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* UPDATES * 2012-08-22: Updated the printers. 2011-12-31: Time for a refresh on available hobbyist devices and other info. So much has changed this year! 2011-03-07: WaffleImages has been a bit wonky over the last couple of days, so images in the OP have been rehosted at imgur instead. Anyone posting new images should consider doing so as well. --- The MakerBot Cupcake is out of stock at the MakerBot Store, and the cheaper non-Ultimate kit is no longer offered at all so it has been removed from the Where We're At section. --- In the last couple of years it's become practical and (relatively) inexpensive to have a little factory on your desk that manifests objects from the internet and your imagination. 3D printing is awesome. * BASICS * It works like this: You or someone else designs a 3D model on the computer. That 3D model is turned into a series of instructions that are fed to a 3D printer. The 3D printer takes in a filament of plastic that is melted and extruded according to those instructions. The end result is a real, physical object! The primary materials used by hobbyist 3D printers are ABS plastic (the stuff that LEGO is made out of), and PLA. High-end 3D printers can do all sorts of materials, including plastics, ceramic, glass, and various metals. * WHERE WE'RE AT * This sort of thing has been available in one form or another in commercial/industrial operations for a quite while now. But in the last few years the technology has been simplified and made practical for individuals. Here are some 3D printers that regular people can get their hands on: MakerBot Replicator (successor to the Thing-o-Matic and Cupcake)  MakerBot printers used to be sold in kit form, but are now fully-assembled and tested before shipping. The Replicator has two extruders, making it possible to print two colours (or two different materials altogether!) at once. Assembled price (single extruder): USD$1749 Assembled price (dual extruder): USD$1999 Store page: http://store.makerbot.com/replicator-404.html Main website: http://www.makerbot.com RepRap Prusa Mendel  RepRap is an open-source DIY project with a number of variants. The Prusa Mendel is the current main RepRap model. Kit price: Varies Store page: http://reprap.org/wiki/Mendel_Buyers_Guide Main website: http://reprap.org/wiki/Main_Page UP! Plus  Fully-assembled 3D printer from China. Assembled price: USD$1850 Store page: http://www.pp3dp.com/index.php?opti...&id=5&Itemid=37 Main website: http://www.pp3dp.com Ultimaker  Has a huge build area and a reputation for fast, smooth prints. Kit price: EUR€1194 Store page: https://shop.ultimaker.com/en/ultimaker-kits.html Main website: http://blog.ultimaker.com/ Printrbot LC  A super-simple 3D printer starting at USD$549. Originally started as a very successful Kickstarter project. Kit price: USD$549 Assembled price: USD$949 Store page: http://printrbot.com/shop/ Main website: http://printrbot.com/ Solidoodle 2 Inexpensive, fully-assembled 3D printer created by a former MakerBot executive.  Assembled price: USD$499 Store page: http://store.solidoodle.com/index.php Main website: http://www.solidoodle.com/ EVEN MORE Fabbaloo has a roundup of 15 hobbyist 3D printers: http://fabbaloo.com/blog/2011/12/21...nters-2011.html * WHERE THINGS ARE GOING * Cheaper and faster. Current hobbyist printers use the FDM process for manufacturing, but there are some other technologies that may come home: - Junior Veloso has been working on a UV-curable resin-based 3D printer with amazing resolution: http://3dhomemade.blogspot.com/ 3D scanning at home This is also insane. With what amounts to a cheap laser pointer, a webcam, and two chess boards, you can scan real objects into 3D models that you can then print copies of with your 3D printer. Starting from nothing, you can use buy the DAVID-Laserscanner for €399. Or, if you have a PlayStation Eye camera, an iPhone/iTouch, and a Pico projector, you can use the MakerBot 3D Scanner Kit.  Trimensional for the iPhone 4 (and later) can turn your face into a 3D model:  The next great IP war The staggering implications of almost-free home manufacturing should make any IP lawyer poo poo their pants and/or see dollar signs. This isn't going to happen overnight, but how many people churning out copies of stuff will it take for a large corporation to take notice? Even something simple like scanning remote control battery covers that people could print as replacements has the potential to blow up into a legal problem. Michael Weinberg published a paper about this very issue:  In February, Thingiverse was the subject of the very first 3D printing DMCA takedown notice! The issue was resolved and the DMCA'd designs