MakerBot Industries

Mysterious wood joint by h-kimura

H-kimura uploaded this “mysterious wood joint” noting, “This type of joint is used in a gate of OOSAKA castle in Japan.”  I love this design for being a modern version of an ancient design.  I also like it because I’m hoping that it will lead to more kinds of printable connectors beyond just spans and connectors.  TeamTeamUSA provided a comment to this thing with a link to a truly excellent resource describing some of additional ancient Japanese building methods.

Mysterious wood joint by h-kimura

This type of joint is used in a gate of OOSAKA castle in Japan. It seems to a puzzle. If you do not have 3D printers, please challenge to make a papercraft of this object which is uploaded by PDF file.

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Recently, I posted an introduction to partymode and uploaded my own sample partymode scripts to Thingiverse to kick things off.

Today, I want to share a few more details to help you play in the ReplicatorG-flavored G-Code sandbox. For those uncertain about the value of creating short movement bot scripts should remember that this is a great opportunity for you to learn just enough about G-code to tweak your prints and personalizing the start.gcode and end.gcode files in your skeinforge profiles for better, more efficient MakerBotting.

Also, why not add a bit of musical hijinx to your prints? Why doesn’t your bot play music after every print? Mine does.¹

I’m going to bribe you to improve your G-code fluency by introducing you to a stupidly simple trick you will want to use every time you skein a model.

MakerBot Operators grumble about navigating down through the ReplicatorG file structure to adjust the Start.gcode files for a Skeinforge profile. But do you know what happens if you don’t do this step? The nozzle drops down to 20mm-40mm above the platform and attempts to print in the air. Not so successfully, as it turns out.

Well, that little snipped of gcode you must change in your Start.gcode file appears again right near the top of the gcode that you generate when you slice a model. Here’s the chunk in question just a little ways down the G-code document I have just generated for an Octopus model I am super eager to print on my bot. Want to make an adjustment? You can punch up the code right in ReplicatorG without touching your Start.gcode document.

(**** begin homing ****)

G162 Z F500 (home Z axis maximum)

G161 X Y F2500 (home XY axes minimum)

G92 Z80 ( ---=== Set Z axis maximum ===---)

G92 X-57.5 Y-57 (set zero for X and Y)

(**** end homing ****)

“Hmmm,” you say. “So this is the Homing section. And Set Z axis maximum lists only 80mm for the height of my build envelope. You’d better change that to your bot’s printing height ( 120.3mm) and then save your file!”

Thank you, bot-friend! You have just shown me how to use ReplicatorG to tune and save g-code!² You can perform this trick right within ReplicatorG or open a plaintext editor and change the file there.

I suggest you take a look at this homing block every time you skein a new model to make sure that the correct value has propagated through. (Sometimes it helps to adjust your z-height by a 10th of a millimeter up or down — that first layer is ultra crucial when you aren’t printing a raft, especially on stepper-driven extruders.)

Do you want to know the handful of G-Code commands every Operator should recognize on sight! Learn more after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Well, my Cupcake prints do. [↩]
2. Most G-code is practically as simple — thanks to lots and lots of commenting in Skeinforge and the user configurable Start.gcode and End.gcode. [↩]

Turret Chess Set by msruggles

I’m always happy to see more chess sets on Thingiverse!  As of a few days ago there are at least eight printable sets available for your perusal.  They can really showcase the ability of a 3D printer to produce reliably good results across a range of similar objects.  And, of course, you can play with them!  Msruggles’ set pictured above is a particularly elegant set – with pieces that almost evoke their legal moves in the manner of Laird’s set.¹

1. Turret Chess Set by msruggles

   

   Turret themed chess set for a board with ~1in squares. I'm working on making a chess board and due to certain constraints, I needed smaller than usual chess pieces (~1" base). Seeing how I was already going to be making them I figured I'd create my own design instead of just scaling someone else's. I purposely stayed away from too many details on the pieces because my printer and I are in a disagreement regarding calibration and I don't want to spend my all my free time cleaning up prints. I would love to see someone detail these out (wink wink nudge nudge).

