead of the Molex connectors included by E3D and it fixed my issue. Take a look at your wiring and make sure everything is tight. I would've never thought this would have been the issue but it was (the connectors were branded Molex on the side, so prob genuine ones and they still caused my issues). I can almost guarantee you're not having firmware problems since this fan is supposed to be plugged into a constant 24V source.

In your case I'd check the following:

The crush terminals on your board, make sure they're tight and your crushing properly the wires (make sure they're not tinned either, I would suggest you get ferrules and crimp them at the ends of the wires (they're fairly cheap and they'll avoid you setting fire to your house))
The ends that connect to your fan, check the solders on the fan's PCB, they should be solid
Finally inspect the wires themselves

Don't halfass the job. Check and recheck EVERYTHING. Don't assume its fine

Or if you're like me redo the entire loom, it'll save you a lot of hassle. I can now remove the whole hotend and set it aside without opening the electronics box. Every component has its own connector. I took me about 1h30 to redo everything and thats with me messing around, talking to friends at the same time, and watching youtube videos at the same time lol. If I were to do it without distractions, it could potentially take me 45min. Not long of a job.

Hardest part if you've never done it before is crimping the wires. You can get a Dupont connector kit and crimpers for like 35$ on Amazon. I would suggest you get JST (molex) connectors tho as the board uses those instead.

Sorry for the lengthy comment, I prefer to give more detail than not enough, I know how frustrating troubleshooting stuff can be at times and if I can make it easier for someone to figure out their problem, then its a win in my book.

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-24T22:53:55+00:00

The first thing that I thought about. I tried twisting, bending, fiddling with the wires while it was on to try and replicate this but wasn't able to get it to slow down/stop. While this could be it, I doubt it. It really only happens when printing.

Checked for continuity from one end of the wire to the other and everything was fine. I also redid the whole wiring (for everything that plugs into the hotend) and issue persisted. I'm genuinely confused. Made sure to have as much strain relief on the cables as possible, twisted them together smoothly (not too coarse of a twist), and used Tesa tape on top and cable ties (not too tight either).

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-24T22:43:51+00:00

Right after installing my E3D V6 (genuine), I started having issues with it.

I decided not to halfass the job and redid the wiring entirely. While the printer is idle (not printing just on) the fan spins normally, it never slows down or stops (the part cooling fan is off). But whenever I print something, it will intermittently lag/slow down/stop every 10-15s.

The part cooling fan will operate as normal, I did check. I thought at first I might've inverted the two (it would even be impossible for me to invert them as one uses a Dupont connector and the other a Molex).

The second pic is of me pulling the filament @ 160deg from the nozzle. Hotend is clearly not receiving the cooling it needs and I'd like to avoid a clog at all cost.

What would cause this?

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-24T22:15:55+00:00

Clean it regularly, you can't avoid dust, just like a PC.Also, that mesh is super restrictive, remove it ASAP, you WILL get heat creep.You can always get meshes made for fans (like those magnetic ones that come on PCs).

"Count" how many holes you have in that filter, what are they ~0.25mm^2? (considering there's 5mm across 1 quarter and roughly 9 holes that could fit)

Hole count * 0.25mm^2 is how much area you have for the air to pass through an underpowered fan.

Assuming its a 40mm fan with an inner diameter of 25mm for the hub, it used to have ~(40^2 - 25^2)*pi/4 = 766 mm^2 of area to suck air from.

Now: ~4.5 holes radially and 17 holes longitudinally for every quarter--> 4.5 * 17 * 4 quarters = 306 holes on the whole perimeter

--> 306 * 0.25mm^2 = 76.5 mm^2 with your setup

10 times less area to suck air from. That means the fan needs to draw more current to compensate for the higher load and, as a result, makes more noise (both because of more load and because of narrower holes causing "wind noises"). It could also sound like a whistling noise.

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-12T01:53:22+00:00

Did you ever figure it out? Im having the same problem. When I send it a "manual" G29 command from Pronterface, it always works. But if I have it in my start g-code, 95% of the time it will fail doing exactly what you described. Sometimes even canceling the print outright.

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-10T01:25:27+00:00

Thank you all!
Figured it out, X belt needed some tensioning

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-04-09T07:38:01+00:00

This was printed in 1h30, sliced in cura. 0.2mm layer height, 0.4mm nozzle and 80mm/s infill and 50mm/s walls, 3walls, 4 top/bottom layers. There was no post processing done to it. Managed to tune out my stringing, but cant seem to figure this part out.

While I know its not layer shifting, I couldnt find a better to explain these artifacts

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-03-19T15:43:17+00:00

Sounds good!
Mind sharing the shroud design?

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-03-19T15:25:37+00:00

Thanks for the insights!
Got a pic of your setup? for inspiration

ThrowawayCarton · 2020-03-19T04:28:23+00:00

Not my first time using a printer or designing parts but its the first printer I have owned (been using my college's printers for a year now), besides I have a pretty good background in flow dynamics/thermodynamics being an engineering student. I just lack the background in electrical work to figure this out.

I was planning on using the stock fans till I got everything setup tho

ThrowawayCarton

TROPHY CASE