MakerBot Industries

Carbon Fiber Arducopter/Quadcopter Frame by Octovir

One of the things I really like about being able to print 3D objects is that designs and solutions can be so much more than duct tape and paperclip hacks.  If your designs are centered around existing and readily available objects – say Pez dispensers or 2 liter bottles – your finished project can be every bit as professional as the thing for which those parts were intended.  Thingiverse user Octovir is working on developing a Carbon Fiber Arducopter/Quadcopter using printed parts.  Since a MakerBot Thing-O-Matic won’t produce carbon fiber parts¹ , the real issue is where do you find light weight and strong carbon fiber parts?

Answer:  Arrow shafts.

A 3D printer, like no other tool, let’s you combine and remix existing objects for endless repurposing.  In a sense, it’s the ultimate recycling machine.

Carbon Fiber Arducopter/Quadcopter Frame by Octovir

So I purchased an Arducopter Pre-assembled and tested, Something I rarely do. Maybe it was a subconscious action then, that within a week I had smashed it into the ground? Now I am designing and rebuilding it, testing and learning and really enjoying it. Some pieces survived and I had initially thought to design things as a replacement/upgrade. Now I think that would be silly to tell people to "Print these, and buy these 'special' parts", so I am making the attempt to make this frame fully DIY... I haven't really been documenting the process, but initially it seemed there would be a slight weight savings in the carbon fiber/ABS parts vs the stock arducopter aluminum/acrylic parts. Maybe some different construction methods could be used to increase savings? This is very much a work in progress, but thought I'd get the idea out in order get some feedback and enable collaboration.

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1. Yet!!! [↩]

Gnome and Gnome

There is no doubt Tony Buser has definitely done more for the 3D printing community than anyone else when it comes to advancing gnome duplication and teleportation technology.  However, I’m convinced that his SpinScan open source software and hadware has a larger potential besides assisting in the controversial practice of gnome cloning. ¹  Tony hasn’t finalized the materials list, but the final project would probably involve a decent web camera with good low light performance² , a cheap laser³ , a stepper driver, a stepper motor, an arduino, a few bearings, threaded rod, and some nuts and bolts.  The whole lot would set you back around $200 and significantly less if you can scavenge a few parts.

So, if you could scan and print anything, what would it be?⁴

Spinscan by tbuser

Gnome Scan #3 by tbuser

This one came out pretty well and is the most complete 360 degree gnome scan yet. It was also the first scan using my new printed turntable and spinscan software from thingiverse.com/thing:9972 Spinscan isn't calculating the Z axis correctly, so if you download the point cloud you'll see it was stretched. I had to shrink the Z axis in blender. Other then that and 2 steps in meshlab, it required no cleanup or merging of multiple point clouds, spinscan got a complete scan of all sides in one go.

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1. I mean, the anti-gnome-stem-cell lobby is just insane! [↩]
2. Perhaps around $100 [↩]
3. He got a $4 laser from eBay [↩]
4. But, perhaps a better question is…  what are you waiting for?! [↩]

See that compact grid of 36 white LEDs in the picture? It’s called the openVolver. Just about the size of a wrestler’s fist, the openVolver can store thousands of animation patterns on a memory card that you can design individually on just about any computer.

Friends, this is no ordinary blinky project.  Those 36 LEDs are diffused, have 255 levels of thumb-wheel controlled brightness, run on a single 9V battery and can be worn on a lanyard (oh, you’ll be noticed).  We’ve already included 59 separate animations with intriguing names like ‘edgewerks‘,  ’snuggles_butts‘ and ‘4 drunks‘. I’ll give you a hint on that last one, 4 friends (as LEDs of course) trying desperately to find each other in the night, but never quite pulling it off.

If you’re too modest to wear it on your chest, we’ve included a plexiglass faceplate that can turn it into a great desktop companion (it’s very easy to use with a DC power supply). And if you have access to a makerbot, we can’t wait to to see what kind of holders and cases you’ll upload to Thingiverse.

