By QuartZ
#4914239
Banjo wrote: February 14th, 2019, 7:26 pm the only thing I see you may wish you changed is the "half round tube" on the gearbox. having that hole only half open may make it a bit tricky to get the corrugated tube to fit in the hole and not look cut off at the opening. Still, that is a very efficient way to print a pack shell. Well done
I can't wait to see how you tackle the thrower.
I'm not exactly sure what you mean about the way the vacuum house mounts to the gearbox. I plan to mount it using a male plug (like a 3D printed dowel) that screws into the hole on the side of the gearbox cylinder and goes inside the hose, and not have the hose actually go inside the gearbox. The screen used packs look like they utilized this method with a wire wrapped around the hose to act as a clamp. The Anovos Spengler Legacy Pack reveal/teaser video that showed the molds/castings they made also showed a feature similar to what I modeled on my pack on both their raw shell castings and inside the silicone mold (I try to spot crazy details like this).

I may have that all wrong though, this is my first pack too! hehe. Don't worry. I think I'll be fine when I get to that part.

Speaking of the thrower...
Image

I just started this last night. I needed something digital to work on while I assemble and sand the Shell components. I think I'm off to a good start but it's still a work in progress.

-Dana
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By timeware
#4914245
I like the inter locking puzzle piece look for your pack. Gives it a uniqueness where you can cover up most of it with additional LED lighting. Would your files be compatible with an alfawise u20 or creality 10?
By McWinsch
#4914293
QuartZ wrote: February 16th, 2019, 5:28 pm
Banjo wrote: February 14th, 2019, 7:26 pm the only thing I see you may wish you changed is the "half round tube" on the gearbox. having that hole only half open may make it a bit tricky to get the corrugated tube to fit in the hole and not look cut off at the opening. Still, that is a very efficient way to print a pack shell. Well done
I can't wait to see how you tackle the thrower.
I'm not exactly sure what you mean about the way the vacuum house mounts to the gearbox. I plan to mount it using a male plug (like a 3D printed dowel) that screws into the hole on the side of the gearbox cylinder and goes inside the hose, and not have the hose actually go inside the gearbox. The screen used packs look like they utilized this method with a wire wrapped around the hose to act as a clamp. The Anovos Spengler Legacy Pack reveal/teaser video that showed the molds/castings they made also showed a feature similar to what I modeled on my pack on both their raw shell castings and inside the silicone mold (I try to spot crazy details like this).

I may have that all wrong though, this is my first pack too! hehe. Don't worry. I think I'll be fine when I get to that part.

Speaking of the thrower...
Image

I just started this last night. I needed something digital to work on while I assemble and sand the Shell components. I think I'm off to a good start but it's still a work in progress.

-Dana
Hi Dana,
I am really impressed by your work and 3d models. Is there any chance to get / purchase copy of the stl files so I could print the proton pack as well?

Thank you,

Regards,

Tomas
By QuartZ
#4914300
My intent is to fully sand, fill, and remove the 'puzzle piece' look as well as any indications that it was 3D printed for my build. However, I never thought it would be a look that someone might like as-is :)

As for printer compatibility, my Prusa has a volume size of 250 x 210 x 200 (mm) so I believe the two printers you asked about are larger than that.

-Dana
By QuartZ
#4914404
I'm printing these parts a 0.20mm layer height. I'll probably go down to 0.10mm when I get to smaller parts with details.

If things go well I'll probably release the files in some way/shape or form in the future. I might try recover some of my time investment by selling a bundle of the STLs with custom laser-cut aluminum Motherboards that match my Shell parts.

I spent a bit more time this weekend working on the Thrower. It's starting to come together:

Image
-Dana
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By QuartZ
#4914856
Here's another quick update. I didn't get too much done over the last week due to some other real world stuff and weather. However, I did reinforce my initial Cyclotron glue job by filling the seams on the exterior with more CA glue and hitting it with some accelerator (turns white):
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Then I took an 80 grit sanding sponge and sanding stick to the surface and went over it a few times to knock back any 3D printed texture and to level out the seams. I plan to use a bit of body filler followed by a coat of 2K filler primer before the next pass and will look to remove any remaining texture/defects at that point.
Image

On the 3D side, I managed to get a bit more done on the thrower. Added the Trigger Box and some other missing features like the rear cylinder, top knob, etc:
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The weather is getting better so I hope to be able to get some more done on the printed Shell parts real soon. I'm itching to have that completed.

