MakerBot Industries

MakerBot took New York Comic Con by storm last week! Amidst the costumed superheroes, anime characters, and vampires, stood the Thing-O-Matic — the only real robot at New York Comic Con!

See the action for yourself in the above clip from G4′s Attack of the Show. Jason Mewes (aka Jay of Jay and Silent Bob fame) stopped by the booth and talked to MakerBot’s Keith Ozar who showed off some our favorite printed objects.

Lots of awesome folks in costumes stopped by the booth (shared with the badass guys at MetalMachine), but these two dudes dressed as the Super Mario Bros. were out favorite. Of course they had to pose with the turtle shell racers…

We also got a nice shout out from the adafruit blog who said “It’s incredibly smart of MakerBot to have a booth at the Comic-Con, this type of out reach to comic community is how we’ll collectively add more makers to the DIY movement. It’s also good for business – nice work!” Photo by Cory Doctorow.

Just a reminder that there are only 12 days left to enter the New Museum MakerBot challenge!

Ever wished you had a device or object that doesn’t really exist? Ever used something like a bottle opener or door handle and thought you can make it better? Now is your chance, you can win a Thing-O-Matic and be featured in the New Museum Store! Now is your chance to show off your skills as a designer!

Have a look at some of the best submissions, and then get to work — only 12 days left!

Klein Bottle from simple primitives by MakeALot

First, I need to preface this by saying I can’t believe I overlooked coasterman’s low-polygon count Klein Bottle posted about a year ago.  Although created in Sketchup, this design is about as low-poly as you can get.  Now!  On to the imaginary awards show!

• First to upload that wasn’t me:  MakeAlot with a Klein Bottle from simple primatives for uploading his designs within about 3 hours of the challenge being posted.
• Fewest lines of code:  MakeAlot with a Klein Bottle from simple primatives with just 33 lines of code.
• Fewest facets:  Low poly (but still) klein bottle by aubenc with just 40 faces!
• Most resembling a traditional Klein Bottle:  MakeAlot with a Klein Bottle from simple primatives for his very curvaceous OpenSCAD designs.

Building on the work of these fine designers, can you design a Klein Bottle in OpenSCAD that uses fewer lines of code, has fewer faces, or is even more traditional looking?

Klein Bottle from simple primitives by MakeALot

A more traditional looking Klein bottle made from torus halves and tubes.

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Low poly (but still) klein bottle by aubenc

Quick, easy and dirty OpenSCAD to make a low poly klein bottle. Ehem... Quick? Not as much as I thought (1h-1h30) Easy? Easy would have been using cylinders $fn=3 instead of polyhedrons! Dirty? Yes! It looks like a parametric thing but it's NOT! Low Poly? Neither, OpenScad reports 40 faces but there's some misalignment that's adding 4 more than needed.

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OpenSCAD Klein Bottle by MakerBlock

Yes, I realize I declared this challenge and am entering it myself. ( makerbot.com/blog/2011/10/11/openscad-challenge-klein-bottle/ ) I didn't start designing this until well after I had already posted it. Since there are no real prizes, I figure you'll forgive me claiming the "first to upload", "fewest number of facets" and "most resembles either Kelsorj’s Klein Bottle ( thingiverse.com/thing:5217 ) or RotoScan’s Klein Bottle ( thingiverse.com/thing:11976 )" The bottle could be rendered with even fewer facets by just reducing the number of faces on the cylinders in the OpenSCAD file. Also, I hereby claim 9000 internet points! Mu-ah-ha-ha! Also, a shout-out to CloudSCAD is in order for letting me draft this up from my browser.

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Klein Bottle by kelsorj

I recently posted about a Klein Bottle shared on Thingiverse by RotoScan. ¹  This got me thinking – are there any OpenSCAD versions?  After poking around Thingiverse a bit, I haven’t found any.

