Cocoon create 3d printer for sale

Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch review - an affordable 3D printer that's ideal for beginners

Many people interested in purchasing a 3D printer have been put off by the high prices but now there’s an affordable product available from Aldi priced at under $500 that can open up a whole new world of creation.

The Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch is priced at $499 (we’ve seen it’s been reduced even further to $449) and Tech Guide put it through its paces.

We’ve never used a 3D printer before and we imagine the more expensive models can print larger objects.

When 3D printers were brand-new, like any new technology, they were quite expensive.

But now, years later, there are a lot more affordable as we can see from the Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch.

What’s the use of having a 3D printer, a lot of people ask.

For a start, it’s a lot of fun making objects.

You can create all kinds of things including desk organisers, decorative objects and even jewellery.

It won’t be long before instead of buying parts for our household products and appliances, will be able to print them out ourselves.

The Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch is priced like a beginner’s machine but can a beginner use it? We decided to find out.

But before we get into our review you have to understand how 3D printing works.

A 3D printer produces three-dimensional objects unlike your regular printer that can put writing or pictures on a piece of paper.

To do this it requires plastic filament which is fed into an extruder.

Like a regular printer, a 3D printer also requires a file.

In this case that file is a three-dimensional construction of an object which the printer can follow and create layer by layer.

Each layer is about a millimetre high with some objects taking several hours to produce.

The 3D printer creates these layers by heating up the plastic filaments and depositing that melted material to lay them in a certain order until the object is complete.

Have a guess what we’re printing with the Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch from @aldiaustralia. Find out in our review at techguide.com.au #3dprinter #filament #aldi #tech #review

A post shared by TechGuide (@techguideau) on Mar 11, 2018 at 5:15pm PDT

OK, now you know the basics of 3D printing, let’s turn our attention to the Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch.

The device comes in a pretty large box and after you unpack all the pieces, you need to put it together.

The 3D printer needs a bit of room and has about the same footprint as a multifunction printer.

The difference here is it also needs a fair bit of height, so you can fit the filament roll and give it space to produce objects.

To get started we had to place the printer’s base through the tower frame and screw it all together.

Part of the base is the print bed where the object is printed layer by layer. On the front is a touchscreen to control the device.

The tower frame includes the extruder and the belt drive.

And plugging all the parts together was really simple thanks to the clear labelling – A plugs into A etc.

It wasn’t long before we were all set up, all plugged in and ready to go.

Included with the printer are some filament samples in various colours so you can print out a few small objects.

For serious printing, you will need to purchase larger filament rolls which cost about $40 each and are available in various colours.

But there was enough filament to get started printing small objects.

Setting up Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch serves two purposes. It gets the printer ready for your first print but also teaches you the basics of 3D printing.

First thing we had to do, was make sure the print bed was level. Each corner of the bed has an adjustment screw as the extruder moves to each corner.

A small card that comes with the printer is used to test the gap between the extruder and the print bed.

To increase or reduce the gap between the bed and the extruder, you adjust the screw to raise or lower the bed.

After levelling the bed, the next step is to feed in the filament.

The filament rests on the spool holder at the top of the frame and can be fed in to the top of the extruder through a small hole.

A small lever allows access to pass the filament down into this gap. It was here where the instructions weren’t too clear.

We had to look up a video on YouTube to give us a better direction on how to set it up.

Another thing we learned was that a 3D printer needs to operate at high temperatures.

The printer bed is heated to a certain level – usually about 70 degrees – while the extruder, so It can draw down the filament and melted to mould into the object, can be as hot as 240 degrees.

So a tip for young players, keep your hand away from the bed and the extruder while the printer is working.

The Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch uses gcode files to print objects.

There are some examples on the included SD card which slots into the side of the machine.

There is a cable to connect it directly to your computer, but that isn’t necessary. You can print directly from the SD card if you prefer.

Also included on the SD card is the Cura software which is a free open source slicer, available for Windows and Mac computers which allows users to convert 3D files into the gcode format.

The touchscreen makes it easy to navigate the menus with the main tasks being adding filament and choosing the object you want to print.

The printer is bed level and the filament has been fed into the extruder and is starting to feed out of the bottom.

This is when you know you’re ready to go.

