
Printing and Assembling the MK735, a 3D-Printed DIY NAS Case - walterbell
https://blog.briancmoses.com/2019/06/printing-and-assembling-the-mk735-a-3d-printed-diy-nas-case.html
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jdietrich
227 hours of machine time, $70 of plastic filament, multiple failed parts and
hours of hand finishing. Truly, this is the future of manufacturing.

~~~
bradfa
To make just 1 unit of a decently complex unique design for only $70 in
materials, 227 hours of machine time, and a reasonable amount of human
assembly time, is seriously impressive!

3D printing isn't the future of mass manufacturing, but it is getting much
much closer to being the future of prototyping and one-offs for pretty much
every plastic thing (and some metal ones, too), especially as the hobby level
printers keep getting better.

If you're not impressed with this, you likely haven't ever gotten quotes from
a quick turn plastics manufacturing shop.

~~~
jdietrich
_> If you're not impressed with this, you likely haven't ever gotten quotes
from a quick turn plastics manufacturing shop._

Who on earth would want to make a computer case from plastic? Cutting,
folding, drilling and riveting sheet metal is fast and economical, even with
basic hand tools. You can buy a dizzying array of fixtures and fittings from
McMaster-Carr or your local equivalent.

I'm not fundamentally opposed to 3D printing, but I do have a bone to pick
with the "maker community", which seems to have a pathological aversion to
basic shop class skills. If you want to make a custom PC case, then by all
means do so, just don't stink out your house with ABS fumes in the process -
buy a copy of _Basic Benchwork_ by Les Oldridge and _Sheet Metal Work_ by R.E.
Wakeford, scrounge up some tools and have at it.

~~~
cr0sh
I'm definitely in agreement with you here; it bothers me a bit to see an
instructable or similar where one of the essential requirements always seems
to be a 3D printer. It's always a breath of fresh air when that isn't true.

In many, many cases, most things done by "makers" can be done without 3D
printing anything, and be more accessible to others. I can understand needing
or using one when you need something custom to fit or retrofit into an
existing commercial product. Even there, with a bit of thinking, one can
generally come up with a solution where a 3D printer isn't needed.

I'm starting to see this same kind of attitude creep into laser cutters -
projects that seem to think everyone has access to one, when that isn't
necessarily true. For instance, I know where I could go to get access to one
(and 3D printers, etc) - but it would be about a 50 mile drive for me. Far
enough where I would seriously consider other alternatives.

I do have to say, though, that the 3D printer (and other CNC tools commonly
used by the maker community) has allowed for a lot of people who may not have
the dexterity or other related abilities the chance to design and build some
fantastic creations. Furthermore, there are more than a few things that just
couldn't be done any other way (or at least as cheaply or quickly). There is
also the nice idea that (at least in theory) one can take those same files and
use them with other CNC processes. In the case of laser cutters, if you can
print the files full-sized, you can even cut them out manually with a coping
saw or other more "manual" tooling.

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cr0sh
I'm trying to figure out how one manages 24 and 48 hour prints without
potentially setting the house on fire.

As far as I am aware, no FDM 3D printer is safe to run unattended, overnight
without supervision. I know there are ways to make things safer, with various
interlocks, fire suppression items (like those kitchen vent-hood pucks),
cameras for monitoring, etc. But I still wouldn't trust just letting something
like that run.

I've yet to do anything with 3D printing, so maybe I am just out of the loop
on this. I do know that software and hardware has come far enough to allow for
print stop/re-starting (such as when reloading filament in the middle of a
large job). Maybe that's how these long prints are done without the danger?

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BadJo0Jo0
I have a few 3D Printers, a scratch CoreXY build, Tevo Tarantula, and
PowerSpec Ultra (rebranded FlashForge Dreamer) I run prints unattended often.
Overnight or leaving my house for errands. The only thing I do is regularly
check termination points and board components to see if they are fine.

I wish I knew what was wrong with other people's configurations or the
quality/settings of their hardware that causes these fires.

I blame kit providers racing to the bottom to throwing together low quality
hardware and passing them off as solid workhorses. For my Tevo Trantula I
replaced the screw down terminal block for one with higher amperage rating
after noticing some slight melting on the housing, and spent a whole day doing
PID tuning for the hot end and the heated bed.

There should also be a bigger disclaimer for kits to deter people who don't
have decent knowledge in electronics to just go for complete printers or
higher quality/proven kits.