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2. Bauhaus Model I 1922 Chess Set by Le_Garage

   

   TeamTeamUSA said : "Always wanted a Bauhaus chess set but couldn't afford one? Here ya go!" Inspired by Josef Hartwig's Model I chess set created in 1922 at Bauhaus Weimar. This set is at the ~original size, and need an big board to be played ! ^^ It was done as an Blender learning exercise based on MOMA picture and the globals dimensions they gave and we gess the others with proportions and eye. Exercise supervised by LeoM [ thingiverse.com/LeoM ] for Le_Garage.

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3. Chess set and board by celticfable

   

   This package contains the "creative commons" release of these designs (STL's and the original solidworks CAD) for a full-size Staunton-style chess set. Let's see some jazzy prints ffolkes! ps: Added DXF CAD for those of you without Solidworks... enjoy!

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4. Bauhaus Model II 1924 Chess Set by TeamTeamUSA

   

   Always wanted a Bauhaus chess set but couldn't afford one‽ Here ya go! Inspired by Josef Hartwig's Model II chess set created in 1924 at Bauhaus Weimar, this chess set is ~10mm smaller in all dimensions than the original. It plays nicely on a board with 40-50mm squares, perhaps this one: thingiverse.com/thing:4258. The STL files are based upon a 30mm King cube, the module from which all pieces are sized. The OpenSCAD files are parametric so you can create a version in almost any size! The current queen is still a work-in-progress but since this was featured on the blog even though un-published, blog.thingiverse.com/2011/01/04/bauhaus-chess-set/ (how did that happen??) Alan forced my hand. 2011-01-14 UPDATE Thumbnail photo changed to one containing 40mm and 25mm Queens. Added discussion of cost to have the chess set printed at Shapeways and Ponoko. Only germane if you don't have a 3D printer, or want it in a material other than thermoplastic.2011-01-12 UPDATE 25mm files uploaded; the 30mm size was too large for testing. Four versions of the queen are now included: one-piece, two-pieces, three-pieces. In the picture with the dog, the queen is based upon the proper 40mm king (the build-platform is 140mm). It has a nice heft and hand-feel but until all the kinks are worked out don't print at 40mm. The thumbnail picture is of a 25mm three-piece queen.

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5. Chess Set I by cbiffle on 2 sheets by beverageexpert

   

   Here is Chess Set I by cbiffle thingiverse.com/thing:703 that I have imported into sketchup and made into 2 sheets. So all you have to do is print 2 sheets in 2 colors and you have a chess set.

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6. chess play by Glo

   

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7. Laird's Chess Set by laird

   

   I have been wanting to make this chess set for years. Now that 3D printing is becoming affordable, perhaps I can actually make a physical set. Until then, I am uploading it for others to enjoy. The set is designed to be artistically interesting, but also to illustrate the moves of each piece, with the names labeled, to make Chess approachable for kids. The king has the tallest 'body' and has its name printed in large type to indicate its importance. The circle represents the king's ability to move one space in any direction. The queen is about as tall as the king, with the 'head' indicating that the Queen can move any distance in the eight directions. The knight is shorter, with cubes arranged around a central diamond indicating the eight squares that the knight can jump to. The arrangement of the cubes on the top and the back, and the angle of the supporting head, are intended to evoke a horse's head. The bishop and rook are the same height, with 'heads' indicating their ability to move any distance in either the diagonals or horizontal and vertical. Finally the pawns are the shortest. The 'head' indicates the ability to move forward one square, or capture diagonally. I couldn't think of a way to indicate moving forward two spaces, or capturing en-passent.

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8. Chess Set I by cbiffle

   

   Traditional (Staunton-style) chess set. The knight is a draft piece that I hope to revisit -- getting a recognizable horse-bust without exceeding the maximum overhang angles is hard.Please note: my printer isn't here yet, so while I have sliced these models and inspected the tool paths that result, I haven't verified that they print properly on actual hardware. I would love feedback from any chess fans with printers! :-)

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1. I wonder – is it possible to create a game where the pieces imply the game’s rules sufficiently well that further explanation of the rules are not necessary? [↩]

Do you see that white spacer on that miniature ATV’s rear right wheel?  Well guess what — that’s new MakerBotter Shane’s first project, and one of his first prints.