The openVolver comes as a kit that anyone with some modest soldering skills can build. To get a sense of it, take a look at the clearly laid out instructions and the animation software right here.

the openVolver is a lovely design by our very talented friends at the New York art collective Image Node . They’ve been making the openVolver in various incarnations and taking them to Burning Man for many years – so we know this Blinkytronic  can in the very least withstand playa dust.

So why wait? Go to the makerbot store and order one today!

Here’s something a bit different: an abstract, decorative pattern printable in hexagonal sections.  Thingiverse creator fdavies‘ descriptions are more than a bit opaque, but it seems like clever makers could come up with any number of pretty awesome uses for something like this.  I’m thinking of printing a bunch of these to line a window and create a light-filtering-through-arabesque kind of effect.  I’m hoping it will make my bathroom seem like Granada.  (I might have to make a loop of some Spanish guitar music to enhance the effect; some tilework wouldn’t hurt either.)

What other decorative designs are hiding in plain sight among the down-to-earth engineering solutions found on Thingiverse?  Has anybody used something like this for a striking, high-design installation in their office/apartment/dorm room/nerd cave?  Let us know in the comments.

Hexagonal lattice by fdavies

An attractive pattern I found in an old book.

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Hexagonal lattice 2 by fdavies

Another attractive pattern from an old book.

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Check out minipimmer’s longboard camera mount! ^1 2  While designed for his specific camera phone, phone case, and board – the ideas here could easily be adapted for use with just about any combination of phone, camera, and skateboard.  Minipimmer offers a sage disclaimer that “Note this is meant to take movies while cruising and going around in a calm way, this is not meant for tricks, please don’t blame me if you use this and you run over your phone!!”

Now I’m thinking someone just might need to design one that is designed to hold a camera/phone in place during tricks.  Also, how about a snowboard cam mount!

Samsung Galaxy S phone skateboard mount by minipimmer

This is a simple mount to attach a mobile phone to a skateboard to record movies. It is made to match the shape of a Samsung Galaxy S but may be modified to fit other phones easily. The mount is split in two pieces which makes it easy to print and also allows to easily detach the phone from the skateboard when not in use without having to unscrew anything. The bottom piece is meant to be screwed to the board. The holes are made to match the existing holes in the board used to hold the wheels, some boards (specially longboards) have spare holes so you can change the distance between the wheels. These spare holes can be used to hold the bottom piece. If you don't have spare holes you might need to make them :-(. The union between the two pieces is based on friction and there's 1mm of gap between the hole and the peg, depending on your printing results you may need to adjust this so that they hold tightly. Note this is meant to take movies while cruising and going around in a calm way, this is not meant for tricks, please don't blame me if you use this and you run over your phone!! UPDATE: I made an enhanced version with a leg and a slightly bigger bracket to hold the phone with a rubber cover. The model name for this version is "grapaFUNDA". UPDATE #2: Here comes a lame video I recorded using this: youtube.com/watch?v=qzGVhhiwzAs

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1. aka “ShoeCam” [↩]
2. I made that up. [↩]

I didn’t really “get” this amazing Robotic Hand until I saw it in printed form.  Thingiverse user armjunkie has really achieved something awesome here: it’s a string-actuated hand with as many articulations as in a human hand; it’s mostly printed, using just a few metal parts as connectors (props to anyone who designs a screw-less version using tbuser’s pin connectors).

This is quite an old design, at least in Thingiverse terms, but armjunkie has just updated it with a series of photos like this one (including a Flickr set)  and even a few videos of the hand in action.  It’s nice to see someone with both the vision to conceive of something like this and the tenacity to bring it to fruition.

Here’s a hearty “well done” from all of us at the Botcave!

