Category Archives: 3D printer

Wooden loco

This is the result of my attempt to “3D print in plywood” – converting the 3D printer file to 2D, printing it onto paper and gluing it onto plywood. It’s not meant to be glamorous – it’s a first attempt. … Continue reading

Posted in 16mm, 3D printer, Garden Railways, Wood | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Wooden loco

3D printing on a 2D printer

One of the great things about having a 3D printer is the vast online library of things that one can print. Sites such as thingiverse contain everything you never knew you needed – from an airbrush stand to Lego bricks … Continue reading

Posted in 16mm, 3D printer, Garden Railways, Trains, Wood | Comments Off on 3D printing on a 2D printer

A 3D Printer diary – Slicer settings

I was getting poor quality prints on my 3D printer. There are a number of possible factors: The surface texture of my prints is not as good as I would like. That’s the subject of this post. Sometimes the first … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A 3D Printer diary – Slicer settings

3D print settings – Dremel 3D20

I have a Dremel 3D20 printer. It uses proprietary software, which has some limitations Dremel Idea Builder will load 3D files in .STL and .OBJ format, and will write them to the 3D20 via USB cable. Idea Builder has limited … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , , | Comments Off on 3D print settings – Dremel 3D20

A 3D printer diary – printing another box

Following the 3D printer’s instructions online and in the book that came with it, I heated the print head up to working temperature, then carefully used a pair of tweezers to tweeze any filament off the brass nozzle. Doing this … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer, Lego | Tagged , | Comments Off on A 3D printer diary – printing another box

A 3D printer diary – printing a box

3D printing takes AGES! Even something as simple as the small container shown below takes four hours! A lot of lessons were learned from this print job. The short version is as follows: Don’t start a print job at 8pm. … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , | Comments Off on A 3D printer diary – printing a box

A 3D printer diary – clogged nozzle

After printing a stringy mess, the nozzle of my 3D20 is covered in goo (filament). At room temperature, it’s a nice hard crusty smooth goo. The instructions explain how to clean the nozzle. There’s a nice video (with jolly music) … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , | Comments Off on A 3D printer diary – clogged nozzle

A 3D printer diary – supports

The SD card with the correct software was missing when we bought our Dremel 3D20 (it was a bargain). But I found the “Dremel Idea Builder” software and a firmware update on their website, and that allows me to load … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , | Comments Off on A 3D printer diary – supports

A 3D printer diary – getting going again

Our 3D printer (Dremel 3D20) was a bargain, because bits were missing. After five emails to Dremel support, and various phone calls, I eventually found a supplier who was willing to order the spare parts that I need – mainly … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , | Comments Off on A 3D printer diary – getting going again

A 3D printer diary – printing an accuracy test

We bought this printer in a sale. It was missing a few important parts, including the SD Card with software on it to control it from a laptop. Without that software, we would be limited to the four models that … Continue reading

Posted in 3D printer | Tagged , , | Comments Off on A 3D printer diary – printing an accuracy test