Changed to relative and successfully printed with Cura.
actually i just had to swap the filament spool on the fly. i was just letting it run and realized it was down to the last few feet of filament on the spool. good thing, because i'm pretty sure it just air prints if you run out
Yes, it will most certainly air print. More than a few people have made filament sensors to tell them when it runs out.
I read that at the beginning they did not know what is better. Absolute or relative. So they implemented both options in firmware. Slicers added an option for this to support firmware. Allegedly, almost everybody uses absolute coordinates nowadays and support for relative ones is obsolete.
This runs counter to what I just ran into and what I read in the
reprap.org wiki.
Cura and Skeinforge both use relative by default, and the page I read made a specific note that Repetier/Slic3r was odd is using absolute by default. I had to switch to relative in order to get those others working.
Question (Serious): What do you guys use your 3D printers for? Because whenever I see people showing off theirs, they just generally print random crap they don't need. Just for the fact they say they have a 3D printer.
I have seen similar, however, I know at least two who use them to generate income. One is planning on leasing out his latest to local businesses.
Keep in mind, one reason you only see trinkets being made when people show them is a matter of time. Mkawa just said he was 12 hours into a 16 hour print, that's not THAT uncommon, a 30 minute print is actually a very small object. Making a simple flat keychain can take 20 minutes or more. You don't want to start a 3 hour print only to have to pack up after 2 hours. For a demo, you want something you can do fast and show results. Hence, you only see trinkets when showing them off to people. A big print on a 3d printer is like watching paint dry, and can take just as long.
As for me, my reasons for getting one was actually three-fold.
1. To get an understanding of them, my business is computers and I wanted to be ahead of the game when these become more mainstream (I actually had family members asking why I didn't have one yet, cost was the reason). While I did gain a lot of knowledge I also learned that they are a long way off for my customers. Though I still think manufacturers should be looking at them seriously.
2. To tinker. Computers, tech, and fabrication are a hobby, so this is right up my alley.
3. GH60. I couldn't find a case for a reasonable price so I said heck with it and spent 4000x more in order to build my own. Yes, this sounds rather stupid, but, take into account #1&2. I don't like buying tools just to buy tools, I like having a goal and reason in mind (this could have been reason 3 I guess lol). So yes, instead of waiting and buying a used case for $20 or so, I spent $800+ on a printer to do it myself, but at the same time gain a new tool and understanding of a new technology.
As for what I am using it for and will be using it for beyond that, so far, all I have made was a few keychains, calibration cubes and parts for my printer. Really, so far, it's done little more than consume a lot of plastic (Feed me, Seymore!). BUT... Remember, most people spend months and months putting these together and calibrating them (particularly if done from scratch like mine). Mine reached that point in the first month or a little after, I've spent the rest of the time making improvements and troubleshooting, but I'm about ready to move on. It's technically dialed in, most problems now are me making mistakes, not the printer, or me tearing it apart to make a better part that will make it better and requiring more calibration. My printer will probably never be "done", but it's pretty good at this point and about to make a giant leap forward (had a print error so my mag arms are still not installed).
Besides Jailhouse Blues shims (which I have made some failed prototypes of) I want to make spacers for SP keys so that o-rings will work, JB switches really benefit from o-rings. I also want to make some new feet for my Filco/Vortex case (I want a specific height). Other things include a bluetooth speaker mount for my MTB (I hate headphones and buds and they are stupid to wear while exercising as they cause serious hearing damage), mini ITX computer cases, a robot (or should I say another), tool holders/organizers for my garage (screwdriver racks, wrench holders), redo the control center/panel on my desk, SSD mounts for my computers, a dock for my phone/weather station*, and some Hermit crab shells (why not?). I'm also looking into an easy way to run my printer off of the 7in Android tablet I have, and if so, I would make a mount for it (I know how, it's just not efficient or fast). I also have people asking for printer parts, phone cases and more.
Those are the easy things off the top of my head, I actually have a decent size list sitting on my file server.
I also plan on making a white case for my KBT Race, one that is low profile and made of actual white plastic (instead of natural and painted!). I'll probably replace the DAS keyboard I use for my KVM with a custom cased QFR, if the GH60 doesn't take that spot. Depending on reception, I may offer limited runs of the cases. Yes, they would be plastic, but I can do things a mill can't, and yes, my printer can do TKL cases, in fact, with a little work, I could do a full TK. I also have BIG plans for an old Model M I have sitting around, but you will have to wait for me to get that project underway before I unveil that one. I also may make a custom mouse, but that needs to be way off in the future when I have a greater understanding of cad and 3d printing as that requires a lot of complex curves.
*I used an old Evo 4G and loaded it with an Android weather station app reading off a weather station that is two blocks away. It was a
cheap free way to get a weather station on my desk.