re-enabled, but it made for a very exciting few days there. BoingBoing has a good summary of the events here: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/02/2...gs-first-c.html It's interesting to note that the complaint wasn't over designs like LEGO minifigs or replica Settlers of Catan board games, but an optical illusion known as the Penrose triangle:  * WEB RESOURCES * Aftermarket parts and plastic MakerGear - Replacement plastruders, nozzles, filament, etc. (I use one of their BigHead plastruders in my MakerBot Cupcake.) Faberdashery - PLA in tons of great colours out of the UK. 3D models Thingiverse - The main community for people to share objects for 3D printers, laser cutters, etc. Google 3D Warehouse - These 3D models created in Google SketchUp aren't generally created with 3D printers in mind, but many of the objects can be converted to STL format and printed without issue. Commercial 3D printing on-demand ShapeWays - This company prints your 3D models in a variety of materials (including stainless steel and glass!) for a range of prices. Ponoko - On-demand manufacturer that not only does CNC milling, laser and 3D printing, but also handles electronics! (I write for their blog.) The Game Crafter - Not 3D printing exactly but it's the same sort of spirit... Design a boardgame, upload the specs, and out comes physical pieces, cards, etc. * GALLERY * Okay here are some things that I've printed on MakerBot #169.   Photos       This great Christmas ornament was printed by JohnnySmitch on a commercial powder-based 3D printer:  Videos My full playlist of time-lapse MakerBot videos is here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_li...4EF3DD8914CF6D3 And here's a video of that Green Lantern ring printing at regular speed, edited down to a few minutes:  * COMMUNITY * If you've got questions about 3D printing, ask away! And if you have a 3D printer, please add your expertise along with stuff that you've printed. * DISCLOSURE * I started writing for Ponoko's blog on 2011-04-06, so if you catch me posting about how awesome they are, you're welcome to take it with a grain of salt. techknight fucked around with this message at Aug 22, 2012 around 11:36 |
| # ? Nov 13, 2010 21:42 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 18:41 |
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snackmar posted:The next great IP war (A Target Store, 2070)  Welcome to Target! What I can get for you? I want the Keurig X5 coffee maker, please. Ok, what colors for the case? Pantone 18-1762 TPX for the body and 19-4007 TCX for the trim. Nice color choice! I love hibiscus. Are there any modifications listed you'd like? Higher capacity reservoir. Oh, and the Wireless-V1 compatibility system and heuristical morning coffee timer. What the heck, I'll take the acoustic damping as well, that's only an extra $3. Ok! That's $89.99, it'll be printed for you in about ten minutes. MoneyPac or Credit? I'm hoping this technology will lead to something like this in the future, because it will be cool as hell. Three-Phase fucked around with this message at Nov 14, 2010 around 01:26 |
| # ? Nov 14, 2010 01:22 |
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, but it reflects poorly on the forums. 
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Well, they are getting cheaper and faster and with a stronger material base for home users as time goes on. Still, best case you are looking at hours to knock out one item. Anything that might require multiple objects to be assembled is the work of days. And while the cheaper models listed are pretty good, they can lead to a rougher finish. If you want something a bit more polished it's in the higher four figure range. Realistically though, in about....a decade? You are going to see some crazy poo poo going down with the technology. If you have the money to drop now you can pull off pretty cool things. Thingiverse and the like make it easier for non-artistic types to pull off practical applications of the technology, but if you have an artistic flair you can do some crazy things. Want to commemorate your victory in a fantasy football league the right way? Whip yourself up a trophy top depicting your sodomy of number two in the league. *That* will be a memory they don't soon forget! Want to make children think you are God? Whip out a toy their tiny retarded kitten brains made up on the spot. Once you show them you have that power, they will be broken to your will forever. Considering the applications, it's a remarkably front loaded technology. The big loving print costs a lot, sure, but filling it isn't *that* bad unless you use it constantly. And if you are using it constantly, you are getting your money's worth aren't you?
