Variation, and Tolerence?

I understand every RepRap unit is unique, many use different materials, so operate at different speeds, flow rates, temperatures, and so on. conceivably each may have its firmware tuned differently, so a file that specifies 142mm may produce 140mm or 146mm, but all objects made on that unit would be to scale with each other. likewise, owing to the effects of gravity, XY measurements may differ from Z measurements...

This is relevant to the discussion of 2nd-gen parts to build children RepRaps with. It would be efficient to create centralized collections of parts to send to people wishing to buy them. If 10 people sent various parts to a regional center, would the person wanting to build a new unit would be getting a collection of completely mismatched parts? If each child may have only one parent, this is part of the reason so many new units are lasercut, not RepRapped... "Breeding" will be much faster when children have multiple parents.

Out of curiosity, could we establish a particular 3D file object (say the RepRap logo), at a particular size, as the defacto proof object? It would be fascinating to collect a sample proof from members of the working RepRap population. Perhaps, a community tradition of sending a test-fab to RepRap HQ after the unit is up and running. I'm sure we are all curious enough to see a growing collection! just pick a file, and list it at the end of the instruction list...


Ian.

ian918m Wrote:
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> I understand every RepRap unit is unique, many use
> different materials, so operate at different
> speeds, flow rates, temperatures, and so on.
> conceivably each may have its firmware tuned
> differently, so a file that specifies 142mm may
> produce 140mm or 146mm, but all objects made on
> that unit would be to scale with each other.
> likewise, owing to the effects of gravity, XY
> measurements may differ from Z measurements...
>
> This is relevant to the discussion of 2nd-gen
> parts to build children RepRaps with. It would be
> efficient to create centralized collections of
> parts to send to people wishing to buy them. If
> 10 people sent various parts to a regional center,
> would the person wanting to build a new unit would
> be getting a collection of completely mismatched
> parts? If each child may have only one parent,
> this is part of the reason so many new units are
> lasercut, not RepRapped... "Breeding" will be
> much faster when children have multiple parents.
>
That's not been a big problem, in my experience.
>
> Out of curiosity, could we establish a particular
> 3D file object (say the RepRap logo), at a
> particular size, as the defacto proof object? It
> would be fascinating to collect a sample proof
> from members of the working RepRap population.
> Perhaps, a community tradition of sending a
> test-fab to RepRap HQ after the unit is up and
> running. I'm sure we are all curious enough to
> see a growing collection! just pick a file, and
> list it at the end of the instruction list...
>
Sounds like a fire drill to me.

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