Playing around with a 3D speaker grills for a Stern JP. Still tinkering, may print one tonight and paint Friday.
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That will be unique. I've seen the speaker grills before but never with a item 3D printed on them.

Super duper cool - if you release an STL post it!

Will do, once I know the STL is OK!

A little slow on the response, but I do.

I uploaded my opto housing.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4776015

care to share any details good or bad, ease of use, reliability, etc....

I'd print that and use it if you provide the file. Nice design!

What I thought would be neat to do (and I don't have the skill set), is to make the speaker grill look like he's busting out of it (i.e. the pentagon shapes are damaged and facing outward - like breaking thru a fence).

That would be rad! Brilliant idea.
Wish I had the skillset to pull that off.

First pass - looks like the speaker grill is undersized slightly. Might make the tail extend a little further out, but I think the 3D depth part of it looks pretty good. Didn't want it overbearing.

Time for Rev A

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TL:DR - The MMU2 is an interesting add-on that can do some cool stuff and is fun to play with. When it works, it's great. However as with almost all 3d printing, it has plenty of annoying issues that cause frustration and print failures.

To start, it is finicky to get setup and dialed in. Even after that, it's not as reliable as I would like. When it works, it does exactly as you would expect, but you have to accept the trade-offs of higher print failure rate, longer print times and extra wasted material. Also one thing I wasn't expecting was weaker prints. The boundary lines where the colors meet don't bond well and easily snap apart. This also contributes to print failures from the waste block falling apart mid print.

The main reason I bought the addition was to play around with soluble supports. So far I have only tried using HIPS with PETG. In theory HIPS should melt away after soaking in D-Limonene, but in practice (at least for me) it didn't work great. It eventually (hours) turned into a soft goo and I still had remnants to clean off, plus it made the print permanently orange smelling. I bought a spool of PVA, but haven't tried it yet. The Prusaslicer feature of only using the expensive soluble material just at the support interface layer is really appealing.

One thing the MMU is handy for is auto switching filaments during single color prints. It is nice to have 5 different spools basically ready to go especially if you do somewhat remote printing like I do. I find it perfectly reliable in auto load and unloading. One thing to note however is that running the filament through the MMU does limit the max extrude speed. For whatever reason, the control firmware doesn't put the MMU drive system in "neutral" so there is a always an added drag on the main extruder pulling the filament through the MMU feed system. There is also a problem when the MK3 has a reset, the MMU gets out of sync. If there is a filament loaded through the MMU, you have to extract that all out and do a full power cycle to get things back to steady state. You would think this doesn't happen very often, but if you use octoprint, it happens way more than you would like.

As for the spool feeding, the Prusa solution is to use multiple trays on the table top which takes up a ton of space. My solution is hanging spools above the printer and mounting the feed tubes on pegboard on the wall behind where the printer sits. This might not be an option for your setup, but thankfully load and unload feeding have never been a problem for me.

If I had to do it again, I would take a much closer look at Pallete 2s before deciding on the MMU.

Here are some multicolor game keychains. Homer was a 5 color print. You can see where some black artifacts show up in all the other colors. I forgot to mention it's really difficult to prevent color contamination. I think in this case, I might have a small goober on the hotend that I didn't get cleaned off before the print.

Let me know if there are any specific questions.

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Amazing feedback and very much appreciated. It makes my decision clear. I'll pass on the mmu. I do not have the patience for the challenges this would introduce. I'll research more on the palette 2s. I'm just a hobbyist messing around so it's not a need but I liked the idea of being able to change colors as I don't want to paint or do any extensive post processing. I've all but nailed the cura pause at height and honestly the soluble support material was the attraction to me on the mmu.
I'll stick with what I have for now.
Thanks a bunch.
r/
Mike

I think you can do it with some practice. If you make the base grill stl you can use one of the sculpting programs to make the damaged hole, https://register.strata.com/sculpt3d/index.html is a free online one. I'm not very good at using the sculpting tool but it's fun to play with.
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Excellent! This is exactly what I was looking for (and a faster computer)!

Is this some sort of an automatic function? Or tedious?

Uploaded my flipper toppers for Willy Wonka to thingiverse. If you remix please share them for free as well.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4776812

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It's not automatic but it wasn't too tedious. Strata acts like your model is made of clay and lets you manipulate it in an organic way. The only two tools that I used to curl the pie slices were move and twist. It's kind of fun to just play with since it's so different from modeling with parameter based cad programs.

Easy but worthwhile one for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Shield to focus the light for the mist lamp.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4776841

Sounds really interesting, will play around with it Sat.

Man... You guys got me thinking now. BECAUSE SHE IS HOLDING A THERMAL DETONATOR!!! A blinking red LED for my Star Wars.....

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Kudos!

