MakerBot Industries

Thing-o-Matic Alternate Front Panel by dougkeenan

Sometimes a simple hack is all it takes.  Just look at dougkeenan’s “Thing-o-Matic Alternate Front Panel.”

Why would you want a front panel that has a little divot in the left side?  Well, if you’re rocking a MakerBot Automated Build Platform, you already the know the answer.  The MakerBot ABP has gears that advance the conveyor belt so that it can keep printing part after part.  However, those gears on the side rob the operator of a few precious millimeters of build space in the X direction.¹  My making a little cut out, dougkeenan has effectively increased the build area for his Thing-O-Matic.  One of the cool things is that you could even just cut this little piece out of your front panel and gain the extra build area too!

Thing-o-Matic alternate front panel by dougkeenan

panel outline is slightly trapezoidal, with a notch for the ABP gears

This thing brought to you by

1. Left and right. [↩]

Paper rolls

I was chatting with a friend about the new “MakerBot party mode,” when I wondered if anyone had ever tried using a Unicorn in conjunction with an Automated Build Platform and a tape roll from a calculator. ¹²

I think it would be really cool to have something like this.  It could be used to run a Unicorn continuously, churning out little stick figures dancing on a roll of paper.  Or, perhaps, a novel written in reverse. ^34 5

I suspect in order to do this successfully you would need:

1. To run the Unicorn relatively slowly.  This way the paper wouldn’t be shoved out of shape too much as it rolled in
2. Only draw pictures within a relatively small area.  Again, so that the paper wouldn’t be shoved out of shape
3. The tape roll would have to run from somewhere outside the rear of the ‘bot.  The full roll would add a lot of mass to the XY platform.  I suppose this wouldn’t be a problem if you ran the Unicorn slowly enough.
4. A clamp might be needed to hold the tape roll to the motorized ABP axle.  This would help keep the paper in place as you print and also grip the paper when it needs to roll forward.  I suppose an alternative is to use a variation on the ABP that would
5. To re-write the Unicorn code so that it would move the paper forward as it printed.  It could advance the paper as little as one line at a time or roll through to a totally new section.

Did I miss anything?  What else might you need?

1. These still exist, right? [↩]
2. Photo courtesy of Steve Snodgrass [↩]
3. I would call it: “It Did Butler The”  A time traveling butler tries to clean up the past…  but ends up causing the disasters he seeks to prevent. [↩]
4. I have to say…  that doesn’t sound nearly as awful as I had intended it to be… [↩]
5. If you’re interested in the movie rights, e-mail me. [↩]

Paper/Kapton ABP Conveyor Belt by AVataRR

New Thing-O-Matic owners will be pleased to know that your robot kits will be shipped with pre-formed pre-assembled conveyor belts.  For everyone else, the MakerBot store has these in stock.  I’ve got one installed in my Thing-O-Matic and it doesn’t snag or pull apart as my self-assembled one sometimes did.  Assembling the automated build platform conveyor belt from the die cut PET parallelogram and Kapton tape can be challenging, especially without a friend to help.

Thingiverse Citizen AVataRR just uploaded his method for creating a paper/Kapton ABP conveyor belt using regular A4 paper, a tracing of the die cut plastic belt, and Kapton tape.  For those of you without a die cut plastic belt on hand, you could always use Mraiser’s scan of the belt.  When asked in the comments about the risk of fire, he explained:

I think as long as the paper is kept away from naked flames or sparks, it should be right. The auto ignition temperature of paper is ~450 degrees C. The ABP only goes up to 110 degrees C and the plastruder hovers between ~220 to ~230 degrees C during printing.

Clearly, someone has read his Ray Bradbury.  Awesome work AVataRR!

Simple fix for ABP gear slip by tc_fea

Tony Cervantes brings us this tiny timely tale of tragedy and triumph on Thingiverse:¹²

I ruined the snap fit slot on my MakerBot Automated Build Platform while I was learning to use the ABP. (Tranlated to English: I had to replace the belt several times due to my screw-ups.)

