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3D printed geocaches !


warweed

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Ok so i just got my replicator 2x 3d printer :D I'm very excited because i think it will be revolutionary to geocaching :D I'm not very well skilled in CAD design but I know a bunch of you out there are so I am looking for a bit of Help. In my area (Edmonton, Alberta) there aren't to many overly creative caches I mean don't get me wrong there are some ! that's for sure but not a lot so I would love tog give back to my local community by getting some help designing some new ones if anyone out there is keen on giving a hand I will gladly take your cad designs and turn them into caches and as a reward I will make one for you to ! the only thing i would ask is you paid for the shipping of course i would take some photos of the caches after then done printing and if you would like one 2 i will gladly send it :)

 

I'm Looking For ALL kinds of containers preferably screw top kinds or locking kinds ect these are some i made recently :)

 

2z5lmds.jpg

http://coord.info/GC4A9BR

2i229mo.jpg

2hn9s39.jpg

http://coord.info/GC4A1AK

 

send me a messaging through my geocaching profile

http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=9e734c17-8a5d-4683-897a-1fbe0cb06e72

if your at all interested :)

 

Thanks guys

 

Please keep in mind the replicator 2x only has a build volume of 9.7 L x 6.0 W x 6.1 H in so if you want to make one bigger it will have to be a multi peice part which can easily be acetone welded together :D

Edited by warweed
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Awesome Warweed!!

 

If I had a 3-D printer I'd be learning a program to make stuff with it. And I'd probably be on the forums asking exactly the same question because I would want to do it NOW!

 

What gravitated you to the Replicator 2X instead of some other 3-D printer (like the Cube)?

Do you know how the material will hold up to weather?

 

I could easily come up with a million other questions but suffice it say I think this is way, way cool and is loaded with endless possibilities!!

 

Cheers,

PandA Inc

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I sacrificed a bit of build volume for a few reasons 1 being the 2x prints both PLA and abs, abs being the obvious robust choice for caches As it will hold up very well pla being a bad choice Other machines were a option but makerbot although a bit buggy is still the best choice in consumer quality customer support other printers are still good but some take custom print cartridges others you have to pay to download models unlike the free thingiverse and although the replicator has a few small flaws it's easy to work on and lots of available parts that's why I ended up going with this one

 

The above prints where printed printed low quailty te high quality is pretty awesome :D

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It sounds like you put a good deal of thought into your choice. Should I find myself with some 'mad money' anytime in the near future I will certainly consider your recommendations.

 

Now for the next question (pardon my curiosity - you are under no obligation to answer), what software(s) are compatible, or what file types?

 

Cheers,

 

PandA Inc

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What kind of mill do you have ? :D I'm always looking for new tools and will be on the island this summer infact I think I seen some of your logs in the Campbell river area

 

:laughing: My "mill" is the kind that cooks and cleans and does laundry, but can't mind her own business. Haven't cached in Campbell river. Must be another superhero you're thinking of. :P

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What kind of mill do you have ? :D I'm always looking for new tools and will be on the island this summer infact I think I seen some of your logs in the Campbell river area

 

:laughing: My "mill" is the kind that cooks and cleans and does laundry, but can't mind her own business. Haven't cached in Campbell river. Must be another superhero you're thinking of. :P

hahaha i completely missed that MIL :P lol oh im a fool :P:D

 

hurm I'm positive i have seen your name some were just not sure where yet

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I think 35mm film used to come in metal cans like that, back before plastic became the answer to everything.

 

Now don't ask, "What's 35mm film?"

 

Are we off-topic yet? I just turned Fitty, but apparently I just used lame low-end camera's in the day, because everything I ever owned used 126 film. Not familiar with those containers, which actually don't look too bad for Geocaching purposes.

 

On-topic, I use AutoCad, but never any of the 3-D stuff. No crazy design ideas here anyways. Want me to draw an ammo box on AutoCad? :huh:

Edited by Mr.Yuck
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I think 35mm film used to come in metal cans like that, back before plastic became the answer to everything.

 

Now don't ask, "What's 35mm film?"

 

Are we off-topic yet? I just turned Fitty, but apparently I just used lame low-end camera's in the day, because everything I ever owned used 126 film. Not familiar with those containers, which actually don't look too bad for Geocaching purposes.

 

On-topic, I use AutoCad, but never any of the 3-D stuff. No crazy design ideas here anyways. Want me to draw an ammo box on AutoCad? :huh:

I'm happy to accept any and ALL containers cad draws for containers :) and will gladly print them and display them here :)

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I think 35mm film used to come in metal cans like that, back before plastic became the answer to everything.

 

Now don't ask, "What's 35mm film?"