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| # ? Nov 14, 2010 06:01 |
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Another link to check is http://fabathome.org Last time I looked into home pre-fabricators most models still used 2 part epoxy resins that had to be hand mixed before use and had a very limited lifespan. Apparently since then they've come up with a way for the machine to mix it as well as using hot plastic and vinyl extruders. It's funny to think but in the next few years you would probably be able to download a song in a lossless studio quality format then print it out as a tiny vinyl record for your grandparents birthday. Meanwhile in the next few decades you could print out a micro SD card or USB stick with that very same song already on it. Industrial electronics production already uses the same principles that 3D printers are designed around and constantly used to solder complex components onto Circuit boards. It's only a matter of time before the home models are precise enough and then all you need to do is buy individual components. Followed a shortwhile later by printing your own once the plans for a printable rapid prototyper enclosed in an air tight vacuum with static shielding become available. As for the shop scale, imagine walking into your local mechanics and ordering an entire new body for your car, carbon fibre with a sweeping bonnet and folding gullwing doors. Or perhaps a hard to find component to fix a 60yr old classic car.
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| # ? Nov 14, 2010 11:56 |
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Wong Dongson posted:Want to commemorate your victory in a fantasy football league the right way? Whip yourself up a trophy top depicting your sodomy of number two in the league. Heh, during an NHL 11 tournament with friends I printed out a mini Stanley Cup for the winner:  Click here for the full 600x800 image. Verizian posted:Another link to check is http://fabathome.org I'm surprised that I hadn't heard of that one before. It looks like they had food-based printing before the MakerBot. Edit: The model I used for the Stanley Cup came from Google 3D Warehouse, if anyone wants to print one: http://sketchup.google.com/3dwareho...5f8&prevstart=0 One thing though, the overhang on the cup portion is really severe.. I held a piece of paper under the nozzle as it was extruding so that the plastic had a surface to settle on. You could add supports or something if you wanted to build a really nice large-size version. techknight fucked around with this message at Nov 14, 2010 around 13:14 |
| # ? Nov 14, 2010 13:08 |
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I think they started by cannibalizing an easy-bake oven for parts then squirting cake batter from syringes into silicone cupcake moulds. Topped with frosting from another syringe after 20 mins under a 40watt bulb.
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| # ? Nov 14, 2010 14:51 |
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I really dig http://www.shapeways.com. The prices are quite reasonable, the community is helpful and they have a ton of different materials. Printing in stainless steel is just too cool. They have a pretty good interface for uploading models and getting cost estimates.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 01:24 |
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kafkasgoldfish posted:I really dig http://www.shapeways.com. The prices are quite reasonable, the community is helpful and they have a ton of different materials. Printing in stainless steel is just too cool. Edit: Nevermind, saw some of the costs listed for standard customized stuff. Three-Phase fucked around with this message at Nov 15, 2010 around 01:29 |
| # ? Nov 15, 2010 01:25 |
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Three-Phase posted:How much for a simple plastic or metal part? I'm just curious what the ballpark is. There's is a $25.00 per order minimum but something around the size of a matchbox is roughly $7-10 depending on the actual volume of material. edit: That's for the 'white strong and flexible plastic' which is some sort of sintered nylon. I just found a random octopus ring in the gallery that someone is selling for $33.00 in gold plated stainless steel. http://www.shapeways.com./model/147...g_1.html?gid=mg
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 01:30 |
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I'm curious how thin you can make stuff without making it prone to breaking? Could you make something like, say, a hinged CD or DVD case? I imagine the little center-ring-seat thing would be trouble.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 04:19 |
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Bobulus posted:I'm curious how thin you can make stuff without making it prone to breaking? The center-ring-seat thing would work fine. In fact the sintered nylon is quite tough and flexible. So yes, a CD or DVD case is definitely possible. They say the minimum wall for the nylon is .7mm but I know people have gotten away with less so long as it is anchored to a thicker section. In other words, I've seen models with thin spikes or ridges which were made possible by having thicker bottoms. Having said that, my experience with this is pretty shallow 
