MakerBot Industries

We are very pleased to announce that we have received a shipment of Rob Giseburt’s ingenious 5d shield for the Cupcake/Gen3 motherboard.  If you’re not familiar with the project, have a look here or here for full details.

This is small board that adds another stepper axis to the Cupcake/Gen3 motherboard so you can more easily add a stepper-based extruder to your setup.

This community-supported project is a great way for advanced users to add new capabilities to their Cupcakes.  Check it out on the store!

Prusa Mendel Cupcake production files by kliment

A “printing plate,” sometimes referred to as a “production plate,” is the practice of organizing the pieces of a multi-part print so that several parts will fit onto a build area.  They help streamline printing and production by reducing the number of separate printing tasks.  Organizing your multi-part print onto plates is a relatively easy design trick for improving your speed of production.  Here are a few tips in case you’re doing this:

• Draw a square or rectangle the shape of your build platform into the design.  Try to organize your parts onto that square¹ and delete the square when done. ²
• Start by placing the largest piece onto a square, then adding the largest piece you can manage to the plate.  Add as many little pieces as you can around the larger parts.
• If you are printing slot-together parts, you can safely mirror or flip the pieces.  Once printed, they’ll be functionally identical whether they were printed face-up or face-down.
• Packing parts together can actually reduce warping and curling.  You may find that the extra parts will either provide apron-like mechanical advantages by holding down corners or thermal walls.
• If certain parts need to be printed multiple times, put them with other parts that need to be printed multiple times.  In the case of Dino-Girl’s spidersaur, it has two different kinds of legs – four identical long legs and four identical shorter legs.  It also had a body panel and a fang part that needed to be printed twice each.  I created one plate with a long leg, a short leg, and the body panel and another plate with a long leg, short leg, and the fang part.  If you print each of those plates twice, you end up with four long legs, four short legs, two body panels, and two fang parts.
• Ask for help!  I had a lot of trouble organizing the last five parts onto the fifth printing plate.  I enlisted the help of two other Thingiverse citizens, Syvwlch and Renosis, in organizing this plate.  They each solved it in a nearly identical fashion in far less time than I had spent trying to figure it out.
• Use a stepper extruder.  If you’re packing parts in closely together, you’re going to want the kind of fine-grain control a MK6 stepper extruder can provide.

What other tips do you have for creating printing plates?

1. Or rectangle [↩]
2. Ed of Softsolder.com suggests using a matrix of small cubes. [↩]

The latest webivision webispode of MakerBot’s weekly series on all things MakerBot.

• Bre shares a 3D scan time lapse from the New York Notables series — challenging viewers to identify the model.
• Matt interviews MakerBot staffer Ana Ranches about her Thingiverse love — a shout out to the Ladies of Thingiverse.
• Ethan shares a tip¹ for getting your shell game sorted in ReplicatorG.
• And Isaac introduces the MakerBot Father’s Day Sale — the best deal in 3D printing history.

1. including using MiseryBot’s Test Stripes part [↩]

PCB Milling Using A MakerBot Cupcake

MakerBot Operator Keith wanted to use his MakerBot CupCake to perform PCB milling. His MakerBot kit doesn’t come with a dremel mount — but when you are a MakerBot Operator, this is no obstacle. (Take a look at all of the incredible “dremel” related mods and toolholders up on Thingiverse.com here!)

One of the great benefits to buying a user-assembled, user-modifiable product from an Open Hardware company is that where other companies might seal up their cases with tamper-resistant torx screws, with a MakerBot you are welcome to roll up your sleeves and get hacking.

Keith has spent several weekends exploring how to mill PCBs with his CupCake (from first attempt, to first mod, to build surface tweak), figuring out what modifications he needed at each stage and then printing and/or building the solution. His project is gets closer and closer with each round of experimentation.

