I love how 3D printing is potentially one of the most practical hobbies you could take up these days... And yet the moments where you actually use a 3D printer for something practical are so rare you feel compelled to make a video about fixing a compost bin.
My friend said the same thing a few days ago: that there aren't many actual practical needs for one. But the thing is: that's NOT true. There's tons of practical uses for it, you just need to develop an eye for it. We're not used to thinking in a "well maybe I can improve this by doing this or that to it". If you DO develop that eye, you'll find that you have tons of stuff to print for. Examples of stuff I printed recently: a clip to keep the dishwasher from closing accidentally after it's "venting", a replacement cap for a garden pole, a holder for my Nvidia Shield TV remote next to my bed post, a clip for my Philips LivingLights remote, a foldable headphones hanger, a headphone wire clip so it doesn't get tangled in my pocket, a replacement case for my FiiO MP3 player, a clip-on spring for my door so it doesn't bump into the wall, a replacement part for my father's cigarette maker, a rack for dirt wooden kitchen spoons so they don't dirty the counter top, etc. etc.
People might be wondering, but at least pretty much everyone in Germany speaks english and potentially understands what he is saying. Turn that around and have someone in the US make a video in German - now that would be awkward...
Lets translate that google translated Swedish back to English, shall we? (without google translate) "Why is this guy acting as an English speaking compost bin" :)
Uwe Schroeder Brilliant reply. I'm so impressed by Thomas' command of and production of these videos in a second language, English. His cadence and diction, and for the most part, his word selection is so natural. While I'm unable to do the same in his native language, I am glad that he's able to bring his well thought-out thoughts and experiences to me in mine. It's why I subscribed.
THANK YOU. Oh my goodness, I did a video on an Einscan and it was BAD bad. I mean, rightly so, as I completely sucked at using the machine and doing my research on scanning in general. This was awesome, and has me excited to try it again now that I know more!
I also had some significant frustrations with an Einscan scanner (it was an older model). It's good to see it's gotten better, but seeing how long it took to do the scanning and such, it's certainly not a one-size-fits-all approach.
+Mark Floerke, or you could be more accepting of what other people want to do. It's their life. It would be a bland world if everyone looked the same and did the same.
Yeah I though the same, and other reviews left out important details like actual hands-on view of the software and how scans are combined together etc.
This is one of the best videos on your channel, because it shows a full hands on, real world, project from beginning to end. Love it, as well as your garden hose thingy fail.
I really enjoyed this! Thank you! This is the main reason I got into 3D printing; reparing broken plastic parts. It make me happy to see someone printing real practical stuff and not just fidgets.
This is one of the much needed videos about 3d printing (and scanning). It always amazes me that so few people seem to use their 3d printer for anything useful. All I see on FB groups etc. is Cosplay stuff, superman masks, all sorts of decorative dustcatchers etc. I rarely to almost never see anyone print something useful. I for one have a mechanical engineering and a computer science degreee, so for me this printer is a combination of both to design and print functional parts. Right now I'm in the final stages of printing a large motorized and remote-controlled camera slider mechanism that allows you to move a camera along a rail while focusing on one point. Since there's a camera interface with it I can potentially program it to zoom in or something the like. This is fun - and useful. So yes, useful parts - even replacing a hinge on an otherwise mundane composter -are very much interesting.
Uwe Schroeder I don't know about everyone else, but when I print functional stuff, I rarely show it off since it's in use. I'm sure there are a great many people who print functional stuff, but display pieces are better for showing off :/
Thanks for the great video! 7:46 I attribute it to the part being placed where the interior was shadowed by the walls. Need to position the part so the scanner can see into the areas where you want details.
Only realised this video was 24+ mins and have to say it didn't feel that long. really enjoyed the process, the hand held camera breakes things up quite a bit which is nice, and your explanations and thought process is to the point. more like this please. Nice job.
Another insightful installment brought to you by Tom. Two initial thoughts: 1. It's awesome that you take the time to recognize your supporters personally; rather than just scrolling the names like movie credits. 2. You can take this channel wherever you want to go knowing we'll follow, because you're good enough, smart enough, and dog-gone it people like you.
My brother volunteers at a Steam engine museum and this would be awesome for them. Many of their steam engines that have parts that cannot be easily found or manufactured. Really cool video, thanks for sharing.
I liked seeing a concrete example of a problem to solve. some people have skills to model, some don't, and I think this video shows another way to accomplish a working solution.
The advice I received for multiple scans is to place the object off center as well as centered on the revolving table so that scanner has different views to gain information.
good advise, also raise small parts like that up on 4 thumb tacks or needles with Plasticine to allow a better angle without a large contact area to trim.
Thomas "you da man" love all your videos, even when you lose me. But that is what rewind is for. But every time I watch a video I want to go buy something new. You help make 3D printing really interesting and fun. Thanks for your dedication and insight. I will be supporting you soon.
