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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Help/Repair/Maintenance → Preemtive parts replacement
Maybe I am a little too excited about the concept of a self replicating machine, but I think it is really cool that you can print many replacement parts for the solidoodle, with the obvious irony of needing a working printer to make the parts.
With that in mind, I was thinking of making any parts that have a tendency to break before they do. Any suggestions?
Replacement part files aren't available from solidoodle, however if you do a search on www.thingiverse.com for solidoodle you will find some upgrades that some members and others have created.
Check out http://wiki.solidoodle.com/modifications as well.
Replacement part files aren't available from solidoodle, however if you do a search on www.thingiverse.com for solidoodle you will find some upgrades that some members and others have created.
Why Solidoodle has yet to put up the files is beyond me. I would think they would at least make them accessible to SD owners. If my machine didn't have a backlog of parts to print I would take it apart and replicate them all myself.
Here is my offer to the community: If anyone has extra Solidoodle parts (even broken) who is willing to send them to me I will be happy to replicate them and put up the .stl files for everyone to use. PM me if you are interested.
There is no reason why the files should not be available to the community.
The software, electronics, and hot end are open source or OEM, so the mechanical stuff represents their IP, which differentiates the SD from the other printers that use the same software, electronics and hot end. I can see why they wouldn't want to release the files that represent their own R&D.
I wouldn't want a just reverse engineer of the parts, I would want an improvement. There are changes that need to be made to the X Y and Z carriages to improve their stability. It would be nice to have some working files to start from, but they don't need to be the same as what is already there.
Someone already made a new X, there's a post around here somewhere.
The software, electronics, and hot end are open source or OEM, so the mechanical stuff represents their IP, which differentiates the SD from the other printers that use the same software, electronics and hot end. I can see why they wouldn't want to release the files that represent their own R&D.
I wouldn't want a just reverse engineer of the parts, I would want an improvement. There are changes that need to be made to the X Y and Z carriages to improve their stability. It would be nice to have some working files to start from, but they don't need to be the same as what is already there.
Someone already made a new X, there's a post around here somewhere.
post that link if you find it...
I understand that this represents part of their IP but I still feel they should release the files. If the files were released, I can't picture a lot of people going out and building there own SD from scratch. I don't foresee Solidoodle as a company who is in the replacement parts business so why not let their customers fix their own machine with parts they printed beforehand.
On SD's website they have a replacement print carriage listed for $89.00. If I only need one part of that carriage printed to be fixed then $89 seems a little steep (not to mention the wait to get the part).
My offer stands, reverse engineered parts are better than $89 any day. Hopefully once they are available to the community there will be improvements to the design.
You can't see people going out and building their own machine? Isn't that what the whole reprap movement is?
I wouldn't want to see them posted here, we are the unofficial forum of solidoodle as such we are directly connected to the support and the company. If we go against their well documented wishes and post up plans on how to duplicate their intellectual property, that most likely goes away as well as the link back to the company.
I can't stop you, but I'd hate to have this website and the community that uses it here disowned by Solidoodle because something might break on your machine some day. Just my 2 cents.
You can't see people going out and building their own machine? Isn't that what the whole reprap movement is?
I said people wont be going out and building a Solidoodle.
I wouldn't want to see them posted here, we are the unofficial forum of solidoodle as such we are directly connected to the support and the company. If we go against their well documented wishes and post up plans on how to duplicate their intellectual property, that most likely goes away as well as the link back to the company.
If I do ever make them you will find them on Thingiverse.
I can't stop you, but I'd hate to have this website and the community that uses it here disowned by Solidoodle because something might break on your machine some day. Just my 2 cents.
Im not trying to destroy this sites relationship with Solidoodle by putting up a part people want.
If Solidoodle thinks that their print carriage is what makes and sells a Solidoodle then I suggest that they reevaluate the direction they, as well as the industry, are headed.
I could understand the point of not releasing them if they allowed us to buy the parts on their site. But the store doesn't even have most of the printed parts available for purchase. Even ones that they know can fail. This alone creates the 'black market' of reverse engineering and posting things online since I cannot easily purchase a part if it were to break on my machine.
Of course if they were to release the STL's they would need to do it with a license that would allow them to absorb any feature enhancements created by the community. But I don't think any of us would have a problem with that.