Many of our CupCake MakerBot Operators have now purchased our leveled-up, second generation printer, the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic, for their primary 3D printer. But rather than neglecting their hardy CupCakes they are willing to experiment with them, shift them into a number of new roles – from pen-plotting stations to ceramic printers to milling tools. The MakerBot Operators are an enterprising bunch who tend to share what they create and heap praise on the incredible innovation from their peers. Keep your eyes on the Thingiverse “Newest” category for an endless procession of interesting projects like Keith’s for ideas for what else you might do with your MakerBot. Beyond having a 3D printer on your desk to create anything you can dream of, that is.

Thing-o-matic modified backplane to accomodate rear-mounted electronics by usiegj00

I realize full well that there are very practical reasons for wanting external electronics on a 3D printer.  That’s one of the cool things about the MakerBot Cupcake CNC.  It’s a snap to just jump right in, disconnect some wires, swap out circuit boards, and generally just hack and tinker away.

With an automated build platform, MK5 extruder¹ , MK6 plus heater upgrade kit, safety cutoff switch, Twotimes Z-rider, and Twotimes Mendel inspired XY lowrider carriage you can upgrade your Cupcake to near-Thing-O-Matic abilities.

Seeing usiegjoo’s modification of their Thing-O-Matic gave me a good chuckle.  Ever since seeing Charles Pax’s Muffin CNC, I wanted to perform a similar hack to put the electronics inside my Cupcake.  So, despite knowing all of the practical benefits to external electronics, I couldn’t help but think of this an almost…  downgrade for the Thing-O-Matic. ²  Since the release of the Thing-O-Matic the trend has been very much the reverse – with people working to upgrade their Cupcakes to near-Thing-O-Matic levels of functionality.

Thing-o-matic modified backplane to accomodate rear-mounted electronics by usiegj00

The ATX power cable and supply cables needed a notch in the lower back of the case along. This is added to this backplane as well as side-channels for easier cable routing. This is based off of thingiverse.com/thing:4973

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1. Apparently the truly adventurous can try their hand at the completely unofficial and unsupported wiki entries on the StepStruder MK6 with Gen 4 electronics. [↩]
2. That said, it’s not a downgrade.  It’s really more of an alternate configuration. [↩]

Cupcake Tailfins by pandelume

Sure, MakerBots have loads of personality right from assembly — but does your bot exhibit all of its personality right out of the box?

Bot Bling

Lately, there have been a number of great “bot bling” items appearing on Thingiverse, some exclusively ornamental and others primarily practical (tool and spool holders, etc). Now “bot bling” items need not be 3D printed objects that have been cast using precious metals and hung around the neck or affixed to teeth — it is enough for them to be the regular type of plastic 3D-printable models you can affix to your MakerBot, usually found on Thingiverse, tagged with “bot bling.”

Some favorite recent entries include the MakerBot Thing o Magic Serial number by Joakim to brag out your MakerBot serial to the world, the 1950s rocket Cupcake Tailfins by pandelume (feat. above), and the MakerBot Coin Holder Updated! by M_G.

Sure, go too far with “bot bling” and you might end up with 37 pieces of flare, but on this side of clutter you have a user-assembled, Open Hardware 3D printer with plenty of resources for measurements and modification — so bring on the bling!

How about some mountable dragon wings to go with cibomahto’s Evil Dragon Head Trophy (or Tbuser’s Dragon Head Trophy)? Or mashup button covers for M3 bolt socket caps? Modified Heater Board electric cup holder?

Thingiverse Triangulation Obligation

Now is as good a time as any to reveal details of the Thingiverse Triangulation Obligation as it pertains to you.

Here is how it works.

See two (unrelated) objects on Thingiverse that together suggest to you the creation of a third object? It is now your duty to create and post that third object as quickly as possible. Because if you don’t, that item you saw so clearly in your imagination vanishes forever in a puff of distraction.

Now, let us consider the Obligation in terms of your MakerBot. Your MakerBot is sitting on your desk, right? You see it all the time. Look at your MakerBot. Now thumb through the ever-expanding catalog of wonder that is Thingiverse. See something, look at bot, inspiration … make something.

