Hi All!
Mini Makerspace Updates will be tagged with the tag “Mini Makerspace Project” for easy reference. Do check out the posts on our Solidoodle 3d Printer and PROXXON DS 230/E Scroll Saw.
Do let us know what you think by leaving a comment or sending us an email!
And as always,
Make.Share.Learn
The PROXXON DS 230/E
Introduction
This is our handy scroll saw, the PROXXON DS 230/E. With its small form factor of about 26.5cm x 44cm x 31 cm (L x B x H), it was well suited for our mini makerspace. Well built and packed with many useful features, it was worth every bit of the SGD 265 spent.
Features
There are many features in the DS 230/E. You can find them in the PROXXON Catalog or in the promotional video. We would like to highlight to you the features that we find useful:
1. Small Form Factor
The small form factor made this scroll saw very well suited for my mini makerspace. Despite the small form factor, it is still capable of handling up to 40mm soft wood. I have tried cutting acrylic tubes, carbon fibre tubes and also as mentioned, the 40mm soft wood block.
40mm Soft Wood Block on the Right. Cut into halves as shown on the Left.
With the long 30cm throat, this scroll saw can also accommodate wider workpieces.
Side View: Look at that long throat!
2. Adjustable Speed
On/Off Switch and the Speed Adjustment Dial
The stroke rate can be controlled from 150 rpm to 2500 rpm by using the adjusting the speed dial located at the left side of the front panel. This is useful when gentle workpieces require a slower cutting speed or when a higher speed is required for tougher workpieces.
3. Longitudinal Stop and Mitre Fence with an angle scale
Longitudinal Stop
The longitudinal stop serves as a guide for workpieces to slide against to get a smooth and even cut. It can be adjusted by loosening the thumb screw at the end. When tightened, it is perpendicular to the aluminium table. There is a scale(in cm) to set the distance between the saw blade and the longitudinal stop.
Mitre Fence with adjustable angle scale
The mitre fence allows you to guide and push the workpiece parallel towards the blade. There is barely any shaking when pushing the fence but it is smooth enough to push effortlessly( no load of course!). The adjustable angle scale allows it to guide the workpiece towards the blade at an angle, producing an angled cut. Similarly, when the angle scale is secured by tightening the thumb screw, it does not shake or moves out of position easily. The scale is made with increments of 5 degrees. For any other angles, it would be advised to use a protractor to check.
4. Vacuum Cleaner Adaptor
Vacuum Cleaner Adaptor
Vacuum Cleaner Adaptor attached
This is one of our favourite features simply because it reduces the amount of dust that would otherwise dirty the place or get in the way of cutting. The standard vacuum cleaner tube fits snugly inside the adaptor and does not get out easily. It is connected to the cavity under the aluminium table. When in operation, the vacuum sucks sawdust through the hole in the aluminium plate. The cavity can be accessed by opening the side cover.
Vacuum Intake on the Right
5. Blower
Blower Diagram
This is the coolest feature and here’s how it works:
Air hole as indicated by the red circle
It has been very effective so far. Dust hardly sticks around the blade area.
6. Outstanding Build Quality
We like the quality of the parts and accessories provided. It feels very well done and strong. Parts and accessories such as the mitre fence fits in nicely with enough space to move when intended. The toughness of the ABS is unexpected due to its small and toy-ish looks. It is far from toy-ish. Scales such as those for the mitre fence and angle scale were accurate.
Conclusion
The scroll saw is super handy in dealing with small workpieces and has the capability of even tackling some larger ones. It brings a greater range to the types of parts we can create with its ability to produce straight cuts and cuts of different shapes. This is also why we decided to buy it ahead of the other equipments. Although the scroll saw may operate at relatively low speeds and is small in size, we still emphasize on safety and wear protective eyewear and take the necessary safety precautions.
Feel free to tell us what you think or would like to know by leaving a comment or sending us an email.
And as always,
Make.Share.Learn
The Solidoodle 4th Generation
Introduction
We wanted a 3d printer to create parts that we could not normally create with hand tools. The Solidoodle was just right for us with its low price and exceptional performance. It costed us about SGD1400. Over time we made some minor modifications based on what we have learnt and encountered. We learned a lot through the many prints we had, research and even talking to fellow users of 3d printers at a makers event! Let us talk about our trusty plastic extruding friend!
Features
The specifications for this printer can be found at http://www.solidoodle.com/Solidoodle4. But we would like to highlight a few features we liked:
1. Heated Build Platform
The Solidoodle came with a very useful aluminium heated build platform. It also has a layer of kapton tape to help the print stick well onto the build platform. These together proved super useful for ABS prints. We tested ABS prints without the build platform heated and it didnt go so well; the corners warped since the base did not stick well to the platform and due to the layers contracting.
Unfortunately, we did run into some problems with the heated build plate after some time. We found it odd that prints were warping and suspected that the build platform may not be flat. True enough, it was not.
