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Oasis 3DP

A powder and inkjet 3D printer based on HP45 inkjet technology

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Oasis is a powder and inkjet 3D printer (3DP) that uses older inkjet technology to print an object. HP45 inkjet printheads jetting binder are used to bind powder locally. This part can then be cleaned and treated to create an 3D object.

3DP can print in several materials to get several results:
-Gypsum: For full color parts if printed with a color. Infiltrated with CA afterwards;
-Sand: For sandcasting moulds;
-Sugar: For edible prints;
-Ceramics: For printing stoneware. Parts need to be fired afterward;
-Metals: With a lot of post processing;

Oasis (and my other 3DP printers as well) were developed to add powder and inkjet 3D printing to the list of open source 3D printers.

Oasis is not a finished printer, rather a working prototype. Software and hardware may have quirks.

Oasis

Oasis is a open source powder and inkjet (3DP) 3D printer. It is designed to be a hackable platform to experiment with 3DP printing.

Current specs:

  • Build size: Ø84mm x 100mm;
  • Printhead: HP45;
  • Printhead DPI: 600;
  • Printhead swatch size: 300 nozzles, 0.5" (12.7mm);

Handy features:

  • A cover to keep dust out and powder in. (This may seem mundane, but was seriously lacking in my previous printers).
  • A large, flat, unobstructed build area that is easy to clean. (Again, seems mundane, is not mundane).
  • An aluminium extrusion frame where parts can easily be bolted on.
  • Plenty of room for future additions (It should be able to handle 5 printheads or a 200mm cubed print area).

Logs of interest

How 3DP

'3DP' also going by the names 'binder jetting' or 'powder and inkjet printing', is a technique that uses inkjet and powder to fabricate parts. 3DP printers consist of a moving inkjet printhead, a build area, and a way to deposit new layers of powder in said build area. The example below uses 2 hoppers and a spreader. The left hopper supplies the powder and is called the 'feed hopper', the part is built in the right 'build hopper'. A spreader can move between these hoppers to transfer powder from one to another. The order of operation for 3DP printing is as follows:

  1. The inkjet head deposits binder wherever the part needs to be. Where the binder fills the powder, the powder solidifies;
  2. The build piston lowers by the layer thickness, the feed piston raises enough to fill the build area completely;
  3. The spreader spreads the powder from the feed hopper to the build hopper;
  4. The spreader returns and the printer starts at step 1 again. This is repeated until the part is finished.

After this printing, the part is allowed some time to dry. It can then be removed from the printer and gently cleaned. After this the part can either receive further processing, or be used directly.

Why 3DP

3DP is quite unlike FDM and SLA. It's biggest advantages are:

  • You do not need support material. The powder is added one layer at a time, and the powder from the previous layers supports the next layers. All the unprinted powder can be reused infinitely.
  • A wide range of materials can be printed. While FDM is limited to plastics, and SLA requires light sensitive resins, 3DP can print most materials that come as powders.
  • Color can be printed. Because 3DP uses standard inkjet technology, it is possible to add color, simply by printing dye alongside the binder.

3DP is not perfect though, There are some drawbacks that need to be considered:

  • Powder printing is inherently messy. Very messy.
  • All prints require post processing, ranging from simple cleaning to firing or infiltrating. Untreated parts are very fragile. This also limits maximum size of parts. The part needs to be able to survive post processing.
  • All of the print area needs to be filled with powder. While the excess can be reused, a minimum amount of powder is required to print at all.
  • 3DP prints only one material at a time.
  • Hollow parts need escape holes to drain unprinted powder.

What 3DP

There are a variety of materials 3DP can print. The only thing these materials have in common is that they are powders. In most cases, a glue is added to the powder. Examples of this are PVA, sugar or maltodextrin. The binder is generally an inert liquid, like an alcohol/water mix. I have...

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Oasis make package 20220717.zip

A full package with all electronics, 3D files, drawings and software required to make one Oasis. While in combination with the 3D PDF, it should be possible to to build an Oasis, more information will be given in the instructions section. Updated schematic for the Oasis printer.

x-zip-compressed - 41.63 MB - 07/17/2022 at 16:50

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Oasis controller compact 20220521.zip

A newer version of Oasis controller that is more compact and has some quality of life improvements.

x-zip-compressed - 1.13 MB - 05/21/2022 at 17:53

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GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 3.pdf

The software license for Oasis.

Adobe Portable Document Format - 77.43 kB - 09/08/2018 at 10:54

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Oasis Total BOM 20181018.xlsx

A bill of material for one Oasis, to the current state of the machine.

sheet - 26.92 kB - 10/21/2018 at 08:11

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OA-Y00-A01-00 3D-PDF 20181014.PDF

A 3D PDF of the mechanical parts of Oasis. Slow and in a finicky format, but openable by adobe pdf reader. Good for reference.

Adobe Portable Document Format - 26.12 MB - 10/14/2018 at 13:06

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View all 7 files

  • 1 × Full BOM can be found in files ("Oasis Total BOM *date*") 1 Oasis contains 128 unique mechanical parts and 40'ish electrical ones. Listing them here would be madness.

  • Some material closeups

    Yvo de Haas06/01/2022 at 17:54 0 comments

    Because it was asked, some closeups of some of the 3D prints made on Oasis.

    The first is gypsum, infiltrated with CA glue. The blue color comes from the binder, which has a small percentage blue added.

    Second is Tethon Terracotta powder. This fired in a kiln after printing.

    Last is Wood powder. The first set is infiltrated with CA, the second set infiltrated with beeswax.

  • A new Oasis software is available

    Yvo de Haas05/21/2022 at 17:58 0 comments

    A new version of the software to control Oasis was added to the downloads. This is called "Oasis controller compact"

    It works much the same as the old version of the software, but is more compact, has no text boxes as inputs, has selectable com ports (hit refresh if you do not see your port appear, tested in Windows, but should work on Linux) and an overfeed setting, which determines how much too far the feed piston goes up per layer added.

    None of the features are groundbreaking, but I hope it will be of some use to people who have got an Oasis running.


  • Warning! A mistake on Driver V3.01 and lower

    Yvo de Haas12/30/2018 at 10:33 0 comments

    I would add this to the instructions as well, but Hackaday.io is a bit special in that it wants me to edit ALL instructions at the same time.