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 05:33 |
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Bobulus posted:I'm curious how thin you can make stuff without making it prone to breaking? I have made a crap load of 3D parts on several different printers, commercial and hobby ones. Additionally I have built 4 of these machines. They are really easy to put together as they are essentially a crappy cnc + heater head. Only the highest quality printer could print those out and have them functional. You could make a lid or case or something, but not the joint and the CD tab. The maker bot makes stuff that is really rough. Pretty much nothing that comes out of there can really be used without some sort of modification unless it is some real simple machine like the bottle openers or coat hangers, or what have you. I would imagine right now it would be best for 'art' stuff. Also, here is a ring I made on my 3D printer:  FIX YOUR lovely HTACCESS FILE BEFORE EVER POSTING AN IMAGE HERE EVER AGAIN Apparently the first thing people make on these goddamn things are green lantern power rings. This is a custom 'kitchen corps' ring. The resolution/smoothness on this is probably like 2 or 3 times what standard hobby machines give out. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 05:38 |
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Whats the max resolution on modern 3d printers now? Previous examples I've seen had fairly rough surface finishes.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 06:33 |
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ValhallaSmith posted:Whats the max resolution on modern 3d printers now? Previous examples I've seen had fairly rough surface finishes. Absurdly good. Objet printers use a process where a very thin photopolymer (light activated polymer of a sort) layers are laid down and then a UV light cures the appropriate areas. The objects that come out are incredibly smooth; usually I can't see any stepping or blocky-ness without a magnifier. The only issue is that the objects are not fully cured when they come out and will droop over time if they are under strain. Here is an equivalent hobby machine that uses the same process: http://3dhomemade.blogspot.com/ Twerpling fucked around with this message at Nov 15, 2010 around 07:13 |
| # ? Nov 15, 2010 07:11 |
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Twerpling posted:Absurdly good. Objet printers use a process where a very thin photopolymer (light activated polymer of a sort) layers are laid down and then a UV light cures the appropriate areas. The objects that come out are incredibly smooth; usually I can't see any stepping or blocky-ness without a magnifier. The only issue is that the objects are not fully cured when they come out and will droop over time if they are under strain. Oh hey, he used a DLP projector for exposure. I was thinking of doing something similar for exposing pcbs. It seems to be kind of a trade off. This technique gives great resolution. But you are limited to dyed resin. What I really want is something that will let me print fully painted war miniatures. But those sorts of systems were kind of lacking in detail.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 08:09 |
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Pretty sure Games Workshop switched their plastics production to a rapid prototyping system around 7 years ago and that cost them around £300k. They still If however you wanted to build a cheap home system for it nowadays you could probably rig up an airbrush with undercoat/basecoat and some kind of protection to keep paint away from the glue joins. Some kind of warm wax/vinyl dabber or something.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 08:29 |
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Verizian posted:Pretty sure Games Workshop switched their plastics production to a rapid prototyping system around 7 years ago and that cost them around £300k. They still Thats kind of what I was figuring. But the lack of resolution would mean having to have some sort of CNC painting system. Which I guess could be done but I can't think of any examples short of cars. Now that I think about it though, the epoxy system might work. You could just blow fine powder into the .1 mm layer and then expose it. Then when the part comes out wash it in a solvent to expose the embedded powders. Ugh, CNC airbrush is sounding easier.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 08:50 |
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Just aim for an automatic undercoat/basecoat and maybe an ink bath with a few strong 120mm fans for blowdrying. You could probably do some really good ork skin tones using an automated dipper. Dunk for 10 seconds then blowdry for 5 mins, repeat for an hour and blend-paint it with valejo's while the ink is still tacky to go for an organic flesh depth/translucent effect.  Must stop thinking about stuff like this, I quit wargames because of the price and these 3D printers make it nearly affordable.On a related subject, can someone explain to me exactly how a DIY 3d scanner works if the only electronics are a pico projector and a webcam? What exactly does it project to sense depth in an object?
