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Phlatprinter MK3

Discussion in 'General Phlatprinter 3 Chat' started by theothers, Jul 18, 2010.

  1. Ampair

    Ampair New Member

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    Mark is not going to be content until he can throw the raw materials for blowing foam in one end and get a painted, glued-up RTF out the other end, just needing the Phlatformed canopy installed. ;)
     
  2. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Some teaser pics for you guys. This is the access door prototype for the circuit side of the Mk3!
    Its on a pantograph style hinge which helps it to fit flush and out of the way when its closed and still keeps a low profile when open. I still have some work to do on it but I have to say it adds a cool wow factor to the MK3. It opens like a bulkhead type door for ships and commercial jets. :D
    It will be much better this way then to have to remove the side panel machine screws to access the circuit.
    Hope you guys like it
    Mark and Trish

    Attached files [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous New Member

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    Wow, that is a great-looking addition Mark, and one that I'll bet will be greatly appreciated! :cool:
     
  4. 7up

    7up Moderator Staff Member

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    Mark, that is a well needed feature. Good thinking on that hinge type.

    I couldn't tell much about the pics, they seem dark to me, I am sure it's my eyes but I lightened them up a bit and re-posted, just in case anybody else is getting old. :lol: Attached files [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
  5. jkarnacki

    jkarnacki Member

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    Very cool - I remember reading that some people used wood screws on certain parts of the MKII just in case they ever needed to replace electronics or stepper motors instead of having to basically rip the machine apart.

    I too remember when the original Phlatprinter was posted in the foamies section of RCG years ago. Back then a $600 machine was out of my reach but fortunately nowadays I can afford it.

    - Jeff
     
  6. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Thanks guys I agree this is going to save a lot of time in the long run :) It still needs a few tweaks but it's working! I was so excited last night that I just had to put it together to see it in action :lol: Do you guys remember the old stereo cabinet style doors that had a spring loaded magnetic hinge. When you pressed the (usually glass) door in it would pop out enough for you to grab it and open it. That's what we are going for here and it looks like it just may work. I do have testing to do with it but its working better then I could have hoped :)
    Thanks again guys, we are getting very close now! :mrgreen:
    Mark and Trish
     
  7. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Hay 7UP.. Thanks for the photo tweak...:) We need to get Mark and Trish a camera with a flash ;)

    As far as wood screws in the older designs... I used 6/32 and 4/40 blind nuts all over on my MK 1.6785 PP. Sure glad I did as it makes taking the cabinet apart a breeze, they stay tight, and I don't have to worry about wearing out the threads. So if you used wood screws, you may want to look at replacing some of the looser ones with blind nuts. I get them from microfasteners.com as you get about 50 to 100 for a little more than the cost of just a few at the hardware store/hobby shop. Lots of cool hardware items there. I've been shopping with them back in the day when you got a catalog in the mail, and had to call your order in. Haven't been dissapointed with anything I ever got from them.
     
  8. Anonymous

    Anonymous New Member

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    rcav8r, you have a Mk 1 11/16? I think you meant 1.6875
     
  9. rcav8r

    rcav8r Moderator Staff Member

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    Dang dyslexia :D
     
  10. TigerPilot

    TigerPilot Well-Known Member

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  11. Anonymous

    Anonymous New Member

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    @Mark, here's a link about a company that makes large diameter rubber rollers. I got a sample pack from them at a Job Shop Show that has small pieces of ShoreA 50, 60, 70, 80 & 95 and ShoreD 75 material. http://www.westernroller.com
     
  12. flyn_brian

    flyn_brian New Member

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  13. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Hey guys thank you for these great links. I am working on adapting the conveyor type rollers to the MK3 so that we all have the option of trying out different roller coverings.
    I found an a couple old rollers at a surplus store here in town and they roll perfect! Nice and straight and roll on forever :)
    Another nice feature is that they will be a larger diameter and that will allow us to have more torque on the x axis for heaver materials. The trade off will be the speed, but the drive rollers on the Phlatprinters have always had plenty of that to spare ;)
    I think we are on to it now We are ordering a few test parts to see how it works out.
    Mark and Trish
    p.s. here is a pic of the old rusty ones I picked up to try out
    Attached files [​IMG]
     
  14. jkarnacki

    jkarnacki Member

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    You think the MKIII could mill a whole airfoil wing out of 2" foam? (without the hotwire attatchment.) I thought maybe it could be done just like hinge lines are, small steps at a time. There would need to be a small border left that would need to be cut off afterwards so that the rollers would have something flat to roll on. A flat bottom airfoil might work, but a symm/semi-symm would need to be flipped over to mill the other side...