    Someone made a mistake on the driver board V3.01 (it was me). The pullup for the nozzle check signal is pulled to 12V, not 3.3V. This means that an input for the Teensy is being pulled to 12V most of the time. I myself have not experienced any issues whatsoever with this, but I suspect some other people I have been talking to have experienced issues (broken Teensy's).

    I am working right now on a V3.02 design that will pull the check to the right voltage. I advise anyone who want to make this not to use the V3.01 driver.

    However this new design will not fix the problem for people who already have a board. Below is a fix for this issue. TL;DR is tombstone the resistor and solder a wire to the nearest 3.3V.

    The culprit is R8 (shown here as P8, because the silkscreen is worn off). Desolder it.

    You are now left with 2 pads. The pad closest to the R8 silkscreen is the check pin. The pad furthest away from R8 silkscreen is 12V. Solder one side of the resistor you desoldered (or another 10k resistor) with one side to the check pin, facing up (tombstoning it).

    Now a wire needs to be soldered from a 3.3V pin to the side of the 10k resistor facing up. R11 and R12 have 3.3V on the pads closest to the silkscreen. First solder a wire to the R11 or R12, then bend the wire to R8 and solder it to the side of the resistor facing up.

    Now the check pin is pulled to 3.3V and the check pin is no longer capable of destroying the Teensy.

    (Edit 20 minutes later: While designing V3.02 I found an even bigger mistake in the PCB on the TLC driver. It shorts 12V to ground, and several signals directly to ground. It is not in the Gerber files (V3.01 still had V3.00gerber files in it) but it is in all versions of the KiCAD files. The TLC driver has moved 2mm to the side and shorted on everything. I will fix and upload ASAP because this is a real problem. I have no clue how this one got in, but it is quite a bad one. My apologies)


  • Making the spreader go up

    Yvo de Haas12/08/2018 at 11:18 0 comments

    One of the biggest annoyances of Oasis for me has been the spreader. It does an amazing job spreading a new layer, but it has one quite big flaw. It drags powder back.

    This dragging back the powder should not be happening. The pistons lower to move out of the way of the spreader. However, there is quite a bit of overshoot after the piston, and there is powder on either side of the piston as well. This is the powder that is being moved when the gantry moves back.

    The first reason I know it does is because I can see powder being moved when the spreader moves back, the second reason is because there is powder behind the spreader and this heap of powder gets bigger every new layer. The third reason is that in the build piston there is an edge of powder that is moved from the overshoot, back into the build piston. The excess powder in the build piston is actually a serious problem that I do not want.

    See on the left, a heap of powder appearing
    Blue line, roughly where the piston is. Red line, where there excess powder

    This problem is cause by the spreader not being perfectly concentric, and some slop in the mechanisms. There are plenty of things I can fix here, but I am going to make the spreader lifting.

    The requirements are simple. When the spreader is on, the roller must be down. When the spreader is off, the roller must be up. The positioning needs to have a high repeat accuracy. It must also not move up under the load of powder.

    I chose a central shaft in 608 bearings to move the spreader on. This way, the spreader moves in it's entirety, and not only left or right. There are plenty of adjustment options I can make, but the old adjustments turned out to be perfectly adequate.

    I run GRBL, so I do not have many options for driving it. Hobby servo's are not an option here, GRBL does not really support them. The only reasonable options that do not require many modifications are solenoids and electromagnets. 12V is one position, 0V is another (with a spring).  I chose electromagnets since I had them (Specifically, this one)


    In the video you can see the spreader moving down (snapping into the electromagnet) when the roller is powered, and springing back up when the power is removed. The up position is a bit springy, but that is OK.

    Because the spreader is now lifting, I will change the software so I can toggle between moving the pistons out of the way or not. For the lifting spreader, I do not need to move the pistons down, saving a second or 2 on every new layer. This software will not be shared instantly, There is more I want to do. The CAD will be uploaded shortly.

    The old spreader works fine for the people who are building Oasis right now. The new one is just a little better at the cost of complexity.

  • Future plans for Oasis

    Yvo de Haas11/05/2018 at 06:44 0 comments

    I have spent the past few months working hard to get Oasis ready before the deadline of the Hackaday Prize. While I am of course a bit sad that I did not win, I knew that I was going against some great projects. Congratulations to all the winners.

    My goal for the past few months has been to get Oasis 'working'. Printing, as good as I can in the time I have. Now that I no longer have any deadlines, I will dial the amount of work I put in Oasis a bit back. This does not mean that I will stop it, not at all. 3DP has been really interesting to me for the past few years, and I still want to make it better, but I need to catch up with other things too, something that I made little time for the past few months.

    While it may take a while, these are the things I hope work on with Oasis for the coming time (not in order):

    Materials

    So far I have been printing with original Zcorp materials. This is not really going to work well on a cheap(ish) and open source DIY powder printer. Zcorp powder and binder is REALLY expensive. I have had my eyes on several recipes since Plan B year ago. I compiled the most notable ones here. Now that I have a machine that is workable, I will finally test some of these recipes.

    My main focus will be ceramics, then gypsum. Other material options such as sand and maybe metal will be for an unplanned future.

    Depowdering

    Cleaning parts is difficult. For Plan B I built a box with gloves and an air pump to clean the parts. While this works surprisingly well. I want to make a better tool using better parts. This will be a negative pressure chamber with better recovery of the powder. I also want more pressure for the cleaning air. Lastly, I hope I can make it somewhat portable.

    Firmware

    Firmware works, sort of. Both the decoding of printing lines and the printing happens in  the main loop. Because of this, I cannot print much faster than 50mm/s right now, while the absolute max should be around 400mm/s. I do not hope to get the maximum speed without FPGA's but I do hope I can reach around 200mm/s without much fuss.

    To get to this speed I hope to offload all of the inkjetting code to interrupts and DMA. If I manage that, I will instantly lose the biggest bottleneck in the code. Set up inkjetting for one burst using interrupts, and letting it trigger through DMA. I might need to update the controller side of the PCB to make it work, but that is a small price to pay for higher speeds in my opinion.

    I also want to add features such as virtual speed and hardware trigger so it can print without an encoder, making it more usable to other people as well.

    Software

    Python I had to learn from scratch. If I would write it again now, I would do a lot of it completely different. And so I probably will. Too many points to mention, but I will make it faster, more stable, more usable, and to fix a problem I still have, make it output Plan B code as well.

    Another thing I want to do in software is make it usable without 3DP. I have yet to think of a way to make a universal inkjet driver for use in other projects, but it is something that I would be really interested in.