-Dana
By QuartZ
#4915224
I spent a bit more time over the weekend adding more detail to the thrower. I worked on the bottom plate, gun track, bottom discs, and associated mounting hardware.
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I did manage to do some sanding on the printed Shell parts (it didn't rain yesterday) so I'll try to take some photos tomorrow.

-Dana
By QuartZ
#4915272
Ok, here are some photos showing the sanding work I did this weekend. In the first shot, I'm showing how I'm approaching prepping the printed parts. I used a Dremel Multi Max oscillating tool to help make swift work of some of the larger more flat surfaces. It REALLY will save you time, energy, and fingerprints (anyone who sands a lot knows what I'm talking about). I also used an 80 grit sanding sponge (the reddish block on the right), various sanding sticks (upper right), and some 100 grit sandpaper.
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I decided to do an initial pass of sanding while most parts are still separate in order to handle them more easily. My goal at this phase is to knock down any 3D printed texture and find any imperfections that require body filler/putty prior to priming. While I'm going to use a 2K catalyzed filler primer, I still want to reduce the work the filler primer has to do. Once I have the individual parts of a sub assembly sanded to this level, I CA glue the components together as you can see below:
Image
So with these parts, I still need to sand the discs, sand the seams now that the glue has cured, and do some minor filler work. I won't spray primer until all the Shell parts are at this stage (to be more efficient).

-Dana
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By QuartZ
#4916833
Hey everyone, I'm back. I had to take a little break due to rainy weather, crazy deadlines at work, and finally a bunch of family time that was refreshing but ate up many consecutive weekends. So, what am I doing now?

I'm continuing my sanding and filling pass:

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These parts were ready for some filler to fix seams. I'm using 3M Acrylic spot putty since the seams/defects are really fine and not deep. It air dries in 15-20 minutes with warm weather, so I will be going back out to sand them shortly. Once that's done, these pieces will be set aside until the others get to this stage so I can glue the whole Shell together. Shouldn't be long and then I'll be able to spray filler primer and add texture.

-Dana
By Coover5
#4916839
This is awesome. I noticed you hadn't posted in awhile and wondered if you chose to walk away from the project. It is a major undertaking after all. Glad to see you back at it.
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By TragicManner
#4916840
I'm absolutely blown away by the modeling work and the really consistent quality in the prints! To have printed so much and not have a failed part is crazy amazing.

I've started working on a mostly 3D printed pack as well, and have started to lean more towards 3D printing as I've gone along if only because of how easy it is to control how faithful the final look will be to the packs in the films.
By QuartZ
#4916847
Coover5 wrote: April 13th, 2019, 8:16 pm This is awesome. I noticed you hadn't posted in awhile and wondered if you chose to walk away from the project. It is a major undertaking after all. Glad to see you back at it.
Thanks for the support. While I was busy with other things I've been thinking about next steps on this project. So, even the time I had to be away was productive in a way.
TragicManner wrote:I'm absolutely blown away by the modeling work and the really consistent quality in the prints! To have printed so much and not have a failed part is crazy amazing.
Thank you! I got into 3D printing 5 years ago when I built my first printer kit from a manufacturer I will not name/shame. I had SO much trouble in the beginning. Failed prints, poor print surface quality, you name it. Of course I was learning at the same time. I almost gave up.

I teach people a lot about 3D printing these days. The thing that I find is hardest to convince people is that a quality machine is worth paying for. I have 3 different FDM printers and the Prusa is by far my favorite. A 3D printer is a tool. The Prusa lets me spend more time working on my projects than working on my printer. If that means I design my projects in smaller sub-assemblies that I know will come out flawless every time... I will.

