I thought “bootstrapping” had three meanings. The first is a statistical method (which I’ve used and like). The second is a software approach (which I haven’t used because I haven’t needed it). The third was related to machines. I thought “bootstrapping” referred to using a machine to make parts for the machine itself. In effect, for some technologies you can build it from itself.
Turns out I’m wrong. I know, you’re shocked right? I was pretty confident in myself, but that third definition doesn’t show up in a cursory search. It’s either obscure or I just plain imagined it.
Regardless, I just um… not-bootstrapped a 3d printer part. I couldn’t be happier.
My Bambulab A1 printer has a tool head. (All 3d printers have a tool head. It’s the thing that zooms around the plate laying down lines of melted filament.) I had to remove the cover to swap what’s called the “hot end”. This is a slick, toolless endeavor.
Dammit! Is today the day of Curmudgeon using words that don’t exist? The ‘net informs me that “toolless” is not a word. I do not defer to the ‘net on this. I shall define “toolless” as a machine adjustment or repair where the machine was built so you don’t need tools to do the job. For example, wingnuts are toolless because you can use your little monkey hands to remove them. Try the same thing on a car’s lug nuts and you’re doomed. There are very good reasons for either approach, but if you need a big honkin’ tire iron your task is definitely not toolless.
I’m getting in the weeds here. The point is you don’t need a tool to pull off the tool head cover or to swap the hot end. I’m happy about that.
However the tool head cover is flimsy and (IMHO) poorly designed. I broke the little plastic tabs that hold it on. This pissed me off. The printer is less than a year old!
I expected the part to be a bitch to obtain and cost triple what it should. What can I say? I’ve been trained by evil corporate shitheads at places like Dodge and Apple. Fixing anything on either of those brands is absolutely miserable.
Bambulab ain’t cheap but they don’t appear to hate their customers (yet?). It took 5 minutes on MakerWorld to find the part. It was $2.99! I can’t complain about that. But I did. I grumbled a little about S&H and then didn’t order it. (I aggregate all my 3d parts and filament purchases into as few orders as possible to reduce the S&H fee.)
I slapped the broken cover back on the tool head (it held) and set the printer to work again. I’m not 100% sure you need the cover at all.
An hour later I had an epiphany. Am I not a clever inventive maker of things? Doesn’t my blog’s name start with “adaptive”? Why the hell would a guy who owns a 3d printer buy anything that’s simple and made of basic plastic!?!
For that matter, if I broke a part a thousand (million?) other nerds have already broken the same part. Nerds are great at sharing information. Surely an appropriate model is floating around the ‘net somewhere.
Boy was that correct! I searched on MakerWorld and there were pages of appropriate models. People are apparently constantly putting new “faces” on their tool head. (OMG, that sounds so dirty!) Some were extreme, like one that was the face of Hell Boy (I’m not sure the actual superhero/villain name, I’m just not that “plugged into” society).
I should also pause to salute Bambulab. Bambulab posted ways to avoid buying a $2.99 part from Bambulab; possibly because they’re not assholes. If there was a way to make a cheap easy aftermarket Dodge part, the Chrysler corporation would scour the earth trying to eliminate it. Actually they do just that thing. As for Apple, they would have soldered shit down so tight that a broken $2.99 part requires you to buy a whole new $500 device. And they’d offer the part itself for $499.50 just to twist the knife.
Back in happy 3d printing land, the hardest part to making an aftermarket replacement was picking one pattern among the dozens Bambulab itself hosted. I picked what I thought of as a striking black and white “scale” pattern. It’s a compromise. It’s 1000% flashier than anything I’d have done myself and 1000% tamer than looking at some weird superhero demon face.
The 3d printer had been working it’s little heart out on an unrelated task while I did all this surfing. As soon as it was done, I loaded my cheapest half used leftover spools of black PLA and white PLA. The slicer said it was something like $0.18 worth of filament. Yes, you read that correctly, less than a quarter.
It jammed out flawlessly with no major input from me. I popped the part off the plate, removed a tiny bit of support, slapped it on the tool head, and was printing again with a newly improved and slightly prettier tool head. I spent more time choosing colors than I did installing the part.
Also… less than a quarter?
Can that be right? I’ll check the slicer cost estimates just to reassure myself. Whatever it cost, it was a pittance.
Dodge and Apple could learn from this. They won’t, but they should.
A.C.
P.S. I’ll post pics if my cell phone (an obsolete iPhone that’s degrading like all Apple products) ever manages to upload the photo.
Pics or it didn’t happen.
Before:
Cover Removed:
New Cover Installed:
Hey! This is the internet and surely you know “without pictures it didn’t happen.”
I’m relatively happy or OK with my Ender 3 printer, but it doesn’t have anything that strikes me as like what you’re saying. I’d like to see it. Plus, the idea of being able to print in more than one color at a time is appealing.
Pics already posted. I’m sure your printer has a tool head and the tool head has a cover. It’s probably nothing special so you’ve never even thought about it. I’d bet dollars to donuts someone has already “improved” an Ender 3 tool head cover with Superman, or a Pinup girl, or a spaceship. It just seems like the thing people do.
Thanks! Unsurprisingly, there’s nothing on my Ender that looks quite like that. The heated filament is extruded through something that resembles a 3/8″ diameter nozzle with a smaller hole to force the filament through. I have a few pictures on my blog like here but could put up more if you’re interested. I didn’t double check but clicking on a link I had to the Creality Ender 3 V2 was a dead link. But I got it back ’21 so that’s not surprising.
I looked at the link on your blog. You’re right, the two devices are not quite analogous.
It does seem odd that Bambulab wouldn’t try to gouge you on the part’s price considering it is capitalism. Congratulations on going the DIY route and avoiding S&H.
Google’s all-knowing AI says toolless is a perfectly cromulent word.
Back when computers were the size of refrigerators, the US Navy introduced me to the term bootstrap as the little hardwired set of instructions that automatically ran when the beast was powered on. I like the idea of the word applying to self-repairing machines, too. Aside: we will be doomed when AI gets loose in an AI-accessible machine shop.
Bambulab is definitely straddling a sharp line. Their system is more user friendly (and more expensive) than similar systems. That encourages n00bs like me to buy their stuff. But the user friendly pro comes with annoying lack of privacy con (unless you take actions about it). Also the flip side of “ease of use” is “bossing the customer around”. They’d better be super careful because the sort of person who wants to 3d print (even a n00b like me) is exactly the sort of person who doesn’t take well to being bossed. For example, I’ve been buying Bambulabs filament. It’s a few % more expensive than other options. I don’t mind because it’s good quality and easy to use. If they “behave” I’ll probably buy from them for years. If they get greedy I’ll switch to a different brand in a millisecond.
An AI accessible shop will be both tragedy and comedy. Possibly all comedy provided it doesn’t kill anyone.
I’m glad toolless is a word ’cause I’m not gonna’ stop using it.