The challenge for you is as follows:

• Design a Klein Bottle using OpenSCAD.
• Upload an STL and OpenSCAD design file to Thingiverse.
• Tag your design with “openscad,klein bottle,openscad klein bottle”²

Do you want to join the ranks of the OpenSCAD design challenge winners?  Do you want to bask in the glory that is everlasting internet fame?!  Internet points, the sum of 9,000, shall be awarded to:

• The first to upload an OpenSCAD Klein Bottle
• The person who uploads an OpenSCAD Klein Bottle with the fewest lines of code
• The person who uploads an OpenSCAD Klein Bottle with the fewest number of facets
• The person who uploads an OpenSCAD Klein Bottle that most resembles either Kelsorj’s Klein Bottle or RotoScan’s Klein Bottle

As always, the use of OpenSCAD libraries is allowed and encouraged.  If you’ve got a rules question, just post it here! ³⁴⁵

1. For the unfamiliar, a Klein Bottle is an object that essentially has just one continuous surface. [↩]
2. That will actually create three tags.  Mostly so that it will be easy for people to find your work in the future! [↩]
3. No purchase necessary! [↩]
4. Void where prohibited! [↩]
5. Offers not outside of the continental United States or two-dimensional space [↩]

Ada Lovelace

I’d like to think of last week’s design challenges as a great success.  The first was an OpenSCAD challenge to recreate an inverse Turner’s Cube and the second was another OpenSCAD challenge to create a 20-sided die that had the number “20″ imprinted into each side.

Given that today is Ada Lovelace day the lightning challenge is to share something inspired by the first computer programmer, Ada Lovelace.¹  If you need help finding inspiration, just check out the marathon of posts at Adafruit Industries as they profile women in technology, science, and math throughout the day in celebration.  Here’s how you can participate in this challenge:

1. Create a printable design inspired by Ada Lovelace or awesome woman in technology, science, mathematics
2. Upload your STL to Thingiverse and tag it with “adalovelace“

Super awesome best happy good luck friendship points shall be awarded to (1) the first person to upload their Ada Lovelace inspired design and (2) the most creative design.

1. Thanks for reminding me Schmarty! [↩]

Booyah!

Congratulations to br3ttb who crushed the Inverse Turner’s Cube challenge within about an hour of the post going up. ¹  Also, congratulations are in order to Whosawhatsis for posting the most elegant OpenSCAD solution using the least amount of code.  They are each the recipient of 9000 internet points, bragging rights, and OpenSCAD kudos.

Given that these guys just smashed that challenge almost immediately, I feel compelled to post another challenge.

I want to roll 20′s.

1. Create a regular icosahedron, a 20-sided polyhedron, with the number 20 on each side.
2. Upload your STL and OpenSCAD design file to Thingiverse
3. Tag your design with “iroll20s“

As always, the totally imaginary and elusive prizes shall be awarded to (1) the first to upload and (2) the person who upload with the fewest lines of code. ²

first? by br3ttb

tried to bang this out as quickly as possible to win 9000 internet points ( makerbot.com/blog/2011/09/29/openscad-puzzle-challenge-how-would-you-make-this/) openscad's modular nature made this challenge pretty easy. make one shpere with 3 square through-holes, then repeat 3 times with a different radius.

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1. Photo courtesy of Camera John [↩]
2. You’re not going to let these two guys win twice in one day, are you? [↩]

Above is just a quick screenshot of some of the latest robot mascots to roll in to the GrabCAD challenge. With over 75 entries so far — and enough correspondence suggesting another thirty or so robots soon to debut — the competition is no longer just heating up, it is passing through a state change.

If you are still putting the final touches on your entry, make sure to check the entry deadline time and requirements carefully. With this many incredible entries, there is no chance GrabCAD will be extending the deadline. And it would be a terrible tragedy for this entry window to close with your (robotic) baby tapping its fore-limb against the porthole of the GrabCAD MakerBot Challenge airship.

MakerBot Industries had a great time at World Maker Faire this year sharing the Turtle Shell Racers on the MakerBot Raceway as well as twenty Thing-O-Matics sporting brand new Stepstruder® MK7 toolheads. We have put together a few of our favorite photos from the event. Check out our slideshow for highlights from the weekend.

We are particularly proud of our MakerBot Raceway winners — who each more than deserved their MakerBot Awesome Awards! They have their very own winners slideshow below.

Toy Robot Toolkit by tbuser

There are now 21 entries in the MakerBot Mascot GrabCAD Challenge with just 9 days to go!  You can check out the hopeful robot mascot competitors here.  There’s still time to design and upload your own!