We recently got this exact scanner at my high school, and I played with it quite a bit. Now, you may have noticed that the mount on the bottom of the projector/camera unit is a standard tripod mount. You can, in fact, take the scanner and turn table off of that big piece of plastic and play with different scanning angles, and even scan larger objects (I spliced together a usb b and mini b cable since the included one is so short). You just have to make sure you calibrate every time you move the camera or the turntable. Moving away too from the turntable can also sometimes upset it during the calibration (since those cameras are aimed a little bit towards each other, you eventually start having blind spots). You're also able to take single frames to try to get difficult detail, but you've probably done that. I've also found that even if you don't need the color, letting it run the full color scan can help get some extra detail and help with black or shiny objects. This thing has amazed me so far! It's amazing how accurately it can scan tolerances with not much more than a couple cameras! We've used it to make a few dell hard drive caddys for the IT department. Did a direct scan to print. Incredible! Looking forward to seeing some creative uses of this scanner!
Nice. I saw some amazing scanning tech at Formnext last year but when I saw the prices I almost fainted. If you could maybe do another scanning video some day I'm sure a lot of people are really interested. Reminds me that I have a version 1 and 2 Kinect in my office for more than a year waiting to be tested. Watching this has inspired me to take another look at them tomorrow!
I'm actually very impressed with the quality of the scanned part. Personally I like these type of episodes. Not necessarily more than the "normal" content but this is very cool & educational.
Hi Tom, great to see you making stuff again. That's an awesome 3D scanner and a really cool video of the whole process. Maybe a good follow up video would be "How to copy a part without a 3D scanner" that way you could show how to 'simplify' the part and still retain its form, fit and function.
Really like this style of video, and it is great to show that 3D printing can be used for so many things, I hate that 3D printing is still so often associated with plastic-wasting 'trinkets', but this really just proves that 3D printing (and scanning) can be used for so very much more!
That is some pretty impressive scan result. I just don't see any use for a scanner in my workflow. I would love to see a time comparison for such a simple piece with someone familiar in CAD to make a manual remodel, and someone babysitting all these scans and making shure your scanner gets all the details. My current guess is that for such simple mechanical models manual reverse-engineering into CAD is faster. And you get the added benefit of having a cleaner model to add improvements/reinforcements where needed.
Nice video as always Thomas. My business reproduces a lot of unobtainable parts for various uses and always draw from scratch using a vernier caliper. I find this method to be quicker and more accurate than scanning. It also allows us to make improvements to the original design easily.
I keep reading in the comments "probably could have drawn it faster" etc. yes you could, but that was not the point, he used this as an illustration that scanning technology has improved to a point that there is an option for parts that cannot be readily drawn. Quit focusing on his baby blue eyes and listen to the words that are coming out of his mouth. LOL
I say the opposite. great, you have scanned a mesh file. good luck sending that to anyone other than a 3D printing company. you don't end up with a solid part. most of the time you have to completely redraw the thing anyway, but use the scan data as a template to re-draw it. So if you want to get a 3D scanner, everything else in your business better be able to handle the "ecosystem" of it. 3D scanning + 3D printing + mesh editing software is great. but for where I work, we use solid works and, and need CAD drawings to hand make items, and a 3D scanner was a terrible decision, as we have nothing that can support the files the scanner produces. I have actually used works 3D scanner more for personal projects than work related ones
Also, if you want to use it in an assembly of other modeled parts, nothing is flat/straight so you can't properly constrain it to anything. In the last 15 years, very little has changed regarding the obstacles of 3D scanning except for the price of the tools.
Another issue is that if you draw it yourself, you can reinforce areas to account for the 3D printing which tends to be weak through the layers. You can also eliminate unneeded penny-pinching (which can make sense for large runs) and potentially eliminate design flaws (like stress concentrators). The point about this just being an illustration of scanning technology is well taken though.
Wow, Tom. Crazy that the most intelligent channels related to 3D printing, that are basically no nonsense, dont have the highest subscriber count. I started watching your videos in 2014. Helped me immensely in getting rolling in 3D, starting with a Shapeoko 2 and a RAMPS board. Gaffers Tape is amazing. I avoid Duct Tape like the plague.. it's evil. Keep rollin' Tom!
the power of this man is insane, he only stared at the dog interrupting him and by staring he made him disappear from this universe, this guy scares me. 0:12
but I see room for improvement, will be cool when the day comes that you only need like one scan and the computer will make sure to get it all in best detail. Maybe even start the print ^^ (and also make you coffee)
I relate to this so hard - I printed up a part for my vacuum - the bearing had seized on the beater bar, melting the plastic locator. It's a cheap part to replace but I decided to model and print one up because it's so satisfying.
Thomas, this video is excellent!! It's really cool to see a practical use of 3D printing and scanning technology. I would love to see more videos such as this one!! Keep the content coming!
