Domingos, Yea we have tried ABS from a 3D print (Dimension I think) through a dewax oven even and it is too ashy, expands too much for lost wax method. EPS will work though. Carved EPS for direct burnout in packed sand works for bronze or iron. We don’t do it in shop because it just doesn’t allow for the level of detail achievable through traditional lost wax. For direct 3d print, ZCorp I think has a material that you can cast into…print the negative and Bob’s your uncle. Have looked into Perfactory material but don’t really know. Post if you find a solution.
Any one have any advice on the wood scenario using 3D… Dying to invest in a system, but have burnt my fingers in the past with other technologies such as the T-Jet t-shirt printers sold from the USA… So a bit scared to just jump in…
Ziggy
Dont use what is know as a typical 3d print material.
Get the material of your choice cnc’d.I havnt seen it done any other way.
Got the Kuka carving finally…Now maybe I can find the time to start feeding it some ZBrush files! Hope I uploaded the movie correctly at YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBUZqND7bhI
Cool! Instead of ‘just’ indexed, can it also run contiguous?
Great to see that you stopped poking holes into the shop wall with it 8)))).
Lemo
Hey Lemo…Yea, it can run any CAM you feed it in APT format. You have to simulate the CAM file first and fix any joint issues you come across…very different from a typical cnc machine. You basically give it a path to walk on and let it go for a stroll. Very little control over how it runs the path. You can’t really tell it what to do, you just give it suggestions until it gets it right. How are your projects going? Last we talked you were working with your casting. How has that been going? Jobs coming in at work-a-day job?
this post is awesome! expecially love the giant girl and the croc, awsome the final look of the prehistoric croc!
Jobs suck right now. And you know that you WILL cast it 8).
To be able to nudge it into the right direction is totally awesome.
My 5th is coming along well. But reliably only with indexing.
Otherwise it’s prone to joint problems 8))). But I am fiddling with it.
Got featured on the Mecsoft Cam webpage…
http://www.mecsoft.com/CaseStudies/PDF/CaseStudyRainerSchmidt.pdf
And I’ll be giving a T-Splines webinar to show the Rhino->T-Splines->Cam workflow for tsplines.com this month. If all that does not lead to an improvement in jobs, then I will sell everything, buy a bike, and drive to CA. Or ask you for a job as mold dipper… or so hahaha.
Cheers
Lemo
Lemo, Job as mold dipper…Ha Ha…the most over qualified mold dipper in the industry!! Though seriously, times are tough all over. I am going to Siggraph this month to see if I can scare up some work connections for the Robo. It’s not that I have no work, just not enough, but that is true for every job shop it seems. Just keep keeping on! Great that you have got your 5th working. Continuous 5 axis isn’t the holy grail…indexing can get you pretty much all there. The Kuka is sorely lacking in a 7th axis. Believe it or not, 6 axes with a robot limits you quite a bit…the working area of a robot takes some getting used to…spherical rather than linear. Maybe for Christmas I can get a rotary 7th, if I’m super good…Save me Santa!
I’ll try and post some more shots of the Kuka carving full 5 soon. Looks kool (way Terminator). We should be getting some more detailed ZBrush carves done as soon as the new collettes arrive.
7axis… hmmmm I recently build a turn table for a client. Can move 500 lbs. Stepper or Servo. Step and direction driven. If you can interface, we can do it without breaking the bank. I’m not going to Sig this year. Monstermaker did not let me sleep in his dog house… Said something regarding full moon, scratch marks… and fur again in the pool skimmer… lol
Lemo
Lemo, The rotary 7th is pretty standard stuff except: have to use Kuka servo. Have to use Kuka servo driver. Have to use Kuka wiring harness and cables. Sooo…a certain amount of up-front cost is associated with starting the build. Most of the parts can be purchased on Ebay, but the servo and driver must be matched. I am in the process of pricing out the parts to see if a build your own is worth it. I will get back to you about building it. As far as configuring in the controller, the Italians (QDesign) can remotely take care of most issues.
This will be my first trip to Siggraph. Have you been and, if so, was it interesting and worth the headache?
Sig is a US typical well organized event. Nametags, lines, programs, and zero chance for fun and creative chaos. You will enjoy it. The lab and the innovation section are usually amazing and show things which you will never see elsewhere. Or in 5 years when patented. You can meet a lot of people in one place which you will have a hard time visiting otherwise. It’s a good contact making event. One thing you have to focus on is to get a beer ticket from the guy’s you wish to talk to in more detail. It’s the ticket for the after show party… Where the real stuff goes on. I got kinda lost in Boston after the XSI and the Rhino one… So take a cellphone with you and have the name of your hotel, their phone number, and the approximate cab fair in cash in your front pocket when you embark on the party trail 8)). Why not cast a business card 8).L
Thanks for the advise. Cast a business card? I would need a wheelbarrow or many minions. I have to make sure if I go to any of these “after show parties” that I watch my alcohol intake…I wouldn’t want to pee in anybodies fireplace, throw-up on anybodies laptop, or otherwise act in any way consistent with my normal mode of embarasing drunkeness…not embarasing for me mind you, in my mind it never happened! Ahhh, the solace of the black-out!
Thanks again Lemo, will get back to you on the 7th axis.
Hahahaha At some of those parties you have to be in line for the place at the fireplace rofl. And lmao @ the minions and the wheelbarrow. Maybe stamping would be better haha. Dang… I am not going this year. But I’m sure we’ll meet one day. Maybe at some fireplace… reciting limericks… and if lucky we might remember that encounter as well. HA lol
Lemo
That croc is awesome!
Awesome! Which material are you carving? EPS?
Any case… being the representative of the KUKA Robot Union for your district I fear I have to visit soon to check the work conditions for our friend there… Free beer, lubricant, and classical music on demand. To name a few…
L
So…the rotary axis is human powered? 
LOL… that made my day.
L
Yes, The rotary axis is human powered…bummer. We don’t have the resources yet for an automated 7th. I would say for what we do (sculpture reproduction and enlargement) an automated rotary 7th is a must have…but you can only do what you can when you can. An automated rotary 7th allows the robot’s joints to move much less radically to get the job done, which makes for a much easier translation from CAM to robot. I will say this, after using the robot as a cnc for the last three weeks, I couldn’t be more impressed with the system…very stable and robust. Pretty much a dream system when compared with the price of a large 5 axis machine (important for a small business like mine). Also, the same software system can be used to carve marble with a larger robot.