    Selling parts

    I have been getting requests for assembled printhead drivers. I ran the numbers for an assembled driver, and I get to the $150-200 range. Right now, with all the software and firmware in a meh state, I really am not comfortable selling it at those prices. I will take effort to make the price go down by redesigning it, and improve the software so it will work for more people and I actually feel comfortable selling it at higher prices.

    Color printing

    I want to find a way to print in full color. There are several options. One is to add a CMY head. HP has ones that are compatible with the HP45 connector. It is narrower however, limiting print speed. I can also make a driver for 5x HP45 printhead. More expensive, but a lot faster. What I decide on will be for later, but I do want to get full color available at some point.

    ... Read more »

  • How to install the HP45 connector

    Yvo de Haas11/02/2018 at 19:05 0 comments

    I sell HP45 connectors on Tindie. In order to prevent the misery that is the connector falling apart, I am writing this guide.

    The kit of the HP45 connector contains several parts:

    • 1 Fully assembled, capped HP45 connector;
    • 2 #6x3/8 screws to mount the connector
    • 2 Resin washers to get the right depth for the screws
    • 5 Spare pins and springs for if you lose one (or five)

    The footprint of the HP45 connector is in the design files, or as a separate download here. This footprint should be on a PCB of 1.6mm (or thicker) since the 52 springs will push against the PCB. The pads should also be gold plated, since the springs only make direct contact, and are not soldered in place.

    Mounting the connector

    To mount the HP45 connector you will need a Phillips 1 screwdriver and a 2.5mm Allen wrench.

    1. Take the HP45 connector and place it pins facing up, so you see the screw head.
    2. Remove the screw using the 2.5mm Allen wrench (but do NOT lift the connector up).
    3. Flip the HP45 connector WHILE holding the back cover on the back.
    4. When the pins are facing down, you can remove the back cover to expose the springs.
    5. Align the PCB with the 3 centering pins, and place the PCB over the connector.
    6. Take the 2 washers and screws and place them in the 2 outer most holes (3.3ish millimeters).
    7. Push on the PCB to make all the springs compress so there is no gap between the PCB and the connector.
    8. Take the Phillips screwdriver and screw the screws into the connector. Do not over tighten, this will strip the threads you make out of the plastic.
    2.5mm Allen wrench and Phillips size 1 screwdriver
    Place connector in this position
    Remove screw
    Flip connector WHILE keeping the cover on the back
    Remove the cover from the back
    Take PCB
    Align holes and place PCB over connector
    Place the 2 washers and 2 screws
    Tighten screws in connector
    Done

    The connector is now ready for use.

  • Can Oasis print a Benchy?

    Yvo de Haas10/24/2018 at 18:49 0 comments

    Yes it can print a Benchy. It took a few tries because Oasis is still a bit finicky and Benchy was quite challenging, even in 3DP, but it looks great.

    One fun property of 3DP that is really weird for me to get used to is that I really do not care about orientation, but very much about Z-height. Because of this, I printed Benchy on it's side. It took around an hour to print at layer height 0.2mm. Currently adding a new layer takes 8-10 seconds. Benchy is 30mm'ish wide. This totals 25 minutes of new layers.

    Cleaning and infiltrating it was quite difficult. I did not want to damage it, and my depowdering setup is not perfect yet. I did miss a few small spots, but I got almost all of the powder out.

    The Benchy looks really nice, though it is a bit more rough than an FDM printed part. The text on the back of the boat is not visible, the text on the bottom is. All tiny details are visible. A curious thing I noticed is that the side facing down was a lot more smooth than the side facing up. I suspect I used too much binder, and the binder wicked to the layers below, smoothing out the part. The layers facing up cannot wick into unbound binder, and so stairs are visible here.

    Now that I have printed a decent Benchy, I think I am now legally allowed to call Oasis a real 3D printer.



    (PS. should I be spending a whole log on a Benchy? Probably not, but I don't care, because Benchy)

  • The parts of interest

    Yvo de Haas10/16/2018 at 20:05 0 comments

    Oasis is designed mostly around standard 3D printer parts. However due to some technical challenges with 3DP, there are a few specialty parts I cannot design around. In this log I hope to explain what they are, where I got them, and what alternatives are possible.

    Spreader + motor

    One of the most important parts of powder printing is the spreader, A round, smooth roller. It is also one of the more difficult parts to get, and possibly the biggest compromise I had to make to ease of getting the parts. In Plan B, first I did without, which did not work. Then I had to jump through a lot of hoops to make one anyway, that worked somewhat. Now I am blessed to work at a company that can order at Misumi. Misumi, is magical. They have everything. The spreader is a standard(ish) part at misumi, 'SSFRHQ20-200-F20-P5-T20-Q5'.

    If you can buy at Misumi, do that. I have included a drawing of the spreader, 'OA-Y20-P13-00'. This is exactly what you buy at Misumi. If you have access to a lathe, you can make the spreader yourself. It does need to be concentric and smooth, but other than that should not be difficult.

    To drive the spreader a motor is required. For this I am using a cheap 25mm gearmotor. I used 300 rpm @ 12V, which seems about right.

    Between the motor and the spreader is a timing belt. I use GT2, and use a closed belt of 120mm long. They are available through the usual internet suspects. Timing pulleys can also be found here if you have trouble finding them. All used pulleys are GT2, 20T, 6mm width. The pulley on the spreader motor is 3D printed for 'pulley not being available' reasons. I advise against printing the other pulleys.

    Encoder

    The printhead and the motion driver are controlled by separate controllers. To synchronize them I use an encoder strip. These things are common in inkjet printers anyway, and are not that hard to get.

    For the actual encoder I use a 'AVAGO HEDS-9740#150', a 150 lines per inch optical encoder head. Most component suppliers list them, but do not have them in stock. Places like ebay do sell them. The tape can also be found on Ebay. you'll need a matching 150 lines per inch tape.

    Bearings

    Oasis uses mostly standard 3D printer bearings (608, 624, 625, preferably ZZ, LM8UU). However, on some places special bearings are needed. The spreader takes 685-ZZ (685-2Z) bearings. I cannot easily provide a link, but ebay has them in bulk.