When I first printed the JP version, the speaker grill vertically was maybe 5 mm short. Reprinting now to confirm it's OK after resizing and I'll let you know the TinkerCad dimensions when done for the speaker grill. I had to flip the T-Rex 180 degrees so the grill pentagons would line up, so keep that in mind too.

When I sliced in Cura, I used Tree support to the build plate. But that was for the T-Rex - so your mileage may vary.

BTW, I added a ~0.5" x 0.5" square in each corner to attach magnetic tape strip.
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How do you extract the .stl files out of the .thing file?

I did NOT design this eye crank for Funhouse and Roadshow. But it's an improved version I remixed of one that was already on Thingiverse. I improved it slightly in a few key areas to make it function better. You can get the STL file and see the improvements here:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4777438

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Change the extension to .zip and use any unzipping program.

My ball kept getting stuck at the top of my No Good Gofers
Real happy with this one!
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4777503

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Man so many great things available in pinball these days. I need to find another little project. Those speaker panels are going to the next great mod, that everyone wants.

I wish someone would create a printable replacement basketball for space jam. These are unubtainium.

I don't have a Space Jam, so not sure what's under the basketball...but a basic basksetball is available on Thingiverse. Someone just needs to know how to mod it. Slicing it in two, making it hollow, adding the openings for the rails would be real easy, other than maybe getting the locations spot on. Adding the screw supports might take some trial and error.

Size might be an issue on some printers.

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Looks like I'm probably in the homestretch with the JP grill experiment. Had to make some changes to the magnetic tape locations, but it seems rather solidly attached now. Right side will be done in about 8 hrs. Plus the wife will need to paint

Printed in gray just because that was loaded up in the printer, plus it's easier to see the alignment.

At some point I'll load it up on Thingiverse, but if any JP owners want the STL files ahead of time, just PM me (include an e-mail). Might be 2-3 days before I finally finish.

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Hi there,

i check the whole thread and could not find the Snackbar files for the creature. If someone can help me with that, i would highly apreciate it...

regards
Ralf

Is this the mod you are talking about? I believe swinks is the creator and maybe can assist.
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/swinks-cftbl-snackbar-mod-v5-last-ever-run
I don't know of any free files though but I also don't have a creature from the black lagoon.

You need to go on Swinks website, then Documentation, there is a DIY section with a specific complete manual for the snackbar mod. You will need however to order through Shapeways the various parts, Swinks is not releasing the STL files.

As someone who has never used a 3d printer before, what resources should I look at to help pick a printer and learn the process? I'm not sure if I want to get into it or not as it looks like it's a lot of work, but I've thought about it for a good decade and things have to be easier now than they were back then, right?

This is a good start. Same printer I have (Ender 3, ~$160).

While I wouldn't say it's easy - it's not hard. Just a TON of baby steps to learn. Can be overwhelming at first, but you'll catch on real quick.

While not as cheap as the post above, you can also consider going the DLP route. UV Resin printing gives you way better resolution and no need for finishing steps like sanding or acetone vapor treatments. Downside is it's more expensive to get the printer and print size is smaller although the Kelant s400/s500 print a decent size.

Any thoughts on doing the dino design without the hex grill pattern?

It seems you could make the contact area where the dino hits the grill flat. Then just add a couple of starter holes in the back of its flat contact area to put a couple of self tapping screws in from the back. Of course I am not familiar with 3D printing stuff to know if putting a screw in would damage the print or not. You would have to get the screw type and length right and possibly use a washer if the screw heads were so small they could slip though the back of the honeycomb grill holes on the panel.

If you wanted to get a bit more elaborate you could add a protruding hex pattern on the back of the contact area of the dino so the print would fit down into the speaker panels honeycomb grill holes. This would be useful if you wanted the design to be mounted at a particular angle....or you could even describe what honeycomb holes the back of the design should fit in if you wanted to suggest it to be mounted in a particular location (example: On the left side, screw hole one goes 4 columns in from the middle and 11 rows down. screw hole 2 goes 13 columns in from the middle and 12 rows down).

This, of course, wouldn't be as easy to mount (the speaker plates would probably need to be removed for the install), but I think it would look much better after the work was done.

Just a thought...

UPDATED thoughts... you may also be able to get some magnet discs and countersink them in the back of the dino design. Add some of the protruding hexes in the back that fit into the actual panel honeycomb and that should help the dino from sliding down the panel too easily if that would be an issue with the magnets. I know that honeycomb area really doesn't have much surface to stick / magnetize to.

I'm not as familiar with resin printing, but there are definitely some that can be had for far less than in the past. I know I've seen a couple for $250 or so.

How is the print time compared to an FDM printer?