You see, Shane’s son had a miniature ATV…but it wasn’t fast enough.  So, like any clever father, he got a new motor and gearbox.  Unfortunately, the new gearbox didn’t quite mesh with the old drive system.  Luckily, Shane is an industrial designer, and had just received his new MakerBot kit, so out come the calipers, and a little bit of 3d modeling and a bit of printing later, the ATV was all set and faster than ever.

More of our interview, after the fold!

Read the rest of this entry »

Plastic Welding Gun (Plastruder MK4) by donutman_2000

This is the sixth in a series of posts about ways to get even better print results from your 3D printer.  The prior posts provided information on calibrating hardware, upgrading hardware, calibrating software, maintenance, and finishing by abrasion.   Your hints, tips, hacks, and suggestions have been awesome!  Keep them coming!  Today’s post is about a less common finishing technique, heat:

Heat.

1. Since ABS is flammable gives off a black toxic smoke and PLA will melt at relatively low temperatures I would never use an open flame to improve the look of a printed object.  However, the RepRap wiki has some documentation and information (with similar warnings!) if this is something you want to learn about.  Fortunately, there are several safer ways to use heat to help get a better printed result.
2. A heat gun can apply heat in a relatively safe and controllable fashion to smooth out rough spots on a printed object or even just help spots melt together a little better.
3. You can use a welding gun from the parts of an old extruder.  I have to admit that I’ve actually held two broken parts under a hot extruder to weld them back together.  Effective?  It was once I had the extruder extruding plastic essentially using it as a hot plastic glue gun.  Smart?  Probably not. 
4. Koiti suggested placing a finished object that had been removed from the raft back onto a hot Automated Build Platform to improve the finish.
5. Another suggestion that’s probably not a good idea is molding the printed object shortly after the print job is completed.  I’ve accidentally deformed more than a few prints by removing them too early.¹  Then again, in a few rare circumstances I’ve managed to fix a bad design or bad print by gently molding the still-warm plastic immediately after a print job.  For this I typically use a pencil or pliers.
6. You may also find that you want to try turning the heat down slightly on your Heated Build Platform or Automated Build Platform.  The reason for using a heated build platform is to keep the lower layers on an object warm while the top layers are being deposited.  If the bottom layers cool before the higher layers, the object can curl at the edges as it cools.  However, Nick Starno discovered that applying too much heat could lead to some slight warping in the object further up.  I would point out for any Automated Build Platform users that you might need to run your ABP slightly warmer (by about 1-2C) than a Heated Build Platform due to minor insulating effects of the belt or other materials placed on the belt.

Have you used heat to improve your 3D printed results?  Please share your ideas and tips in the comments section below!

Bonus Section: All of the posts in this series to date!

1. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part I (Calibrating Hardware)
2. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part II (Upgrading Hardware)
3. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part III (Calibrating Software)
4. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part IV (Maintenance)
5. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part V (Abrasion)
6. How to get better results from your 3D printer – Part VI (Heat)

1. As in, yanking it out as soon as the print job stops.  I can’t imagine why I don’t have the patience to wait 30 seconds… [↩]

Mark Durbin's Busy Modeling Station

Recent MakerBot Operator Mark Durbin (MakeALot at Thingiverse) has been shaking up the Thingiverse scene with a tremendous number of models and prints uploaded since January of this year when he put together his MakerBot Thing-O-Matic kit. In particular, we have him to thank for a number of the now iconic braided and knotted vessels, statuettes, and bracelets that he has been coaxing out of OpenSCAD. His more intricate designs have become key models MakerBot Operators with Stepstruder MK6s use for challenging their stepper extruders to print multiple disconnected regions: reversal techniques for string-free printing to the max!

I emailed Mark around the time he released his second spiral cup to ask him about his working process and tools.

