Welcome to the SeeMeCNC Community

[img]http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s179 ... eeHead.jpg[/img]

I've never been impressed by the stock "shower head" in my coffee maker and I'm a relentless coffee-snob. Noone makes aftermarket parts for this coffee maker, so I took it upon myself to design a new larger part with more ports. Trying to find a filament that will not turn to goo at near boiling point. I don't know what the internals of coffee makers are made out of, but they handle high temps very well.

In this case, you also have to address food-safety issues.

This thread might be worth reading: http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?1,164077,168351

This solves my problem. I've been trying to figure out what kind of filament to use and I should not use a plastic at all. I should use a food safe grade of epoxy. It will withstand the heat and I can make the mold out of ABS and smooth it using acetone before casting it in epoxy. I wonder if there is a kind of filler I can use that will allow me to use less of the epoxy and save a few dimes on it as I'll bet it's not cheap stuff.

Thanks for the link Eric. It was very illuminating and will make my coffee taste better as well.

Filler = glass powder. Makes it stronger, more heat resistant, bulks it out too. Available from any shop where you get a range of different epoxies.

Polycarb or Nylon would be the best materials for this. If I recall correctly, Taulman nylon is rated as foodsafe according to their spec sheets. I wouldn't worry too much about bacteria or anything either, the high temperatures this will be exposed to will be enough to keep it free of dangerous bacteria.

Given what my top portafilter screen look like when I pull it out and wash it every month, I don't care about bacteria so much as stale, sour coffee acid building up and ruining the shot. Which, going by the difference before/after a clean, it does. And a ridgy-didgy screen is just going to collect that crap.

I think you're on the right path with the print/finish a mould approach although personally I'd be leaning toward a stainless steel screen that can be easily cleaned. Even to the point of finding another machine's spare parts top screen and printing/moulding an adapter for your machine.

Captain Starfish wrote:Filler = glass powder. Makes it stronger, more heat resistant, bulks it out too. Available from any shop where you get a range of different epoxies.

In the model aircraft biz, they use teenie glass bubbles.


Dan

Microballoons!

g.

Captain Starfish - It's a regular drip coffee maker and not an espresso machine. It's a high end coffee maker that has only one real Achilles heel. That would be the shower head that drops the water into the filter basket. It's really small and it doesn't spread the water around much. I want better coffee out of it and I think a better shower head will do the trick nicely. It will turn this adequate performer into a star and the ultimate drip coffee maker.

I have used these guys a lot in the past for casting supplies http://www.smooth-on.com/. I know they offer resins for casting aquarium decorations which need to be more than just food safe. Or you could trade in the coffee boiler and have a fresh cup when ever you want it http://www.keurig.com/

Gr8Scott wrote:Captain Starfish - It's a regular drip coffee maker and not an espresso machine. It's a high end coffee maker that has only one real Achilles heel. That would be the shower head that drops the water into the filter basket. It's really small and it doesn't spread the water around much. I want better coffee out of it and I think a better shower head will do the trick nicely. It will turn this adequate performer into a star and the ultimate drip coffee maker.

I take it all back then, obviously I misinterpreted it as an espresso machine bit and everything I said is invalid.

<cough> for a change <cough>

I wouldn't say you were wrong about anything Cap'n. LOL

I'd love an espresso machine, but I'm just too cheap to pay for one. I wish I were printing parts for my own espresso machine because that would mean that I own an espresso machine. LOL