3D printing in Fedora

[les]

On Sun, 2012-12-30 at 10:43 +0100, Miro Hrončok wrote:
> Hi again.
> 
> I just want to inform you I've created the wiki page about 3D Printing
> in Fedora: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/3D_Printing
> 
> Feel free to add anything there, review a package or help by testing.
> 
> Happy new year.
> Miro Hrončok
> 
> Jabber: miro at hroncok.cz
> Telefon: +420777974800
> 
> 
> 2012/10/29 Miro Hrončok <miro at hroncok.cz>:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I am involved in a student group on FIT of Czech Technical University in
> > Prague - in that group, we focus on 3D printing (RepRap).
> >
> > 3D printing needs a set of software on a control PC, such as some kind
> > of 3D modeller (we're currently using OpenSCAD), a slicer (to convert a
> > 3D model to set of instructions for the printer, we're currently using
> > skeinforge and/or Slic3r) and printer interface software (currently
> > Printrun).
> >
> > Installing this basic set of tools on a Linux machine is painful,
> > they aren't usually available in repositories, compiling them includes
> > compiling a bunch of dependencies and we usually end up using binary
> > executables from a tar or git cloning plenty of python scripts. Desktop
> > files and menu entries -> you don't get what you don't create
> > yourself.
> >
> > I am currently working on adding this software to Fedora:
> > https://github.com/hroncok/SPECS/
> >
> > But that is not where I want to stop. I'd like to create a Fedora RepRap
> > spin and make Fedora the best choice for 3D print guys.
> >
> > At this point, I would like to gather people interested in 3D printing
> > and eventually create a 3D printing SIG.
> > Would anyone be interested and help me?
> >
> > Miro Hrončok
> >
> > Jabber: miro at hroncok.cz
> > Telefon: +420777974800
Thanks, Miro,
I have used OpenSCAD to create two different projects.  I hired Jay
(jay at makerblock.com) to actually print the parts.  They come out with a
sort of satin finish (I think that is from the 0.3mm print resolution of
the maker bot)  The ABS is difficult to sand, and the PLA is nearly
impossible to sand according to the gentleman who finalized the
construction of our projects.

I used OpenSCAD to create the parts and the tolerance was so good that I
got just a bit of friction when I put them together.  We used screws in
the final assembly, but the material welds easily as described by Jay
using acetone.

I still want a Makerbot, but I haven't enough projects (or maker bucks)
yet to get one.

Using FEL for design with OpenSCAD, Mplab for picwork (I still have not
gotten success with the open source tools, and MPLAB is free as well)
and my friend simulating the various components, we completed the whole
project from idea to end prototypes in less than 9 months.  And the fit
and finish are wonderful.  The product has not yet made it into
production, but I am still hopeful.

By the way, Jay was extremely helpful.  I would highly recommend him to
anyone.  I hope he is still doing this.

regards,
Les H