First up we chose something simple to print – a seven-pointed star. This only took about 20 minutes and we were surprised with the quality.

And the fact that we created something from nothing – three-dimensional object we could hold our hands – was fascinating.

We got braver and more confident and started printing other objects including a unicorn, a dice, more stars, a moon and an NFL ball.

We were really impressed with the level of detail the printer can produce right down to the finest points and sharpest corners.

The smoothness and consistency of the surfaces was also surprisingly high quality.

But this process also had some hiccups. There were times when the object we were printing wouldn’t stick to the print bed and we had to stop everything and start again.

There were also other issues we had where we needed to call technical support to help us through.

The issue we had was while we were trying to change the filament and it just wasn’t going through.

We were advised to take apart the extruder cooling fan and assembly – there were only two screws involved – and we found a piece of filament had broken off inside the extruder which explains why the new filament wasn’t passing through.

We removed the excess filament with a pair of tweezers and put everything back together again and we were good to go.

We added a full roll of filament so we can print out some larger objects.

One was a rocket that had to be printed in three separate pieces before fitting neatly together.

As we are writing this review, we are halfway through printing a small replica of the Eiffel Tower.

Users have to understand, some prints can take quite a long time, were talking up to ten hours in some cases.

But it is fascinating to watch as the object is being built and how, layer by layer, we eventually see the finished product.

The Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch certainly punches above its weight in terms of ease of use and the quality it can produce for the price.

The documentation and setup instructions could have been a bit more detailed and without the assumption the user knows anything about 3D printing to begin with.

This is important as a first time 3D printer buyer would naturally choose a product like this to get started rather than spending thousands of dollars on a more advanced unit.

As beginners ourselves we were a great example of that, and now we’re hooked.

Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch

Price: $499 (seen for $449) available now from Aldi.

VERDICT

The Cocoon Create 3D Printer Touch is an affordable device that can produce surprisingly good results. It is a fine introduction to the amazing world of 3D printing.

5 ways 3D printing is changing the automotive industry

Photo source all3dp.com

An article from formlabs.com adapted and expanded for you by Top 3D Shop.

You can't buy a fully 3D printed car in a car dealership yet, but additive technologies have been used in the development of cars for many years. Every year, especially in recent years, 3D printing is taking an increasingly important place at all stages of production. This is evidenced by the rapid growth of 3D printing market share in automotive manufacturing, which is projected to reach $2. 5 billion by 2023.

For example, luxury car companies including Bentley, Porsche, BMW and Ferrari are using 3D printing to create custom car interior parts. GM, Volvo, Ford are using 3D printing to produce tooling to save money, improve designs and reduce delivery times.

Source 3dprinting.com

3D printing is constantly emerging with new opportunities, it is becoming more accessible. If the first 3D printers cost about $20,000, now you can find 3D equipment for $100. Now companies can, with the help of additive technologies, produce the necessary components directly at their own enterprises and not depend on suppliers.

With new materials, 3D printers can print high-precision, functional end parts. Additive technologies facilitate the production of custom products and increase productivity.

But this is only the beginning of the journey. Here are five key ways 3D printing is driving innovation in the automotive industry, from car design to production. Plus one bonus.

1. Changing the prototyping process

It was with the production of prototypes that the use of 3D printers in the automotive industry began. 3D printed prototypes took much less time than traditional methods required.

Using Raise3D 3D printers and ideaMaker software, Crazy Grandpa Garage was able to automate the process of creating custom car parts. Production costs have been reduced by 50%, design reliability has improved significantly, and lead time has been reduced by 83%. The parts now come out very well fitted to the car.

Source: facebo ok.com

With the help of 3D printing, car designers can quickly prototype individual parts or assemblies, from interior details to dashboards, or even full-size car models. Thanks to 3D prototyping, the initial idea quickly turns into a physical embodiment of the concept - a conceptual model. The concept can then be developed into full-featured, high-fidelity prototypes, and after several validation steps, mass production begins. For the automotive industry, getting through these steps quickly is vital, and the entire downtime of an automobile production line in just an hour is very costly for the company.

For example, the assembly plant of the American car manufacturer General Motors claims to have saved more than $300,000 by purchasing a 3D printer in 2016.