I think that 3D printing is moving towards and getting close to a point where the work and dedication is just pressing the go button, as it should be. Generating the model is 99% of the work. You have 3 options, 1. Use and existing file (someone else did all the work) 2. Make file in CAD (which for objects like this is tricky for most people) 3. Scan (think of how much work that saved you)
@@jodyschultz5870 It's also great to see all the different 3D printing technologies (like FDM, DLP, SLA, DMLS, etc.) becoming better and more affordable for the hobbyist. I hope to see the day when these technologies are combined into single machines that can fabricate finished products at the touch of a button.
wow Desktop 3D scanners have come along way. I remember back on 2006 playing with a 3D scanner took forever to create the mesh. Im blown away how accurate the part cam out
Once again, a breakthrough in 3D scanning will be welcome. There are too much steps to achieve a relatively simple object scan. Thanks for your post though Thomas.
Thom, I always look forward to your content. I appreciate all the hard work you put into your channel. Travelling once a month for a year sounds rough. Hang in there man. Don't forget to take care of yourself too.
Wow. I'm way more impressed with that tool than I expected to be. So, for that last scan to clean up the inside, is there an option to tell it to do, say, 120 or 180 degrees of scan, rather than a full 360? It would save time and data, and could possibly allow you to not have to edit out your prop materials.
Of course, it takes too much effort to copy such a small, cheap part.. but it shows how it is possible and where the technology leads in the future. When I started with the 1K ZX81, no one could imagine that computers would become the natural tools that they are today. it is exciting to see how development progresses :-)
One thing I like about Cura is the lay-flat option. You click on the tool's icon, then click on the side of the model you want to be against the build plate, and Cura puts that side flat against the plate. Done. No guessing and messing with the gyros...
Protip for aligning 3d models to print: 3d builder included with W10 has a "settle" feature that makes the model into a physics object you can lift/drag/prod and it settles.
Hey Thomas, I noticed that you use the glue stick to print. I started to use Magigoo and it's way better than glue stick. It's liquid and applies very thin. It's only active when hot. It doesn't leave a trace on the part.
Nice! I wonder why they didn´t thought about asking for simetry in your scanned object. That way you could double the point with each scan (with just a simetry axis).
Great stuff, I recently saved a Dishwasher from landfill by printing a replacement for a discontinued part, such a great use of 3D printing. Great way to show a real use of the scanner instead of Gnomes and trinkets that usually get done. Also, best casual dog video bomb ever :-)
I use baby powder mixed in isopropyl. I mix it in a spray bottle, then when the isopropyl evaporates it leaves a temporary matte surface. To create points for it to correlate all the pictures just get an old toothbrush and put Washable black paint on it by flicking the paint on with your finger. I use it for photogrammetry
Just a heads up, if you simply go into 3D builder which comes with Windows 10. This will allow you to have a part lay down and what now. I kinda prefer it for super basic functions like that, split a part up, and so on
For previews and simple, rapid edits like this, 3D Builder is also my go-to app now, especially if I'm working on my Surface. It's fast and seems like it has very low overhead, so it doesn't slow down.
Cool video. I know the video was showing off the scanner but aside from that, if we were to just model that part in a much simpler way I think it would be not only way faster but also much stronger. They have all those pockets for injection molding to save material that just weaken 3DFDM print.
Just in case, the '3D Builder' Software that comes with Windows 10 has a feature to automatically place an object so that the bottom aligns with a straight surface, could be handy for such purposes
3d builder works really well, because it uses physics to lay flat the model, though you have to rotate it in roughly the right direction in the first place.
Also if you cant put it flat because of labels or uneven base put it a few mm above the tray so you have structured support material to trim not the mess of shallow support material.
In Slic3r Prusa Edition 1.41, there's an excellent align to bed function in the plater tab, third round button on the left in the 3d view. It autodetects roughly planar faces on the model and you can click one to place it on the bed. It doesn't try to align walls, though.
Btw. there's sprayable rubber (Plastidip) which they use on cars and rims. Which you can peel off later. Might be a good material if you ever need to change the color of an object for 3D scanning.
I downloaded and printed a piece for a used table saw that is no longer made...no parts, nothing. Without it, the saw was almost worthless. THAT was the demonstration of the power of 3D printing to me.
Instead of spray paint you can actually use dry shampoo that comes in a spray can. It gives the object a frosty look for the scanner to see but then it just wipes right off. It's also cheaper than spray paint. I get my cans at the dollar store.
this is the best part of 3d printing. not making models (even though I've made a ton myself) scanning maybe going a bit far though. calipers, a pen and paper with a couple test prints should do it. 123d is easy, quick and free to design up simple parts like that hinge.
Glad this is your video and not so many other 3d printer channels that would go through all this trouble and then print it in PLA and I would have to facepalm, heh. Great material choice! For this part it could have been modeled faster than it could be scanned, but this was a very interesting part to torture test that scanner with. I am quite surprised how well it did all that concave geometry even with the finicky steps of needing extra angles in there. I will have to add this scanner to the list of things I REALLY want but cannot afford, heh.
