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3D printed frag plug designs


spinycheek

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3D printing has exploded in recent years and has rapidly gone from something in research labs to something people do at home, but some of the objects produced by commercial 3D printers could be toxic to your health and to the environment, according to new research.

 

http://www.itworld.com/article/3002111/hardware/3d-printed-objects-may-be-hazardous-to-your-health.html

 

So after reading this they were obviously using something 3D printed in the tanks with the embryos, so as long as we don't start living in liquid resin 3D printed houses it's unlikely humans will suffer any ill effects from 3D printing lol.

It is a fair point, but as they're experimenting with 3D printing custom bits for human body repair there are obviously in the vast quantity of printable medias, some that are completely inert and perfectly safe for organic life.

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I wish they said which plastics they were using in that experiment. Many printers can use wildly different types of plastic with very different chemical profiles, so saying "melted plastic" and "liquid resin" is extremely vague. Some of the common plastics available for home printers is the same stuff they use for food containers and is FDA approved, so presumably those are pretty fish safe.

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I wish they said which plastics they were using in that experiment. Many printers can use wildly different types of plastic with very different chemical profiles, so saying "melted plastic" and "liquid resin" is extremely vague. Some of the common plastics available for home printers is the same stuff they use for food containers and is FDA approved, so presumably those are pretty fish safe.

 

Pretty sure if it's safe to use around food it'll be safe in our tanks as you say. There's no reference that I saw to the date of the project either, could have been one of the very first 3D printers using now outdated media.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just as an update, I am working out a deal to get bioresorbable (disappearing) resin to make some parts and run some tests. It could take a few months to iron out the process, but it should be entirely feasible and I'm pretty excited about it!

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Just as an update, I am working out a deal to get bioresorbable (disappearing) resin to make some parts and run some tests. It could take a few months to iron out the process, but it should be entirely feasible and I'm pretty excited about it!

Look forward to seeing the outcome!

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Just as an update, I am working out a deal to get bioresorbable (disappearing) resin to make some parts and run some tests. It could take a few months to iron out the process, but it should be entirely feasible and I'm pretty excited about it!

 

I hope it works out! I would love to try some of these out for you and provide feedback.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was playing around with the rock anchor posts to see how well they worked. I've been hesitant to put too much stress on them when I had only a few prototypes, but now I have enough spares I just went to town and really cranked them in there. They work better than I thought they would! They have directional barbs, so you just twist them into the rock. I found they fit securely in about half of the open holes in the rock. Once in, they are solid, you have to turn relatively hard the opposite direction to remove them.

 

A few pics!

 

DSCN0609.jpg

 

DSCN0621.jpg

 

DSCN0623.jpg

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Thanks. I am working with various mold makers to get these done. Right now I am making small numbers of black polypropylene discs and testing them. Waiting on the mold for the rock anchor/post, but should have it soon.

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I could see this idea on Shark Tank soon. I think if ther are going to say something about it they would probably talk about the cost your going to have to sell them at to make a profit

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Update: The discs, rock anchor and softie smasher should be available for wide scale purchase this Spring (colors in black and possibly clear).

 

The SPS clip is being revised to fix some inherent flaws in the function by using some high tech materials. The new version will be so much more awesome! The biodegradable version is also undergoing a lengthy design process. Expect both of these to arrive later in 2016.

 

In the mean time, I am selling my handmade black polypropylene discs/tiles (only have the discs right now). These sink in water, clip on to eggcrate, have a concave depression to pool cyanoacrylate glue right in the center and the unique spiral design uses capillary action to pull glue into the arms and provide a more secure attachment. Additionally, these will be fully compatible with any future part that comes down the pipeline.

 

Price is $12 for a 10 pack + shipping (usually around $3-4)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just ordered more parts for new designs including some more natural looking ones.

 

If you all could have plugs in any color and/or shape, what would you choose?

 

Looking for as much feedback as possible.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just ordered more parts for new designs including some more natural looking ones.

 

If you all could have plugs in any color and/or shape, what would you choose?

 

Looking for as much feedback as possible.

Possibly a rubble looking plung. These will eventually run into the same problem as traditional frag plugs.they don't look good in the tank.
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What I would like is a twist lock frag plug into a base that could be glued to the rock work. That way you could glue the base to your rock work then twist lock a frag in place. Then you could move the frag later if you wanted too.

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Possibly a rubble looking plung. These will eventually run into the same problem as traditional frag plugs.they don't look good in the tank.

 

I can do that, although I can't make it with all the other features like the ability to clip to egg crate or attach the glue-less clips. I really played with some different designs, but when I added those particular features in, it ruined the natural look. I may be able to make additional style clips that work with any frag plug or rubble, but I'm not there yet. So right now I'm looking at natural looking bases with the threaded hole on the underside, that will still allow one to change the bases/posts. I made some basic dome like shapes, but I can model up some rockier looking ones too.

 

What I would like is a twist lock frag plug into a base that could be glued to the rock work. That way you could glue the base to your rock work then twist lock a frag in place. Then you could move the frag later if you wanted too.

 

 

This should be easy to do.

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