3-D print foot-pedal pot-rotation mechanisms?

[vigilante397]

3D printing has come a long way too, I picked up a 3D printer a couple weeks ago (for $250!) and have been playing with it a bit. My 3D CAD skills aren't quite to the point that I can design complex mechanical stuff, but maybe some day 

[stallik]

I have two 3D printers at work that I'm expected to learn by making my own models. The larger of the 2 handles single objects up to 3 meters tall. Trouble is, I just can't be ar**d to design my own and just end up using downloaded files of boring objects. One day...

[vigilante397]

The larger of the 2 handles single objects up to 3 meters tall.

DUDE. Can we see pics of it? That must be huge! Mine is considered a reasonable size hobbyist printer because it can handle things 185mm tall!

[stallik]

I'll get some pics and post them tomorrow

[amptramp]

One alternative to the rack and pinion is the dial cord mechanism used in radios, but with the pulley sizes reversed so you have a large pulley driving a small one.  Or you have the cord going from the underside of the footpedal to the drum driving the pot to a lever cast into the underside of the pedal that moves in a differential direction.

I would go along with the idea of using the part to make a plaster mold that is then used to cast something out of aluminum.  If you haven't seen 3D printers operating, they are slow.  They are becoming popular among those of us who restore antique radios because we can make knobs (which are usually the first things to go missing) but a small knob may still take an hour to print and would never be strong enough to use with a rotary switch with detents.

[Rixen]

for those needing moderate quantities of small plastic components of volume 1 - 2 cc, it is not impossible to make a hand operated injection moulding machine. I recently built one at home to make small plastic spindles for my son's Wimshurst Machine kit's. We feed it ABS 3D printer filiment as the raw material.

Access to a lathe is probably required for one part, but there may be work-arounds.

Other tools used were a drill press, welder, taps and a healthy supply of scrap steel.

I'll post a pic if anyones interested. I based the design on a couple of designs found on the internet and knowledge gained from talking to a fitter-turner who used to work on full sized machines.

[stallik]

The larger of the 2 handles single objects up to 3 meters tall.

DUDE. Can we see pics of it? That must be huge! Mine is considered a reasonable size hobbyist printer because it can handle things 185mm tall!

The Coke bottle is an example. Printed using black then translucent filament. The label is a standard vinyl sticker

[vigilante397]

Well color me jealous

[Tony Forestiere]

The Coke bottle is an example. Printed using black then translucent filament. The label is a standard vinyl sticker

Very cool. I assume the apple and the vase in the foreground were done on the smaller device behind you. I like the colorations and angles of the vase. Not something you would expect from a base moving X and Y, and extruding in Z.
Nice.

[bluebunny]

Never mind the Coke bottle: the mannequin on its right is pretty cool too!