The use of laser stereolithography (SLA) in their facility keeps Ringbrothers designers and engineers independent of third parties. The cost is reduced, the development time is reduced. Source: formlabs.com

Tailpipes for BMW M4 by Eventuri, Source: ultimaker.com

Traditional prototyping was time consuming and costly, in part because the product went through more iterations. With 3D printing, you can create high-quality prototypes in one day and at a much lower cost. More examples.

The Ford Fiesta ST with 3D printed parts, ext. SEMA 2016, ultimaker.com

For example, General Motors has partnered with Autodesk to produce low cost, lightweight automotive parts using 3D printers. Tools, fixtures and fittings can now be produced at a fraction of the cost, according to Autodesk. For example, a 3D printed tool used to align engine and transmission ID numbers costs less than $3 at General Motors. A traditionally produced instrument will cost $3,000. In addition, downtime due to faulty tools can be significantly reduced as new tools are produced in-house.

2. Creating custom and complex parts

Daihatsu, Japan's oldest car manufacturer, launched a project in 2016 to customize its Copen model.

Source: 3dprint.com

In partnership with Stratasys, Daihatsu customers can design and order custom 3D printed panels for their front and rear bumpers, with a choice of over 15 basic patterns in 10 different colors.

Source: 3dprint.com

In Europe, the BMW MINI brand also uses 3D printing to create personalized car parts. Since the beginning of 2018, MINI customers have been able to personalize various trim elements such as the instrument panel, LED treadplates and illuminated bumpers, as well as choose from different colors and textures. These parts are then 3D printed using a range of technologies from DLS Carbon to SLS.

Source: formlabs.com

Volkswagen Motorsport's I.D. R Pikes Peak is designed with over 2000 3D printed test parts.

Source amfg.ai

The use of 3D printers makes it possible to experiment in the development of non-standard designs, reduces the cost of their production. Long production processes for custom-made products are becoming much shorter.

Ringbrothers uses 3D printing to create customized end pieces such as ventilation grilles. Source: formlabs.com

Large companies are merging 3D printing technologies with traditional manufacturing methods. Volkswagen has recreated its iconic 1962 Microbus by replacing the petrol engine with a 120 hp electric one. The Type 20 concept electric minivan has received many improvements using 3D printed parts. These improvements include cast aluminum wheels. Even the wheel hubcaps, while looking like stamped steel, are actually printed on a Formlabs SLA 3D printer, then electroplated and polished.

Source: formlabs.com

Formlabs Form 2 SLA Specifications

Source: top3dshop.ru

The Bentley Speed ​​6 is another example. Bentley has used cutting-edge metal 3D printer technology to produce a grille, side vents, door handles and exhaust pipes much more complex than those used on current production models.

Bentley used metal 3D printing to create intricate micron precision parts. Source: formlabs.com

Bugatti's monoblock brake caliper is a prime example. For some components, Bugatti would have preferred titanium due to its high performance, but processing this metal with traditional methods is expensive and difficult. 3D printing has allowed Bugatti to produce a titanium alloy brake caliper. Due to the thin walls, the caliper turned out to be very light - almost two times lighter than forged aluminum. At the same time, the strength of the 3D-printed monoblock is superior to that of aluminum. The 3D printed titanium monoblock has a tensile strength of 1250 N/mm2. This means that a force of just over 125 kg will be applied per square millimeter of this titanium alloy without tearing the material. The new titanium caliper is 41 cm long, 21 cm wide and 13.6 cm high and weighs only 2.9kg compared to currently used aluminum, which weighs 4.9 kg.

The Bugatti brake monobloc is the industry's largest functional 3D printed titanium component for a car. Source: formlabs.com

3. Tool and fixture making

A variety of fixtures help make manufacturing and assembly processes easier and faster, and improve worker safety. Automotive factories and component suppliers use a large number of non-standard tooling that is specifically designed and optimized for end use. As a result, a lot of non-standard equipment and tools are made, which increases production costs.

This 3D protective wheel disc was purchased for 800 euros but can now be printed for just 21 euros. Tool development time has been reduced from 56 to 10 days.

Source: ultimaker.com

Outsourcing custom tooling and fixtures to service providers who machine parts from solid metal or plastic stock can delay production by weeks.

