Comments on RepRap: Blog: Open sesame...

I give it a week before someone's wife complains t...

2008-05-09T00:02:00.000+01:00

I give it a week before someone's wife complains that all of the nice, shiney things in the house are gradually being replaced by off-white knobbly things!

I've been following this project with interest for...

2008-05-08T15:57:00.000+01:00

I've been following this project with interest for some time - I think it's fascinating. I'm curious - what is the consistency/flexibility/brittleness of the plastic you usually use? Is there an everyday object you could compare it to? How does it feel?

about fire safety: It may be harder to get out but...

2008-05-08T08:44:00.000+01:00

about fire safety: It may be harder to get out but at least you won't burn your hands on the handle trying to escape :S

Yes, I'm a positive thinker.

@nophead & adrian:The traditional material for liv...

2008-05-07T20:14:00.000+01:00

@nophead & adrian:

The traditional material for living hinges is polypropylene.

It's not toughness per se that you need in a living hinge, but fatigue resistance.

I realize polypropylene has a higher melting point, but it has so many other nice properties (especially dishwasher safeness) that it might be worth trying at some point.

You might also want to look into a design with some sort of fiber reinforcement: my first thought is postal twine. Even polypropylene living hinges wear out fairly quickly.

Last: I expect fire safety will be an issue with door hardware. If your handle melts away and leaves an opening, the door won't stop a fire the way it's designed to; doubly so for hinges.

How about HDPE instead of PCL for the hinge?

2008-05-07T18:18:00.000+01:00

How about HDPE instead of PCL for the hinge?

awesome! i'm loving all these printed parts. if ...

2008-05-07T15:52:00.000+01:00

awesome! i'm loving all these printed parts. if only i had a solid week alone with my machine. i know i'd be printing in no time!

RepRap is really opening the door to innovation.

2008-05-07T13:38:00.000+01:00

RepRap is really opening the door to innovation.

I tried a hinge using PCL (which is very tough and...

2008-05-07T09:41:00.000+01:00

I tried a hinge using PCL (which is very tough and flexible), with a thin section forming the actual hinge. That worked fine, but the thicker bits that attached to the door and frame were also a bit too flexible, and so bent and the door didn't hang right. I couldn't make them any thicker to strengthen them as there was not enough gap between the door and its frame.

More thought needed...

Brilliant! Why don't you do the rest of the door ...

2008-05-07T02:07:00.000+01:00

Brilliant! Why don't you do the rest of the door hardware assembly before you take on the scullery? having a complete doorknob hardware assembly and a set of proper hinges would be very, very attractive in Africa from my experience. :-)