3D Printer Laser Engraver for Christmas

[alfsauve]

My sons went together to give me a 3D printer.  Had always wanted to play with one but hesitated to spend the money.  I mean there are so many guns and so much ammo I NEED.

It’s a Ender 3 Pro, a middle of the line consumer model.  First thing I did was order a Home Depot base cabinet.  It was cheaper in red so it’s jazzed ups the electronics project area.  I also ordered the 10Watt CO2 laser head.  Creality, the manufacturer, is a bunch short in the instructions area.  Their support forums are also useless.  I pity the non-tech trying to make sense of this.  Much trial and error. Finally found 2 Facebook support groups I’m “cooking with gas now.”  The laser software has a lot more how-to instructions, but still takes some tinkering.

Don’t know if I’ll try printing a gun other than maybe a rubber band one I saw that has “magazines”.

[Rastus]

Cool gift.  Maybe you can print up some neat ammo holders?  Maybe various parts holders for the pistols you use at competitions?  Everything tailored to your exacting requirements!

[alfsauve]

One of the things I'm not good at it 3D design software.  I'm at the mercy, right now of what other people have done.  I've printed some plastic project boxes and expanded them to the exact size I needed.  I probably need to take a 3D class at the local Univ.

I've printed some very neat 3D designs.  UGA BullDawg.  A miniture of Sanford Stadium (UGA).  Some roses and a rather pretty stylistic vase that resembles a miniture Christmas tree.

At last weeks Steel Challenge a .22lr competitor had a table top holder for his magazines that he had designed in such a way so the magazine took on different heights depending on how many rounds were left in them.  He could readily tell which ones where full or not.

With the laser I've been practicing, trying out, the various settings for wood and I've manage to etch guidelines on my metal protective plate, which is very useful in lining things up.

[alfsauve]

More pictures to follow, but here's a etching sample.  Z = height of the laser, Sp is the speed the laser mover in mm/sec. and Pwr is % power of the 10W laser.

[les snyder]

Alf... get good with setting up lettering with the laser engraver, then get one powerful enough to engrave 7075-T6... in 3 months there will be a portion of the 20 to 40 million braced AR owners wanting to register without paying the $200 tax stamp as an SBR, and will need the trust information engraved on the lower...

[Sponsor]

[TAB]

I have a prusa.   I probably make 1 or 2 doodads a month.

Its about 50/50 rather I design it or I get it off line.  Just the simple organizational stuff I have built for the garage/bow/guns is crazy.  Stuff that would take me hours to hand fab out of wood. Is mins to draw up in cad and then walk away.

[alfsauve]

Below you'll see pictures of the plastic boxes.  Most used just as risers for panel mounter meters and USB ports to use them as surface mounted.  I didn't designed the boxes, just got them off Thingverse and sized them to fit my needs.  There's a collection of "fun" stuff I printed and a picture of my setup with the laser head installed.  One thing I did (not well) was to score lines on my laser base plate to provide guidance when placing materials to be burned.


And yes, that my AN-6,  Assault Natural gas 6 burner stove in the background.

[alfsauve]

I'm on a reloading kick.  Got 5,000 X-Treme bullets and am stocking up for 9mm Steel Challenge, both ISR and PPCI, as well as IDPA .38spl.  All using 147gr plated bullets.  My 9mm regimen is to size/de-prime the brass, then run them through the tumbler, chamber check, finish reloading. (I need to chamber check the brass because in my 35# of various and sundry brass are a significant number where the base has been blown out some.  It's too far down to resize with normal dies so I need to eliminate them before I waste powder, primer and time on them.)  I use crushed walnut hulls and it can be a pain separating them from the brass.   I've tired the big hand crank separator and it was just too big and messy.  I've also tried the perrarated top that comes with the tumbler but it too is messy and heavy. 

<INSERT LIGHT BULB IMAGE HERE>


I'll print my on sieve/separator to my specs.  A great first time project to design in TinyCAD.  I probably did it wrong with a box, a hole and then 46 little cylinder holes but it printed well.  No sooner than the print was under way than Version II was born.  Slots instead of holes.  A little bigger also.  When you shake it the slots help tumble the brass which tends to be base heavy.

[alfsauve]

I load my .458 Socom by hand.  Weighting each charge.  (Throw back to when I began reloading with a single stage press.)  I use to do the same with the .357 Max back in my IHMSA days.

To  make getting the powder into the case easier I cut off a .308Win case and glued it to a small funnel.  This has worked okay, especially consider I don't load more than about 20 rounds a year.   However, I've had the idea for a special funnel that would have a sleeve over the outside of the case to hold the funnel steady.   With every 3D design program I've tried out this would be the "test" object.  Well with TinkerCad, it was pretty easy to do, though TC has it's limitations.  e.g., cylindrical objects are multi-faceted rather than truely round, but hey I designed and printed.  Cool.

Here's pictures of the older funnel and the new 3D, state of the art one.  The second picture shows the sleeve before I glued it in place.  TinkerCad doesn't appear to have "layers" or the ability to prioritize "voids" over "solids".  I've since found a "ring" object that I could have used to do this all in one piece, but project already completed.

[Big Frank]

The loading block holds the case and the case holds the funnel. I like it. 👍