15 replies to this topic

[Huch]

What I have seen on these forums are that there are a lot of talented and knowledgable people. For some of us it is a hobby, for others, a business. Either way, some of the ideas and designs people have done on their own or with inspiration from others are impressive.

 

I think it would be worthwhile for members of the community to pool their knowledge and experience and create a open source design with construction guide or instruction set.

 

I don't know if this would be possible due to disagreements over design, material, size, species to provide for, etc. I also am aware that those of us have worked a lot on our own designs might be hesitant to share. That is no problem, just contribute what you want, or don't.

 

Anybody interested in this?

 

 

 

 

[Crystals]

I post many of my tutorials here:  http://www.formicult...of-handy-links/

That link also has lists of various materials that can be used to build nests as well as their pros and cons, 2 recipes for homemade ant food, and quite a few other things - some made by myself, others made by other members.

 

Terry (Drtrmiller) usually shares his recipes and 3D printer files when asked.  (or you can buy them off Amazon)

 

Drew (Dspdrew) posts his tutorials in threads, how he built them and how they turned out.  Like 05 and 08.

 

Many members have hashed out various details about formicariums, foraging areas, and accessories in various threads scattered around this site.  Once posted, many fall into history with no further record of how they turned out (like this one). Admittedly, I am online pretty often and have seen some of these appear in journals afterwards (like this one), but the original tutorial thread was never updated as a success - or as a flop.

I also hang out in chat a lot, so I know that some eventually turned out to be a flop, while others have been developed much further.

 

The pictures thread often has some details on materials used and occasionally links to a thread on how they built it - http://www.formicult...rium#entry17355

 

There are threads about where people usually buy most commonly used items - http://www.formicult...?hl=formicarium

 

Lots of information out there, especially if you want to try searching by various search terms.

[Huch]

Those are some good topics. I think I will start work on one using sketch up. I have no idea how to share the file yet though.

[dspdrew]

This kind of sounds like the exact thing that drtrmiller proposed, and is trying to accomplish.

[Works4TheGood]

I've been working closely each day with another ant keeper on developing a formicarium design for folks that have 3D printers.  The concept gained momentum here: http://www.formicult...icarium-design/, but the design has changed quite a bit since the last thread.  Folks seemed to have lost interest in the thread itself, and so I haven't posted anything there in a while, but rest assured, the topic remains alive and well for me and my collegue.  The current plan is to release the formicarium models in spring free-of-charge.  Right now, we're just trying to get all of the pieces to fit right and solve the technical problems.  It's pretty easy to make a geometrically perfect model.  The trick is accounting for the limitations of the printer.

 

I think it's probably pretty difficult to get the whole community to agree on a design.  There are just too many different ways to solve the problem, each with pros and cons.  Plus, a formicarium might work very well for one species and not so well for another, and so it's a difficult problem to solve universally in such a way that everyone is satisfied with the results.

Edited by Works4TheGood, September 29 2015 - 7:22 PM.

[Huch]

So then, I guess the question is, can I help on a design that people are willing to keep it free and in the forums?

 

I am using sketchup, simplify 3d, a 3d printer that can build 8x8x10, and dropbox to share files. 

 

I just updated my older thread with a dropbox link for a 3d printed one.

 

Here is another one that I shelved after I could not get the grout/hyrostone to release:

 

 

https://www.dropbox....2QJ9_eBWRa?dl=0

[drtrmiller]

Here is another one that I shelved after I could not get the grout/hyrostone to release:

 

 

https://www.dropbox....2QJ9_eBWRa?dl=0

 

You can not use a rigid plastic as a mold for another rigid casting material without destroying either the casting material, the mold, or both.

 

You must make a positive, then make a rubber mold negative, and then use the rubber mold to cast your piece in plaster or another castable material, so that you can demold your casting without destroying anything.

Edited by drtrmiller, September 30 2015 - 3:23 AM.

[Huch]

 

https://www.dropbox....2QJ9_eBWRa?dl=0

 

You can not make a mold from a rigid plastic.  You must make a positive, then make a rubber mold negative, and then use the rubber mold to cast your piece in plaster or another castable material.

 

Good point. The thing can be salvaged by using silicone and mold release I think, but i lost interest in it completely.

Edited by Huch, September 29 2015 - 3:47 PM.

[Works4TheGood]

Hey Hutch,

 

I just realized that you were the last person to reply on the 3D Formicarium link that I blindly supplied above.  My apologies for not being more observant and connecting the dots!  Doh!

 

Are you having more luck with your printer now?  I think that last time we wrote, you were having problems with your models warping.  Is it a printer defect, or is it some kind of calibration issue?  From what I understand, you can write an entire book on tweaking the calibration of a 3D printer.

[Huch]

I still have very minor warping on large prints. I printed out that big container which was near max dimensions of my printer, and there was barely warp.

Yea, on machines under a few thousand dollars, warp is a problem. I solved most of the 3d print problems with orientation, isolation,insulation, and material.

Pretty much every step of the way in building from scratch, I have had problems... which is why I think a collaborative effort is a good idea.

[Works4TheGood]

I still have very minor warping on large prints. I printed out that big container which was near max dimensions of my printer, and there was barely warp.

Yea, on machines under a few thousand dollars, warp is a problem. I solved most of the 3d print problems with orientation, isolation,insulation, and material.

Pretty much every step of the way in building from scratch, I have had problems... which is why I think a collaborative effort is a good idea.

Do you print a brim at the base around your model?  That's supposed to help with warping, right?

[Huch]

I always print with a brim. What I found was that ABS warps and shrinks a lot. So I switched to pla and petg, and put the printer in an enclosure, and I cut down on air flow. All that together cut down on warp significantly.

[Foogoo]

Forgive me if this has been asked but I don't recall it has: What printer and software are you guys using?

 

I have a Mendel Prusa (which I still regret paying what I did for  ). Based on what I've seen others do with it, I believe it can be calibrated to print to the quality of modern printers, but my patience and attention span has been lacking...

[BrittonLS]

I always print with a brim. What I found was that ABS warps and shrinks a lot. So I switched to pla and petg, and put the printer in an enclosure, and I cut down on air flow. All that together cut down on warp significantly.

You're using a heated base for ABS right?

[Huch]

Yes, with acetone slurry.

[Huch]

Forgive me if this has been asked but I don't recall it has: What printer and software are you guys using?
 
I have a Mendel Prusa (which I still regret paying what I did for  ). Based on what I've seen others do with it, I believe it can be calibrated to print to the quality of modern printers, but my patience and attention span has been lacking...

Maker gear m2 and simplify 3d