-
Search Results
-
In reply to: automaker in use
Well, there’s nothing wrong with using open source software in closed-source software if the licence permits it. For a start, all the main desktop closed-source OSes contain third-party OSS, as well as the majority of commercial games. I personally dislike the GNU approach that expects you to agree with their political philosophy in order to use their code. I prefer a more pragmatic approach, eg. the Apache licensing model.
There’s a lot of proprietary intellectual property in AutoMaker and the Robox firmware that I can understand CEL not wanting to open-source right now: there’s a pretty hefty risk of being ripped off by a company with less overhead and better funding.
However, I think there’s a really good case for CEL to look into ring-fencing the proprietary parts as a closed-source component and opening as much of the rest as possible on GitHub so others can contribute. I’m not particularly familiar with AutoMaker’s competitors as such, as far as the part that is a straightforward front-end for arranging models and starting print jobs is concerned, so I can’t tell which parts are precious or not.
There’s also a worry that users would tweak things or use unofficial builds and then bitch and complain when their heads or extruders fail. In the future that’s less of a concern, but while so many users are having teething trouble with this first release of Robox, at least keeping a single version of the software platform out there for now it reduces the number of unknowns.
Anyway, isn’t Cura just a host application: an analogue for AutoMaker? CEL’s plan is clearly that the Robox platform consists of the Robox hardware, firmware and AutoMaker software; not just the Robox hardware. Why buy a Robox if you’re going to throw half of it away? As I understand it, AutoMaker exists because there isn’t (yet) a host application with the required features: handling of dual-size nozzles, support for SmartReel functionality, the specific configurations required for Robox, and so forth. From the look of it, Cura is similarly tailored towards their hardware platform, with third-party printers being treated as a distinct afterthought.
A more useful question would be to ask if Repetier (for example) could be adapted for use with Robox, but I still ask Why? It’s basically like buying a Ford and then deciding to replace the bodywork and interior with that of a Volkswagen because you prefer it. Why not just buy the Volkswagen?
Now, having the option to replace Slic3r is another matter! I can see some technical issues: as there needs to be a post-processing step to amend the GCode from Slic3r for Robox features, feeding it the GCode from a different slicer would require the Robox post-processing script to drop all the assumptions it makes about the input GCode. In other words, right now the Robox script is presumably designed to input Slic3r-made GCode, rather than generic GCode, so it could cause trouble if the GCode contains weird unexpected stuff.
As far as the current use of an AGPL’ed slicer is concerned: while it’s currently unconfirmed whether AutoMaker/Robox can properly use the GCode of other slicers, the fact that it is using a well-known open language to i/o with the slicer indicates that it can use a GPL’ed slicer without requiring AM to be open-sourced. If it were tightly integrated to the point that AM couldn’t use another slicer, there could be an issue or two: they would have to insulate the interface to Slic3r through an open-sourced interface layer to be properly compliant. However, AM does have a button to input arbitrary GCode so it’s clearly intended to be slicer-independent.
Tom Gidden -- Bristol, UK -- New Roboxer? Check out the wiki, and add yourself to the map! http://roboxing.com/user_locationsOn drying the filament in the oven: See my initial question 3.b. We need to know whether the Roboxo SmartReel’s EEPROM can withstand the heat? 100°C, that’s quite a bit. @pete?
Those of us who are new to 3d printing, are probably not aware of the fact that PLA is highly hydrophilic and will quickly uptake atmospheric moisture. The water molecules in the filament can then lead to unexpected print results. It is therefore recommended to store the PLA filament in a sealed bag together with Silica gel pouches, when not in use.
The community at roboxing.com is therefore about to write a Wiki page on how to properly store filaments and cure filament which „got wet“. You can support the effort by replying to the following questions hereafter and/or can become a roboxing member and contribute to that page at roboxing.com/how_to_properly_store_and_cure_3d_printing_filaments.
Questions to be answered and content needed:
- Pictures of 3d prints which show clear signs of water in the filament and descriptions of such.
- How fast does the PLA attract moisture? How long can it sit on the Robox’s reel holder before a moisture saturation becomes noticeable (given that your office is not located in the Rainforest or by the sea)?
