THE STORY
Healthcare workers ran across this article on Facebook and inquired about the possibility of printing them locally. Finding the file on Thingiverse and after a quick test print on “Groot” the go ahead was given for 150 copies. The nine Ender3’s were called into action printing 5-up at a time to crank out 200 in the space of a couple of days. PLA was used in multiple colors. A yardstick was recycled and 3D printed end pieces in ABS made it easy to keep track of production by counting the color bands. A single lime green strap marked the 100 position.
THE REST OF THE STORY
After removing so many clips from both glass plates and polymer skins some embellishments were conceived. TinkerCAD to the rescue. A name was embossed as well as a little dent in the bottom surface for easy removal.The tweaks were then exported and re-sliced in Simplify3D.
Here’s a shot of the Ender3 “Printer Farm” in action.
Having an effective dust collection system for a CNC router keeps the area clean and chips don’t get a change to foul up the cutting. Pipe and snout pieces were designed in SolidWorks and printed in ABS. The primary nozzle has a T-slot where a flexible brush can be inserted. The system keeps the work surface tremendously clean. Parts were printed on FlashForge Creator and Creator Pro.