The wooden snap fit slot holding the geared roller loosened to point where the motor gear would force the roller gear out of the slot and slip.

Tony’s fix involves cutting a two inch section off of a standard paperclip and bending it around the metal motor and the metal for the conveyor belt.  Apparently his hack has lasted through at least 14 builds.

If this has happened to your Automated Build Platform, you might want to try off a new side panel using Chooch’s Printable ABP.

1. Today’s post has been brought to you by the letter “T” and the number “5″ [↩]
2. There’s no particular reason for the alliteration – I just started typing and got carried away. [↩]

Since the introduction of the teflon-coated nozzles for the Plastruder MK5, the MakerBot Automated Build Platform v1.0 has been shipping with a silicone nozzle wiper instead of a wire brush.

Assembly couldn’t be easier: the small piece of extreme-temperature silicone rubber comes pre-bored with a bolt hole.Slide nylon washer onto the M3 x 20mm bolt. Press barrel of bolt down through the top of the wiper bolt hole, and then mount the unit onto the tiny protuberance to the left of the build surface (where the wire brush had previously been mounted). In the Botcave, often the upright portion of the wiper is closer to the electronics ports on the heated build surface than the toothed gears at the front of the ABP. (Note that this choice requires you to offset your y-axis placement when establishing the “zero” position to just behind the wiper so the wiper path — originally crossing the current bolt position — now crosses the silicone flap.) Other Operators flip the wiper backwards with the flap on the forward side of the mount point so that they don’t have to adjust their starting placement. (I recommend that latter option.) Tighten the M3 nut underneath the tiny platform to lock wiper into place.

Depending on how you mount your Plastruder to the Z-stage (ie thumb screws, bare bolts, etc.), you might consider trimming down the flap to a height that your mounting points clear or grace the top of the silicone. The current default MakerBot Automated Build Platform wiping settings send the nozzle across the wiper at 6mm height, so that is the factor to start with when considering whether to trim your wiper or not. (I trimmed my wiper to 8.5mm, measured from bottom of L to top of flap.)

Done! Molten plastic “boogers” (a technical term?) no longer interrupt your serial printing pleasure….

These instructions have been added to the Automated Build Platform assembly instructions as well.

NYCDesigner's PET automated build platform conveyor belt

Sometimes there is just no replacement for experimentation.  I’ve been using my Automated Build Platform for about two weeks now¹ , but have found its utility varies with the material I’m using.  Here’s what I’ve tried along with a few notes:

• The mylar belt works much better with ABS than with PLA. ²
• Sanding the mylar belt slightly did not help the PLA stick any better.
• Heating the build platform did not seem to help the PLA stick any better.
• Using just the mylar belt with a single strip of Kapton tape running around one edge of the belt works much better than wrapping the entire belt in Kapton tape.  I noticed that when the Kapton is doubled over itself it will develop wrinkles once it has been around the conveyor.  These wrinkles then remain causing an uneven build surface.
• NYCDesigner tried out a PET belt, which he found easier to assemble than the included mylar belts, but didn’t notice the PET working any better.
• Anfroholic suggested sanding the build surface in only one direction, to preserve the peaks and valleys on the build surface.
• Feilen suggested a Kapton belt has worked excellently.
• I’ve found that blue painter’s tape works great with PLA.  I haven’t tried wrapping it around my entire conveyor belt, just the print area, but I’m hopeful it would work that way too.

And a bonus list of THINGS TO NOT DO WITH YOUR AUTOMATED BUILD PLATFORM:

• Don’t turn on the motorized conveyor belt while your object is still quite hot – especially if your object is very thin.  My test USB enclosure just became even thinner when the motor pulled it down underneath the actual build platform.
• Don’t wrinkle your PET belt.  That’s going to cause problems with an uneven printing surface and they’re difficult (impossible?) to get out.
• Don’t run your automated build platform backwards – it will make the Kapton tape pull up.

What have you learned with your automated build platform?  What are you using for your conveyor belt?  Are you sanding in any particular way?