MakerBot Coin Holder by M_G

Cupcake Tailfins by pandelume

Here's the deal: I've been reading a book called "Cadillac Desert" - a good book, but not relevant to this Thing except that it brought to mind the word "cadillac". I've also been working on this:thingiverse.com/thing:7641 which is based on the cupcake platform, and cadillac + cupcake leads inevitably to cupcake tailfins. In this instance, at least, the mysterious process of inspiration has been documented. Anyhow, I'm also working on a version of this with integrated 5mm LEDs in the place of taillights - probably with a battery. More on that later; probably after I put more work into the x-gantry.

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MakerBot Thing o Magic Serial number by Joakim

In the cardbord box with the Lasercut parts - tere was a Serial Number In the hope thats it is unique i have made a sign for my maker bot.

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MakerBot Coin Holder Updated! by M_G

A holder for the metal coin that comes with your MakerBot. This allows it to be attached to the spare motor mounting holes on top of your machine using standard M3 bolts. Now with less drilling, sharp corners and rebuilding of your ABP! Changes from previous versions: 1.2 Raised above z=0 plane to prevent damage to ABP/HBP etc. (Sincere apologies to all affected!) Fixed naming issue "hole_diameter" vs "hole_diameters" so that bolt holes are correct diameter Gave it rounded corners using "rounded_cuboid" module 1.1 (DELETED) Increased hole_diameter from 3.1 to 3.2 Increased coin diamter from 37 to 39 Replaced hard coded numbers with named variables

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Evil Dragon Head Trophy by cibomahto

After printing the awesome dragon head trophy and mounting it on my bot, I realized that there was just one thing missing: LEDs. A small amount of drilling and some soldering later, and the dragon head was alive and well. Then it turned it's head to stare at me with its cold, unblinking eyes, and started making a low growling noise. Uh oh, that can't be a good sign...

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Perfect prints come from careful build heights

Once I had my Thing-O-Matic build-height dialed in, I never thought about the starting build height again.  As a Cupcake owner, I used to obsess about getting the build height right for every print job.  I’d start a print job, watch the raft to make sure it was going well, and scrap the print if it didn’t.  A calibrated Thing-O-Matic will automatically home to the specified build height.

Until very recently, I had exactly two profiles I would print with – one for PLA and one for ABS.  Using Dave Durant’s formula, I’ve been able to print with any vertical resolution I feel like.  It was only this weekend that I realized that I can’t use the same starting build height for every profile.  When printing at 0.36mm layers, I have to use a build height 0.3mm higher than the build height when I’m printing at 0.25mm.

The Mendel inspired x and y carriage lowrider by twotimes

Just how good is Twotimes’ XY lowrider? ¹  Well, take a listen for yourself.  MakerBot operator RealBaxsie uploaded videos of his Cupcake in operation before and after the installation of this must-have printable upgrade.