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 12:36 |
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Speaking of scanning, a guy named Oliver Kreylos is doing some neat stuff with the Kinect. Right now he's got it such that he can do 3D movement of a scene in real-time: http://idav.ucdavis.edu/~okreylos/R...t/MainPage.html (jump to 40 seconds into the first video if you're pressed for time) Makes me wonder if it could be used as a really easy 3D scanner, like just sitting an object on a turntable and spinning it to bust out a workable 3D model. techknight fucked around with this message at Nov 15, 2010 around 14:07 |
| # ? Nov 15, 2010 13:58 |
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snackmar posted:Speaking of scanning, a guy named Oliver Kreylos is doing some neat stuff with the Kinect.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 20:25 |
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Three-Phase posted:(A Target Store, 2070)
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 20:33 |
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The worst part about that, though, is the fact that companies will purposely make things even less durable in the hope that they can make more money on microtransactions for little fiddly clips and brackets that loving break all the time. If it's more like in the book Diamond Age, where the generic stuff is free as long as you can wait for it to get made, and the more expensive stuff you pay for (or the really expensive stuff is handmade) then I'll be totally ok with having these little wonder machines all over the place. One of the coolest applications I see for these things is printing out something to be cast in metal, but I guess I'm biased.
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| # ? Nov 15, 2010 22:06 |
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Slung Blade posted:The worst part about that, though, is the fact that companies will purposely make things even less durable in the hope that they can make more money on microtransactions for little fiddly clips and brackets that loving break all the time. It's very much a genie/bottle type situation. Once quality 3D scanners and printers get cheap enough [If you want something baby smooth now, you are probably at least in the 5 figure range for a printer. Quality 3D scanners also ridiculously expensive] that home users can realistically pick them up, you are in a sense done. They are functionally no different than any other type of printer. You tell it what to do, it does it. Anyone that wants to put up the plans to print <blank> is within their rights to do so, and all you need to do is snag the file and print. With cheap enough 3D scanners, you can snag the information for all sorts of things and knock off a duplicate pretty easy. You don't need the greatest artistic skills, you don't need to own the thing being scanned. Just point, click, zoom around the thing to gather it's data and done. Some minor editing to get rid of anything that doesn't belong and there you are. Do it enough and you can get all the parts for a complex piece of machinery, and then congrats. You've just copied and duplicated the manufacturer of what could be a very expensive piece of machinery. And there is absolutely nothing anyone can do to stop you. Much like stealing movies and games off the internet, once the technology is out there you can't take it back. You can't even regulate it all that much. All you can do is deal with the new reality it presents.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2010 00:14 |
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Slung Blade posted:One of the coolest applications I see for these things is printing out something to be cast in metal, but I guess I'm biased. This is exactly what I was thinking. You could set a project up to be made in wax(some sort of wax) and then just set it and forget it. When its done, all you have to do is sprue it, make the mold, then stick it in a kiln ala lost wax. Then its off to casting. ASSTASTIC fucked around with this message at Nov 16, 2010 around 04:18 |
| # ? Nov 16, 2010 04:10 |
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ASSTASTIC posted:This is exactly what I was thinking. You could set a project up to be made in wax(some sort of wax) and then just set it and forget it. When its done, all you have to do is sprue it, make the mold, then stick it in a kiln ala lost wax. Why not just print it in metal in the first place? edit3: Just so we're clear, these are just some cool examples I've found, I had nothing to do with them. edit: Incidentally, there are some really sweet 3d wax printers out there that print in the thousands of DPI. Let me find a link...  edit2: wax printing at it's finest 
kafkasgoldfish fucked around with this message at Nov 17, 2010 around 03:59 |
| # ? Nov 16, 2010 06:29 |
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Hell yea subscribing. I have just recently been getting into microcontrollers but on the list after that are a propane furnace and something that cant print plastics for lost wax casting. I saw reprap a while back and will definitely be following this thread.
