Win $40k for designing an open source filament extruder
The cost of filament is a thorn in the side of many DIY 3D printing setups. But thanks to Inventables, the Kauffman Foundation and Maker Faire, prices of around $50/kg are soon to be a thing of the past.
The challenge has been set: Design an open source machine capable of making plastic resin pellets fit for use in a low cost 3D printer.
The first person or team who uploads a successful solution will be declared the winner, taking out more than just glory and DIY adoration. Prizes include a very handy $40,000 thanks to the Kauffman Foundation, as well as a Desktop Fabrication Lab consisting of a 3D printer, Laser Cutter and Shapeoko CNC mill.
Nice.
If you think you’ve got what it takes, here are the criteria:
The first team/person to build an open source filament extruder for less than $250 in components can take ABS or PLA resin pellets, mix them with colorant, and extrude a 1.75mm +/- .01mm filament that can be used in a 3D printer is declared the winner.
Further details are available at Desktop Factory 2012.
via 3Ders
Posted in 3D Printing, Contests + Competitions, Guy Blashki, Hardware, Maker Movement, Open Source, Technology by Guy Blashki |
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing
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Microscopic analysis of Ponoko’s laser cut acrylic
Jacob Martin from the Photon Factory at Auckland University sent us this update on creating microfluidic devices using Ponoko’s laser cutting service. He made a range of sample cuts and engravings and then analysed the results in microscopic detail, concluding that it could indeed be possible to do microfluidic research without access to a lab.
Posted in Hardware, Laser Cutting, Rich Decibels, Technology by Rich Decibels |
Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting
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CNC wire bender creates 2D and 3D forms
The versatility of 3D printers is much lauded, and there are many reasons why we hold them in high regard. But what happens when you need to output lines in space rather than volumes? That’s where a CNC wire bender comes in handy. Usually found in factories and serious machinery setups, CNC wire benders tend to be out of reach for the DIY maker.
Not any more. The guys over at Pensa have developed a handy little unit they call the DIWire Bender. This table-top device is a prototyping machine that can bend metal wire into 2D and 3D shapes.
It’s still early days for this device, yet things are off to a promising start. The wire is fed through a series of wheels that straighten it, and then on to the bending head that articulates in 3D to create the curves of your design.
There are some interesting ideas floating about on what this can be used for. From prototypes and wireframe models, to spectacles and on-demand jewellery… it’s even possible to create custom springs and other tricky engineering components.
“A DIWire Bender could eventually become an element in an array of 3D equipment with different capabilities. One day, if you get enough rapid prototype machines in a room hooked into a data line, you may be able to fax a bicycle. Now that would be cool.”
Follow through after the break for a neat little video of the DIWire in action. (more…)
Posted in Digital Fabrication, Guy Blashki, Hardware, Maker Movement by Guy Blashki |
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, CNC Routing
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Getting some serious work out of your hobby 3D printer.
It has been said that once you have a lathe you can make just about any other tool. This open-source printable mini lathe could be the perfect place to get started. With the quality of hobby printers increasing so rapidly, it is great to see complex mechanical models like this making their way out into the ecosystem.
(We’ve seen a printed mini-lathe before, but that project seems to be obsolete now.)
Posted in 3D Printing, Hardware, Open Source, Rich Decibels, Tools + Apps by Rich Decibels |
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing, App Gateway
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Want your own open source CNC mill?
If you’ve so far missed out getting your hands on the opensource kickstarted Shapeoko CNC mill there is some hope – Inventables who’re now the distributors are accepting pre orders for their next batch of 100 units. Demand for the ShapeOko has been high since their Kickstarter campaign. Depending on how keen you are to source some of your own components – there are several prices ranging from the basic mechanical kitset at $199 to the fully featured premium option at $999 that also comes with router cutters and materials. (more…)
Posted in CNC Routing, David McGahan, Hardware by David McGahan |
Make your own stuff using: CNC Routing
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An accessible and low-cost way to make precision tools.
When you want to make precision tools like a CNC mill or a lathe, it’s generally because, obviously, you don’t have one. The problem is, how do you make precision tools without using precision tools? It’s getting easier and easier to find a place to use one, but sometimes that is not a practical option. One possible solution being explored is the use of cast concrete.
(more…)
Posted in Hardware, Open Source, Taylor Gilbert by Taylor Gilbert | Comments are off for this post
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Video on the assembly of an industrial grade metal laser cutter!
If you’re interested in the workings and principles of how energy is focused to create a fine cutting beam, you should definitely check out this video by How its Made. It shows the mirrors used to bounce light around and describes the process of generating photons from electrical energy inside a chamber of pressurised mixture of Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide and Helium gas. The principles are similar to the laser cutters used by Ponoko to cut plastics, timber and metals.
(more…)
Posted in David McGahan, Hardware, Laser Cutting by David McGahan | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: Laser Cutting
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A simple principle with a beautiful result.
Christophe Guberan, a student at Ecole Cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL), has made the project Hydro-Fold using a modified inkjet printer. It produces paper objects that automatically fold themselves into specific forms. The ink has been replaced with a specific mixture of ink and water. When paper is printed with a folding pattern, it bends along the wet lines.
One of the major disadvantages of inkjet printers is their tendency to over-saturate the paper with ink and cause bends, distortions, and wrinkles. This project charmingly takes advantage of this principle and puts it to good use. The result is clearly more experimental than functional, but its not hard to imagine the potential of this idea with a bit more technology applied to it.
Watch the video on Dezeen and see some examples after the jump.
(more…)
Posted in Digital Fabrication, Functional Art + Objects, Hardware, Taylor Gilbert by Taylor Gilbert | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing, Laser Cutting, CNC Routing
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Hobbyists work on affordable resin printing tech
After posting about Junior Veloso’s resin 3D printer last week (and its higher-than-expected price), commenters arthur and Adam B. pointed to a couple of cost-sensitive open source projects in the works: Lemon Curry and an unnamed printer by Christopher Jansen.
Both are still in the experimental stage, but expect to deliver low-cost, open source solutions that any person should be able to put together and get running. In the case of Jansen’s printer, his running tally of costs is under $200, including a used DLP projector from eBay.
Resin cost is also a big factor. An inexpensive printer wouldn’t very useful if it required paying hundreds of dollars per litre of building material, after all. Both projects have referenced Bucktown Polymers as a source for UV-curable resin for the equivalent of about $40/litre. Jansen made this short video of the resin curing under sunlight: (more…)
Posted in 3D Printing, Derek Quenneville, Hardware by Derek Quenneville | Comments are off for this post
Make your own stuff using: 3D Printing
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Making Arduino look beautiful.
Many amazing projects have been made with Arduino, but “beautiful” is usually not the first word that springs to mind. Even when electronics are used in a fashion-specific context, the aesthetics tends towards a high-tech Star Trek kind of feel, so it particularly impressive to see someone achieve a completely different, more traditionally feminine, aesthetic.
The Crystal Necklace by Sylvia Yang uses a LilyPad Arduino, which is specifically designed for integration with textiles, along with LEDs and a variety of traditional jewelry components.
(more…)
Posted in Hardware, Jewellery, Taylor Gilbert by Taylor Gilbert | Comments are off for this post
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