 

Are we off-topic yet? I just turned Fitty, but apparently I just used lame low-end camera's in the day, because everything I ever owned used 126 film. Not familiar with those containers, which actually don't look too bad for Geocaching purposes.

 

On-topic, I use AutoCad, but never any of the 3-D stuff. No crazy design ideas here anyways. Want me to draw an ammo box on AutoCad? :huh:

 

Make sure to draw in a log book. Then you can run off 1000 photocopies and use them as temporary caches at an event.

Edited by NYPaddleCacher
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I'm sure anything is possible I don't know anything about Braille though

Ya, just saw a Sunday morning spot on CBS where they are printing body (ears etc.) parts w/ tissue "ink". Trying to figure out how to apply to Geocaching. I keep coming back to printed travel bugs that you release from your armchair and they log caches for you.

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Hi there,

I like the look of your ‘easy as Pi’ geocache idea and am thinking of trying to replicate this as I have the use of a replicator 2 at my place of work. Did you encounter any problems while printing this,

Did you need to apply supports or a raft in the options?

I have not got any experience using the printer but thought I would give it a go.

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Wow, cool stuff! I'd really love to get one of those printers!

Whatever you do, just don't make it look like hand grenades and other weapons. I was just thinking about wildlife, but I guess a Moose is a bit over the top, and interesting smaller animals in Canada? Not sure... <_< Mushrooms with unscrew-able hats?

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Bumping this thread. I'm going to see if the OP's offer still stands.

 

I've been looking into 3D printing services myself, but can't seem to figure out whether it would be affordable for the small amount I need or whether I should just buy my own printer. Most of the services out there seem to have a minimum and won't give you a quote until you submit plans.

 

I'm also trying to figure out if they've got a plastic which is durable under stress and whether you can put screws into it without it cracking. From what I've seen, there's a variety of materials they can use.

 

Anybody out there have any experience with this?

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I'm also trying to figure out if they've got a plastic which is durable under stress and whether you can put screws into it without it cracking. From what I've seen, there's a variety of materials they can use.

Well, I'm not an engineer, but if someone's making workable firearms outta these things, I'd think durability in a cache container'd be a given.

One, all it's internal parts are also plastic.

Edited by cerberus1
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I'm also trying to figure out if they've got a plastic which is durable under stress and whether you can put screws into it without it cracking. From what I've seen, there's a variety of materials they can use.

Here are a couple of articles that may apply.

 

A review of the weathering of a "PLA" object:

http://www.protoparadigm.com/blog/2013/06/weathering-of-3d-printed-pla-objects/

 

Pros and cons of a variety of 3D printer materials:

http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/01/07/review-of-materials-that-can-be-3d-printed-at-home/

 

Is the "PLA" (Or ABS, your material here) material suitable for caches in the elements? If so, can I use the material itself? Do I need to buy a 3D machine just to mold some pieces of plastic? If I already have the ability to make my cache by hand, all I need is the plastic material and a way to melt/form it. It would be like a "Hot Glue Gun", except that Hot Glue is absolutely unsuitable where I live. "Hot Glue" (regardless of the kind of "Hot Glue") quickly turns into a sticky goo outdoors.

 

So I'm looking at less expensive ways to make some PLA objects by hand. Here's a "pen" than allows this: http://3dprintsoftheworld.com/blog/you-call-it-glorified-glue-gun-i-call-it-3d-printing-pen

 

If I can get the "plastic" (whichever works) that is the same thing used in 3D printing and melt/shape it myself, I have many cache ideas that would require no "computer 3D printer" to make. Is that an option?

 

Yes I know that not every cache can be built by hand. But plenty of them could be. Yes I know the "3D Plastic" material is probably not an adhesive -- this will create new challenges when I try to attach it to a weatherproof container.

 

 

And then it gets interesting:

 

 

(I'm not 110% sure either "pen" is a real thing. It's just an example.)

Edited by kunarion
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(I'm not 110% sure either "pen" is a real thing. It's just an example.)

 

The second one is very real. From what I can tell, it works kinda like a hot glue gun, so the plastic would probably be too thin-unless of course it will stick and seal to itself.

 

I think those are around $100. It'd be kinda cool. Make your own bison tubes it you could put threads onto them.

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it works kinda like a hot glue gun, so the plastic would probably be too thin-unless of course it will stick and seal to itself.

So that's no good. I'd like to see something more like whatever a 3D printer does that makes a large mass. Yet being able to do that by hand. (Yes I know it won't look machine made, I mean making freehand objects).

 

Even [that material] in powder form or whatever, so it can be melted into a mold, would work in most cases. Just not those thin lines exclusively. The thin line thing was the closest example I could find, in a personal crafting device that used 3D plastic material.

Edited by kunarion
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it works kinda like a hot glue gun, so the plastic would probably be too thin-unless of course it will stick and seal to itself.

