While practicing the Quadrotor‘s motor mounts on a Shopbot gave me experience in how to register two sides for milling, I didn’t want to invest the time required for the arm mounts. So I decided to make use of the MakerBot Replicator 2 to print physical samples in PLA. Time per piece went from about an hour to about 15 minutes.
Recently TechShop opened up one of their shops in Round Rock which is just a few minutes from Austin, where I live. TechShop is an awesome membership based workshop with a huge variety of tools useful for making things. On this holiday Friday I decided to spend some time with the MakerBot Replicator.
For some time I have been looking at a mini-tripod for my camera/iPhone so I could get pictures of projects while working on them. While browsing Thingiverse, I came across design files for such a thing.
Since this was my first time using ReplicatorG and the first time I made a 3D print, I decided not to make any modifications. As it turned out I used the latest version of ReplicatorG (0040) which appears to have a bug. When I extruded using the Replicator’s left extruder the MakerBot started off the platform (as if it was using the coordinates for the right extruder). After down-reving to 0037, things worked fine.
It also appears my Patroit-branded 2GB memory card is not compatible with the MakerBot’s reader. Bummer.
During the safety and basic use class we spent quite a bit of time on how to level the build platform. It seemed like a simple enough procedure, so I didn’t fully understand why we spent so much time on it. The first two pieces of the tripod I printed had a bit of a mess on the first layers above the raft. After going through the leveling procedure a 2nd time, parts came out much (much) cleaner.
This particular design took 6 prints of 5 pieces to be completed. The total print time was around an hour to an hour and a half. In order to attach to a camera a screw is necessary. On the Thingivere project page, at least one individual has tried printing their own screw. My TechShop is partnered with a Lowe’s, so i went for the pre-made screws.
Overall the tripod doesn’t really withstand much weight. However, I think it will work for the couple of times went I want to use my camera to shoot some video or get a clear macro shot of a project.