The dual cameras to cover distinct angles help a bit, but it really needed the multiple orientations, and a bit of guidance when aligning. The double hinge version was a bit funny though. :)
A good way to scan black or shiny objects is to spray it with liquid penetrant developer. White powder dries on the surface and it's easy enough to clean it off when you're done.
nice video. thanks for showing us the process. I definitely couldn't have designed it anywhere close to that... maybe toss some lengths of string on the lid so the weight of the open lid isn't totally on the hinges while open?
That's awesome! $1000-3000 is a bit rich for me though. Would be great to see the cost of the scanner (and the software that does all that stitching magic) come down to something more approachable for the hobbyist.
Could you have touched up the CAD after the scan to make it stronger? Sounds like it would be helpful. Can you export the scanned model to any CAD software?
Fantastic video, thanks! As for why your CPU isn't fully burdened, I think that software is using the GPU for computing, not primarily the CPU. It looks like your GPU utilization was pretty high, and the company's documentation lists minimum suggested GPU specs. You would probably get better performance on a desktop with a nice beefy GPU.
Thanks. That you can fix this miracle of crappiness of a compost bin actually says a lot about how practical it is, once some helpful Chinese person can completely rip off the scanner and make it for less than $500 :D
Ronald Witteman yeah, in fact software exists to use an Xbox Kinect for this exact use. It's not as accurate, though I'm not aware of exactly how much the difference is. A Kinect is a 3rd the cost of this new, probably à fifth or a tenth the cost used. So it's worth experimenting.
I wonder if a fancy magnification lens+kinect would still be cheaper than a good scanner like this. The 'resolution' of the camera doesn't matter if the object is 'big' enough to the kinect lol
Similar tech; the Kinect 1 structured light projector is a fixed pattern and infrared, while this uses a dynamic pattern, visible light, and two cameras (Kinect has one IR and one colour, so only one of them sees the projected pattern).
I love how 3D printing is potentially one of the most practical hobbies you could take up these days... And yet the moments where you actually use a 3D printer for something practical are so rare you feel compelled to make a video about fixing a compost bin.
I am addicted to having a problem and creating a part to solve the problem. Feels very gratifying.
My house and garage is filled with practical solutions to problems. In fact I'm drinking from a cupholder mounted to my desk...
My friend said the same thing a few days ago: that there aren't many actual practical needs for one. But the thing is: that's NOT true. There's tons of practical uses for it, you just need to develop an eye for it. We're not used to thinking in a "well maybe I can improve this by doing this or that to it". If you DO develop that eye, you'll find that you have tons of stuff to print for.
Examples of stuff I printed recently: a clip to keep the dishwasher from closing accidentally after it's "venting", a replacement cap for a garden pole, a holder for my Nvidia Shield TV remote next to my bed post, a clip for my Philips LivingLights remote, a foldable headphones hanger, a headphone wire clip so it doesn't get tangled in my pocket, a replacement case for my FiiO MP3 player, a clip-on spring for my door so it doesn't bump into the wall, a replacement part for my father's cigarette maker, a rack for dirt wooden kitchen spoons so they don't dirty the counter top, etc. etc.
For small pieces like that, it would be nice if manufacturers provided a STL for home repairs as 3D printers become more common.
Idk, they'd lose out on the money to sell you parts.Maybe if they charged extra for the files they would.
You can download 3d models of nearly every part on McMaster-Carr's website, what more do you need! :D
BEdmonson85, McMaster-Carr's terms and conditions says that the 3D models are not to be 3D printed for any reason. Just an FYI.
Andrew Frink , hmm, interesting, did not know that. I doubt that would stop most people though.
calipers are dirt cheap, though...
Imagine this guy as your neighbor like: "why is this guy filming a compost bin talking English" :DD
People might be wondering, but at least pretty much everyone in Germany speaks english and potentially understands what he is saying. Turn that around and have someone in the US make a video in German - now that would be awkward...
Uwe Schroeder lol, that is a perfect German response :D love you guys
Crazy people everywhere ...
Lets translate that google translated Swedish back to English, shall we? (without google translate) "Why is this guy acting as an English speaking compost bin" :)
Uwe Schroeder Brilliant reply. I'm so impressed by Thomas' command of and production of these videos in a second language, English. His cadence and diction, and for the most part, his word selection is so natural. While I'm unable to do the same in his native language, I am glad that he's able to bring his well thought-out thoughts and experiences to me in mine. It's why I subscribed.
THANK YOU. Oh my goodness, I did a video on an Einscan and it was BAD bad. I mean, rightly so, as I completely sucked at using the machine and doing my research on scanning in general. This was awesome, and has me excited to try it again now that I know more!
dont keep us waiting! 3d scanning (that works good at a reasonable price) goes hand in hand with the future of home 3d printing!
3D Printing Nerd whats with the lipstick man. Be a manly man and .... Dont do that
I also had some significant frustrations with an Einscan scanner (it was an older model). It's good to see it's gotten better, but seeing how long it took to do the scanning and such, it's certainly not a one-size-fits-all approach.