Robotic Hand by armjunkie

I would like to create this using a 3d printer. Dental rubber bands for braces act as tendons and hold the hand in a rigid state. When strings are pulled corresponding joints will fold, making the fingers open and close. I plan to have servo motors pull and release the strings.Here is a video of an earlier revision:youtube.com/watch?v=fKrzORMTyOEA crude prototype of the concept made from tubing, rubberbands, and zip ties:youtube.com/watch?v=_mID_RQ7qIsTesting of the "controller" glove. Only a single flex sensor installed:youtube.com/watch?v=OmnV2m10EykOriginal inspiration for this project is from:sciencetoymaker.org/robothand/assembl.htmlVideo of the Printed Robot Hand in action:youtube.com/watch?v=WPuke73UgL4Flickr Set:flic.kr/s/aHsjvC1JYr

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SIGGRAPH 2011 - Portable, super-high-resolution 3-D imaging from MIT

It used to be that creating highly detailed microscopic scans required huge expensive pieces of equipment, vibration isolation tables and hours of processing.  Researchers at MIT have developd a cheap small and portable 3D scanner about the size of a soda can that can detect features as small as 0.0001 mm tall and 0.0002 mm wide – and it can create the 3D images nearly instantaneously.

I cannot wait to plug one of these into my Thing-O-Matic!

Hattip to SlashDo

Have you printed dozens of heads from our New York Notables series?  Guess what: Thingiverse modeler Thaed has created a clever new use for them.  Bookends!  Now, instead of being constrained to the hidebound bookend-bust choices of yore, the Aristotles and Kierkegaards of your parents, you can print exciting, modern-day media stars like Cory Doctorow or Ronen Verbit!  Thaed (and family) have chosen living legend Laurie Anderson.

The story behind Thaed’s desire to create these bookends is also worth a read.  Kudos for creating a helpful, stress-reducing household necessity.

Bookends for Makerbot Busts. by Thaed

Sometimes the story behind the object that you create is more valuable than the object itself. You see, my wife is chronically organized and must keep a clean house always. I, on the other hand, have a great deal of chaos in my blood. Moreover, if I am not reminded of an object by seeing it, I forget that it exists. The case in point illustrates this perfectly. My wife and I went to the library a few weeks ago and I got a half a dozen books. At home, she immediately put them in a basket and I promptly forgot about them. I was only reminded of the books 3 weeks later when the library emailed me about renewing them. In the shower this morning (where I do my best thinking) it occurred to me that I should put them on the desk in my lab where my dear wife does not willingly tread. Then I thought that the books would get in the way unless I could organize them. Of course! I could print a book end! And then the mental leap: I could print a Laurie Anderson book end!!! I jumped out of the shower to write it down so I wouldn't forget it before I dried off. Of course it doesn't have to be Ms. Anderson, it could be Bre, Tony, Colbert or any of the other great busts.

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Those of you lucky enough to be in Vancouver right now attending SIGGRAPH 2011 – the world conference of computer graphics and interactivity luminaries — might have noticed that MakerBot has shown up…with a mini-BotFarm!

Make sure to drop by and say hello to MakerBot Co-Founder Adam and Distribution & Customer Support Manager Isaac!

Deathstar by Andr0id

Even before I had my very first MakerBot assembled and operational, there was something I wanted to print – a Deathstar.  I’m a big believer in setting goals.  I helps to keep one honest and true to one’s own intentions.  When it comes to my own to-do list of things I’ve always wanted to print, a little Deathstar just kept getting put off because I was always having too much fun designing and printing other things. ¹²

So!  Thank you to Thingiverse user Andr0id for helping me cross one more thing off my 3D printing list!

Deathstar by Andr0id

Could not find a Deathstar on Thingiverse so I made one. This is in three parts. I made it so you could put a light inside. The light would shine through the small hole in the cannon dish. Feel free to make it better or with more detail. The picture does not do it justice.

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1. Amusingly, it really wouldn’t have taken all that long!  It would probably have been about 10 lines in OpenSCAD. [↩]
2. Make that exactly 10 lines!
   1. difference()
   2. {
   3.      sphere(30,$fn=30);
   4.      translate([29,0,29]) sphere(15, $fn=30);
   5.      difference()
   6.      {
   7.           cylinder(2,32,32,center=true);
   8.           cylinder(3,28,28,center=true);
   9.      }
   10. }

   [↩]