So that's no good. I'd like to see something more like whatever a 3D printer does that makes a large mass. Yet being able to do that by hand. (Yes I know it won't look machine made, I mean making freehand objects).

 

Even [that material] in powder form or whatever, so it can be melted into a mold, would work in most cases. Just not those thin lines exclusively. The thin line thing was the closest example I could find, in a personal crafting device that used 3D plastic material.

 

There's an idea. Maybe make a mold out of modelling clay or something? You could even do a full ammo can if you have the patience. Using the clay or plaster, you could do an imprint of some tree bark. It could make for some amazing camo...

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Tree bark, what a neat idea. I wonder if there are 3d scanners as well. I'm travelling right now but will post more tonight about what I've learned. Thanks ku for the info. There's one online service that can print in 70 different materials. Ceramic, stainless steel, stone. Amazing. And free programs to create the plans. It would be cool if we could share plans for creative caches here. If it was affordable, it would be nice just to be able to print things like match containrrs without having to purchase from a store.

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it works kinda like a hot glue gun, so the plastic would probably be too thin-unless of course it will stick and seal to itself.

So that's no good. I'd like to see something more like whatever a 3D printer does that makes a large mass. Yet being able to do that by hand. (Yes I know it won't look machine made, I mean making freehand objects).

 

Even [that material] in powder form or whatever, so it can be melted into a mold, would work in most cases. Just not those thin lines exclusively. The thin line thing was the closest example I could find, in a personal crafting device that used 3D plastic material.

 

There's an idea. Maybe make a mold out of modelling clay or something? You could even do a full ammo can if you have the patience. Using the clay or plaster, you could do an imprint of some tree bark. It could make for some amazing camo...

 

That's how "plastic" kayaks are made (melting plastic into a mold) and they're extremely durable. The trick for most containers is the closure mechanism. My so was in a camp a week ago or so that had a 3D printer and he printed off several pieces that about the size of the lower part of a bison, but the sides were about 1/4" thick. The hard part would be making a "top" that will seal with the lower part.

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Online shops sell rolls of "3D Printing Filament" in an assortment of colors. "ABS" allegedly breaks down in UV light. Should I use "PLA" instead? I can buy one or the other. They are on the expensive side as a craft material, but just part of doing business in a 3D printing application.

 

I can melt the filament with a heat gun or maybe a propane torch with extreme care, and I can make RTV molds (as mentioned, there are other kinds of molds that may work even better) to fill with the melted plastic. I don't want to build a waterproof container with PLA (or ABS, whichever is the kind to use), it's entirely for the camo that covers a manufactured container. Or that's my plan for now.

 

If PLA (or whatever) is pretty much indestructible, which is the whole point of making caches from it, it would also be great for custom Trackables. So even if I can't use a roll of it to cover a container, maybe I can make Geocoins or at least Swag.

Edited by kunarion
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I've read through your links, ku. Looks like PLA might be the way to go, although I'm much too lazy to do it the way you're proposing. :P

 

I've got a couple of leads as to where I can get something printed in my area.

 

Here's a useful page, with 4 links. The link on the far right will help you find a 3D printer in your area.

 

http://www.123dapp.com/3d-printing-services

 

I've also been researching which software is good to generate the files you need.

 

TinkerCAD is recommended for beginners and has pretty good tutorials.

123D seems to be a step up from that.

They are both free.

 

I'm going to see if I can get something printed soon and let you know my results.

Edited by The_Incredibles_
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(I'm not 110% sure either "pen" is a real thing. It's just an example.)

 

The second one is very real. From what I can tell, it works kinda like a hot glue gun, so the plastic would probably be too thin-unless of course it will stick and seal to itself.

 

I think those are around $100. It'd be kinda cool. Make your own bison tubes it you could put threads onto them.

 

It is indeed a very real thing. It was a Kickstarter project. I backed it, and have one at home. Unopened :P Only because I haven't considered a practical application for it, for myself, outside of general crafts.

I'm confident you wouldn't be able to make a cache container with the pen, although you might be able to find a way to craft some camoufalge, if you add some paint, after perhaps some sanding and finishing...

It's a very cool tool, but its practical uses are few, imo.

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It is indeed a very real thing. It was a Kickstarter project. I backed it, and have one at home. Unopened :P Only because I haven't considered a practical application for it, for myself, outside of general crafts.

I'm confident you wouldn't be able to make a cache container with the pen, although you might be able to find a way to craft some camoufalge, if you add some paint, after perhaps some sanding and finishing...

It's a very cool tool, but its practical uses are few, imo.

