I’ve previously posted about my work on scanning a bridge cable and designing an LED attachment clip for the Bay Lights project. Well, last week we put up a test strand of LEDs, using Makerbotted clips! The idea is to test the clips for strength and resistance to weathering, before moving ahead with the full scale installation!

LED lights being installed

It’s been really interesting designing this, using the Makerbot has allowed multiple iterations of the design really quickly. As you can see in the following picture, the clip protects the main LED data cable from stress, and anchors the LED nodes firmly on the cable.

Close-up of a clip in use

By using silver plastic, the clips are basically invisible once installed.

The test strand of LEDs, all in place

Shane Graber has another fantastic post on using a MakerBot for your aquarium hobby. In case you missed it, check out his last post about making various elements necessary for coral fragging. It’s so useful, and a great example of how a person can discover a new application for a MakerBot.

This latest article from Shane is helpful especially because of the cost comparison he provides. While you could buy a brine shrimp hatchery for “anywhere from $10 to $15,” you could easily make one using his design files and a MakerBot for around $2. If you need to make multiple hatcheries, that’s over 80% savings that could really add up.

The file is on Thingiverse here and the assembly is a breeze.

Brine Shrimp Hatchery by sgraber. Download, Make, Use.

Another use for a MakerBot Shane has found is making your own sponge filters. The process for making this on your own is just as simple.

This sponge filter requires three components:

1. 3D printed base
2. A 8 inch length of 3/8 inch rigid airline tubing
3. Two zip ties
4. Porous sponge salvaged from an old powerhead or purchased from your local fish store

Download the model from Thingiverse and print it. Obtain the additional parts listed above and assemble it by pushing the rigid 3/8 inch airline tubing into the 3D printed base, wrap the sponge around the central tube, and then zip tie it into place. Now simply hook up your airline and air pump and you are done. Use it as you would any other sponge filter in your larval tanks.

Sponge Filter for aquarium by sgraber

What hobby do you use your MakerBot for? Tell me.

Virginia Tech has a vending machine in their College of Engineering that spits out dreams. This is my favorite thing for the day. Check out the VT DREAMS Lab to track more of their research. The group says they

are driven by a vision of the future wherein the layered fabrication techniques of today’s “rapid prototyping” technologies are of a maturity to be considered as viable platforms for the manufacture of end-use artifacts.

That reminds me of a conversation we were having on the blog last week about what makes a product “real”.

The MakerBot 3D design team is building a Robot Petting Zoo to bring to this year’s Maker Faire. In this video you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how they conceptualized, designed and created these amazing DIY robots! To see the robots in full-effect meet us at Maker Faire Bay Area on May 19th and 20th, 2012. Hope to see you there!

The tail end of this fun little history of the clothespin in the New York Times Magazine sounds like a MakerBot call to action, from an organization that thinks people should wash their clothes in cold water and use clotheslines to dry them. Read the article for the history of the invention, but here’s what I want to call your attention to:

HOUSEHOLD HELP

Glen Berkowitz is the executive director of Project Laundry List, a nonprofit organization that advocates washing clothes in cold water and hanging them out to dry. Here, he shares his thoughts on the clothespin:

What role does the clothespin play in Project Laundry List? Looking backward, the clothespin is a relatively easy way to dry your clothes without having to lay them on the ground or drape them over something. Looking forward, the clothespin is a phenomenal interest of ours because we’re in the process of setting up a brand-new national design competition.

What kind of design competition? The clothespin hasn’t changed for over 150 years. Is there a better clothespin just waiting out there by some young or creative mind? By the end of this year, we will formally launch this. We’re excited to see what we find.

This one’s for us, Makers! I’ve started to think about clothespins without springs that come in a variety of sizes depending on the job. But take note of this last point, too:

Do you recommend the wooden or the plastic variety? If the wooden clothespin was still made in the United States, we would recommend it, but what’s made in America now are plastic clothespins. One is less economical and the other is less sustainable. It evens out.

There are several arguments one could make about why making your own clothespins in ABS on your MakerBot reduces material waste. But to drive the point home, maybe we should be thinking about PLA pins. There are a few awesome clothespins on Thingiverse already, like the one below from PolygonPusher. Let’s build off of these and think about a new design that can be MakerBotted.

Clothespin by PolygonPusher