Printing with a Cupcake CNC before installation

Printing with a Cupcake CNC with an XY lowrider installed

Mendel inspired x and y carriage lowrider by twotimes

Here is my take on merging the lowrider and the mendel inspired y carriage for the cupcake. link to bearings:vxb.com/page/bearings/PROD/3mm/623ZZ10-1 I went with smaller bearings than the Mendel because it allowed me to do everything with M3 screws and it allowed me to drop the height a bit. This design is shorter than the standard platform by 10mm, I was pushing for more, but the bearings killed the height gains. It does mean that you can gain back about half of the height that you loose by putting in the automatic build platform. Also, the y rails have been separated to 70mms so hopefully that means that the platform is a bit more stable. I attached the solidworks file for people who want to play (WARNING - the file is messy and I was bad and made all of my parts in one part file). If you would like any other formats like .igs, .step and the like, just shout. Should have all of the holes teardropped later today. - Truncated teardrop holes are up, that's a pain. Update: The stl files from solidworks would not slice in Rep G, I have no idea why, if you know please tell me. I reuploaded all of the stl files and tested them in Rep G 19 they seem to work but I will not have a chance to print until Monday. I have all of the parts, now on to the debug... so you do not have to... The updated files are in the zip file, I got rid of the first generation of parts. Things were moved around a bit and these are the updates after printing round one and putting it into the makerbot. I should have all of the gen 2 parts printed and through debug tomorrow. Update 2 - I got the bearings in and other that a few "What the hell was I thinking..." moments that were easily repaired with an X-acto knife, everything went great. I'm in the process of printing the gen 3 parts and everything should be cool now. I'll post pictures and video once the final draft is printed. Update 3 - In process of using gen 3 platform to print gen 4 platform. Once I have printed and assembled it, I will upload files. I think that will be it for variations. Update 4 - Gen 5 files are out and I can now say you can download them and print! Update 5 - Instructions are up. Update 6 - I just uploaded the gen 7 version - I have not had a chance to print it yet, I was getting annoyed with the slight curve in my heat spreader and decided to rip it apart and lap it until it was flat. This update addresses: Adding nut pockets on all adjusting screws for bearing tension to make adjusting easier (do not have to hold nut in place) Back X bearings cluster has been reworked so the is less interference with the X pulley. Back X bearing adjustment screw head has been nested into the plastic to have less interference with X belt. Interference between Y belt attachment nuts and plastic bodies has been addressed X belt attachment point has been lowered. First shot at integrating endstops have been added. I think that that is about it. I will shout when the directions have been updated, everything should be the same except the endstop part. If you have already printed this and do not want to reprint, reprint parts 09 and 16, those have to do with X belt and pulley issues. (and they are small) I just sent out the third package of nuts, washers, and screws. If anyone else wants them, just message me. Gaffertape kindly updated the files so if you are using the older repG and skeinforge, use the resaved gen 7 files. Update: Finally updated for mechanical endstops, instructions still need to be updated though.

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1. You know, besides being the most commented thing on Thingiverse… [↩]

Anthony Atala: Printing a human kidney

Well, we have been hearing about the 3D printing of organs for a while — and there are reports that a MakerBot Operator with a heavily modified Cupcake is engaging in this very work: printing plastic scaffolding for stem-cell “curing” of organs.¹

Here is a great talk about the present practice and future potential of 3D bioprinting.

And here is a great link to read more about the program exploring this technology.

1. Or as Marty in the Botcave has just said it — “rafting an organ on a 3D printer.” [↩]

Mu-ah-ha-ha!

LightningPhil just uploaded designs to Thingiverse for a Van de Graaff machine.  A Van de Graaff machine is a device for creating an electrostatic charge.  We’ve all seen these devices before – they essentially make your hair stand straight up and create lightning.  While the details and instructions for actually assembling his designs are still sketchy, this is a very exciting development. ¹  As his directions suggest, “A Van de Graaff generator is essentially a box, a tube and a ball with some gubbins that connect it together and move the charge about.  A box, tube and ball are easy. With a 3D printer, so are the gubbins.”  I can’t wait to see his finished product!

As soon as I saw this I had an idea for how to make use of these designs from some parts to which just about every MakerBot operator has access. ²  If you own a Cupcake CNC you can extend the Z axis threaded rods above the level of the Z drive belt.  Most users opt to lower these Z axis threaded rods so that they extend into the lower cavity of the Cupcake, saw off the excess rod, or sometimes leave them extended off the top of the Cupcake and add a Z axis rod topper or Z axis crank.

I would think it very possible to modify your Cupcake to use the top of one or more Z axis rods to act as the drive for a Van de Graaff generator.

3D printing is a lot of fun, but it would be a lot MORE fun with lightning.

1. Seriously, what the heck is a “gubbin??” [↩]
2. Photo courtesy of tobascodagama [↩]