Astrodevice's accessories are designed with the idea that anyone can make them themselves. To create the devices presented here, all you need is a home 3D printer and commercially available components such as screws, nuts or magnets. Sometimes it may be necessary to seek someone's help, such as when you don't have your own 3D printer, but as a general rule, all the technology presented here is based on commonly available techniques, materials and possibly readily available externally provided services.
I created this page to give you important information on what to look for when making my accessories. Please read all the instructions below carefully and make sure you don't miss anything in your work. How closely you follow my recommendations will directly determine the end result you get. Don't take shortcuts. All the information contained here is the result of many years of my experience in making accessories for astrophotography, including commercial work. This is a proven path and if you follow it, you should get the right results.
Below you will find guidelines for 3D printing for two separate cases: (1) when you intend to make the parts yourself, and (2) when you want to have someone else do the printing.
Print all components using a capable, finely tuned 3D printer that uses filament. A printer of a class such as the Prusa iMK3, for example, is completely sufficient and should do a great job. The print quality provided by such a printer is completely sufficient, as long as, of course, the printer is in good working order and properly serviced and calibrated.
Print all rigid parts ONLY from PET-G+CF filament with a carbon fiber content of about 10 to 15%. This is a proven material that provides adequate stiffness and resistance to external conditions. Astrophotography is extremely sensitive to any dimensional imperfections, also created by yielding. Therefore, DO NOT use ordinary PET-G, ASA, ABS plastic, let alone PLA.
Use a filament that is well-dried. PETG+CF tends to absorb moisture, due to the micropores present in the structure of the filament, caused by the addition of carbon fiber. Therefore, my advice is that you should dry the filament very well before printing accessories. Otherwise, the printing will be inaccurate, the walls will be porous, and the dimensions will not match. In a significant part of printing, the dimensional accuracy of thickness must be maintained with great precision. That's why it's so important that you make sure your filament is dry and of good quality, providing adequate stiffness and stress resistance.
Also, keep in mind that carbon fiber is a highly abrasive material, and if you print with it frequently, a hardened nozzle for your printer is recommended. Prolonged use of a regular nozzle can lead to wear and tear of the nozzle and resulting print inaccuracies.
If any components require a different type of filament than PETG+CF or a different printing settings, it is clearly marked in the model description.
For reference, you can download the printing settings that I use when printing my models.
I use a Prusa iMK3S+ printer and easily obtain finished models of very good quality that easily maintain the correct dimensions. I am writing this for your information, in case you are wondering what kind of printer is necessary to create precise threads or sufficiently parallel and smooth surfaces. The settings I am publishing may vary slightly depending on your printer and filament brand, so please treat the above as a guide.
⚠ IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT PETG+CF FILAMENTS
Despite identical markings, filaments from different brands differ in their mechanical parameters and produce different printing results. Before you start printing your accessories, please read carefully my notes on PETG+CF filaments which also include information on how to choose the right material for 3D printing.
Use a good quality glue so that the model holds securely to the substrate and the first layer adheres perfectly to the table.
After printing, do not remove the print from the table until it has cooled completely. This will prevent additional, uncontrolled deformation of the plastic due to shrinkage as it cools. Remember that you are interested in the highest possible precision of manufacturing, that fractions of millimeters count, so perform each step with utmost care and patience. Finally, if necessary, clean up the print using a perfectly sharp scalpel and use a caliper or micrometer to check the dimensions using the information on how to check the quality. This information is included in the PDF file containing the printing parameters of each model.
If you contract someone to print the components for you, make sure you do it according to the license. Once you've found a company or person who agrees to print the components for you, pass along all my comments on the printing requirements: provide them with all the technical information, i.e., the type of filament, layer thickness, etc. It is best to give them the website address of the device you want to manufacture and have that company or person follow all the instructions I have included here. A significant number of companies print quickly and carelessly, driven by the desire for a quick profit. However, Astrodevice components need a very high degree of precision and care. Therefore, before you finally pay for the printing, check the results with a caliper or micrometer. Each model I provide, comes with information on both the printing parameters and how to check the quality. If the order includes the printing of some screw-in component (such as a filter), consider leaving such a filter for the duration of the job, so that the contractor, before giving you the finished part, can check for himself that what he has done actually works properly and the printed precision threads actually work properly.
Many of Astrodevice's accessories, in addition to 3D printing, also require the use of other parts, which, however, are easy to buy from the relevant stores. Probably the easiest method is to order them online, such as through universal Amazon or a specialized store (like McMaster-Carr) that deals in your country with the relevant goods. These are not expensive items, so when ordering parts, try to buy them with some inventory. In the course of work, something can always go wrong, you can lose or break something, so it's always a good idea to have a few more pieces of the right screw, magnet or nut on hand.
Next to the description of each device you will find a list of the necessary components. However, if you have any doubts about what specific component you are referring to, just type in the given name in the search engine along with the standard (e.g. washer DIN 125) and you will see exactly what you need.
For making Astrodevice accessories you will need several tools. If you don't have them, consider buying them. Their cost is a fraction of the price of commercial astrophotography products, and if you have them on hand, it will be easy for you to tinker and create elegant custom devices. Of course, as in any hobby, the list of items that can come in handy in DYI is endless. So the list of tools I've included below is a truncated selection, one that I consider to be basic to efficiently tackle constructing your own devices using 3D printing.
Making the above list does not mean that these are the tools essential to make Astrodevice accessories. It's just that with many of them the work is easier. The right dedicated tool always improves the work many times over and often guarantees the right result. Treat the above list as a guideline - if you can't manage to assemble any of the accessories, reach back to this list to consider whether something from it could help you.