    Aluminium extrusion

    Oasis is built around aluminium extrusion profile. 2 types of profiles are used. 30x30 and 30x60. There is not much to the profiles. They need to be 30mm, have a groove of 8mm, and the hole in the middle of the profile needs to be able to take an M8 thread. Not all profiles will need M8, but some do. You'll also need 30x30 angles, and 60x60 (2x30 long) angles. The exact type of nut you'll use is unimportant, but I prefer profile nuts that can be inserted after assembly. 

    I bought mine at Misumi because I was already ordering. I suggest finding a supplier near you. In the BOM, the Misumi name is given, but the number in the order number is the required length. You can use that to cut your profiles.

    An example of the used profile. Bear in mind that not all holes need to be tapped M8.

  • A video is there

    Yvo de Haas10/09/2018 at 18:44 0 comments

    There now is a video of Oasis


    I will not add much more to this log, since I spent the last week making this (^) video. I can now work on finishing the file packages and instructions for other people to be capable of making this printer.

    One last thing that will be clarified in the previous log: https://www.tindie.com/products/Dragonator/hp45-printhead-connector/. I now sell the HP45 connector on Tindie.

    Previous log: https://hackaday.io/project/86954-oasis-3dp/log/153322-some-info-on-interfacing-with-the-hp45

    Because logs are ordered by when the first draft was made, not when it was published, putting my 2 weeks ago started log behind this one.

  • The color of the day: Blue

    Yvo de Haas09/27/2018 at 19:03 0 comments

    I refilled my printhead with actual Zcorp binder. I got this stuff from a friend of mine a while ago, and it will allow me to get a bit of a baseline before I start messing with my own binders and powders.

    The first important step is to print a new carriage. I thought the refill port was on the front, I though wrong. It is on the bottom. I want to plug the printhead with a screw and o-ring, so I need a hole there. I ran out of the faint blue, so I will be using the much nicer dark blue.

    To get a good idea of what the HP45 is, go here: http://wandel.ca/hp45_anatomy/. It has some great pictures of the HP45 itself and some explanations that will become important. Summary, a spring loaded tank that holds the ink under a vacuum.

    I needed a few things to refill the printhead. The first is the binder. I also added some ink so I can see what I am printing. I chose blue because I like it. I also needed a syringe with needle, a lot of paper towels and running water. Refilling printheads is messy. You cannot believe how much ink can be diluted and still be completely black. Last I needed a suction head so I can draw the ink through the nozzles. This is a tool I 3D printed and added a o-ring to. It works shockingly well considering I spent 5 minuted designing it.

    Interesting note, the blue color of the prints now comes from the binder, not the powder. This is how you can add full color. CMYK and binder and you have a full color printer. I will investigate this after this first part of the project is done, but it is not part of the scope of this project itself.

    The rough list of steps needed to clean and refill a HP45 printhead:

    1. Take the sticker of the bottom;
    2. Push the ball sealing the printhead into the printhead;
    3. Squeeze (milk) the ink out of the printhead (it does not simply drain);
    4. Suction last ink through the nozzles using the tool;
    5. Fill with water/alcohol mix (or plain water for some of the repeats);
    6. Combination of milking the printhead and sucking ink through the nozzles;
    7. Repeat step 5 and 6 till water comes out clean;
    8. Refill printhead with binder (and optional ink, I did 1/20 cyan ink);
    9. Clamp the printhead with a strong clamp. The head should not have any air in it;
    10. Cap the hole. I used an M4 screw with a 3.5mm ID o-ring;
    11. Release the clamp;
    12. Suck the binder through the nozzles using the suction tool;
    13. The printhead now ready for use;




    I will post a proper guide later, mainly because I cannot save drafts in guides and like to write over a few days. I have plenty more pictures and detailed steps available, but I also have 100 other tasks that need doing right now.

    A thing I discovered very quickly is that the vacuum on the printhead is really necessary. Previously I just filled the head without the clamp. After a single burst of ink there was ink leaking from the printhead. I then opened the head, clamped the body with a clamp, and closed it again. This time it printed perfectly.

    Another thing you will find out (I did at least) is that refilling a printhead is messy. Once the ink touches your hand, it stays there. My hands are various nice shades of black and blue. Next time I will be wearing gloves.

    I have heard (but not confirmed) that you can replace the milking and sucking with a centrifuge. I have no centrifuge here, so for me it will stay a mystery, but it is a nice thought.

    I will be printing with this binder for the coming few days, trying to dial in the ink percentage and trying to print some nice objects.

    Left binder, right pure ink
    https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:149271
    Printed in glorious blue

    More coming soon, this project is now really moving.

View all 25 project logs

  • 1
    Before you start assembling

    You want to build an Oasis. Neat. Be aware that it is a prototype and not a finished, optimized product. Toolchain, Software and firmware still needs to be optimized. Why is there documentation if it is not finished. Because it works.

    All the most up to date files for Oasis are here, in the file section of the Hackaday.io page. To make an Oasis you will need 3 files the most. The first is an excel file called 'Oasis total BOM *date*'. This contains the full Bill of Materials for Oasis, mechanical  and electrical. The second is 'OA-Y00-A01-00 3D-PDF *date*' This is a 3D PDF of the mechanical build of Oasis. This should help aid in the building of Oasis. The last is a zip file 'Oasis make package *date*' This contains all files and drawings to make an Oasis.

    After extracting you will see 4 folders. 'Electronics', 'Firmware', 'mechanical', and 'software'. Each folder contains all necessary files to make an Oasis for that category.

    In 'Mechanical' There is a certain file structure in the names. All custom parts and assemblies have the name: 'OA-Ynn-Ann-nn' or 'OA-Ynn-Pnn-nn', where 'n' is a number. 'OA' is the project (Oasis), 'Ynn' is the group, or subassembly. 'Pnn' is a part, 'Ann' is an assembly, and the last 'nn' is the revision. The project starts at 'OA-Y00-A01-00' (as of writing. If you see a higher revision, don't worry and pick that). This contains the full drawing of the assembly, and refers to other subassemblies and parts.

    In each subfolder you will find at least one PDF drawing of that subassembly, PDF drawings of parts you might need to make, and STL files of parts you need to print. All drawings and step files are accompanied with STEP files you can open in many CAD packages for reference or to change them.

    These drawings, accompanied with the 3D PDF, should help you assemble the mechanicals of Oasis.

    Now the bad news. I do not have a full set of photos in the order of assembly. I built what is in the files over 3 months, improving parts as I built. In my drawings, I tried to give a good suggestion for order, but the photo's will not follow that. If you want to assemble it in your own order, feel free. All the the provided photo's are for reference and not in chronological order at all. Nonetheless I hope they will be useful.