1. And loving it! [↩]
2. And, frankly, PLA is my new favorite thermoplastic. [↩]

Easy path to upgrades

Here’s one of the things I love about open source projects – clear to understand and consistent upgrade paths.¹

To put this in perspective, I have a name brand GPS unit.  Shortly after buying it that company released a new version that was thinner and had some new features.  Alas, no such upgrades were available for my unit.  And, really, that’s just silly.  My unit has a processor, memory, a small hard drive, and a GPS receiver.  Why shouldn’t I be able to just update the firmware to get these new features? ²

Last month brought lots of cool new upgrades for MakerBot printers as well as a brand new printer, the Thing-O-Matic.  Since MakerBot Cupcake CNC’s are an open source project, you have an opportunity with your printer I don’t have with my GPS.  The parts are designed to be modular, updated, swapped out, and hacked.  Unlike with my GPS, a 3D printer owner need not ever worry about being left behind by upgrades.  With the designs online, you can even source (or print!) all the parts you need.

Now that I’ve picked up all the upgrades for my own Cupcake, I can highly recommend them.  The MK5 Plastruder gives an extremely smooth extrusion and the Deluxe Filament Spindle Box box gives you tangle and hassle free filament feeding.  The Automated Build Platform has worked for me admirably as a heated build platform – but I expect it will work better as I get the hang of it.

1. Photo courtesy of eggman [↩]
2. Also, if it were open source I could have modified the on-screen keyboard to be QWERTY rather than have keys in alphabetical order. [↩]

On Wednesday Bre revealed MakerBot has a new printer in the works. ¹  Frankly, I have a tough time imagining what a new printer would be like. ²  With an Automated Build Platform, which incorporates a heated build surface, and a MK5 Plastruder you’ve got just about everything you could want out of a 3D printer.

I’ve been really impressed with my MK5 Plastruder.  I’ve been pretty lucky and rarely have filament jams, so I haven’t seen any improvements going from a MK4 to the MK5.  However, it’s given me a really smooth, even extrusion.  With my MK4 I noticed very slight imperfections in the ABS rafts and layers – like small bubbles and imperfections in the extrusion every few millimeters.  With my MK5, these have been almost eliminated.  I’ve also noticed that the minor blobs that used to occur when the Cupcake raised the Z platform have gotten smaller.  I haven’t made many changes to the Skeinforge profile, so I tempted to attribute this improvement to the new plastruder.  Perhaps one of the coolest improvements is the ease with which I can now swap filament.  The MK4 system for pulling out a filament required me to slowly back the filament out using ReplicatorG.  The Paxtruder-inspired Delrin plug can be loosened, filament yanked out of a warm plastruder, new filament jammed in, and the plug tightened back up in 10-15 seconds.  I can definitely tell you this makes me far more likely to swap out colors.  In fact, I’m tempted to try swapping out colors part way through a build, just to see what happens.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to fire up my heated or automated build platforms yet, so I can’t comment on their utility.  However, I’m keenly aware of just how much even a minor temperature increase can improve a build’s quality.  I’ve noticed that after about two print jobs my acrylic build platform is slightly warm to the touch.  This might be due to having a few warm layers of plastic on it – or might just be due to the slightly increased ambient temperature inside the Cupcake caused by the warm plastic, power supply, and from the plastruder.  In any case, even this slight temperature increase has been enough to cause a second and especially a third print job to noticeably more flat than preceding print jobs.  Having a print bed that gets more than just slightly warm must be pretty great.

I’ve never wanted or needed to print anything larger than my current build size.  Besides, that would also increase the build time.  I’m just not that patient. 

So, just what the heck could a new printer possibly bring to the table?  Or, more importantly, what would you want to see in a new printer?

1. Photo courtesy of jmtimages [↩]
2. I guess that’s why I just blog about their developments and they’re the ones who actually dream up new robots! [↩]

It may be harder to print a unicorn on this printer...