+Mark Floerke, or you could be more accepting of what other people want to do. It's their life. It would be a bland world if everyone looked the same and did the same.
+Mark Floerke have you considered he might just have really red lips...
Wow, you really changed my mind about 3d scanning, I thought it was super primitive and inaccurate, but that was awesome
Well, you should see what survey-grade scanners worth over £50k can do then.
Yeah I though the same, and other reviews left out important details like actual hands-on view of the software and how scans are combined together etc.
looks primitive and inaccurate to me
Great video. Untill now I thought I was the only one to spend hours fiddling a part that cost 0.05 :)
This is one of the best videos on your channel, because it shows a full hands on, real world, project from beginning to end. Love it, as well as your garden hose thingy fail.
It's really nice to hear to read your patrons off. Thank you for recognizing them for their support.
This was definitely eye opening for me. I never thought 3D scanners were accurate enough to capture mechanical parts accurately.
if you have enough light, you could as well just use a smartphone and orbit the object with hundrets of photos. Same result.
I really enjoyed this! Thank you! This is the main reason I got into 3D printing; reparing broken plastic parts. It make me happy to see someone printing real practical stuff and not just fidgets.
This is one of the much needed videos about 3d printing (and scanning). It always amazes me that so few people seem to use their 3d printer for anything useful. All I see on FB groups etc. is Cosplay stuff, superman masks, all sorts of decorative dustcatchers etc. I rarely to almost never see anyone print something useful. I for one have a mechanical engineering and a computer science degreee, so for me this printer is a combination of both to design and print functional parts. Right now I'm in the final stages of printing a large motorized and remote-controlled camera slider mechanism that allows you to move a camera along a rail while focusing on one point. Since there's a camera interface with it I can potentially program it to zoom in or something the like. This is fun - and useful.
So yes, useful parts - even replacing a hinge on an otherwise mundane composter -are very much interesting.
Uwe Schroeder
I don't know about everyone else, but when I print functional stuff, I rarely show it off since it's in use. I'm sure there are a great many people who print functional stuff, but display pieces are better for showing off :/
Thanks for the great video!
7:46 I attribute it to the part being placed where the interior was shadowed by the walls. Need to position the part so the scanner can see into the areas where you want details.
Only realised this video was 24+ mins and have to say it didn't feel that long. really enjoyed the process, the hand held camera breakes things up quite a bit which is nice, and your explanations and thought process is to the point. more like this please. Nice job.
Would love to see more practical videos like this, everyone can print benchys, but I think this hobby can do more!
This is pretty much all I use my printers for - granted, I use calipers instead of fancy pansy 3D scanners, but you get the idea.
Another insightful installment brought to you by Tom. Two initial thoughts:
1. It's awesome that you take the time to recognize your supporters personally; rather than just scrolling the names like movie credits.
2. You can take this channel wherever you want to go knowing we'll follow, because you're good enough, smart enough, and dog-gone it people like you.
My brother volunteers at a Steam engine museum and this would be awesome for them. Many of their steam engines that have parts that cannot be easily found or manufactured. Really cool video, thanks for sharing.
I liked seeing a concrete example of a problem to solve. some people have skills to model, some don't, and I think this video shows another way to accomplish a working solution.
Nice video. Reminds me of the days when I scanned lots of things. FYI, here in the states we get a talc aerosol in a can for scanning. Works nice.
The advice I received for multiple scans is to place the object off center as well as centered on the revolving table so that scanner has different views to gain information.
good advise, also raise small parts like that up on 4 thumb tacks or needles with Plasticine to allow a better angle without a large contact area to trim.
That videobomber is SUPER cute!
Thomas "you da man" love all your videos, even when you lose me. But that is what rewind is for. But every time I watch a video I want to go buy something new. You help make 3D printing really interesting and fun. Thanks for your dedication and insight. I will be supporting you soon.
We recently got this exact scanner at my high school, and I played with it quite a bit. Now, you may have noticed that the mount on the bottom of the projector/camera unit is a standard tripod mount. You can, in fact, take the scanner and turn table off of that big piece of plastic and play with different scanning angles, and even scan larger objects (I spliced together a usb b and mini b cable since the included one is so short). You just have to make sure you calibrate every time you move the camera or the turntable. Moving away too from the turntable can also sometimes upset it during the calibration (since those cameras are aimed a little bit towards each other, you eventually start having blind spots). You're also able to take single frames to try to get difficult detail, but you've probably done that. I've also found that even if you don't need the color, letting it run the full color scan can help get some extra detail and help with black or shiny objects. This thing has amazed me so far! It's amazing how accurately it can scan tolerances with not much more than a couple cameras! We've used it to make a few dell hard drive caddys for the IT department. Did a direct scan to print. Incredible! Looking forward to seeing some creative uses of this scanner!
Nice. I saw some amazing scanning tech at Formnext last year but when I saw the prices I almost fainted. If you could maybe do another scanning video some day I'm sure a lot of people are really interested.
