T-Rex Tape Dispenser

prusaprinters

<p>Want to modify a design and don't know how. We can help and often work for free, email us to ask. See the contact detail on our page.<br/> For more of my designs check out my website: <a href="https://3domcontact.wixsite.com/3dom">https://3domcontact.wixsite.com/3dom</a></p> <p>Update V3: STLs and F3D file updated to remove a clash between upper and lower parts.<br/> Gcade removed as it is out of date. If you require new Gcode please message me and I can regenerate it. Thanks JoeyCahill and JessiSimpsonArt for your comments.<br/> Please ignore the V2 fusion design.</p> <p>I have remixed this from Shiuan's version (<a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:328478">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:328478</a>). However I have modified it to suit my preferences.</p> <p>I have designed it to be able to be easily separate the top and bottom parts. I have allowed for magnets to hold it together, but they are not necessary. Jessisimpsonart chose to add a Velcro to the supports to hold it together as an alternative.</p> <p>If you would like to download the Fusion 360 model see make project page here: <a href="https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/t-rex-tape-dispenser">https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/t-rex-tape-dispenser</a></p> <p>Reviewing comments on Shiuan's page and the models when imported I decided that I wanted to do this in a different way.<br/> I redesigned the tape support, and the way the top and bottom join.</p> <p>For the basic design process see the section "How I designed this".</p> <h3>Print instructions</h3><p>Unassociated tags: Fusion 360</p> <h3>Category: Office Summary</h3> <p>Want to modify a design and don't know how. We can help and often work for free, email us to ask. See the contact detail on our page.<br/> For more of my designs check out my website: <a href="https://3domcontact.wixsite.com/3dom">https://3domcontact.wixsite.com/3dom</a></p> <p>Update V3: STLs and F3D file updated to remove a clash between upper and lower parts.<br/> Gcade removed as it is out of date. If you require new Gcode please message me and I can regenerate it. Thanks JoeyCahill and JessiSimpsonArt for your comments.<br/> Please ignore the V2 fusion design.</p> <p>I have remixed this from Shiuan's version (<a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:328478">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:328478</a>). However I have modified it to suit my preferences.</p> <p>I have designed it to be able to be easily separate the top and bottom parts. I have allowed for magnets to hold it together, but they are not necessary. Jessisimpsonart chose to add a Velcro to the supports to hold it together as an alternative.</p> <p>If you would like to download the Fusion 360 model see make project page here: <a href="https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/t-rex-tape-dispenser">https://gallery.autodesk.com/fusion360/projects/t-rex-tape-dispenser</a></p> <p>Reviewing comments on Shiuan's page and the models when imported I decided that I wanted to do this in a different way.<br/> I redesigned the tape support, and the way the top and bottom join.</p> <p>For the basic design process see the section "How I designed this".</p> <h3> Print Settings</h3> <p><strong>Printer Brand:</strong> Prusa</p> <p><strong>Printer:</strong> i3 MK3</p> <p><strong>Rafts:</strong> Yes</p> <p><strong>Supports:</strong> Yes</p> <p><strong>Resolution:</strong> 0.15</p> <p><strong>Infill:</strong> 20%</p> <p><strong>Filament:</strong> Prusa PLA Black<br/> <strong>Notes:</strong></p> <p>Be selective about what supports you use as you will need a lot and some will be inside the head.<br/> I found the Standard Slic3r ones to be fairly easy to remove with a pair of needle nose pliers and a flat screwdriver used carefully.</p> <p>The Lower Jaw Base can be printed in the natural orientation with some supports and is cleaned easily.</p> <p>The Head, needs to be rotated for the best printing. The original by Shiuan prints with the back of the head to the build plate. I used the same orientation and found it worked well. Just be careful removing the supports around some of the smaller teeth.</p> <p>I used rafts, as I wanted to ensure stability particularly of the head. they would not be required for the other parts, but the head could likely be printed successfully without as well mostly due to the supports being required.</p> <p>My Gcode is included. Caution: I am pretty sure that one part was accidentally scaled in the slicer. But it still worked so I didn't redo the gcode or reprint it.</p> <h3> Post-Printing</h3> <p>After Printing, be care full removing support material around small teeth.</p> <p>The Core is designed to be assembled with the cylinder being inserted, chamfered end first into the recess in the main core body.</p> <p>I intended that the magnets might be a press fit, but they were fairly loose after printing. My solution was a drop of super glue in the recess, which worked well.</p> <p>I also found that the tape cutter parts where not very sharp, so I tried filing them to a point. While this worked it was less successful cutting tape than I would like.</p> <p>I am considering adding a metal cutter from a old dispenser or making one myself. This likely could be easily screwed to the existing cutters or possibly glued, depending on the size and shape of the metal part.</p> <h3> How I Designed This</h3> <p><strong>My basic design process</strong></p> <p>I started to make changes in Fusion 360 with the method of holding the tape, and redesigned the tape support and axle to be more similar to existing commercial dispensers. Making the tape core a square spindle because square is easier to insert into the round hole and still provide good contact for less wobble.<br/> I then created a housing (supports) for the spindle on one side so that it was easy to change the tape, then mirrored that to the other.</p> <p>I imported the mesh from Shiuan's design, but wanted to clean it up. After some limited success in Fusion 360, I decided to try a different way. So I loaded the STl file into Autodesk Recap Photo. I was able to remove the existing tape support and extra parts.<br/> I removed and repaired the surfaces for the existing top and bottom part connections.<br/> I was also able to use Recap Photo to cleanup the mesh to remove some erroneous features. Finally I 'pushed' the roof of the mouth up to make space for the tape roll, and so that the jaw could be more closed. This was a problem often commented in Shiuan's thing.</p> <p>I then exported the modified design from Recap Photo and imported the new quad mesh into Fusion 360. I located it centrally around the existing tape, spool core and supports that I had previously modeled.<br/> Note: I kept the top and bottom meshes separate to make printing easier.</p> <p>Next I wanted to create a more positive connection between the head (top) and the lower jaw (base).<br/> I started with the base, and added a support bar across the back of the jaw to join the two sides and projected some columns up to to house a magnet at the top in a recess.<br/> Note: I had some 6mm dia x 1.5mm magnets, that turned out to be perfect.</p> <p>I then projected a shape to join the core supports to the jaw (as viewed from behind) so that the supports could be printed without print supports. After some tidy up this was the finished lower jaw base part.</p> <p>I did realize that because I had done all the manipulation and exporting and importing of the mesh the tape cutting spikes had been rounded off. So I removed these from the mesh and added a new set in Fusion 360.</p> <p>I imported the mesh for the head and located it where I like it. I then mirrored the supports with the magnets about the matting face and adjusted the new columns to connect with the head properly. I decided at this point that the head would not be stable on only the one pair of columns, so I also created a pair further to the front that would provide support, and therefore stability onto the Core support parts. This completed the Head part for printing.</p>