For example, the development and prototype of a commutator motor using traditional manufacturing methods can take up to four months and cost about half a million dollars. Thanks to 3D printing, Ford was able to develop several variants in just 4 days and 99.4% cheaper - only $3,000.

Additive technologies allow you to complete the task in a few hours and significantly reduce costs compared to ordering from a third-party enterprise. Since increasing the complexity of a 3D printed model does not incur additional costs, products can be better optimized for their application. New elastic materials for 3D printing in many cases allow you to print plastic parts instead of metal or create prototypes on a 3D printer to test the tool before using it in production.

Gradually, the production of 3D printed accessories and tools is becoming one of the largest applications of additive technologies.

Pankl Racing Systems uses 3D printed fixtures to fasten workpieces to a conveyor belt. Source: formlabs.com

For example, Pankl Racing Systems uses multiple Formlabs SLA 3D printers to make critical manufacturing tools. The multi-stage production of parts for transmissions on automatic lathes requires a series of fixtures and tools designed for each specific part.

With the help of 3D printing, Pankl's engineers have reduced the production time for the aids by 90%, from 2-3 weeks to around 20 hours. Costs were also reduced by 80-90%, saving $150,000.

The transition to 3D printing has enabled Volkswagen Autoeuropa to cut tooling development costs by 91% and tooling times by 95%.

4. Solving problems with spare parts

Spare parts have always been a problem for the automotive industry. The demand for them is either there or not, so the production of spare parts is not economically viable, and the storage of pre-fabricated replacement components is also costly. But if there are no repair parts available, difficulties arise and the main product becomes less valuable.

3D printing could solve the problem of parts in the automotive industry in many ways. The main factors are printed materials, which can match the characteristics of traditional materials used in parts and be cost-effective. There are prerequisites for this.

Using computer-aided design, drawings of all parts can be stored digitally, so there is no need to store the parts themselves. The parts needed by the client can be printed on a 3D printer right in the workshop.

Even obsolete parts whose blueprints have not survived can in principle be recreated by making a 3D scan of existing parts of this type and applying reverse engineering (reverse engineering). You can read more about this on our blog. Old projects can take on new life. There are many lovers of vintage cars, with the help of 3D printing it would be possible to create parts for them.

Ringbrother 3D printed the Cadillac emblem for a custom built old car. Source: formlabs.com

5. Production of standard parts

As 3D printers and materials for 3D printing become more affordable, a gradual transition to the production of mass-produced automotive parts using additive technologies is possible.

3D printing makes it possible to combine components into a single whole. Let's say there is a mechanism assembled from six or seven car parts that can be combined into one printed part. It will save time and assembly costs. With 3D printing, it is also possible to reduce the weight of the combined assembly, as a result, the car will use fuel more efficiently.

3D Systems has designed an advanced exhaust pipe for a sport bike. In the image below, you will see 20 sheet metal and hydroformed parts needed to assemble the original exhaust pipe. On the right is a monolithic exhaust pipe that does not require assembly, made using metal 3D printing.

Source: designnews.com

The 3D printed tube was produced using Grade23 titanium in just 23 hours, it would take three weeks to produce it traditionally. Design development time reduced from 6 weeks to 6 days. Additive manufacturing also eliminates the need for tooling, fixtures, multiple welding and multiple inspections.

Geometry optimization has reduced the amount of material required for maximum productivity. All elements of the original exhaust pipe are incorporated into the new design and, when printed with a typical wall thickness of 0. 5mm, the 3D printed exhaust pipe is about 25% lighter than the original one.

A wide range of 3D printing materials is beginning to meet the requirements of various vehicle components. Since additive methods reduce costs compared to traditional methods (such as molding and injection molding), it makes a lot of sense from a production and financial point of view to further introduce 3D printing into the production of basic parts.

Volkswagen, one of the world's largest and most innovative car manufacturers, is using an HP Metal Jet 3D printer to produce high-performance functional parts with special design requirements, such as shift knobs and mirror mounts. Volkswagen's long-term plans to work with HP include accelerating the production of mass-customized parts such as key rings and exterior nameplates.

+1. 3D Printed Cars

Although complete 3D printed cars have not hit the market yet, some interesting designs and concepts show where the automotive industry might go.