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| # ? Nov 16, 2010 17:05 |
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Saw this on Boing Boing the other day:quote:CloudFab has joined our global digital making network, giving Ponoko customers the ability to create 3D printed designs. All with no set up fees, no minimum orders, and a free 365-day replacement policy.  Basically it's a service that lets you design/build/sell/buy stuff that is a combination of 3D printing, laser cut materials, and electronics. (With a side-helping of crowdsourcing.)
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| # ? Nov 21, 2010 19:52 |
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these things look pretty awesome. I interned at a company that makes 3D printers acouple years ago but they were for industry and cost thousands of dollars, I had no idea the hobbiest market had come this far.
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| # ? Nov 21, 2010 20:23 |
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Hellz yes, a 3d printing thread. I've started collecting parts together in the last few weeks for a RepRap Huxley (mini mendel), if i've not missed anymore parts from my BoM the final cost should be coming to about £350. I'm writing up the build process here, one of my aims is to improve the documentation and build instructions around the huxley, as it is currently woefully under-documented.
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| # ? Nov 24, 2010 16:01 |
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Some friends and I are looking to build a Mendel. Does anyone have an updated price estimate, if we're building from scratch? We're trying to invest less than $100 per person (yay college budgets) and want to get a large enough group together before we start. Is there anything we should worry about during construction?
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| # ? Nov 25, 2010 06:12 |
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theparag0n posted:Hellz yes, a 3d printing thread. Awesome, I will be eagerly following your progress. I've been wanting to make a RepRap since back when the Darwin was new, just haven't been able to find the necessary funds yet.
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| # ? Nov 26, 2010 04:37 |
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MakerBot Industries recently opened the first retail store that sells 3D printers: Click here for the full 1024x240 image. http://blog.makerbot.com/2010/11/26...re-opens-today/
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| # ? Nov 30, 2010 02:10 |
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I have a few questions about this as this might actually be something I could use for research. What scale are these models made at? Can you resize something larger? And what is the largest size of an object you can make in these? In addition, exactly how do you go about making the 3D models for the program to work with? Out of the basic MakerBot, what exactly is the product quality like? Do you get a fine scale of detail or not? Basically, I suck with technology, but this looks really useful for me to use as a hobby and for work I'm doing academically. SublimeDelusions fucked around with this message at Dec 1, 2010 around 13:51 |
| # ? Dec 1, 2010 13:48 |
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SublimeDelusions posted:What scale are these models made at? Can you resize something larger? And what is the largest size of an object you can make in these? In addition, exactly how do you go about making the 3D models for the program to work with? Out of the basic MakerBot, what exactly is the product quality like? Do you get a fine scale of detail or not? On the MakerBot side, the last step before printing is for software called ReplicatorG to take the STL file and translate it into a series of instructions for your hardware. Recently it got an integrated scaling feature so that you can easily change a model's size right before printing. The basic MakerBot CupCake CNC is rated to print objects at 101mm x 101mm x 152mm (4" x 4" x 6"). You can make bigger objects - the record is an object 210mm tall - but you have to know what you're doing. My tallest print is just under 120mm though, it can start to get a bit hairy around there with the Z-stage seizing up. The default plastruder nozzle on the MakerBot is 0.50mm. There are aftermarket upgrades you can get to increase the resolution such as the MakerGear line of plastruder replacements. To get an idea of quality click on some of the photos in the OP or browse Thingiverse for more examples. Edit: Oh, and to create 3D models you can work with just about any modeling tool. Almost every package will have an option for exporting to STL format which you can then feed to RepG. Blender and Google Sketchup are very popular because they're free. (Sketchup needs a plugin like this one to export to STL.) techknight fucked around with this message at Dec 1, 2010 around 17:28 |
| # ? Dec 1, 2010 17:18 |