  • 2
    Assembling electronics

    The electronics can be installed afterwards, but in order to keep this guide as chronological as possible, it is first time to assemble the electronics. In the BOM, under 'Electrical' you will find a list of components, including what name they have on the PCB, and the footprint.  I will be hand soldering SMD in this example, so it might be a bit messy in places.

    HP45 driver board

    The first board and the most complex board is the driver. This driver board controls all addresses, primitives and has the ability to test the nozzles.

    Install the capacitors. The footprint of the capacitors is 0603 and they should be at least 16V. C1, C6, C7, C8, C10, C11 are 0.1uF,  C2, C4 are 1uF. Polarity does not matter on these capacitors.


    Install the resistors. The footprint of all resistors is 0603, they should be 1% and need to be around 0.1W. R7, R11, R12 are 330Ω, R5 is 1.2kΩ, R1, R2, R3, R4, R9, R10 are 2.2kΩ and R6, R8 are 10kΩ.

    Install the mosfets. There are several types. Q1 and Q2 are the small ones. They are PMV20CNER and have a SOT-23 footprint. They only serve to shift level, so any low threshold voltage N channel mosfet should work. Q3 is the big one. It is a SIRA12DP-T1-GE3 in an SO-8 power pack. It needs low on resistance and a gate voltage lower than 3V. The dot marks the orientation for Q3.


    The IC's are plentiful on the driver board. IC1, IC3, IC6 are HEF4017 with package SOIC-16 3.9mm. The exact 4017 is not important, only that it is at least 15V. IC5 is HCF4081, the package SOIC-14 3.9mm. Again, only voltage is important. IC2, IC4 are TLC59213. Rhese will be most difficult to solder. The package is TSSOP-20. Foot pitch is 0.65mm. The last component is C7, LM311. It is SOIC-8. On all components there are dots and marks to indicate orientation.

    Install the Electrolytic capacitors. C3, C5 are 100uF, 16V minimum, package 8mm, height lower than 10mm. C9 is 1uF, 16V minimum, package 4mm.

    Mount the HP45 connector using M3x6 or #6 screws (I am experimenting with #6, if they behave I will include them in what I sell. The holes are not actually big enough for #6, so I do have to ream the holes right now.

    2x 16 pin female headers, 2.54mm (J1, J2)

    HP45 controller board

    Mount the U1 7805 voltage regulator, footprint TO263-2.


    Place the Teensy 3.2 on the controller to align the male headers. Solder a few of the pins on the Teensy (But NOT on the PCB) to secure the headers. You'll need 2x 1x14, 1x 1x5 and 1x 1x3.

    Solder SMD male header 2x7 (or 2x 1x7) under the Teensy 3.2. Make sure it is aligned with other headers. Make sure all SMD pads under teensy make good connection to the Teensy if you permanently solder it in place. Once it is in place, you cannot access it to repair a solder joint.

    Solder the Teensy 3.2 to controller board. Here you can optionally solder female headers to the board. Be aware though that this will increase the height of the whole assembly to a point where it will not properly fit in Oasis.

    Solder the electrolytic capacitors C1, C2. 100uF, 16V min, package 8mm.


    Solder the male headers 2x 1x16, 2.54mm pitch (J4, J5), 1x4 female header, pitch 2.54mm (J3). 1x3 3,5mm screw terminal (J1).

    Put boards together and enjoy.

  • 3
    Assembling the frame

    The first component that needs to be built is the base frame. In the drawings this is Y10. The drawings for these parts are: OA-Y10-A01-00 (frame) and OA-Y10-A02-00 (Lid). It is easiest to start with the 2 sides, then add the middle profiles to it. The bottoms of the side frames need to be tapped M8 to hold the feet. The 2 30x60 profiles do not reach all the way. They are 30mm short to allow passage of the X driveshaft and belt.

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Discussions

506945023 wrote 11/30/2023 at 14:06 point

Hi there

The oasis we assemabled have met problem. When printing, it would not print a whole frame of 0.5 inch, but print fixed width color bars about 2.7 mm. I am wondering if it is because wrong choose of the print head? Or maybe the driverboard or controller board were wrongly soldered?I sincerely hope you could answer this question. Thank you very much.

Best regards

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506945023 wrote 11/30/2023 at 14:07 point

Test results of print is 300/300, temperature and postion seems right too.

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506945023 wrote 10/26/2023 at 05:36 point

Hello there,

I have met some problems with the motors after I assemabled the Oasis 3DP printer.The problem is when I connected to printer with computer and press 'Home' button,the X motor just move for on short time and  then stop move with a loud sound.First i thought it's the wiring problem of motor,but when I tried many other wiring way,the problem still remains.Do you think it could be the reason of  home seeking speed is too fast?I am really stuck here.

best regards

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Yvo de Haas wrote 10/26/2023 at 16:44 point

There are 2 things to check. First check if all configurations of GRBL are correct. Having the wrong settings can cause many issues. If that is correct, check the microstepping on the stepper motor drivers. There are 3 jumpers under each stepper driver. Depending on the motor driver you are using, you need to set these. The goal is 16x microstepping if I am not mistaken.

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506945023 wrote 11/02/2023 at 08:30 point

Thank you very much!This problem is solved!There is one more question that I destroyed my last Teensy3.2 board and have no other way to buy a new one.I am wondering that you mentioned teensy 4.1 could replace teensy 3.2 without change the basic design.But I saw 24 25 pins are multiplexed with A10 A11 in teensy 4.1.If I was going to replace Teensy 3.2 with 4.1,do I need to change code in HP45 controller code?Such as change pins 24 25 into 41 42?And is there more change should be done in code and connection?I‘m going to connect teensy board and controller board with wires.

Best regards!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 11/02/2023 at 18:52 point

The Teensy 4.1 is not drop in compatible with the 3.2 in this controller. The V3.01 controller still used to old way of driving the printhead that simply bitbanged the inkjet signals, but there are still a few things to be careful of. (For reference, the newer controllers I worked on used DMA, which is hardware specific)

First the timing is hardcoded in assembly NOP commands. This is done because standard delays and interrupts are not fast enough to create the exact timing, and only giving a know number of "No operations" in the firmware creates the proper timing. This amount needs to be changed to get the correct timing again (around 1,8us per inkjet pulse). 