I have no idea if that specific product is suitable. It was just an example of an idea I had, making handcrafted camo free-hand with no PC or "printer", [using whatever is the best handheld tool] to melt it and form it [and such a tool may not be invented yet or may never be, but the pen is close to what I meant]. Whatever the printer does, I would do that by hand, or if that's no good, use a different process. Maybe strips or blocks or rods than can be fused together or liquefied and poured or pressed into a mold. The main thing is deciding exactly which material is the one to use (balancing cost and durability), and finding a source for that product. It may be that the product is even cheaper if it's not on a roll designed for a "3D printer".

 

One thing I'd like to make is "tree bark". That's expensive and tough to find (and usually decorative, not ultra realistic to blend with a given tree). But also don't get hung up on specifically fake plastic bark. If [any given camo] can be made in-house in my house, I'd prefer that.

Edited by kunarion
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One thing I'd like to make is "tree bark". That's expensive and tough to find (and usually decorative, not ultra realistic to blend with a given tree). But also don't get hung up on specifically fake plastic bark. If [any given camo] can be made in-house in my house, I'd prefer that.

 

Why not use real tree bark? I've got several containers with tree bark glued to them. It seems to last.

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One thing I'd like to make is "tree bark". That's expensive and tough to find (and usually decorative, not ultra realistic to blend with a given tree). But also don't get hung up on specifically fake plastic bark. If [any given camo] can be made in-house in my house, I'd prefer that.

 

Why not use real tree bark? I've got several containers with tree bark glued to them. It seems to last.

What do you use as glue? Hot glue does not seem to have any lasting power.

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One thing I'd like to make is "tree bark". That's expensive and tough to find (and usually decorative, not ultra realistic to blend with a given tree). But also don't get hung up on specifically fake plastic bark. If [any given camo] can be made in-house in my house, I'd prefer that.

 

Why not use real tree bark? I've got several containers with tree bark glued to them. It seems to last.

What do you use as glue? Hot glue does not seem to have any lasting power.

 

I can't speak for the Incredibles, but I use cyanoacrylate, or CA glue. Brands like Gorilla Glue. I have not used much on caches, but it seems to last longer than the paint. I have used it on other stuff, some of which keeps things together under more stress than the product was designed for. I have seen the results of glue used where it shouldn't have been- the parts stayed together while the metal itself broke.

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One thing I'd like to make is "tree bark". That's expensive and tough to find (and usually decorative, not ultra realistic to blend with a given tree). But also don't get hung up on specifically fake plastic bark. If [any given camo] can be made in-house in my house, I'd prefer that.

 

Why not use real tree bark? I've got several containers with tree bark glued to them. It seems to last.

What do you use as glue? Hot glue does not seem to have any lasting power.

 

I use a very thick layer of construction adhesive, the kind that you need a caulking tube for. I've given up on everything else. This is the stuff you want. Before putting the bark on, I roughed up the surface of the lock n lock really good with sandpaper. Nice thick layer is what you want. And ventilation too, unless you want a cheap high. Make sure the bark you use is good and solid, not the crumbly stuff.

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This one is starting to seem like the 'speaking thread'. :laughing:

 

OK, so I'll add a bit more. I experimented with TinkerCAD, then 123D Design and got frustrated with the limitations. I thought 123D Design was supposed to be pretty good, but I was struggling just trying to trim a line. I have lots of AutoCAD experience.

 

Now I'm onto AutoCAD 2014 which is much better, although it's going to take some time to learn as I haven't used it for 15 years. At least I can trim lines without pulling my hair out. Fortunately, there are lots of youtube videos. The good thing with AutoCAD is there is a free version for students and hobbyists. It is the same as the full version apparently, but puts a watermark on things which might be inconvenient for a professional. I don't know if this is going to affect my 3D printing.

 

I've found a local club that has a 3D printer among other things. I'm going to go to their open house tomorrow night to ask some questions.

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http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:84637

 

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:121268

 

lol now I have just seen your caches on the site, I dont think the above ones will help

 

ivbnlf.jpg

 

What is the value of that over a couple of tight-fitting PVC plumbing parts? With the cost of time and materials, making a non-watertight cylinder (or any non-watertight cache container) seems like a huge waste. I remove the tip of a bison tube that holds the ring, glue a magnet to that, and there's a cylinder for less than $3, that at least has the look of a watertight seal (admittedly, the O-ring breaks upon every find, but what ya gonna do).

 

The hexagonal Geocache from space is cool, but again, there will be a lot of "There's water inside" logs. I know 99.999% of all Cache Owners have no concern about how wet everything gets, so the cache log remains forever soaked. But I'd humbly ask anyone designing a new cache container, to please start with a design that has genuine sealing qualities and build upon that. And no more of this "I put it on a bucket of water overnight" cache testing. Geocaches are to be in place longer than overnight. B)

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