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snackmar posted:Lots of useful stuff. Thanks! I appreciate the help. The reason I'm asking is because I'm looking at possibly doing some CT work for my research, which would result in 3D images of some of the scans. And I know the one guy that I'm trying to get to sign onto my committee mentioned before that his lab was looking into a rapid prototype machine. Since I'm not with his lab, I'm not sure I'd have access to it, and I thought that making some of these scans might be pretty useful. 4"x4"x6" is a little small for some of the scans, however, I think it might actually be right around the perfect size for a couple. It's good to know that scaling works though as it may actually help remove some of those issues. Plus, for some of the hobbies that I do, it would be nice to be able to just replicate any pieces I need as opposed to trying to cut them out of other pieces (which gets horribly tedious and messy). Looks like in addition to getting a new laptop that can handle 3D work, I might also have to look into picking up one of those makerbots. SublimeDelusions fucked around with this message at Dec 2, 2010 around 03:00 |
| # ? Dec 2, 2010 02:55 |
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SublimeDelusions posted:Thanks! I appreciate the help. The reason I'm asking is because I'm looking at possibly doing some CT work for my research, which would result in 3D images of some of the scans. And I know the one guy that I'm trying to get to sign onto my committee mentioned before that his lab was looking into a rapid prototype machine. Since I'm not with his lab, I'm not sure I'd have access to it, and I thought that making some of these scans might be pretty useful. As I mentioned in PM: Before you go and buy/build one, I want to be clear that enthusiast 3D printers are not quite "set it and forget it" yet and that there is still a fair amount of trial and error and weird finicky-ness. I don't want to discourage you, but you have to be prepared for poo poo to not work right. Since you're doing some academic work, your budget might be better spent uploading 3D models to Shapeways for them to print out. There's a lead-time of 2-3 weeks, but they can print in much finer resolution and in metal, sandstone, and glass. Here's a full list of materials/pricing: http://www.shapeways.com/materials/material-options On the other hand, if you're just going to print one or two things and mainly use it for hobby stuff then you're probably just fine shelling out for a MakerBot.
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| # ? Dec 2, 2010 05:21 |
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This is fascinating, great thread. Caught my attention because of my hobbies of Games Workshop and Japanese plastic kits (Gundam/Gunpla) I've seen some stuff recently of very impressive projects made with custom 3D-printed parts. Would one of these kits be suitable for that sort of thing? Would probably take a bit of effort to plan things out to make things with the pegs and tabs to fit existing components. £500 is a bit steep for me but I shall keep an eye on things to see if cheaper options come up.
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| # ? Dec 6, 2010 00:43 |
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I was interested in the thread for the same reason, but after looking at pictures of the output on a couple of sites I don't think the €500 machines are really up to it. You'd have to do a fair bit of work before the models were usable, and even then the fine detail isn't really there. Currently trying to convince my boss to spend €12000 on one of the professional ones
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| # ? Dec 7, 2010 15:53 |
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Made some glow-in-the-dark Space Invader earrings on the MakerBot yesterday: The posts I "designed" myself and the invader comes from http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3647 that I modified to be thinner and a little smaller. Edit: Oh, and I used glow-in-the-dark plastic from http://store.makerbot.com/glow-abs-plastic-1lb.html techknight fucked around with this message at Dec 12, 2010 around 11:30 |
| # ? Dec 10, 2010 15:52 |
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| # ? May 25, 2013 18:41 |
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The company I work for as a product designer has 2 different 3d printers that I'm lucky enough to be one of only 4 people that get to use it - we've got a Z-Corp powder based (color!) 3d printer, and we just recently got an Objet that prints in plastic (rigid or flexible). I'm totally spoiled as a designer to get to design something in 3d and then print out several iterations of it in a matter of a few hours. Here's my latest print from the Z-Corp printer: Click here for the full 720x720 image.
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| # ? Dec 14, 2010 03:51 |
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