Makerbots

Necronic

Necronic

Staff member
I'm not knocking them at all. I think they are fucking awesome. I just think that the Makerbot is such an advanced piece of equipment that it requires specs beyond what it can handle. It's kind of like the old scifi idea of clones and how they get progressively shittier. I think the best test of this would be for them to fabricate a replacement part, install it, then fabricate another part, install it, etc etc. See how many repititions of that they can handle.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

I can just see it.
"Aw man, all I got is this third-generation copy of a Makerbot. It's all static and noise."

--Patrick
 
strawman

strawman

Necronic said:
I think the best test of this would be for them to fabricate a replacement part, install it, then fabricate another part, install it, etc etc. See how many repititions of that they can handle.
Click to expand...
They do that right now already. Check out the reprap project.

Think about it this way. The machines are still assembled and tweaked by humans, and many of the parts are still made using external machines, such as the rods, motors, etc. Since they are assembled by hand and tweaked by hand, then of course they get increasingly better and better. As things break, humans modify the design to reduce the failure rate and increase the accuracy and precision of the machines.

When machines can make their own motors and metal parts and electronics, perhaps your concerns might have some merit, but as it is right now they can make their own plastic parts without problem, even in the areas requiring the most strength or stability.
 
Necronic

Necronic

Staff member
Well I'll be.

Damn. That's impressive. I would have assumed that some of those parts had really god damned exacting design specs, or assumed that the printers couldn't meet them. Last time I saw a 3D printer it was the size of a washing machine. Thing was badass though, we used it for fabricating baby skulls (seriously).
 
Necronic

Necronic

Staff member
Nah, I wasn't involved in it all and it was pretty highly proprietary work (had something to do with a hospital pillow). I did get to fulfill my lifelong dream of putting my finger through the soft spot though.
 
jwhouk

jwhouk

Okay, here's the deal - you who think this is just for toys and crap?

Here's my response. (Got this from another webcomic forum)

 
doomdragon6

doomdragon6

Staff member
So, I have disposable income.

If I got one of these, it prints what? Plastic versions of whatever we program into it? How much does this plastic material cost? What kind of file do you need to use in it? And I imagine unless you paint it, everything is white.
 
Azurephoenix

Azurephoenix

It can print in two grades of plastic (as far a I know), ABS and some bio-degradeable one.
You're looking at around $48/kg for plastic filament in most colourrs.
Not everything is white, you can print in many many different colours of plastic.
Final output for digital files is .STL format I believe and most 3D programs can handle this (autoCAD, blender, 3d studio max, etc).
 
MindDetective

MindDetective

Yup, I watched the whole thing. It almost seems like the basic moveable framework could be made out of Lego blocks or something similar. It appears to be a frame with raise-able and slide-able platforms that are controlled by actuators connected to a computer and extruder. Could you make a Lego block Makerbot that makes Lego blocks, then?
 
strawman

strawman

MindDetective said:
Yup, I watched the whole thing. It almost seems like the basic moveable framework could be made out of Lego blocks or something similar. It appears to be a frame with raise-able and slide-able platforms that are controlled by actuators connected to a computer and extruder. Could you make a Lego block Makerbot that makes Lego blocks, then?
Click to expand...
Do a google search for "Lego reprap" and you'll find others who have done it. I suspect it would take some decent engineering to get the stiffness needed to accurately make Legos, but I haven't looked into it, perhaps the designs they have are sufficiently strong.

Since Lego bricks aren't particularly large, you don't need to make it as big as most machines out there.
 
strawman

strawman

Here are my very first prints. Crude, still requires more calibration and I still need to install the heated build plate, but it's exciting to browse http://thingiverse.com , find something interesting, and then have it in hand thirty minutes later.

 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Going by the above images, I foresee big-time complaints coming from the likes of Rapala and Yakima in relatively short order. If they haven't already seen the writing on the wall, they will soon.

--Patrick
 
strawman

strawman

jwhouk said:
Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly are some of those things supposed to be?
Click to expand...
The three squares on the left were the first prints calibrating the amount of laid down and the height of each layer. Too little plastic, or too much distance between each layer and the plastic won't weld to the previous layer. Once I got the box printing correctly, I could print the snake thing. It's flexible, but just a toy. It prints relatively quickly, and the kids like playing with them.

Then next two are simply tall towers, meant to further calibrate the amount of plastic being used and the temperature to melt the plastic at. The first one was too hot, and too much plastic, the second printed ok.

The next big thing to change is add the heated bed. The plastic doesn't stick well to the bed I'm currently using (blue painters tape on glass) so bigger objects pop off too early, and I have to stop the print. I got through about 80% of this hedgehog before it dislodged: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27487 but I was able to print the two pieces of this puzzle http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27022

I have the heated bed, but I have to make some mounts and get a temperature sensor before I can start using it. So for the time being I'm sticking with small prints and playing with the many, many printing parameters to improve the overall results and learn about the whole process.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

Now if only you had a small crucible you could put all the mistakes into and melt/respin it into fresh filament...

--Patrick
 
strawman

strawman

If someone gives me a black and white lineart of leapin' lawyer, I'd like to do that one too.

But to do the stanford bunny with a durr face would require more 3D design chops than I have. Maybe if someone made one in blender for me. Or any 3D program that could output an STL file.
 
PatrThom

PatrThom

The FORM1 is coming. Now on Kickstarter.



the Form 1 can print layers as thin as 25 microns (0.001 in) with features as small as 300 microns (0.012 in) in a build volume of 125 x 125 x 165 mm (4.9 x 4.9 x 6.5 in).
Click to expand...
--Patrick
 
strawman

strawman

Ha, they beat everyone else to the punch. Good on them! It's a bit out of reach for common hobbyists, but the sooner it comes to market, the sooner it'll be cheap.
 
strawman

strawman

Why do I have a 3D printer? To print yoda, of course. This is straight off the printer with no clean-up. Each grid square is about 1cm. Took two hours to print, and is hollow.

 
strawman

strawman

Costume prototype with printed hand. It took about 30 minutes to make the CAD model for the hand, then two hours to print. It has severe flaws, but turned out remarkably well for a test prototype.



Here it is printing. It's hollow, so when finished I cut a hole in the back to allow a band to fit inside and hold the inside portion.



Lego minifigs are very wide. I made the cardboard torso and hand to scale for his height. I think once I get to the legs and feet, the costume might become a bit unwieldy in hallways.
 
evilmike

evilmike

stienman said:
Costume prototype with printed hand. It took about 30 minutes to make the CAD model for the hand, then two hours to print. It has severe flaws, but turned out remarkably well for a test prototype.

Click to expand...
That's an impressive early build. Though, I think you have a bigger problem than any issues with the model -- you want to do a Lego minifig costume while your son obviously wants to be Jack Nicholson.
 
Necronic

Necronic

Staff member
huh, how much does one of those go for? Looks like that would save a ton of time.

I was tlaking with my brother about fun things to make with this, and I've figured out what I would/will do if I get one. Make addons for existing toys. Like bloodsprays to come out of the back of a legomans head, or open chest cavities for Barbie.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top