New Users

Walkthroughs as well as tips and tricks for when you are first starting into 3D printing.

Applying Blue Painter’s Tape

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Applying blue painter’s tape to you platform can be done in a number of ways. Below we will discuss one method of applying it that consistently works well for us. Materials Needed: Build Plate(easiest to apply tape when out of the printer) Blue Painter’s Tape Sheet Squeegee(A credit card or similar will work in a pinch) Rubbing Alcohol Paper Towel Sand Paper (320 grit works well) Process The First step is to remove all pieces of the last sheet of tape on the build plate. If there are any large chunks of adhesive left over scraping them off may be necessary, but leaving some adhesive residue from the last sheet generally doesn’t hurt anything. The first step is to peel half the sheet of tape off it’s backing. This should be done starting at one of the shorter edges. With the backing removed align the edge with the side of … Read more

Alternative Support with Meshmixer

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MakerBot Desktop has great support generation built in with many settings to fine-tune it. That said it also only is able to create vertical walls of support material and not any smart support structures that minimize material use. Meshmixer is a great compliment to MakerBot Desktop as it allows you to create branching supports. They start at the build plate and branch out as they print up, this significantly reduces material used. To generate Meshmixer support open your STL file in meshmixer, click analysis and then click overhangs. Meshmixer will highlight areas that it feels need support. You can fine tune the settings such as the angle threshold to require support. Once you are happy with the areas being supported hit generate support and it will create your support. This is all you need to do for a single extrusion print. If you choose to do dual extrusion support you … Read more

3D Parts Catalogs

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When you are designing a project there are many common parts you may need a 3D model for. These could be things like screws, bearings, gears or many other commonly used parts. Designing these all yourself can wind up taking a fair bit of time and sometimes is not necessary. There are many websites out there like McMaster-Carr that supply a wide variety of parts and include 3D models of the item. These make it easy to either create the proper space in your 3D model for the part and then buy the actual part, or to use the 3D model as a file to print from. You will often see a variety of file types such as a STEP file which is easily opened in 123D design. The file is often editable and can even serve as a framework for a slightly customized version. A great example of such a … Read more

Installing Replicator 2X Extruder Upgrades

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We sell an Extruder upgrade for the Replicator 2X. It is an upgrade over the original style with a lever you flip left and right to adjust tension. There is a newer version that also uses the new style that requires a vertical squeeze in order to release the tension. This is newer version will perform similarly to the 3D printed upgrade version so upgrading that version is not necessary. These newer squeeze style drive blocks have over double the pulling power and will often work well beyond where the old style would fail. This is an upgrade we recommend on every Replicator 2X we sell. When you go to upgrade you will need to reuse one of the longer bolts that hold on your original extruder to go through the corner of the new drive block that acts as a lever. Over tightening this bolt may cause feed issues, … Read more

Onsite Demos, Training and Support

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Thor3D is a full service MakerBot Distributor. This means that we are able to help you throughout all stages of 3D printing, starting from the initial search for a 3D printer that fits your needs. We offer support to help you get started. If you run into anything that doesn’t make sense or your not sure how to approach some task when you are using your 3D printer we are also there to help with that. We do service work on MakerBot printers and we also sell parts and accessories. We can help you diagnose any issues if they arise, whether they are mechanical issues, MakerBot Desktop issues or Design issues. Onsite training is available. Below is our Calendar for our upcoming events. When we are in a location or enroute to a location from Saskatchewan, we can try to make something work to do onsite support, training or demos. … Read more