If you need gears... Print them...

My Creality 10S should be here Monday and the price of gears from Clausing is what pushed me over the edge . I figure I can print a LOT of replacements not to mention other stuff and come out ahead .

Thanks to the OP for this thread because it honestly hadn't ocured to me to buy a printer to play with until I saw it LOL .
 
FarmDad said:
My Creality 10S should be here Monday and the price of gears from Clausing is what pushed me over the edge . I figure I can print a LOT of replacements not to mention other stuff and come out ahead .

Thanks to the OP for this thread because it honestly hadn't ocured to me to buy a printer to play with until I saw it LOL .
Click to expand...
I am on the same boat. Please keep us updated on the Creality.
 
It arrived yesterday . Assembly was straightforward as long as you paid attention to the axis labels on the cableing. The unlabeled cable goes on the " string sensor limit switch " . The included instructions are worthless so head to Youtube for unboxing and assembly videos. As far as that topic goes about the best and most understandable I found was by this fella https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC55pmMthdArS4MV1x9FT9nQ I did not get the table trammed yet ( They say level the table , but you need to think of it like tramming a mill using a piece of paper to set the gap between the print head and print surface at least on the corners and center ) . Not sure how much time to mess with it I will have now until next week .

Edited to add ..

Once I get it squirting plastic as it should one of the first things I will print is one of the dial indicator holders on thingieverse ( same site as the gears ) that can be found by searching for CR-10 . That should make keeping it in tram a lot easier .
 
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FarmDad said:
Once I get it squirting plastic as it should one of the first things I will print is one of the dial indicator holders on thingieverse ( same site as the gears ) that can be found by searching for CR-10 . That should make keeping it in tram a lot easier .
Click to expand...

The instructions are not worth much. It is good that there are many YouTube videos for this printer.

MyFordBoy has a dial indicator support for the CR10 printer. I printed this. I had to drill out the hole for the indicator shaft since my indicators seem to have slightly larger shaft diameter than his, but this was easy.

Dial indicator for CR10

The springs on the adjustment screws are easy to push, so using the paper level method will give inconsistent results. The dial indicator will not push the screws much. I found just touching the screw knob would move the bed, so need a light touch.

If your SD card is like mine, the Cura software file is corrupt. I downloaded from the latest beta version from the parent, Ultimaker site, but this would not work due to a Microsoft dll being missing for Visual Studio. I could not get the dll since it is part of an upgrade and I need who knows how many other upgrades before this would work.

I went to the Slic3r site and downloaded Slic3r which I am now using. Works well. It does not show the estimated print time.

Slic3r site

I also downloaded IdeaMaker but I was not able to tweak the settings to get some prints to work.

I have found the slicer software settings make a BIG difference to the print, and to the time required to print. There will be some learning curve with any slicer software.

If you want to get estimated print time when using Slic3r, drag and drop the STL file into this site.

GCode site
 
Some of my first prints in case this helps others.

I read about using blue masking tape on the glass to help the print stick to the bed while printing. This is a cheap roll of blue masking tape from a flea market.

This was an initial print with very few tweaks in the Slic3r software.

Handwheel_first_attempt_8566.jpg

It did stick, too well. I had a difficult time getting this off the bed. I later read I should have used some denatured alcohol to dissolve the adhesive under the tape.

I then switched to 3M brand blue painters tape. This has much better adhesive. Sticks to the glass for printing but easy to remove afterwards.

Second attempt on the left, first attempt on the right. Some of the cheap tape fused to the bottom.

The tan/orange marks on the left are from the 3M printing on the tape. I now wipe the tape to remove the print on the tape.

Handwheel_comparison_different_masking_tapes_8570.jpg

A toolholder for a dial indicator for my AXA QCTP. First attempt on the right. The bottom warped during printing.

After some reading I tweaked the slicing software. I now add a skirt to help hold the print to the bed. This also helps when the nozzle first begins a print. Often some stringy pieces. These are then in the skirt and not the print.

Toolholder_for_dial_indicator_comparison_8598.jpg

You may need to have the slicing software generate support material for the gear surfaces.

The filament tends to sag on horizontal runs. This happened in the dial indicator holder for the CR-10. I did not click on the generate support material option so the horizontal part which holds the indicator has some separation. Still works for my needs, but if I did this again I would include support material.

If I were making the change gears, I would not want the risk of the body of the gear not being solid.

DIal_indicator_holder_some_separation_on_back_8568.jpg
 
Running a printer is a bit of an art...

For the skirt/brim, some slicers have an option to offset it from the part, so you print an outline a few mm away from the part to prime the nozzle and such. Unless you need the extra adhesion to the bed, it is a nice option to use. Makes cleanup on the parts go a bit faster.

For most things, 20% infill is plenty. For gears and such, do 100%, but make sure your extrusion rate is calibrated properly or you get weird artifacts and off size prints.

Overhangs over about 45 degrees need support.

You need it to stick, but not too much.. Level the bed and adjust the starting height properly.

For most materials, a PEI sheet is a really good option. I bought mine from these guys. http://catalog.cshyde.com/viewitems/3d-printing-materials/ultem-pei I went with a 20mil. If you need a size not listed, email them. They can make custom sizes. I like it far better than tape, hairspray, etc..

The settings in your slicer program are a bit of a rabbit hole. You can tinker almost endlessly with them to dial in settings. Don't go too nuts, unless you're making a lot of the same part.

I like this test part when setting up a new filament ... https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1023717 It prints fast, but tests a lot of little things. Then I use pliers and bend them to test inter-layer bonds. If it falls apart all along layer lines, increase print temp. Helps to make sure you get a good solid print. Even changing colors, this can make a difference.

Handy lathe print for AXA toolposts.. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1396510

Hope some of it helps. :)
 
Around 2013 I had the idea to print a gear for my leadscrew so that I could cut a specific metric thread. Worked out the math given my QC gearbox ratios in each position to find a position where I could get the pitch by making a single new gear of reasonable dimensions. I did not want to print a set of change gears; I just wanted to cut a single metric pitch, one time.

So I used sketchup with the involute gear plugin, punched in # of teeth, and boom. Done. Printed in Taulman Nylon645. It worked great, and I've actually used it several more times over the years and it's still holding up.

I would be cautious though, about printing an entire geartrain. Especially out of nylon, since it has some give. It might be enough give that the cumulative error (flex) of the gears would cause problems if threading.
 
Ran off a few things for the household by just opening them in cura and saving the file to the sd . Some things printed great , others just made a rats nest with no bed adhesion at all starting and then minimal a few circles of the head in . Bed is trammed and some files print nicely so I am sure it is something i am missing in cura . Its going to be a learning curve on this thing for sure .
 
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This new machine came with a plastic/nylon sacrificial safety gear. It's a 1640 TE with 5 hp motor so solid plastic is a good choice.
IMG_2768.JPG
Paco
 
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