A Study in Spirals

Looking at the linear and rotated extrusions in the OpenSCAD manual, I thought it might be interesting to combine both of these, imagining a wavy line going round in a circle, but of course, “twist” isn’t available on the rotated extrusion.  I tried to create one with a section of linear extrusion, laid it on its side and rotated copies of it about 360 degrees, but it didn’t look good. While playing with this, the idea of the pencil cup came to me, originally with all the spirals going in the same direction, but then I thought of flipping each alternate one to link them, so I fiddled about with the distances and the angles of rotation for a while and when it looked right, I added a cylinder for a base and a torus for a top edge. The spirals themselves intruded into the centre and out of the cup a long way, so I flattered them using the scale command. I was so pleased with the result, I set it printing and published it at the same time.

Spiral Pencil/Candle/Toothbrush Cup by MakeALot

Desktop pencil cup made from interwoven spirals or Candle holder made from interwoven spirals or Toothbrush holder made from interwoven spirals or ... made from interwoven spiralsUpdate: I had it printed in ceramic to see what the quality would be like, I'm happy with the results - in ABS and ceramic.

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Much more interview, after the fold! Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s a little more for all the music nerds out there: a printable treble clef.  Good job LukeChilson!  This is clearly something that baggers everywhere need.  I’m guessing that there are a few of these up in multi-nerd-type households already, and obviously there will be many more in the future.

But — where’s the bass clef for bass players (and bassoonists?)  And a C clef for those budding violists?

Treble Clef by LukeChilson

Printable treble clef to familiarize my little boy with sheet music. Should be simple to print with any working profile.

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Ask an Engineer 3/26/2011 from adafruit industries on Vimeo.

I was on Adafruit’s Ask an Engineer broadcast. Check it out!

The MakerBot Gen 4 Interface Board Kit!

Today we are happy to announce a new product in the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic line, our new MakerBot Gen 4 Interface Board Kit v1.1! This is a fun DIY Interface that allows your to operate your Thing-O-Matic independently, without the use of a computer! So you can pop in your SD card into the Generation 4 Electronics, and regulate, operate, and print from your machine by this interface alone.

With the great set of programmable buttons and LCD interface, you can turn this hackable board into an control surface for almost anything as well! We are using it in-house here and are really pleased with the live feedback it provides during a build- monitor temperature, percent completion, and view files on the SD card are all available. Plus manual jog control of the stages, and extra assignable switches are available for new inventive uses.

It’s a fun soldering kit as well, and the complete through-hole construction makes the level of difficulty appropriate for even beginner kit-builders. This kit is open source, so you can use it to control anything you build, even your robots, or homebrew CNC device. Advanced users can match it with our Gen 4 electronics kit and use it to control any machine they can design with our electronics. It’s flexible, open, and provides programmable feedback depending on your application.

A Thing-O-Matic warming up in Monitor Mode

We are installing a group of these on the BotFarm™, so we can quickly fire up builds and monitor progress on multiple machines without needing computers attached. It truly turns the Thing-O-Matic into a standalone 3D Printer that just needs a power cord, and your files on SD card to operate. Awesome! The lasercut wood body includes tabs so the MakerBot Gen 4 Interface Board can hang nicely from the top or side of your Bot.

Check out the store page and buy the MakerBot Gen 4 Interface Board Kit v1.1 now!

John Abella (New York, USA)

Veteran MakerBot Operator John Abella has printed a number of the “twisted forms” geometric models on Thingiverse lately using his new MakerBot Stepstruder MK6. The models themselves are impressive, of course, but we have been particularly admiring JohnA‘s prints of these and wanted to share them with you.

A twisted mind…geometrically speaking.

Screw Cup, Printed by JohnA

Screwable Jewellery Box printed by John Abella

Shot Glass 7 sides twisted, Printed by JohnA (ABS)

Shot Glass 7 sides twisted, Printed by John Abella (PLA)

Death flying towards your refrigerator at 325kph from the outstretched hand of a ninja assassin has rarely been printed (and photographed) with such beauty and grace.

Ninja Fridge Shuriken printed by John Abella

We love your Stepstruder MK6, too, JohnA! Keep showing us how it’s done.

Heart Gears printed by John Abella