- When curing/drying „wet“ filament in the oven:
- For how long at which temperature?
- Can the Robox SmartReel EEPROM withstand that temperature without any problems?
- Are other filament types such as ABS, Nylon, etc. hydrophilic too and need special treatment as well?
As far as the filament door’s concerned, I don’t think it’s worth doing unless it’s done well.
What I think I’d do if I were CEL (which is NOT necessarily the same as what I think might be the best solution!) is to make the SmartReels closed containers. An outer non-moving torodial container would be fixed to the current non-moving inner hub including the EEPROM. This would wholly contain a free-to-move reel just like the current one, but without the spokes. The container could be a two-part split on the circumference, or perhaps like CD/DVD cake boxes, except with a second internal thread to seal the inside circumference from the hub. The filament itself would exit via a port in the outer container with a very soft grommet. I’m not sure if that would be enough to block humidity well enough, but it’s a thought. Maybe include a few gel pouches inside the torus.
That would add an extra raison d’être for the proprietary SmartReel model and wouldn’t cost much to add to the existing design.
- This reply was modified 3 months ago by gid.
Tom Gidden -- Bristol, UK -- New Roboxer? Check out the wiki, and add yourself to the map! http://roboxing.com/user_locationsIn reply to: Reels with EEPROM
Wow. Old thread.
After buying several hundred dollars in material, I see that there seems to be three or four designs of reels out there. I have repurposed a turntable I built to hold industrial thread spools on my sewing machine for the Robox. I am thinking though that I will look into a EEPROM card that I can store with my filament that isn’t on a smart reel so that I don’t have to select the profiles by hand. Less chance of making a mistake.
In reply to: Finally printing: Minifig coffin
You’ll find the volume of material used for the print job in the .statistics file, in the printjobs folder (My Documents\CEL Robox\PrintJobs) - they currently have randomly assigned UIDs, but we’re working on making more of this plain text readable, and obviously these details will be also be available in AutoMaker soon. To convert mm³ to mm - divide by 2.4 (near as damnit), and then divide by 1000 to get it in metres (there’s ~240m on a SmartReel). @bespokeproductdesign you’re right, it’s fairly low on the list of priorities right now!
In reply to: Changing filament
Hi, you can change the material reel without heating the head. This is possible because when the hend is not hot the material is fully retracted from it. You will obviously need to heat the head to perform a purge or to extrude the material, though.
If using a material without a smart reel you can print without keeping the smart reel in the printer. The only difference is that you will have to manually select a material profile in the print settings area before starting a job.
Other option is to keep a smart reel loaded with a similar material in the printer to avoid having to select the profile every time you print. So, if you are using ABS plastic, just make sure to have a smart reel inserted with an ABS profile programmed to it.
I hope this helps.
In reply to: Update #22
@mr-burns The design of the second reel holder is still in concept stage at the moment, but it will be able to read the EEPROM from both reels - we have an addressing pin to allow this. An idea at the moment is to produce a hermetically sealed enclosure (good for very hygroscopic materials such as PVOH) which fits into the reel dock and contains a reel. This will have a second hub feature on the outer surface which allows for another reel to be mounted (to the enclosure essentially) and it will pass the required EEPROM connections through the enclosure. As I say, just a concept at the moment…
@mikeg The retraction you’ve noticed isn’t actually used by Robox at the moment (I don’t think - not quite my area), it is simply used to trigger the needle valve motion through a post-processor for the GCode - this allows us to use and switch to any available slicer as the backend for AutoMaker, and then just pass it through the post processor for valve control.
Glad you like the manual - there’s lots more still to come, but due to the development status of the software it’s still constantly changing - many parameters that are available now won’t be required in future versions, and likewise we’ll be adding new features as they become available. This is the reason we have decided not to include a printed manual, it will be available on the included USB drive and for download from our website. In the box you will get a safety information guide, warranty registration card and Quick Start Guide which should remain fairly fixed throughout the lifetime of the product.
Another point to mention is that we’re in discussion with 2 or 3 resellers in AU that will be buying stock of SmartReels, so they’ll be available locally with a much lower shipping cost - the prices you see now are for shipping straight from the factory.
