China on my desk

[tl8]

Have any of you need to make something real quick?

A coat hook or a bracket for something?

Well I have found an answer to your problem

RepRap

RepRap is a fully open source 3d printing machine. It will make anything really out of plastic. It is big draw card is it's ability to make its self.

And I am making one.

Well technically I am making a RepStrap, a machine that can make a RepRap.
The design is basically my own, though it is based on some home-made CNC machines and other RepStraps like CupCake. At the moment I have a budget of $200 AUD. The primary build matriel is MDF (1800 x 450 x 12 mm). This hopefully will give me an build volume of about 250 x 250 x 250 mm. The extruder is moved using screw axis(Threaded Rod). These in turn are powered by 3 or 4 stepper motors. The extruder will be the same one used on CupCake as I don't have access to a sub 1mm drill bit and a lathe.

Electronics are based on a ATtiny microprocessor. 1 will control each Stepper motor and 1 more will control the extruder speed (Plastic feed motor) and extruder temperature. These will use a USB interface to connect to a controlling PC (For Now).

Anyway, plans of the MDF are getting done, Electronics are next to plan and then I will start coding.

If you are interested in getting plans for this, I am happy to send them to you.

 

[dougkeenan]

What do you use as input to the machine?

 

[Artlav]

Tried that, rather successfully at start:
http://orbides.1gb.ru/rrp-gal.php
The problem i run into - where to get the damn ABS/PLA fillaments?

 

[tl8]

@Dougkeenan

A PC will control the machine and will feed the G-Code in to the processors. G-Code is produced from the STL file that I want to replecate

@Artlav

I hope to get the fillaments locally, but I know there is a supply in Australia at least in Melbourne that is of a reasonable price. Failing that there are places in the States that should be able to help.

Just to help you a bit look for 3mm ABS welding rods/coils

Mine hopefully will look a bit better than yours, but how you have done it is close to how I will do it.

 

[Artlav]

##I hope to get the fillaments locally
The only PLA filament supplier i know of should be right where you are, in Australia, so hopefully it won't be a problem for you.

##Just to help you a bit look for 3mm ABS welding rods/coils
Yes, that's how i tested it, but the rods are too short to print anything of a meaningful size. And, neither welding them together nor swapping at runtime seem to work reliably enough.

 

[tl8]

##The only PLA filament supplier i know of should be right where you are, in Australia, so hopefully it won't be a problem for you.

Do you have a name for them, I haven't really looked too far for PLA

 

[Artlav]

##Do you have a name for them, I haven't really looked too far for PLA

Yes, there i read about it:
http://blog.reprap.org/2007/05/pla-filament-works.html

Seems somewhat dated, but might still be useful.
Where they get PLA now, i have no idea.

 

[BHawthorne]

I've pondered making one of these. Hrrrm, I might look into making one again. The only thing that really puts me off about the whole thing is the resolution of the parts it makes and the crude design of the printing head. If they can get past the crude printing head, I'd make one in a heartbeat. If I'm going to make a 3d printer I want the resolution to be good even if it means trading off printing time significantly to achieve it.

 

[tl8]

The resolution of the XYZ carriage will be 6 microns, that is I can move the carriage in 6 micron steps.

The resolution of the extrusion is as small as the hole in the extruder(Mine will be 500 microns), so a smaller hole a better print. And the crude design of the printing head is being worked out.

There are many many variations out there now and everyone of them are testing new ideas.