Showcasing the endless possibilities of the Thing-O-Matic, the New Museum MakerBot Challenge is open to the entire creative community. Embodying the New Museum’s mission of “New Art, New Ideas,” this interactive and experiential Challenge aims to push the concept of the “derivative,” by improving on or personalizing established design conventions. From the banal toothbrush to complex bicycle gears, how can 3D printing help to develop the world around us?

Prizes

The winning design will be printed on a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic on display in the New Museum’s window. The winning designer will receive a New Museum Deluxe membership ($400 value), a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic® Kit ($1299 value), and a special invitation to the New Museum MakerBot Challenge launch party.

Five runner-ups will have their designs printed by MakerBot and sent to them.

How to enter

- If you are not already registered, sign up for an account at Thingiverse.com

- Upload your 3D files, and tag them with NewMuseumChallenge by October 31st, 2011

- In the description, write a statement about your design. What is the design a derivative of? How does it improve on or challenge existing design conventions?

Rules

- Designs may be one single part or multiple parts that are each smaller than 4 x 4 x 4 ¾ in (100 x 100 x 120 mm) and printable on a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic.

- Different parts can be made in white, yellow, orange, red, UV reactive red, UV reactive nuclear green, camping green, blue, black, and glow-in-the-dark.

- The design may require multiple builds, however no more than three builds are allowed.

- Designs may include other parts like screws or LEDs but keep in mind the jurors will be looking for designs that utilize 3D printing’s ability to empower everyone to download, print and use the design.

Who’s in the jury?

A team from both MakerBot and the New Museum will select the final designs. The jurors are looking for designs that utilize the unique ability of 3D printing to personalize and improve on the world around us.

And last, here are a few existing Thingiverse items that we think belong in this challenge:

Earbud holder by arkatipe

I made this specifically because my brother wanted something that wasn't easily molded with an injection molding machine. The undercuts on the bollards and the jack port should make it impossible, if not unrealistically expensive to make that way. The picture is pretty self explanatory. Put earbuds in, wind and then push the jack end into the hole provided. EDIT: This only seems to work with the new iPod / iphone earbuds with the volume control buttons on the cord. Thanks to all those who tried with other earbuds.

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Soap Dish by TrevorLaw

The instructions for this soap dish are embedded into the part itself.

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Reddit Upvote/Downvote Button Enclosure by TheNewHobbyist

These are the files for the Reddit Upvote/Downvote Button Enclosure I built to fit a project I was working on. This is just barely big enough to fit a Teensy development board and a couple of buttons. I've included the code and better instructions on the project itself on my blog here: thenewhobbyist.com/2011/07/am-i-doing-this-right-reddit-upvote-button/ I've also included in the images for this thing my wiring diagram if you'd like to take a shot at making your own. Being able to print a project box to my exact dimensions was as expected, awesome. Here's a video of it in action:youtube.com/watch?v=yNkKHRwk3MA&feature=player_embedded New Museum Challenge Notes: The ability to 3D model and print the enclosure and buttons for this project allowed me to make design decisions that would not have been possible using conventional methods. The arrow buttons for example, are not available through any distributor I could find commercially. Additionally the enclosure itself is the exact size (down to the millimeter) to fit my electronics. I believe the conventional idea of using off the shelf parts and fitting your designs into them is coming to an end. The ability to translate my vision for this project to a physical object would not be possible without access to a 3D printer.

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Bar Hairclip - NyanCat and Slim by Bioluminescence

Iterating on the previous 'plain' hairclip (see comparison image), this new SLIM version disposes of the need of a 3rd spring, and trims down the size significantly without reducing strength or function. I personally find this version to be even more secure to wear, but feedback on how it fits on other people's hair would be very welcome indeed! This particular rainbow version, I printed using a welded-together string of several colo(u)rs of ABS - coming to a total of 79cm (31") of 3mm filament. The Nyan-Cat add-on, can be printed separately, painted, and glued on with hot glue. Nyancat YouTube video: youtube.com/watch?v=QH2-TGUlwu4

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MEG-i-PHONE!!!!!!! by zgbot

i modified the original by making the cone snap in and out as well as chopping off the hard corners. print it with exterior support this is still a work in progress, it works but i can make it better the large cone i printed failed half way through so i glued it to another cone i had to make a super mega phone cone. the straight one with the small cone is pretty damn loud i drilled out the hole so its not the correct size for slip in fit. this is a video of the sound differenceflickr.com/photos/zgbot/5516445973/

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