Fasting BG 2020

[Grammabear]

104 this morning.

Tamagno - Have you seen any interesting 'wild critters' with your new camera?

bigskygal - You will do fine with installing your new printer.  Most of them these days have really good instructions or directions on where to find the help you need.

I tried a new coffee from Black Rifle called AK47.  It is really tasty (IMO).

[walkerwally1]

Wally, will be interesting to hear about your adventure with 3D printing.

Another question on the cannon Printer. It says it comes with a set up CD rom. I don't have any devices that play a CD rom any more, Will I still be able to set it up?

You can get all of the software that is on the CD from the Canon website.  For your printer it is here :
https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/details/printers/inkjet-multifunction/mg-series-inkjet/pixma-mg3620/pixma-mg3620?cm_sp=CSO-_-PFListing-_-MG3620

Under the drivers use the top "recommended" driver and under the software tab you can download any or all of the programs.  These are useful to get more function for the printer.

[walkerwally1]

79 this morning.  We had a high of 112° again yesterday and now it is supposed to cool down a bit but only a couple of degrees so it is still going to be pretty hot. 
I am looking forward to using the 3D printer.  I view it as mostly a toy but it also can make some useful items and yes it can make replacements for broken things that you just can't find or get.  There are tons of videos on Youtube from a lot of people quite good at using a 3D printer so it makes learning easier.  The first challenge is that it is a kit that has to be put together but I don't think I will have a problem with that.  Set-up takes some time and I have looked at a lot of information on that.   

[bigskygal]

117 this drizzly morning. Which is unfortunate as my pest people are coming this afternoon spray outside. I hope it stops before they get here as stays dry long enough for the spray to dry.

85° was the high yesterday, today's forecast is 91°/60°, but I doubt it will get that high it is only 65° right now.

Kitty was only MIA for 2 days last time the pest people were here, hope he can do that or better this time.

[skb]

98 this morning.

Wally, What is the cost of the filaments ? These must be quite expensive. Everything is, until it is mass produced and consumed.

[Tamagno]

49 this morning.

No critters yet on my camera Grammabear,  but I haven't had a chance to really play with the settings. We'll see.

Wally, like SKB I'm curious about the cost of filaments as well as more about actually using your 3D printer. I checked around some looking at what's available and found quite a range of printers - plus found myself confronted with a whole new world of terms related to them. It's amazing to me that these things are accessible to consumers just generally. A very interesting toy!

[Grammabear]

104 this morning.

You folks and your 3D printers are most interesting.  I look forward to hearing what you are doing with them.  I have heard great things about them.

Weather here is a perfect 70 deg heading for 80 deg F with gentle west winds at 4 mph.  Perfect day for doing outside chores.

Barbara - Here's hoping Kitty realizes how good he gets treated at your place and returns quickly.

[walkerwally1]

73 this morning.  We got to 113° yesterday and it is predicted to be 111° today, Thursday and Friday then maybe cooling down a degree or two on the weekend.  The heat and a lot of lightening strikes are responsible for many wildfires across the whole state.  It's pretty hot all over and there have been rolling blackouts in some areas but fortunately not here.

I got the 3D printer yesterday and unpacked it.  It does require assembly but I'm looking forward to that.  After I get it put together I will be spending some time doing adjustments before printing a finished product. Actually the filament is not that bad as far as cost but there are a variety of types and some are more expensive.  PLA is the most commonly used :

Polylactic Acid, commonly known as PLA, is one of the most popular materials used in desktop 3D printing. It is the default filament of choice for most extrusion-based 3D printers because it can be printed at a low temperature and does not require a heated bed.

It is around $20 for a 1 Kilogram reel.  I am not sure how far that will last but it should make a few printed things.  One of the drawbacks is that it will not do well in heat or sunlight so it won't be good to use for something like a hook in your car or something outside.  There are other materials like ABS or Nylon that are better suited but harder to use.

[bigskygal]

108 this partly cloudy morning.

Yesterday's high was 85°, today's forecast is 87°/57°. A rip roaring thunderstorm passed through very early this morning. I hope that doesn't keep Kitty in hiding longer. No sight of him yet today.

Wally that sounds like a fun project all around including the assembly. I'm still dithering over the printer...

[skb]

83 today morning.

Wally, if I understand correctly, the stuff made out of PLA will not withstand heat or sunlight. Is there any process for curing it after printing, so that it can attain these properties.

[Tamagno]

109 this morning.

Wally, I suppose it's good to have to assemble the printer as you'll glean more knowledge of its how it works. Interesting that the filament is sold by weight. It doesn't sound like something you'd do any frivolous printing with. Any thoughts yet on a first project and how do you get the dimensions of the item to be printed into the printer?

[Grammabear]

100 this morning.

My husband and I did an extended grocery run yesterday as there were lots of things we were out of and needed.  So many people in the store wore their masks just below their nose, I don't get it.  Why wear it at all then?

[walkerwally1]

88 this morning.  Still hot as ever and we got some rain yesterday, not a lot but enough to get things wet and raise the humidity.  There is a chance of thunderstorms again today and lightening strikes have caused many fires across the state.  The high heat is making it really tough to control the fires.

I got the printer all together and adjusted and actually made my first print which was a calibration cube that is a test object.  It is 20mm on each side and mine came out really close, 19.97, so it looks quite promising.  I am running another test item right now that will take longer to print, about 2 hours. 
SKB, yes, PLA is going to be affected by sunlight like some other plastics and is not good for use outdoors and it is also not good in high heat situations like in your car that sits in the sun and gets hot enough the PLA item would get soft and fail.  The solution is to use another material like ABS or Nylon but they are more challenging to use and require higher heat and sometimes an enclosed printer.  I am not too concerned about making anything practical, although I will try, but for me it is a learning experience and keeps me busy.
Tamagno, most objects are designed in a CAD program and all of the dimensions are assigned there then the finished object is imported into another program called a slicer that converts it into "G-code" that the printer uses.  There are thousands of objects available on line from several sites that have been uploaded from others.   I have played around with Fusion 360 that is a free CAD program for home users and that would be what I use to design an item. 

[bigskygal]

114 this partly cloudy morning.

82° was yesterday's high, today's forecast is 84°/51.

Still no Kitty, but another one made a pass across the front deck this morning. I've seen it once before but it runs if it sees me.

[skb]

110 today morning.

I use Autocad for my work but I don't know if it is compatible with 3D printers. Should be as it is the premier design software.