Just my opinion,
-Dana
By QuartZ
#4916930
I sanded and glued up most of the spacer parts. There was a good amount of surface area to get nice and smooth so it took some work. I still need to sand down the CA glue at the seams and do a pass with the 3M filler. I want to get the cyclotron glued to this assembly before that.

Image
-Dana
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By TragicManner
#4916966
QuartZ wrote: April 14th, 2019, 9:23 amI teach people a lot about 3D printing these days. The thing that I find is hardest to convince people is that a quality machine is worth paying for. I have 3 different FDM printers and the Prusa is by far my favorite. A 3D printer is a tool. The Prusa lets me spend more time working on my projects than working on my printer. If that means I design my projects in smaller sub-assemblies that I know will come out flawless every time... I will.
Yeah, I have worked with a Prusa i3 Mk3 and really liked it. I was going to go that route but had to spend the funds I was saving up for the printer to get something else, so I got an Ender 3 and it's worked pretty well so far! But the reliability if the Prusas is definitely showing in your prints!

I really like the guides you put on the spacer for the cyclotron. How much is everything weighing so far? How has the CA glue been holding up?
By QuartZ
#4916985
TragicManner wrote: April 16th, 2019, 9:18 pm I really like the guides you put on the spacer for the cyclotron. How much is everything weighing so far? How has the CA glue been holding up?
Thanks, those little guides helped a lot when attaching the cyclotron. It was nice not having to worry about if I was gluing it on centered. So I was able to glue the cyclotron to the spacer parts I showed in my previous post and I also sanded away the excess CA glue in prep for putty. It's satisfying to have this chunk all glued together as 1 piece!

Image
As for weight, I kept a spreadsheet of the printed parts and when I sum up the parts shown above (4 cyclotron pieces and 4/5 spacer pieces) the spreadsheet says they should be 610g combined. I weighed the actual assembled parts in the state you see them above on a scale this morning and got 605g. So I'd say the sanding, gluing, and light filler putty has kept everything at about the same total weight as printed so far. I'm happy

Here's a photo showing the CA glue and accelerator that I'm using:
Image
It's holding rock solid. I have no fear of parts coming apart. I sand all contact surfaces with 80 grit sandpaper and clean with rubbing alcohol prior to using the CA.

-Dana
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By QuartZ
#4917205
Alright. This is another small but meaningful milestone (to me). This weekend I found time to do some more seam filling and sanding. More of the pack shell is also glued together as of this morning:

Image
Yesterday I split up the bumper 3D model into 3 parts using the same 'key' method I used on the shell. I ran the parts on my printer while I was sanding. Here's how they came out (no cleanup other than some sanding at the keys to test the fit):

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Image
And here's a shot with the bumper just positioned where it mounts to the shell. No hardware yet, I'm just double checking the alignment. Everything lines up great. It should since it was all designed in 3D to fit perfectly :) but it's always reassuring to have the physical parts behave the way you expect.

Image
These parts will all get glued, sanded, filled, etc. once my work on the shell is complete. I'm just getting parts queued up so I don't have any forced down time because parts aren't printed. I'll also be adding a mold seam to the bumper. Man, you remove some seams and you add others?? Hehe. Later!

-Dana
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By TragicManner
#4917207
That bumper is SOLID. Seriously, one of the biggest problems I am having with a lot of the plans I am finding online for Proton Pack parts is so many of them are low poly. A good bumper comes out super smooth on those curves. Yours looks amazing. I'm curious why there are textured sections where things are joining together? Either way, that is an amazing bumper, and your print came out pristine, like always.

Also, I'm going to be printing out a bumper at some point once I get it cut into parts and am curious about how you oriented your parts on your bed? I'm assuming you oriented them the way you have them sitting in that picture where they are separated on the ground? Did you need to print with supports, or were the curves of the bumper good enough to not need to support very much?
By QuartZ
#4917218
TragicManner wrote: April 22nd, 2019, 10:09 am I'm curious why there are textured sections where things are joining together?
The center piece was printed in a different orientation than the 2 side pieces. The slight slopes leading toward the keyed joints created some stepping on the center piece that I'll fill/sand away.
TragicManner wrote: April 22nd, 2019, 10:09 am Also, I'm going to be printing out a bumper at some point once I get it cut into parts and am curious about how you oriented your parts on your bed? I'm assuming you oriented them the way you have them sitting in that picture where they are separated on the ground? Did you need to print with supports, or were the curves of the bumper good enough to not need to support very much?
Yes, the photo with all of the bumper pieces laid out is essentially how they were printed on the bed. I had to print with supports because there is a true overhang parallel to the bed surface. I'm going to be filling and sanding everything, so supports never bother me.