Solidoodle does not seem to have a problem with us providing links to printable replacement parts and upgrades on their official wiki. My happiness and understanding of my Solidoodle largely came from this community. Without these forums and the google group this printer couldn't build the success that they want it to have.
Solidoodle should wish that they would be so lucky as to have this printer gain such widespread adoption that people were printing their own. They could wipe away their tears with all the cash fallin out of their pockets.
I could understand the point of not releasing them if they allowed us to buy the parts on their site. But the store doesn't even have most of the printed parts available for purchase. Even ones that they know can fail. This alone creates the 'black market' of reverse engineering and posting things online since I cannot easily purchase a part if it were to break on my machine.
Of course if they were to release the STL's they would need to do it with a license that would allow them to absorb any feature enhancements created by the community. But I don't think any of us would have a problem with that.
Solidoodle does not seem to have a problem with us providing links to printable replacement parts and upgrades on their official wiki. My happiness and understanding of my Solidoodle largely came from this community. Without these forums and the google group this printer couldn't build the success that they want it to have.
Solidoodle should wish that they would be so lucky as to have this printer gain such widespread adoption that people were printing their own. They could wipe away their tears with all the cash fallin out of their pockets.
^^^Agree.
I'm not sure why some people have a problem with reverse engineering the parts...if anything it will push SD to make improvements on the next generation of machines.
I see someone on ebay sells y axis pulley brackets, 15 each , plus shipping.
It's a five hundred dollar machine.
It's built to price.
Some parts are not "optimal"
Stop files to replace like for like parts that have already broken seems crazy.
It's a weak part.
The acrylic jigsaw extruded is a likely to break part.
Community response is to design a better part!
Not copy the existing weak design to remake a new weak part.
Why go to the trouble of ripping off the SD designs and uploading files? Why not just figure out the problem and design compatible but better parts?
The lack of available stl files is not even a pebble in the path of anyone out to rip off their tech. If they lack the resources to buy one, tear it down, and come up with their rip-off design without Solidoodle's stl files, they're never going to do anything.
The end user, however, can be further monetized by making the parts only available for sale. Especially if you only sell the complete carriage.
I support their freedom to do business this way. I just think their secretive nature about everything is silly and hurts their goodwill from the community.
I think another reason for their secrecy is that if there is any "intellectual property" in the machine it's likely in the form of patents owned by the big players.
For now, you just have to hope that a Lawsy or Ian Johnson, etc. has already broken the same part as you or else you're up to bat. Thank god for those guys! I agree with what several others have said that the community will design improvements when problems are encountered. I am certainly a grateful leach.
The lack of available stl files is not even a pebble in the path of anyone out to rip off their tech. If they lack the resources to buy one, tear it down, and come up with their rip-off design without Solidoodle's stl files, they're never going to do anything.
The end user, however, can be further monetized by making the parts only available for sale. Especially if you only sell the complete carriage.
I support their freedom to do business this way. I just think their secretive nature about everything is silly and hurts their goodwill from the community.
I think another reason for their secrecy is that if there is any "intellectual property" in the machine it's likely in the form of patents owned by the big players.
For now, you just have to hope that a Lawsy or Ian Johnson, etc. has already broken the same part as you or else you're up to bat. Thank god for those guys! I agree with what several others have said that the community will design improvements when problems are encountered. I am certainly a grateful leach.
Well I have been in manufacturing for quite a few years now >20 and I do have to say that when I am at shows and someone comes up to me and starts asking questions about the products we make and the questions get more detailed and so on.... I can usually spot these ripoff artists/copycats pretty quick these days 
but I also have to tell you they are cheap sob's even when the product is less than 20 bucks they will not buy one... but they would pull out a calipers or other tool and start taking measurements/pics... So why should I make it easier for them to copy my work by giving them a digital file of it????
So I understand SD's perspective on this and they are a company in business to make money.. Right?? it's not like they are ripping people off, if you need a part they will sell you one... if you want to print one yourself do it... if you're able to print something you should be able to design it also after all isn't that why we get these kinds of tools so we can make parts and other things???
just my thoughts....
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Help/Repair/Maintenance → Preemtive parts replacement
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