Reminds me that I have a version 1 and 2 Kinect in my office for more than a year waiting to be tested. Watching this has inspired me to take another look at them tomorrow!
I'm actually very impressed with the quality of the scanned part. Personally I like these type of episodes. Not necessarily more than the "normal" content but this is very cool & educational.
Tom THAT'S where I want to see the channel again! Keep up the good work!
this is the best video I've seen on how this process actually works. even the trouble shooting at the start is helpful, awesome video.
Hi Tom, great to see you making stuff again. That's an awesome 3D scanner and a really cool video of the whole process. Maybe a good follow up video would be "How to copy a part without a 3D scanner" that way you could show how to 'simplify' the part and still retain its form, fit and function.
Really like this style of video, and it is great to show that 3D printing can be used for so many things, I hate that 3D printing is still so often associated with plastic-wasting 'trinkets', but this really just proves that 3D printing (and scanning) can be used for so very much more!
Great job showing the capability of the Einscan SP
That is some pretty impressive scan result.
I just don't see any use for a scanner in my workflow. I would love to see a time comparison for such a simple piece with someone familiar in CAD to make a manual remodel, and someone babysitting all these scans and making shure your scanner gets all the details. My current guess is that for such simple mechanical models manual reverse-engineering into CAD is faster. And you get the added benefit of having a cleaner model to add improvements/reinforcements where needed.
Nice video as always Thomas. My business reproduces a lot of unobtainable parts for various uses and always draw from scratch using a vernier caliper. I find this method to be quicker and more accurate than scanning. It also allows us to make improvements to the original design easily.
I keep reading in the comments "probably could have drawn it faster" etc. yes you could, but that was not the point, he used this as an illustration that scanning technology has improved to a point that there is an option for parts that cannot be readily drawn. Quit focusing on his baby blue eyes and listen to the words that are coming out of his mouth. LOL
@jonmessenger but...but they're so mesmerising.
OU812 I agree. They are very much mesmerizing.
I say the opposite. great, you have scanned a mesh file. good luck sending that to anyone other than a 3D printing company. you don't end up with a solid part. most of the time you have to completely redraw the thing anyway, but use the scan data as a template to re-draw it.
So if you want to get a 3D scanner, everything else in your business better be able to handle the "ecosystem" of it. 3D scanning + 3D printing + mesh editing software is great.
but for where I work, we use solid works and, and need CAD drawings to hand make items, and a 3D scanner was a terrible decision, as we have nothing that can support the files the scanner produces. I have actually used works 3D scanner more for personal projects than work related ones
Also, if you want to use it in an assembly of other modeled parts, nothing is flat/straight so you can't properly constrain it to anything. In the last 15 years, very little has changed regarding the obstacles of 3D scanning except for the price of the tools.
Another issue is that if you draw it yourself, you can reinforce areas to account for the 3D printing which tends to be weak through the layers. You can also eliminate unneeded penny-pinching (which can make sense for large runs) and potentially eliminate design flaws (like stress concentrators). The point about this just being an illustration of scanning technology is well taken though.
Pretty successful scan and print part replacement. Thanks for sharing
This is gonna sound kinda silly but... nice attention to detail ensuring your glasses were spotless for this video. They looked top notch!
Wow, Tom. Crazy that the most intelligent channels related to 3D printing, that are basically no nonsense, dont have the highest subscriber count. I started watching your videos in 2014. Helped me immensely in getting rolling in 3D, starting with a Shapeoko 2 and a RAMPS board. Gaffers Tape is amazing. I avoid Duct Tape like the plague.. it's evil. Keep rollin' Tom!
the power of this man is insane, he only stared at the dog interrupting him and by staring he made him disappear from this universe, this guy scares me. 0:12
I am mostly surprised that scanning is working that good already. I didn’t think it would be so accurate...
but I see room for improvement, will be cool when the day comes that you only need like one scan and the computer will make sure to get it all in best detail.
Maybe even start the print ^^ (and also make you coffee)
Nice to see how this works in reality. I'm impressed by the scanning detail of the 3D scanner.
I relate to this so hard - I printed up a part for my vacuum - the bearing had seized on the beater bar, melting the plastic locator. It's a cheap part to replace but I decided to model and print one up because it's so satisfying.
Fixing things means also reducing waste of faulty items. 3d printer are not only producing plastic. :-)
Thomas, this video is excellent!! It's really cool to see a practical use of 3D printing and scanning technology. I would love to see more videos such as this one!! Keep the content coming!
Interesting, it seems 3D scanning takes as much work and dedication as 3D printing.
