3D Printing Thread

[Biowarejak]

Has anyone ever "upgraded" (?) their 3d printer to use as a CNC or a laser cutter? I'm debating on making a modular mount for swapping the end to make my A8 printer into a multi-tool. The A8 isn't the best setup and has some quirks, so I should probably fix those before I try messing with lasers or drilling.

I've thought about it, but haven't actually looked into it very far. Probably a good idea to resolve any outstanding quirks before adding any more variables to the mix though

 

[Kmpkt]

Take a look at this:

https://zmorph3d.com/products/toolheads

 

[ChainedHope]

Take a look at this:

https://zmorph3d.com/products/toolheads

Those look great but way out of my budget. My printer only cost me $150 USD and I use it maybe a few times a year, can't really justify the cost of doing that set of upgrades lol.

I found a YouTube channel (Tech2C - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_scf0U4iSELX22nC60WDSg) who has been playing with adding Chinese 2.5w lasers to his Hypercube design and it actually worked pretty well. I might go this route, would just be nice to have the option of engraving a few things and being able to cut thin acrylic nicer/easier than using a knife.

-- Edit --
So... I impulse bought a CR-10 mini, a 2.5w laser engraver module, and an ER11 setup... I'll report back whenever I get everything. Might be a while since one of those came from Alibaba and another from BangGood.

 

[3DprinterHarry]

Making a keyboard is a great idea! I would use the Geeetech A20M Mix-Colour Printer so that you could make certain groups of keys one colour and another, another colour, etc… For example, W,A,S,D keys a red and then the main colour yellow. I grabbed mine from https://www.dibbsto.co.uk/product/geeetech-a20m-3d-printer/ and so far, have not had any issues with it! I do have one question; how do you programme the keyboard after you’ve constructed the mould?