Also the controller was designed around the assumption that the Teensy 3.2 was 5V tolerant. The Teensy 4 definitely is not.

You can assign pins fairly freely otherwise. If you need a different analog port you are free to assign this. There are no pins on the Teensy 3.2 in this version that require special features.

  Are you sure? yes | no

506945023 wrote 11/12/2023 at 11:36 point

Hello!

Problem of motor is solved! Many thanks! But I have met some new questions. Like VoyageNing's problem,when I test the printer head,  test results shows that (16/300),while temperature is -0.2 and BWL is 996 and 997. I am wondering if its right or wrong.

Best regards!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 11/12/2023 at 18:41 point

BWL being 997 is not an issue. The default is 997 if I am remembering correct (off by 3 from 1000 for padding reasons). Seeing only 16 of 300 nozzles working and a temperature of -0.2 means the printhead does not have good connection to the connector. That or multiple failures in the electronics. -0.2 is a number given when the measured values are out of bounds.

  Are you sure? yes | no

506945023 wrote 11/29/2023 at 08:17 point

Hi dear friend

I have solved the last problem, it was caused by low FDM manufacturing size accuracy. After replacing the carrige parts, printer head is well connected! Much thanks!

Printer is finally working, but there occurs new problem. Our printer did not print  a whole pattern, but a fixed width color bars. I am wondering if it is because i have choose wrong printer head? Or it is because wrong setting in software?

Best regards!!!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 12/03/2023 at 09:30 point

Is the pattern you are seeing a section of the pattern you are printing, or is it really only a small bar of color with no real pattern to it

  Are you sure? yes | no

lavaie.hadi wrote 10/07/2023 at 09:34 point

Hello There,

I have some issues in electronics section, as you know there is no teensy 3.2 in market any more. So, may I use teensy 4.0 instead of 3.2 version without any different in software and firmware?

best regards

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 10/17/2023 at 15:52 point

Sadly, the Teensy 4.0 pins under the board are different from the pins of the Teensy 3.2. These pins are actually needed, so a 4.0 is not compatible without a lot of work. The basic design could be made to work with a Teeny 4.1, but this board is a lot bigger and does require a PCB redesign.

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 10/11/2022 at 11:55 point

Hi there,

I have some software problems as follows, and hope to get your suggestions:

1. I changed the size of the printer and I just wondered can I just adjust the related dimension parameter in the controller software part without modifying the firmware.

2. When I tried to print, the "BWL" value will decrease from 999 to 50 with the printing of several layers and stopped printing. I wonder how to solve this problem.

3. The "Prime" function works well but the printer head always did not inject inks during printing. 

Best,

Aaron

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 07/05/2022 at 04:34 point

Hi Haas, I am coming again. I noticed that the circuit diagrams of the spreader in the Logs web pages and Oasis wiring document look different. I did some research but based on my weak background these two circuits are not equivalent. And could you show some details of your MOSFET like purchase website, since mine did not work(I tried several types). thanks in advance.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 07/05/2022 at 16:24 point

I did dig around a bit, and indeed the schematic in the files does not perfectly match the one in the log, and has a small mistake. The one in the log is leading here. The downloaded schematic motor connection is wrong, and should not be across the mosfet, but before it. You are the first to mention this.

As for the type, most N-channel mosfets will work. It does need a minimum current of around 2-3A, and a gate-threshold voltage lower than 3-4V, but most mosfets do this. I used a BUZ11 here, but that is only because I had it. If I had to buy now, I would use something like an IRF540, but I have no good link for a more recent part.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 07/17/2022 at 16:52 point

Schematic is updated in the make package

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 06/15/2022 at 06:25 point

Hi there, I really enjoy your great work. I have an issue with the printing section. When I use the software to connect printhead, it always shows (0/300), and the temperature varies randomly(like -100 to 80). My pcb board and electronic element on the board are all fabricated by factories, so I think there are not many problems manufacturing problems. I wonder any suggestions on how to fix this problem?

best regards

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 06/16/2022 at 17:19 point

Hello. That you had it assembled and there should be no issues sounds fine, but the issues you are describing do suggest something is not connected properly. The factory, did they also solder the Teensy 3.2? This has quite a few pins to connect, some of which are on the underside on blind pads. The wild temperature swings suggest something in the temperature circuit is floating (the 2 resistors and the connection to the Teensy and printhead). The nozzles not showing can be either the test circuit, the printhead driving circuit or the enable circuit. The fact that it shows 0/300 when you test the printhead makes it hard to troubleshoot.

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 06/22/2022 at 09:39 point

Thanks for your replying. I solder the teensy by myself. I just solder a new teensy carefully today and try a new HP45 print head. The temperature is normal now but I met the same problem as a past post here: " if I connect the controller with 12V DC, it can not sense the nozzle (0/300). If I do not connect to DC, it is 300/300. In this case, I can not preheat the print head or do any other things. "

And I tried to connect 12V dc first and then USB but still did not work. 

I can show you the photo of my board if needed and thanks again for your help.

Best

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 06/22/2022 at 16:01 point

Only connecting USB causes weird issues on the 4017 circuit where it becomes locked. The board testing 300/300 means nothing then. On the board is a 12V input, and a VHD input. There is also a solder jumper that separates the 2. Is this jumper soldered, or are 12V and VHD both connected?

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 06/23/2022 at 02:33 point

Hi, thanks for replying. I don't solder the jumper, so I only connect 12V and GND. If the 4017 was locked, do I need to replace a new one?  sorry if  I ask,  as I have not much experience on the circuit part.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 06/23/2022 at 05:15 point

The 4017 locking up is simply reset by powering it off for a good few seconds and powering it back on. Solder the jumper or connect both VHD and 12V to 12V, with a power supply that can at least supply around 3A. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 06/24/2022 at 09:28 point

It works finally! Really thanks.

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teraz wrote 05/21/2022 at 20:59 point

can You show element under microscope or big zoom?

can You print in different color on this same element? for example chars

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 05/22/2022 at 05:52 point

What do you mean by element? I am afraid that I do not understand both questions.

  Are you sure? yes | no

sup wrote 05/23/2022 at 09:56 point

element==what You print

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 06/01/2022 at 17:56 point

I added a log with some closeups made with my microscope. 

The process does allow for different colors in prints, but Oasis only has a single printhead, so it can't do this. If you add several colored printheads you can print in those colors. Add CMYK to the clear binder head and you can print full color.