I think that 3D printing is moving towards and getting close to a point where the work and dedication is just pressing the go button, as it should be. Generating the model is 99% of the work. You have 3 options, 1. Use and existing file (someone else did all the work) 2. Make file in CAD (which for objects like this is tricky for most people) 3. Scan (think of how much work that saved you)
@@jodyschultz5870 It's also great to see all the different 3D printing technologies (like FDM, DLP, SLA, DMLS, etc.) becoming better and more affordable for the hobbyist. I hope to see the day when these technologies are combined into single machines that can fabricate finished products at the touch of a button.
wow Desktop 3D scanners have come along way. I remember back on 2006 playing with a 3D scanner took forever to create the mesh. Im blown away how accurate the part cam out
Once again, a breakthrough in 3D scanning will be welcome. There are too much steps to achieve a relatively simple object scan. Thanks for your post though Thomas.
Some Correction in the 1% Model (Hiding that) and you are ready to print. GOOD JOB. I didn't thought 3d scanning was this tough.
Thom, I always look forward to your content. I appreciate all the hard work you put into your channel. Travelling once a month for a year sounds rough. Hang in there man. Don't forget to take care of yourself too.
I just watched a 25 minute video of a guy fixing his compost bin. Thoroughly entertained!
Nice review/ overview of EinScan software. This guy is seriously smart.
Wow. I'm way more impressed with that tool than I expected to be. So, for that last scan to clean up the inside, is there an option to tell it to do, say, 120 or 180 degrees of scan, rather than a full 360? It would save time and data, and could possibly allow you to not have to edit out your prop materials.
Of course, it takes too much effort to copy such a small, cheap part..
but it shows how it is possible and where the technology leads in the future.
When I started with the 1K ZX81, no one could imagine that computers would become the natural tools that they are today.
it is exciting to see how development progresses :-)
Awesome work! Combination of open source and DIY softwares for practical applications.
One thing I like about Cura is the lay-flat option. You click on the tool's icon, then click on the side of the model you want to be against the build plate, and Cura puts that side flat against the plate. Done. No guessing and messing with the gyros...
Protip for aligning 3d models to print: 3d builder included with W10 has a "settle" feature that makes the model into a physics object you can lift/drag/prod and it settles.
Wow, impressive. Turntable scanners have come a long way, especially the software!
Hey Thomas, I noticed that you use the glue stick to print. I started to use Magigoo and it's way better than glue stick. It's liquid and applies very thin. It's only active when hot. It doesn't leave a trace on the part.
Nice! I wonder why they didn´t thought about asking for simetry in your scanned object. That way you could double the point with each scan (with just a simetry axis).
Great idea!
Tom this is the best video you have done to date !!!!. You are awesome, and the music was killing it!.
Great stuff, I recently saved a Dishwasher from landfill by printing a replacement for a discontinued part, such a great use of 3D printing. Great way to show a real use of the scanner instead of Gnomes and trinkets that usually get done. Also, best casual dog video bomb ever :-)
Glad I am not the only one doing this. Though I manually sculpted the piece in question manually in Fusion 360 ;). Thumbs up for the 60 fps.
I use baby powder mixed in isopropyl. I mix it in a spray bottle, then when the isopropyl evaporates it leaves a temporary matte surface. To create points for it to correlate all the pictures just get an old toothbrush and put Washable black paint on it by flicking the paint on with your finger. I use it for photogrammetry
Just a heads up, if you simply go into 3D builder which comes with Windows 10. This will allow you to have a part lay down and what now. I kinda prefer it for super basic functions like that, split a part up, and so on
For previews and simple, rapid edits like this, 3D Builder is also my go-to app now, especially if I'm working on my Surface. It's fast and seems like it has very low overhead, so it doesn't slow down.
Whoa, I have a surface but mainly use my desktop for 3D stuffs, but this is a good use for it, thank you for the tip
I also do a lot of Fusion 360 work on my Pro 3 as well. It still holds up great and is an excellent tool to knock out some designs on the go.
Cura has a "Lay flat" option in the rotation menu, it was even visible at 19:51 :-D
Cool video. I know the video was showing off the scanner but aside from that, if we were to just model that part in a much simpler way I think it would be not only way faster but also much stronger. They have all those pockets for injection molding to save material that just weaken 3DFDM print.
Just in case, the '3D Builder' Software that comes with Windows 10 has a feature to automatically place an object so that the bottom aligns with a straight surface, could be handy for such purposes
Most slicers have that feature.
Cura has this feature too. "Lay flat button" is above "Snap rotation" checkbox
Any experience how well that works with noisy surfaces? 3D scans of flat surfaces are not exactly CAD-level flat.
3d builder works really well, because it uses physics to lay flat the model, though you have to rotate it in roughly the right direction in the first place.
Also if you cant put it flat because of labels or uneven base put it a few mm above the tray so you have structured support material to trim not the mess of shallow support material.
In Slic3r Prusa Edition 1.41, there's an excellent align to bed function in the plater tab, third round button on the left in the 3d view. It autodetects roughly planar faces on the model and you can click one to place it on the bed. It doesn't try to align walls, though.