I love seeing printable versions of MakerBot parts.  Tmophoto just uploaded a printable version of the brand spanking new Unicorn.¹

What other MakerBot parts can you print up with your own MakerBot?  Oh, nothing much, just…

• Printable Automated Build Platform
• Printable 3D scanner
• Printable Paxtruder
• Printruder, printruder, and printruder
• Printable Frostruder
• Printable dinos, printable dinos, and printable dinos

1. Photo courtesy of gis [↩]

Clamp solutions for friendless tinkerers

This post could also be entitled “How to build an Automated Build Platform if you have no friends.”  There are a lot of assembly steps that would be a lot easier if you have a second pair of hands or special clamps for holding things.  If you’re like me you have neither. 

1. If you don’t have a set of special clamps for holding parts in place, you can wrap a rubber band around the handles of a pair of pliers.  This will make it grip tight enough to hold small parts steady. (Pictured above)
2. If you don’t have a second set of hands for holding little pieces down, you could just use a small piece of tape to keep them in place.  This seemed to work out pretty well for me. (Pictured above)
3. I have some really long heavy gauge twist-tie like wires.  Sometimes I will twist them around parts in order to position them easily.  With this project I found it easiest to wrap the motor wires around a roll of blue painter’s tape so that the ends stuck off about an inch or so.  Doing this kept the wire weighted down and leads positioned so that I could easily tin them.
4. It’s important that you gently press down on the small resistor and capacitor as you solder them down on the one side.  If you don’t, the small parts will actually shift as the solder melts.¹
5. I used my utility knife in place of the exacto/razor knife for all steps requiring a knife.  I’d suggest being super careful no matter what you use.
6. When soldering the second lead of the thermistor, it would be better to cut the small piece of wire to just barely overlap with the lead for the thermistor.  When you attach the lasercut top to the automated build platform, there’s a large cutout that will accommodate the bumps left from the soldered parts – so they won’t be squished flat against the lasercut top.  If you trim the small piece of wire, there will be less of a bump between the circuit board and the lasercut top, allowing the platform to be slightly more level.
7. If you are assembling the belt without a friend, it’s pretty easy to take a longer piece of kapton tape (say 30mm or so) and tape both ends to a table or other clean surface.  Then you can easily lay the belt on it without getting anything tangled.
8. A word of warning – I followed the directions pretty closely and ended up with a belt that looked exactly like the belt shown in the step that says, “Bend the creases to remove them. Your result should look like this.”  However, in the next step it appears the belt is in a mirrored position.  I doubt this makes a difference in its operation, so I forged ahead with the rest of the build.
9. When assembling the rollers I found it easiest to put a piece of folded cardboard on the ground, brace the metal shaft against the cardboard, and force the rubber tube down onto it.
10. When assembling the cables, it took me a few minutes to understand how the blade worked with the plastic housing.  I thought I was supposed to press down with the blade as I yanked on the wire.  In reality, it’s a lot easier.  You just press down into the hole in the plastic housing.  When you do, you’ll end up folding a small metal tab downwards.  That metal tab is what keeps the wires from sliding out.  So, once the tabs are pressed in, set down your blade, and the leads will just slide out easily.
11. Before assembling any lasercut parts, I would wipe down all the wooden parts with a paper towel.  They’re fresh out of a laser cutter, so there’s a small amount of ash on the edges.  A quick wipe will mean your parts aren’t going to be all smudgy later.
12. I didn’t see where in the assembly instructions sandpaper was required.  It is useful to have around never the less. 

What is up with the T slots?

However, I noticed one very odd thing while assembling my automated build platform.  I’ve come to appreciate MakerBot designs for not wasting material, making the best use of space, and just being overall elegant and streamlined.  When I was done assembling my automated build platform, I had four nuts and four bolts left over.  I also noticed that even though the automated build platform was secured to the Y platform using five small magnets² , the underside of the build platform has four T-slots that are completely unused!³

What’s that about?

1. I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t hold them down and this is exactly what happened.  All I had to do to fix it was re-melt the solder with my soldering iron and press gently on the part. [↩]
2. Indicated roughly by the yellow dots above. [↩]
3. Indicated by the red arrows above. [↩]