Light Cocoon. German engineering firm EDAG was clearly inspired by nature to create the 3D printed supporting structure of the Light Cocoon concept car. The frame resembles the veins of a tree leaf or its branch. Despite the fact that the design of the EDAG took less material than a conventional frame, all the strength requirements for structurally significant components are met. Outside, the case is covered with a lightweight and durable waterproof fabric.

The cover protects the EDAG Light Cocoon from the weather and gives the car a unique personality. Source: formlabs.com

Blade . Blade ("Blade") announced as "the world's first 3D-printed supercar." It meets supercar standards but is made from inexpensive materials: carbon fiber tubes and aluminum rods, combined with 3D printed metal parts. Blade turned out to be very light and does not take long to assemble.

The world's first 3D printed Blade supercar. Source: formlabs.com

Strati . The American company Local Motors 3D printed and assembled the Strati electric car right at the exhibition stand, in just 44 hours. Most of the components were printed - the body, seats, interior parts. A car is made up of less than 50 assemblies, far fewer than the thousands of parts that go into a traditional car. The company intends to reduce the print time to 10 hours.

The Local Motors Strati consists of less than 50 individual parts*. Source: formlabs.com

LSEV . Developed by the Italian company XEV, the LSEV could be the first in the 3D printed electric vehicle market when it goes on sale. The 3D printed chassis, seats, windshield and all visible parts of the LSEV. Thanks to the active use of 3D printing, the number of components was reduced from 2000 to just 57, resulting in a very lightweight design. The electric car weighs only 450 kg.

LSEV is the first 3D printed electric vehicle to hit the market in 2020. Source: formlabs.com

While most of these and many other 3D printed car projects remain at the concept stage, the extent to which 3D printing has penetrated various areas of the automotive industry is striking. In some cases, additive technologies provide new opportunities for design and production, in others they reduce production costs and save time.

Read also:

Production of a racing car on 3D printers and CNCs

3D scan of cars in tuning and repair

9000 Simplife3d 3D printing. This slicer allows you to unlock the full potential of your 3D printer and help users get past the entry level of 3D printing, as well as provide access to universal software that is compatible with the largest number of 3D printers.

In the latest version of Simplify3D 3.1, developers have added support for more than 30 new 3D printers, such as the latest:

3D Systems CubePro, BCN3D Sigma, bq Prusa i3 Hephestos 2, Cocoon Create 3D Printer, CTC Bizer Dual, E3D BigBox, FlashForge Finder, LulzBot TAZ 6, MendelMax 3. 0 Dual, Monoprice Maker Select, PowerSpec Ultra, Raise3D N2, re:3D Gigabot 2 XL and Gigabot 3 XL, Renkforce RF2000, Kossel Pro, Robo3D R1+, Turnigy Fabrikator and Fabrikator Mini, Ultimaker 2+ , Ultimaker 2 Extended+, DeltaWASP 20×40, DeltaWASP 40×70, XYZprinting da Vinci 1.1 Plus, da Vinci 1.0 Pro, da Vinci Jr. 1.0.

Owners of these printers will now have access to a whole new range of printing options with advanced Simplify3D features.

To check the compatibility of your 3D printer with Simplify3D, a special utility (Printer Compatibility Tool) is presented on the developer's website, with which you can determine whether your existing 3D printer will work with the new software.

In addition to enhanced compatibility with 3D printers, the new version of Simplify3D includes many new features and enhancements to the software platform:

New Enhancements for USB Communication - USB cable printing is now more reliable than ever with the addition of real-time error checking! The program will automatically check every command it sends, thus allowing the 3D printer to avoid transmission errors that could stop printing.

Intuitive Editing of Internal Supports - Simplify3D has always included some of the best support building tools for printing overhangs in a 3D model. Users have had ample opportunity to customize the size and location of support elements before. The new version combines this customization functionality with the cross section tool, making it easy to look inside your models and edit internal supports that would otherwise be hidden from your view.

Improved Automated Mesh Repair - Sometimes some 3D models may have mesh errors or other defects that will cause problems during printing. Simplify3D has a special feature that tries to fix many of these common problems automatically to make 3D printing easier for new users.

Support for BFB File Formats - The latest update adds support for the Bits-of-B file format (BFB), which provides another generation of 3D printers to use the slicing and printing capabilities introduced from Simplify3D.

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