MakerBot Industries

Cathal Garvey is working his way through the mousetrap designs!

I have printed the Claptrap, and await further instruction from WorldGnat before I test it because I don’t know how he intended it to be used. I have printed the Tower Bridge trap from Starno, and it’s in front of me now. I’ll share a picture here. It’s awesome. I printed and tested the Merry-Go-Round trap, which sadly didn’t work though I reckon with a redesign, it would!. And as I write this, I am preparing to try printing the next trap in full: The Mouse Motel from TeamTeamUSA.Sorry again, as I’ve been saying for too long. I can’t wait to be done printing these traps and testing them. The designs are really amazing, even when they don’t work. They show imagination and resourcefulness that inspires me in my own designs, and I consider each a victory even when no captive mouse results.

If you haven’t seen the mousetraps on Thingiverse, check them out!

via Makerbot Mousetrap Challenge: July Update – Cathal Garvey.

What would happen if video game consoles had awesome 3D modelling programs? What if the people in the picture above was an image of folks designing things? Open3DP is asking that question and they may be on to something! Click through to read their post

Dutch Angles work for screenshots, too

ReplicatorG 0018 is now available for download!  This release is predicated on the firm belief that no one should have to learn to use Blender just to scale an object.  ReplicatorG now includes basic object manipulation functions, like scaling, rotation, placement, and mirroring.  See our documentation for a quick introduction to the new features!

We could say more, but really, there’s no reason not just to get it from the ReplicatorG download page.  Go!  Get it now!

As always, there’s also a number of minor improvements and bug fixes, like a smarter launcher for Windows.  See the full list below.

Read the rest of this entry »

Many of you have been asking for a laser scanner that can turn your CupCake CNC into a 3D copier. Thingiverse user tc_fea (aka my dad) is hard at work making that a reality. Using Visual Basic, ANSYS and a lot of math, tc_fea has gone from scan to print. Leave a comment if you’d like to see the source code and we’ll be sure to post it online.

Required Equipment

• Chessboard
• Laser-line level
• Web camera
• Windows PC with Visual Basic

Step 1 – Scan the Object

First, tc_fea puts the scan object in front of a known, calibrated background – in this case an antique chessboard. He manually moves the laser line level incrementally across the image, taking a picture after each move.

Step 2 – Compute the Point Cloud

Tc_fea feeds the multiple scan images into his Visual Basic software for processing. The software does the following:

1. Subtracts each scan image from a baseline image (with no laser line). This produces a very high contrast scan line.
2. Subtracts the RGB component colors separately from the scan line, pixel-by-pixel (using Bresenham’s Algorithm). This allows a color scan.
3. Applies a threshold filter to isolate the scan line from the background.
4. Assemble the scan lines into a point cloud by performing a number of image transformation routines based on OpenCV methods
5. Renders an image of the 3D point cloud in color

Step 3 – Mesh and Create an STL file in ANSYS

Next, tc_fea meshes his point cloud in ANSYS, a analysis package used, among other things, to analyze fighter jets and certify nuclear reactors. Overkill? Absolutely. Expensive? You bet. Fortunately, tc_fea is using an affordable demo version called ANSYS ED, which has many of the features in the full version, but limits the number of nodes and elements. Tc_fea’s program kicks out a pretty good point cloud, so you could probably accomplish the same thing in MeshLab or Blender (both free).

Step 4 – Print!

Finally, tc_fea prints the scanned part using his CupCake CNC running ReplicatorG! Homemade scan to print for less than $100!

For more things designed by tc_fea, go to http://www.thingiverse.com/tc_fea/things

What is the Tested MakerBot building? I’d suggest going over to Thingiverse and studying up and then watch the video and see if you can guess what it is before it’s done! Via Tested!

object Object – “pyramid” (excerpt) from EFFALO on Vimeo.

I’m from Seattle and so it makes me particularly happy to hear that the fantastic music scene there now includes MakerBots as musical instruments!

this is a excerpt from the first performance of object Object, an experimental music project staffed by EFFALO collaborator mogden (drums) and principal mfelix (3dprinter management). performed live on 7/11/2010 @ chop suey in seattle.

the sounds of the makerbot are captured with contact microphones and paired with live drums. as an object (in this case a pyramid) is printed, layer-by-layer, its inherent form is recontextualized into an interpretive sound-geometry.

Found via the Fabricating Blog.

The MakerBot Relay Board Kit v1.0

In response to the growing power-needs of the CupCake CNC community, we have released the MakerBot Relay Board Kit v1.0. This kit allows you to use relays for power control. This super-easy-to-build kit is two mechanical relays that allow a 12v ATX power supply to run power to anything. We’ve been using it to power the Heated Build Platform!  We have had some cases where the HBP’s power draw causes the MOSFETS of the Extruder Controller to burn out- this fixes that issue, and gives you lots more power to spare!  Basically with this baby attached, you could power your HBP, and a Christmas tree of LED’s or a giant 12v motor, practically anything that needs 12 volts of juice!

We’ve been joking around with what to call it, because it clicks when the power is on, -rather satisfying feedback-  but all the names we came up with were awful, so we stuck with the Relay Board.

http://store.makerbot.com/electronics/electronics-kits/relay-board-kit-v1-0.html

Hi fellow Operators,

We have received a number of requests asking when we will have brass Heater Barrels, PTFE  Thermal Barriers, and Spare Parts Kits back in stock.  We had an unprecedented run on these items, folks bought a LOT of them all at once, and we sent them out to MakerBot Operators all over the world. Due to long lead times, are now waiting for a resupply.  We expect them to be available in the store again in several weeks, and we want to thank you all for your patience, and apologize for the delay!  We work hard to keep all our items available, and we are adjusting our operations to support the growing demand we see for machines and parts.

I saw a post recently discussing whether or not you needed to replace the barrel and barrier if you were having some warping, or plastic leaking out.  The short answer is no, you don’t have to immediately replace them, if they continue to extrude!  Some of our longest-printing extruders have had some crazy blooms, like the one you may have seen on CBS.  The ABS eventually forms a seal, and can sometimes self-correct the problem!  So as long as it keeps extruding, you don’t need to swap it with a new barrel or barrier.  Run it ’til it quits!

Hose Clamp Hack

Another solution to warping or bulging of the PTFE barrier is an old plumbers hack-  the Hose Clamp!  You can head down to most hardware or plumbing supply stores and get a nice metal hose clamp, and tighten it around the joint between the heater barrel and PTFE barrier.  This can control warping and contain some of the pressure that causes bulges.  It also acts as a great heat sink, which helps cool the entire hot end assembly.

Thanks again for your patience and happy printing!

As far as I can tell 7 3D printers gathered at CCCKC to go share calibration stories and try things out.

I learn a lot from the internet, but sometimes it’s great to meet up in real life and swap stories! Check the Regional Groups page and if there isn’t one in your area, start a mailing list and post the url on the wiki!