  Are you sure? yes | no

VoyageNing wrote 03/11/2022 at 05:32 point

Hi, I really enjoy your excellent work. I am not familiar with the electronic parts and I am confused about the wiring part. I wonder can you provide more photos or instructions on the wiring part? I actually have finished most of the mechanical part and am stuck at how to assemble the electronic board, etc. 

Cheers

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 03/11/2022 at 18:32 point

In the download files there is a schematic of the wiring of Oasis. This does show most the wiring that was used on mine. What exactly are you struggling with that you want extra information on?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Cubone wrote 02/12/2022 at 08:36 point

This project is amazing! can i ask a silly question? I wonder if it is possible to replace the powder & binder with acrylic nail powders & its liquids?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 02/14/2022 at 16:49 point

The liquid needs to vaporize without leaving residue. The liquid also needs to have a boiling point around that of water. If it has these properties, it might work.

  Are you sure? yes | no

jcockle wrote 12/16/2021 at 16:49 point

Has anyone tried printing with some sort of natural binder/adhesive? Is the HP45 openly refillable? Really interested in attempting to build this machine with the purpose of printing bio-materials such as coffee grounds and/or other natural powders.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 12/17/2021 at 20:34 point

Anything more than water/alcohol based binders are not something I have tried. In most powder recipes the glue is in the powder, not in the binder (the name is a bit misleading).

The head can be refilled fairly easily, but completely replacing the ink with a binder is a bit more work. You can also modify the printhead to receive ink via a tube, but this is quite a challenge to make.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Manu wrote 10/10/2021 at 12:17 point

Hai, I just have a doubt. Are PCLK and PCLR necessary to drive the inkjet head? I do have a TD62783 source driver in hand and was thinking about using it instead of TLC59213.

Also, could I use a ULN2003 to sink each ground (HGND) instead of sourcing primitives through TLC59213? Will doing so interfere with the nozzle check circuit. (Sorry if these questions sound silly, I am not that great at electronics). 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 10/11/2021 at 17:30 point

Do you need a Latching driver? No, it is just convenient. The pulse (the high time of per nozzle) is only 1.8us, and so getting a microcontroller to reliably time that on 14 pins at a time without a latch is more challenging. Any fast enough source driver can be used. I know that simple mosfet drivers are also used.

Do you need sourcing? Yes. The ground pins are all attached to each other. You can only run the printhead sourcing, which is a major headache. It will interfere with the check circuit, but that would be solvable. The check circuit itself is already a bit odd.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Manu wrote 10/12/2021 at 06:20 point

Hey, thanks for the reply. Is there any other latching source driver you could recommend? I really can't get my hands on a TLC59213.

This might sound a bit odd, but why do we need to latch all primitives at once? Isn't the "SetPrimitivePins" function enough to run primitive pins?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 10/13/2021 at 16:31 point

I have found very few chips that met all requirements. <500ns response time, sourcing, 15V voltage and 300mA current per port. I could check the mentions on my forum, but the mentions are spread out.

Need is a big word for it, but it helps. You have 14 primitives. Each primitive needs roughly the same 1.8us on time. No matter what you do, you spread the pins out over two 8 bit ports, so setting all pins "at once" still takes several clock cycles. (several hundred nanoseconds) You can calibrate this, and make it work, but a latch is a single pin on the microcontroller. It is a lot simpler to guarantee timing on a single pin than on all 14 at once. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

wesleu de souza wrote 08/03/2021 at 02:49 point

this technology from Oasis is the same technology for manufacturing taps for foundry, however, in the manifest presented here, it says that the parts are very fragile. considering that the foundry sector works with metals at very high temperatures using this type of mold, how to overcome the fragility of the Oasis project and make it satisfactory for the production of foundry cores?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 08/04/2021 at 16:44 point

I know there are binders that make stronger parts. Even I have gotten to the point where I can at least handle parts, and if you are using more chemical binders you can get much better adhesion. I know some foundry systems use Furan resin, but much more than that I do not know.

I have also considered trying sodium silicate and hardening it with CO2, but material science is not my hobby, and so I never got around to doing that.

  Are you sure? yes | no

swang10 wrote 05/26/2021 at 20:08 point

Hi, guys, I am working on printing section. So I finished soldering connect the controller onto USB. I notice that if I connect the controller with 12V DC, it can not sense the nozzle (0/300). If I do not connect DC, it is 300/300. In this case, I can not preheat the print head or do any other things. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 05/30/2021 at 06:47 point

A printhead not connected to 12V will give all sorts of weird readings.  The circuitry is expecting 12V, if it gets only 5V it is observed that especially the addresses remain half open in such a way that only a full power cycle will fix it. Apply the 12V first, and then the USB will prevent this from happening.

If you do not get 300/300 at 12V, something is not fully working. If you do see the printhead give a temperature back, it is save to press prime or preheat. Prime should eject some ink. Preheat should raise the printhead temperature. If these work, the printhead should be working. Prime does require the printhead to be cleaned. If you see a temperature between 10 and 50 degrees, the head should be connected properly.

  Are you sure? yes | no

iTTT wrote 10/10/2020 at 16:30 point

Hi. May I know which stepper driver did you use? I think you only mentioned that you used two TMC2100 in the GRBL for the X and Y axis. How about the other two Z axis? Or does it matter? Will DRV8825 or A4988 work? And also, did you use 1/16 or 1/8 step for the motors? I think you did not include the position of jumpers in your Oasis wiring diagram.  And also, how did you calibrate your printer? e.g. How did you came out with the values

$100=80.000 (x, step/mm)
$101=80.000 (y, step/mm)
$102=2560.000 (z, step/mm)
$103=2560.000 (A, step/mm) for the GRBL setting?

You mentioned that you added electromagnets to lift and lower the spreader, but where do I connect them to?

Could you please upload a picture of your CNC Shield V3 when connected so that I can visualize the wiring on it better? Since the drivers might heat up after some time, is it possible to add a fan to cool it down? If yes, where do I wire them to?

Lastly, are your GRBL codes the same as the ones available online? Or did you tweak some parameters to make them suitable for Oasis? 

Thank you!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 10/11/2020 at 08:10 point

For the Z-axes I used either DRV8825 or A4988 (i can't remember). It does not really matter though. Anyone building this is expected to set their own steps per mm. The jumpers also do not really matter, as long as it matches. The values are calculated using the pulley pitch and teeth (or leadscrew pitch), microsteps and motor type. It is wise afterwards to verify that the steps/mm actually are correct by moving an axis and then measuring the amount of movement.