I actually really enjoyed this video, I love your process descriptions you go into
To rotate the part, you should use Meshmixer, it has an apposite tool to align the face. It takes only few seconds and is perfect
Cool, true calipers would be quicker but I can really see the software getting faster and more user friendly for these projects
Btw. there's sprayable rubber (Plastidip) which they use on cars and rims. Which you can peel off later. Might be a good material if you ever need to change the color of an object for 3D scanning.
Your accent is getting better and better.
Nice job! The finished product turned out very well.
"Gaff tape is better than duct tape"
_I see you are a man of culture..._
I dunno about where you are, but Dupli-Color primer in the US is really good stuff. Other than that, great video as usual. Glad to see ya back!
Great natural video! Please, more content like that Tom!
I downloaded and printed a piece for a used table saw that is no longer made...no parts, nothing. Without it, the saw was almost worthless. THAT was the demonstration of the power of 3D printing to me.
This was better than the regular content!!! ;) Thanks!
You made me watch a 20 min video about a plastic lid. THAT'A A SUB !
Instead of spray paint you can actually use dry shampoo that comes in a spray can. It gives the object a frosty look for the scanner to see but then it just wipes right off. It's also cheaper than spray paint. I get my cans at the dollar store.
I love to see when people are using 3d Printers for actually useful things instead of just models.
this is the best part of 3d printing. not making models (even though I've made a ton myself) scanning maybe going a bit far though. calipers, a pen and paper with a couple test prints should do it. 123d is easy, quick and free to design up simple parts like that hinge.
Glad this is your video and not so many other 3d printer channels that would go through all this trouble and then print it in PLA and I would have to facepalm, heh. Great material choice! For this part it could have been modeled faster than it could be scanned, but this was a very interesting part to torture test that scanner with. I am quite surprised how well it did all that concave geometry even with the finicky steps of needing extra angles in there. I will have to add this scanner to the list of things I REALLY want but cannot afford, heh.
The dual cameras to cover distinct angles help a bit, but it really needed the multiple orientations, and a bit of guidance when aligning. The double hinge version was a bit funny though. :)
I usually use the included 3d program in win10 to place the stl:s flat.... way easier .... I'm waiting for every upload.. Thanks for the effort
I like that style of video, and some great advice in there!
I kept thinking "plug your power cord into that laptop!!" Nice to see a 3D scanner that works!
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who calls it "slick-3-r".
To fix the orientation faster you can just put the model into 3D builder. It should be in your computer already, and select the part to settle.
A good way to scan black or shiny objects is to spray it with liquid penetrant developer. White powder dries on the surface and it's easy enough to clean it off when you're done.
nice video. thanks for showing us the process. I definitely couldn't have designed it anywhere close to that...
maybe toss some lengths of string on the lid so the weight of the open lid isn't totally on the hinges while open?
More like this! Awesome video Thomas!
Awesome video. Your scanner looks like it would be great for intricate jewellery to.
That's awesome! $1000-3000 is a bit rich for me though. Would be great to see the cost of the scanner (and the software that does all that stitching magic) come down to something more approachable for the hobbyist.
Awesome as always Tom!
Wow! Really nicely done! My OCD tells me, you should totally spraypaint the primed hinge black again :-D
regular content be damned, this was a great and informative video!
I just used my tevo to print a 2400$ us part for an Cessna airplane out of 910 luakbots nylon and it’s perfect and strong!
Could you have touched up the CAD after the scan to make it stronger? Sounds like it would be helpful. Can you export the scanned model to any CAD software?
Fantastic video, thanks!
As for why your CPU isn't fully burdened, I think that software is using the GPU for computing, not primarily the CPU. It looks like your GPU utilization was pretty high, and the company's documentation lists minimum suggested GPU specs. You would probably get better performance on a desktop with a nice beefy GPU.
Thanks. That you can fix this miracle of crappiness of a compost bin actually says a lot about how practical it is, once some helpful Chinese person can completely rip off the scanner and make it for less than $500 :D
Loved this video! So much fun seeing your workflow and troubleshooting!
The 3d scanner looks like a modified xbox kinect
Ronald Witteman yeah, in fact software exists to use an Xbox Kinect for this exact use.
It's not as accurate, though I'm not aware of exactly how much the difference is.
A Kinect is a 3rd the cost of this new, probably à fifth or a tenth the cost used. So it's worth experimenting.
I use Skanect with my kinect, It's passible for gross detail, but the sensor isn't really designed for detail. Call it 2-3cm resolution, roughly.
I wonder if a fancy magnification lens+kinect would still be cheaper than a good scanner like this.
The 'resolution' of the camera doesn't matter if the object is 'big' enough to the kinect lol
Same thing that came to mind. Looks like an upgraded kinect with a base. Even the imaging software looks similar.
Similar tech; the Kinect 1 structured light projector is a fixed pattern and infrared, while this uses a dynamic pattern, visible light, and two cameras (Kinect has one IR and one colour, so only one of them sees the projected pattern).
Pretty cool. I would have used the 'cut' function in slic3r to shave off the bumps touching the bed. Would have been a good ASA print too.