Hope that helps you,
-Dana
By QuartZ
#4917433
Another weekend update. Here goes. I took possession of a nice LC-1 ALICE frame:

Image
I took a bit of time to piece together hardware for mounting the bumper to the Shell. These are 10-32 socket head screws and 14S brass washers as recommended by others:

Image
And finally I spent a good amount of time yesterday taking the Gearbox to this state (there was a lot of small surfaces to sand). I'm just waiting for the putty to dry so I can finish sanding it out:

Image
I'm also looking at how I want to setup my 3/4" loom attachment at the gearbox. I'm thinking my original plan is still my best option, but want to do some research before I wrap up this stage. So close!

-Dana
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By QuartZ
#4918169
Hey everyone, I'm back to post some more progress on my pack. I've been working on my solution to mount the corrugated loom hose to the gearbox cylinder. I've dropped my initial plan and developed a new one.

I designed a lug that fits inside the open end of the loom hose. It has a hole through it for a 10-32 socket head screw and is designed to mount to the 'D-shaped' block featuring a hex nut trap. That D-shaped block gets super glued to the inside of the gearbox cylinder (now hollow). A set of washers go on either side of the lug, and an optional lock washer may be used to prevent the screw coming loose over time. See the overengineering below:

Image
I'll show some more photos in the next update of the printed parts which I've already tested and they work GREAT! I'll try to take several images to better illustrate how everything gets assembled into my pack shell.

So in order for this plan to work on my pack, I changed the design of my gearbox cylinder part and reprinted it (now hollow) and I needed to cut a rectangular hole in my gearbox part since I've already done all of that sanding:

Image
I took my Dremel with a fiber cutting wheel to it and made quick work of this step. The photo below is before I used sanding sticks to clean up and square all of the edges:

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And here it is all glued together, filled, and sanded out:

Image
I also went back into Fusion 360 and updated my parts to reflect these fixes to make future prints better/easier.

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Totally unrelated, I also found some aluminum spacers with a 1/4" hole that fit perfectly between my cyclotron and the underside of my bumper. This allowed me to figure out what length of 1/4-20" screw I wanted to use to mount my Bellows/Shock Mount.

Image
And I also got my N-Filter printed. Here it is temporarily sitting in place:

Image
Back to working on my pack!

-Dana
By QuartZ
#4918175
NotSabbat wrote: May 18th, 2019, 3:12 pm Looking good! Which plans did you use? Apologies if already answered.

Thanks. I started with Stefan Otto's plans, I made some minor adjustments based on inaccuracies pointed out in various threads on this forum. I looked at the Anovos video that showed the Hero Spengler pack being taken apart and molded, and finally I poured over countless photos from the Sony lobby packs and the Profiles in History auction video to finally make some other adjustments.

-Dana
By QuartZ
#4918176
OK, I got all these photos uploaded and I hope that they help explain what I designed to mount that loom hose to the gearbox cylinder. So here we go!

Here are all of the parts needed to mount the hose. I plan to reprint the 'lug' part in black PETG filament for improved strength. Right now the test part is PLA. It's probably plenty strong but I like PETG for mechanical parts that don't require glue or paint.

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I insert the lug part into the open end of the loom:

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Then put a #10 hex nut into the D-shaped mounting block:

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Here's what the stack of parts with hardware looks like:

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Next is a shot of what it would look like from inside the shell when installed. Note that it is not glued into the gearbox yet, the parts are just in place for illustration (please excuse the mess inside...hehe):

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And last but not least a shot from the outside showing how it would look when installed:

Image

-Dana

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