    - Jeff
     
  15. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Jeff, Should work fine. I need to try to do an entire aircraft from two sides. I would like to try something that has a blended wing because it would be very complex to to any other way.
    Sounds like we have a project to tryout on the MKIII :)
    Mark and Trish
     
  16. cptdragn

    cptdragn Member

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    Mark,
    Something else to think about and slow down the release of the MKIII,
    Your door mod is GREAT. But, have you considered mounting the board on the door it self? It would make it very easy to adjust everything as well as be able to change the driver chips should one fail ( not like that’s a real possibility right? :roll: ) Hooking up the wiring would also be rather easy as well as its in the light and not deeper into the box itself.

    Something to consider at any rate.
     
  17. kyyu

    kyyu Active Member

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    It's probably not a good idea to mount the driver board on the door. I think it will cause endless problems with the wiring and likely to be damaged when it's stuck accidentally by the user. You know, at least the heat sinks will be flying everywhere.

    -Kwok
     
  18. TigerPilot

    TigerPilot Well-Known Member

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    I agree with Kwok about the door not being ideal but I still like the idea of having the board come out for easier service. Maybe mounting the board on a hinged shelve or a pull-out shelve.
     
  19. cptdragn

    cptdragn Member

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    While I would agree that you could hit the board by mistake and damage a chip, Let me point out that the MK1 board was/ is mounted on the outside of the case and few if any complaints had been made about doing damage to the board. Also, in this case, the only time the board would be exsposed would be to service the unit. at all other times it would be closed and theer by protecting the board.
    As for problems with the wiring, I don't see it. You can build in a relief for the cord and even go as far as encasing it in a wire loom to protect it. Again, the door would only be open for servicing the unit and not something you would do every day in any case.
     
  20. 7up

    7up Moderator Staff Member

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    Sounds like a good mod for the end user.
     
  21. kram242

    kram242 Administrator Staff Member

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    Ok guys look what I found out on the steps, left there just waiting for someone to pick up and take care of :D


    This is the power supply that Crash(Mike) has been working on to help us out with the hot wire bow attachment of the Phlatprinter MK3!
    I have to say Mike well done! This came out so much better the I had imagined. Very professionally built and well thought out. Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to put this together and make it a reality for us to be able to use the bow attachment now. I can't wait to give this a try!
    Phlatboyz,LLC hopes to be able to put a seal of approval on these and add them to the Phlatstore at a modest price, so we can all share the hot-wire cutting experience, not only for the Phlatprinter MK3 but for your hotwire bows as well.
    Mike has been very busy putting together tutorial videos so you guys can build your own as well.
    Thank you again Mike for all your efforts in making this a reality! You ROCK! :D
    Mark and Trish Attached files [​IMG]
     
  22. Crash

    Crash Moderator Staff Member

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  23. GorillaBob

    GorillaBob New Member

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    Mark,

    If you guys get the roller traction problems worked out, will the MKIII be able to handle cutting flat aluminum? I would like to make some motor mounts for a quadracopter and would like to use the flat stock at the hardware store.
     
  24. Flashsolutions

    Flashsolutions Active Member

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    What are the inside dimensions of the box? I am using a Gecko G540 controller on my MKI.5 which is a Cadillac compared to the Easy CNC controllers VW (IMHO).

    Never have to worry about chips falling out and the wiring for the steppers use 9 pin connectors for a neat clean installation.
     
  25. crash5050

    crash5050 Member

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    Flash, where did you get the 9db connectors for the steppers?
     

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