We may consider making a ‘direct-extrusion’ head (pull rather than push) at some point in the future, but right now we have to concentrate on current functionality, and the upcoming dual material head. Our extruder should be able to cope with flexible filament with some minor modification to the feedpath, but it would be at very slow print speeds, and so far is completely untested.
@scribbleswd We will be putting up the software for download soon, we just have enough testing platforms in the beta group at the moment, allowing us to iron out some of the various issues such as character sets and language, install platform, hardware specs etc. If we release to everyone at this stage, I think we will be inundated with feedback and support requests, which are difficult to respond to with the size of our team. That’s what the beta group are for… Look out for an update soon which should address shipping dates.
Hope that covers a few things…
In reply to: Update #22
Of great interest to me as freight smart reels of material to Oz cost’s more that the material.
In reply to: Weight of printing object in software
I wonder how Cura knows the weight? We could use a general figure for ABS but it wont be accurate, close but not real. Volume of material is known as soon as the slicing is done, Cura slices with each change.
Adding material weight to the SmartReel data isn’t a big problem, it wouldn’t work for 3rd part materials unless a user entered the weight manually.
Despite the (E)EPROM on the Material, CEL advertises the Robox to be open for other filaments. Here’s my idea on how to take the plug-n-play concept a bit further:
The material settings editor in Automaker should have access to an online datase, which gets managed by the Robox users. To make the huge list of materials manageable , they are grouped by manufacturer/store first, followed by type [PLA, ABS, Nylon, Wood-like, Rubber, etc.] (I think the order manufacturer > material is better than the other way around, due to the subversions of PLA for instance). Robox users should be able to
- pick & retrieve material settings
- rate and comment the quality of the setting, depending on the print result (so others can see which materials are no good or which settings might need to get revised)
- submit their revisions of the setting, which others then can download & rate as well
- provide new materials with settings
- write the settings to the EEPROM of empty Robox Filament reels
Here a serious marketing hint for Chris Elsworthy: the Robox 3D Filament Store (= iTunes Store for 3D filaments)
If CEL would be really smart , they’d do the following:- give manufacturers and online sellers of 3D filaments access to a Robox at very, very low cost, so that they can figure the best possible setting for their various filaments for use with the Robox (the idea is not to make money on those, but to get their interest and support for the Robox plus it will lead to a number of new resellers)
- give those manufacturers/sellers the option to purchase empty Robox reels at self-cost so they can write the settings to the EEPROM and spool their filaments
- create an online platform accessible through Automaker (and web browsers), which allows Robox users to quickly choose filaments from a huge number of manufacturers and materials.
- after registration filament manufacturers can upload their products with picture, properties (by picking valuen from given list for material type, elasticity, conductivity, translucency, glow in the dark etc.) and of course their price
- now comes the interesting part: on every item sold through the Robox 3D Filament Store, CEL keeps 15% of the charged amount. CEL could either invoice the filament sellers based on the records, or do the credit card/payment processing and payout 85% to the sellers.
- considerable: allowing competition, which means that any seller can offer any manufacturer’s filament at their specific price (technical side note: this requires each filament brand/type to have a unique product ID in the database), so Robox users have a price comparison tool in the Robox 3D Filament Store (R3DFS) as well. Let’s face it, folks: people will do price an online price comparison, so why not implement it into the R3DFS, and thus avoid Robox users from purchasing somewhere else. Plus: an online price comparison for 3D filament (remember the R3DFS is browser accessible) will attract owners of other 3D printers as well, thus increasing the Robox awareness!
In my opinion this is a Win-Win-Win situation:
- Robox Users: easy access and overview of all materials on the market
- Filament Manufacturers/Sellers: new customers which otherwise might not come across their product offers
- CEL: increase Robox awareness, earn on every filament sold, whether it’s a CEL or 3rd party filament
There is nothing particularly special happening there.
Printing support in PVA is not a problem using our Dual Material Head http://robox.cel-uk.com/modules/rbx1-dmkit.htmlWe have some test samples of PVA material but have not yet chosen a supplier. PVA will be available on a pre-programmed SmartReel from our shop.
