DIY Polishing Station

thingiverse

Human: A revolutionary DIY polishing station to smoothen 3D-printed parts, built using Arduino and a portable humidifier. Note: Tested only on Polymaker's Polysmooth filament and 70% ethyl alcohol. How I Designed This I wanted the Polymaker Polysher in combination with Polysmooth to be my own. However, since I missed the Kickstarter campaign, I didn't want to pay a higher price plus wait for May to get shipped, so I decided to make one instead. Having an Arduino kit lying around, I only needed to find a suitable humidifier/mister and container to build the polishing machine. After weeks of waiting for components, finalizing the Arduino sketch, and printing parts, here's the result! As I had several parts left over from previous projects and sourced most parts from China, my total cost was around $50. Here's the link to the bill of materials. See the Change Log section for component connections (Fritzing diagram) and the Arduino sketch. DISCLAIMER Should you decide to build one yourself, I cannot be held liable or responsible for any injury or damage resulting from making and/or improper use of this machine. Operating the DIY Polishing Station Initial Setup Eevee model printed using PolySmooth (Snow White) with 1.6mm wall thickness, polished for 35 minutes using 70% ethyl alcohol. Printed cute octopus using Polysmooth Natural from Polymaker's sampler pack. Close-up of the polished cute octopus. Change Log 2017-04-03: Added piezo buzzer mount to power panel. Uploaded Fritzing diagram. 2017-04-04: Uploaded Arduino sketch. Uploaded screw gasket STL file (printed using PolyFlex material). Started drafting User's Guide. 2017-04-05: Added screw cover to gasket to protect screws from getting exposed to alcohol (printed using PolyFlex material). 2017-04-06: Uploaded exploded view and suggested optimal positioning of humidifier cover in relation to the polishing platform. Fritzing diagram showing how electronic components are connected. Bottom right shows the portable humidifier PCB connected to a relay. Screws shown with gaskets and cover added to prevent liquid from seeping into screw holes and protect screws from alcohol exposure. Exploded view showing 3D-printed and some electronic components. Optimal position of humidifier cover in relation to polishing platform. This ensures mist coming from humidifier reaches platform easily, also being in front makes mist more visible while polishing. Gallery Bulbasaur model printed using PolySmooth (Snow White) with 1.6mm wall thickness, polished for 35 minutes using 70% ethyl alcohol. Before and after polishing: Charmander model printed using PolySmooth (Snow White) with 2.0mm wall thickness, polished for 45 minutes using 70% ethyl alcohol. User's Guide v1.0 PARTS OF THE POLISHING STATION IMPORTANT! INTERACTING WITH THE POLISHING STATION The polishing station is equipped with a control panel featuring a LCD and rotating push button to allow user interaction with the machine. The LCD will show different information and status depending on which mode the machine is in. The rotating push button allows users to send inputs to the machine or trigger various actions. There are three ways to operate the rotating button: click, hold, and rotate. OPERATING MODES The polishing station has three modes: ready/idle, setup, and polishing mode. The machine starts in idle mode upon turning on. READY MODE SETUP MODE POLISHING MODE