Bent Heated Build Plate
We placed a ruler to confirm this. Thankfully, the awesome team at Solidoodle were understanding and agreed to do a 1-for-1 exchange for the heated build plate. However, we had to pay for the shipping cost for the defective build plate to be sent back to Brooklyn, NY(We live in Singapore!). The new build plate was sent back to us rather quickly. As you may have noticed in the first picture in the post, we are using the acrylic build platform. We made the acrylic build platform ourselves to allow us to continue printing while the heated build platforms were exchanged. We will talk more about the acrylic build platform later.
2. Enclosure
The sleek, black enclosure made the 3d printer very presentable and cool. On the functional side, it was useful for the following reasons:
3. Able to print parts up to 8″ x 8″ x 8″
We never had to worry about the printer not being able to accomodate any of our prints so far and were able to fit as many prints within the build platform at the same time. ‘Nuff said.
4. Ease in setting up.
The Solidoodle 4 was surprisingly easy to set up and use. To quote the guide on the Solidoodle support page, it could be done in 6 steps:
Software and drivers downloaded without a problem at all. When the Solidoodle was plugged in it was detected by my computer in no time, unlike other devices i have used which required me to manually download the drivers again until i get the right one . Installation of the filament and calibration for the Solidoodle were made easy with the cmprehensive video guide by Solidoodle. Printing was easily done through the Repetier Host Software. We were able to get that all done within 2 hours.
Tools
Tools. Note that it did not come with the UHU glue stick.
The Solidoodle came with the following tools:
We added the UHU glue stick to the tools as we apply it on the build platform occasionally.
Modifications
Over time, we improved the Solidoodle with modifications after encountering problems or simply coming across interesting ideas.
1. Cooling fan for the extruder assembly
After talking to some experienced users during the makers event, we were really convinced about the advantages of having a cooling fan to cool the print as it is extruded. We 3d printed a simple bracket to mount onto the front of the extruder assembly and modified the current wiring of the cooling fans in the Solidoodle. Prints became sharper and much better. It was an easy modification which produced outstanding improvement to the Solidoodle
2. Acrylic Build Plate
In the absence of the heated build plate, we made our own acrylic build plate to allow us to continue printing. We followed the dimensions and fittings of the heated build plate. We went for a layered aproach for the design; The top layer can be replaced and secured with clips(as shown in the above picture) while the bottom layer is secured to the Z axis platform with the original screws. This allowed up to tr out different build platform surfaces such as glass and glue. The glass surface did not work as well as the acrylic surface. The glue used was the UHU glue stick.
3. Dump Tray
Cardboard Dump Tray
Modifications dont have to be complex to be useful! This dump tray was a re-purposed cardboard tray from some packaging and it serves its purpose really well. When the extruder is heating up, some run-off filament is formed a droops down onto the base. This dump tray catches the run-off and also any other unwanted extrusions formed on the platform which I pick out using the tweezers.
4. USB Cable Management
USB Cable Management
Another simple but useful improvement to the printer. We dont always keep the Solidoodle connected to the computer and the cable is usually lying around on the table. We installed two stick-on hooks to the side of the Solidoodle to allow us to wind up and keep the USB cable neatly.
Conclusion
The Solidoodle has brought us many new experiences, from 3D designing, to making modifications to improve the performance of it. We have been told by many others that we should have gotten other brands of 3d printers but have still been happy and proud of the Solidoodle 4th Gen. Despite facing some problems, we were able to overcome them with help of the online community and support from Solidoodle. We would encourage anyone who has the interest in 3d printers to get a 3D printer. Not only will you be able to learn more about 3D printing technology, but also 3D designing, parts design etc. We feel that it is a one-of-a-kind equipment that one can grow and learn with.
Leave us a comment if you would like to know more of our experience with the Solidoodle and 3D printing. Or you could drop us an email.
Make.Share.Learn
Design Considerations
Below are some of the considerations we have come up with:
1. Costs:
Since we do not have much money, we will be trying to keep it low cost. It may be cost effective to DIY the various equipment required but however, we have decided to purchase our equipment ready made for the following reasons:
Also to better balance our budget between the setting up of the makerspace and other projects, we have prioritized the buying of equipments according to its usability across various projects. For example, we have purchased a scroll saw instead of a table saw we wanted as a scroll saw do various cuts such as curves but also allow us to do straight cuts.
2. Space:
The current area(my room) does not have enough space. To cope with the lack of space, the following were considered:
3. Safety and Hygiene:
Safety is a key priority. We feel that there are 2 areas of safety to address: Equipment Safety and Safety Practices.
Besides the more obvious dangers such as cuts from cutting tools and edges, we also have to be wary of other dangers such as fumes from various things such as spray paints and glues.
Hygiene is especially important since the mini makerspace will be set up in the bedroom.
Safety and Hygiene will be further elaborated in a future post.
For each equipment featured in the future, we will state our considerations when choosing it.
If you think that there are other things we can consider in our selection of equipment, do let us know.
Make.Share.Learn
make.share.learn 