In the make files under Electronics there is literally an image showing how to wire this up on a CNC shield. This does not include the electromagnet, but it is wired parallel with the motor (polarity does not matter).

The GRBL firmware used is a 4 motor variety. It is included in the make files.

  Are you sure? yes | no

l.reberpr wrote 08/13/2020 at 18:31 point

You mentioned that the Buffer on the Driver is limited which could cause problems. I ´m planning to build a similar machine with an bigger envelope (200x200 or 300x300 build area) , but i do not want to sacrifice on printing resolution. Could I solve that problem with the newer revisions of the teensy board , i.e Teensy 4.1 or Teensy 4.0 , which have a much higher memory?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 08/19/2020 at 17:50 point

You probably could. It would possibly require a rewrite of the firmware and a redesign of the controller board, but in principle it should be doable. The 4.0 would require the least amount of work, since it is the same form factor (mostly).

I was also at some point going to implement the ability to send code while the head is printing, but this is something, that together with a whole mess of other things I have yet to do.

  Are you sure? yes | no

l.reberpr wrote 08/20/2020 at 15:57 point

I was already going to change some parts in the electronics. Where in the firmware is the buffer size defined?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 08/20/2020 at 18:38 point

In Buffer.cpp, "#define buffer_size 1000", near the top

This is the size. Actual size is 3 smaller due to some end conditions. Every one you make this bigger adds 48 bytes of RAM. I use 48k of RAM for the buffer on a Teensy 3.2. Teensy 4.0 RAM is a bit weird, with several banks, but even so, making it 4-5x the size should not be an issue.

  Are you sure? yes | no

l.reberpr wrote 08/21/2020 at 13:19 point

Thank you for your help! I am currently designing my own machine for metal binder jetting and your project really helped me through the software part. 

  Are you sure? yes | no

max wrote 02/28/2020 at 03:08 point

I am wondering if this is precise enough to be able to very small thin sheets of a material that maybe flexible, and if it is possible to add more extruder heads for increased printing speeds or multiple material printing

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 03/02/2020 at 17:31 point

The droplet size is around 0.05mm, so an individual droplet is incredibly tiny. You can use bigger printheads to increase speed. I only have a swatch size of 0.5" (12.7mm). There are printheads available that do a full 200mm in one go. I however do not have cheap access to that.

As for the multiple materials. The bulk of the properties comes from the powder, not the binder. Using different binders will not change much in most cases.

  Are you sure? yes | no

EleanaC wrote 02/04/2020 at 19:26 point

Hi Yvo!

Your project is very impressive.!

Concerning the software portion of the printer, when I try to run the interface there are errors saying PyQt5 an not find the Qpixmap, Qcolor, and Qimage modules. Maybe you could help me out. 

Thanks!

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 02/09/2020 at 08:23 point

I am not really an expert on python at all. I do see where the code is trying to fetch these. Bone obvious question, did you install the libraries PyQT5, together with all other libraries mentioned in the instructions step 11? (Pyserial and Numpy)

  Are you sure? yes | no

EleanaC wrote 02/09/2020 at 09:19 point

Yes I did. Did you download PyQt5 through command prompt? Or what was your installation process?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 02/09/2020 at 15:57 point

Standard procedure, pip install PyQt5. Your instance for some reason cannot find the modules in the library.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Phil wrote 09/20/2019 at 12:12 point

Hi Yvo,

I realised your Project, more than less :)

But I have a Problem with the connection to the HP Printhead. 

If I want to Test the Head I get this message in Arduino: 

THD:qqqqqqpVVVVVVVAAAAAAAKqqqqqqoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKqqqqqq

Also in Oasis I can not connect to the printhead.

Message: Connection with HP failed

Maybe you could help me out with some hint.

Thanks from Germany

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 09/20/2019 at 18:25 point

Hello

The response THD:qqqqqqpVVVVVVVAAAAAAAKqqqqqqoAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKqqqqqq tells me that a lot of nozzles appear to be working, but I think not all of them. The values are in base64.

What operating system are you using. On windows, you need to write "com$" in the box left to connect, where $ is the port number your HP45 controller is connected to. On linux it is "/def/ttyUSB$"

  Are you sure? yes | no

Phil wrote 09/21/2019 at 06:30 point

Thank you for your very fast answer. 

Its Windows. I will try it with the com$. 

But I think something is missing or incorrect with my connection. 

With GTP for example, i dont get the printhead temp....just the response GTP:-C

Thanks a lot 

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 09/21/2019 at 08:05 point

There is no way you have it wired up wrongly and still get an answer. Either it responds, or it doesn't. com$ (like com2 or com5 or whatever com your head is connected to) is not optional. Arduino also requires you to select a com port, but already culls the list a little and gives you the options. Oasis for now requires you to manually give the port to connect to.


The code you write to the printhead is NOT human readable. It is not designed to be human readable. It is computer readable. The protocol consists of an up to 4 letter code (always 3 for Oasis), followed followed by an optional integer value in base 64, and an optional raw value in base 64 (up to 50 characters).

You send 'GTP', a command that asks the printhead to respond with it's temperature. The printhead sends 'GTP' back to notify what the value returned is for, a ':', and a value in base 64. In your case '-C', or -2 in human readable. -2 means the value is out of bounds and usually means you have no printhead connected.

It seems to me like it is perfectly connected

  Are you sure? yes | no

IVAN wrote 07/24/2019 at 21:20 point

You did not try to speak out the resulting ceramic products ...

  Are you sure? yes | no

dtcerrone wrote 07/07/2019 at 07:11 point

Hi there! This printer looks awesome and I would like to try to make it and possibly merge it with another printer. 

I'm just curious what the total build cost for this printer was? I am aware that it would most likely be different for me but, something as a baseline would be nice. 

Also, on a side note, is there anything that would hold me back from making the feed and build pistons larger?

  Are you sure? yes | no

Yvo de Haas wrote 07/07/2019 at 10:37 point

In the order of $1000 to $1500. 

The current software does not allow you to send inkjet lines while moving. This somewhat limits how long a sweep can be, though a lower resolution allows for longer sweeps. Other than that, nothing is stopping you. Oasis is built for roughly 200x200x200 pistons. It only has pistons this small so I can test powders on it first.

  Are you sure? yes | no

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