My personal take on resin printers is that they are a good second printer to have for specific applications.
- They are excellent at fine details and small objects
- They are more expensive to operate from a supply perspective
- They are messy
- They create liquid waste
- Require significantly more cleaning
- Need an alcohol bath to clean models
- Uncured resin is a safety hazard (have to wear disposable gloves, should wear goggles, etc.)
- They print solid instead of using infill percentages (have to hollow models)
- You are limited in resin color options vs. unlimited filament colors
- You can only print objects in a single color versed multi-color prints even with based FDM printers
- You are limited on size of objects
- You only have one material type to work with vs. FDM which has several
- You need a larger work area

Couple of videos for you:

I sort of toyed around with similar options for attaching, I even lowered the backbox panel to look around and try to get some ideas. The grill fabric (or whatever the material it is) is there too and I'd have to contend with that (didn't want to damage it). In the end I figured just using magnetic tape was the easiest option. The grill overlay is only about 0.048" thick. The ones I printed in black actually look like they belong there, it really does match up well. I grabbed the grill from Thingiverse and modded it. Ditto for the T-Rex.

Adding extra material is no biggie for a screw (just add a cylinder for support, then another cylinder 'void' for the screw hole - see below). One thing I was thinking about was incorporating a hook (i.e. L shaped) that would simply go thru the pentagon openings...push the print against the grill, slide down, done. That way, someone could place it anywhere they wanted on the grill (as long as it didn't hit the speaker frame).

The other thing I was going to futz around with was to trying to make the grill look like the T-Rex was breaking thru it (i.e. bent, tore up). I posted that comment a couple of days ago and someone recommended a program to try, so I have been tinkering around with that - and that also requires the extra grill on the outside.

In the end, it was really just an experiment that sort of evolved. Plenty of different and good options.

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Look what my kids made me. Thanks for sharing your files, guys!

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I originally added a 1/2 x 1/2" solid print in each corner. Then went to Walymart and got some Scotch 1/2" mag tape. Unfortunately, that wasn't adequate. So then I added a ~1/4" solid strip on each side and cut the tape in half...that did the trick. Prior to extending the sides, I was going to add a single 1/2" strip on the bottom and keep the upper two corners filled, but that was just a tad bit to big for the printer build plate

I like your idea about the tape on the back of the dino. Only thing that would need to be done is to just make sure there is enough surface area. You can see below what the current STL file looks like from the back.
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This info I fairly well understood - messy, smelly, et al. How long does the curing process take? I agree it would be a good secondary printer.

I don't actually own one, as the vast majority of my modelling doesn't require the detail level (besides, I suck at detail model painting). The quality of detail they can produce on small items is amazing, and I would really enjoy playing with one if I had the space for everything.

I'm sure there are a lot of variables when it comes to curing: Ultrasonic bath vs. soak, UV light curing, water curing, etc. From what I've seen, it can take up to 60 minutes but as little as 5-10 minutes depending upon the object and curing method. However, it would be interesting to hear from someone that actually does it.

printing time is based on height of the object - how many layers. Final curing under UV is minutes really. The real advantage is how fine the details can be. The thin “wires” on the gun are about the size of a human hair.

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So is resin mainly for miniatures and such that you want to paint, whereas filament is for more general purpose stuff?

Just a guess, but at the hobbyist level, the resin printers are usually smaller than a filament printer. Mr_Tantrum already covered the many issues...those would just get worse with a bigger printer. So maybe at this point in time (and cost), the resin printers are just better suited for small prints. The resolution is pretty amazing tho.

Not sure how strong the resin is compared to some of the FDM filaments.

This is interesting tho: https://www.anycubic.com/products/anycubic-photon-zero. RANBOW recently got one, you can maybe ping him and see how he likes it. It would be neat to play with, but it just seems like the hassle would take the fun out of it. With PLA or PLA+ in the FDM printer...just load the file, wait for awhile, peel off, done with no odors.

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If anything, I'd get CNC-3018 CNC mini-mill to play around with instead of a second printer. And if I absolutely needed a resin print, I'd just order a print online.
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There are different types of resin for different hardness. Depends on what's being used.

The print size on the KElant is pretty good (7.55" (L) x 4.72" (W) x 7.87" (H)). I have both the Kelant and Photon.

I have the Saturn resin printer and I love it, water washable resin alleviates a bunch of issues and it has a decent print volume. Dealing with the resin is really no more difficult than dealing with paint or any industrial cleaning product.

Did some tests with photogrammetry. 3d scan with lots of 2d pictures and sticking them together to a 3d model. Did some Munsters Figures. But i have mixed feelings about, they are not so great but still astonished that it works at all. Included is Spot dino that i mixed together from 3 models. This what spot could look like.
Also i have done the TMNT Blimp.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4771714
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4777733

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Can you sell 2 to me ? I wouldn’t mind having spare parts, eyes on my roadshow are acting funny in the last days