I’ve been really looking forward to the MakerFaire (Bay Area) for – oooooh – probably about a year now.
Last year was the first time I had attended and I got to see a giant bronze snail car, a Victorian house car, the steampunk area, a giant set of rotating metal wings, pneumatic rockets, LCD guitars, numerous R2D2’s, a chunk of the Long Now clock (the very same which inspired Stephenson’s book Anathem), bicycle powered rock bands, a CandyFab, and, of course, a fully operational MakerBot complete with the MakerBot guys printing off amazing things.
I looked, I saw, I even hoola hooped. And I’m looking forward to seeing all new amazing stuff.
One of my interests outside MakerBot/RepRap is origami, the Japanese art of paper folding. At it’s inception it was really only a hobby for the rich – the only ones who had access to such a luxury as paper. Modern technical origami restricts one to only a single sheet of square paper transformed only through folding – no cuts, glue, tape, etc.
A lot of very interesting origami models have been developed over the years by some incredibly talented artists through a combination of experience and trial and error. These kinds of models have so much personality they almost appear to be real – rather than mere squares of paper. One of my favorite origami artists of this “genre” is Eric Joisel. I still find it hard to believe his models, such as the “Woman in Dress 2008,” can really be made of just a single square of paper.
There’s been a movement in the last two decades to bring a more methodical and mathematical approach to design, sometimes with the assistance of a computer. One of my favorite technical origami artists is Robert Lang). His models tend to the more realistic, rather than representational (as with Joisel). His insects, such as the stag beetle, are a prime example.
Lang has used his background in mathematics and origami to develop a giant collapsing/expandable lens – so that it could be transported to outer space and then deployed. This allows a normal space craft to deploy a much larger lens than would otherwise be possible.
Robert Lang's "Stag Beetle BP, opus 477"
Unlike Josiel’s models which are typically totally unique and irreproducible by anyone (including Josiel!) Lang’s mathematically assisted models are usually carefully documented by diagrams or, increasingly frequently, crease patterns. A crease pattern is what you would get if you totally unfolded a completed origami model. Typically only the “major” structural folds are depicted in a crease pattern.
Brian Chan's "Attack of the Kracken"
An interesting intersection between mathematics and origami is the problem of determining the most efficient manner of placing the most number of equally sized circle within the smallest possible area, called, “circle packing.” The reason this is important to origami is that the center of each circle can be turned into an appendage. Lang has developed a computer program that allows the creation of truly arbitrary proportions – any number of points with any kind of ratio of one appendage to another.
Brian Chan's crease pattern for "Attack of the Kraken"
Even to someone who doesn’t have any experience with origami or the mathematics involved, the appearance of circles in crease patterns can start to make intuitive sense. One of my all time favorite origami models is the “Attack of the Kraken” by Brian Chan. (Check out the larger pictures of that model. The entire thing is just one sheet of paper. If you look closely you’ll see some of the tentacles are grabbing sailors!) In addition to a picture of his final model he has also posted a picture of his crease pattern for that model, even labeling which parts of the model are derived from which regions of the sheet of paper.
If you’re the least bit interested in origami, I’d highly recommend (in this order) Peter Engel’s “Origami from Angelfish to Zen,” a documentary on origami called “Between the Folds,” and Lang’s book “Origami Design Secrets.” The Angelfish to Zen book is one of my favorite books for background on origami and a very accessible introduction to the hidden geometry underlying even the most simple models (and real life too!).
Moving the print platform to the front/back/side of the MakerBot for ejecting the finished print
Ejecting the printed part
Returning the platform to 0,0,0 / center
From the video posted on Charles’ site, it looks like he’s managed #3 and #4 already. The extrusion path around the print that we see in Nophead’s prints probably would work at #2. I also seem to recall some (such as Zaggo?) have mounted a toothbrush head on the build platform for auto-wiping of the extruder head.
Returning the platform to 0,0,0 is an interesting proposition. This would seem to work best once the opto-endstops are installed. I’ve got my set of six fully assembled opto-endstops sitting in a box next to my MakerBot because I haven’t really needed them and they tend to get in the way of printing. Although the opto-endstops have been removed from the standard MakerBot kits, I think we may now start to see them returning.
This is the fourth MakerBot “milestone.” We’ve reached milestone #1. Milestone #2 (different threaded rods and internal electronics) and #3 (Gen 4 electronics) are noble, but not really transformative goals.
Continuously cranking out parts is a way to turn a simple MakerBot into a portable factory – rather than a modest means of prototyping.
It’s been an interesting year for RepRap/MakerBot. We’ve seen demand for parts and electronics increase. The MakerBot crew reported that for certain components they’ve actually cleaned out every source in the world. I’m not sure which component they’re referring to, but I suspect it’s the toothed extruder pulley. I love the idea that MakerBot has created a product garnering such high demand the entire freaking planet ran out of parts.
Can you imagine giving an interview after such an announcement?
Reporter: Guys, this has been a great year for MakerBot. What are your plans for next quarter?
MBI: Gosh, we’ve got so many ideas! The community has been hugely supportive and their rate of contribution and development has helped us so much. Right now we’re splitting our time between production and development. Batch 12, consisting of about 147 robots, is out the door. Batch 13 has already started to ship as the parts come in. We’ve come a long way since the 22 robots of Batch 1.
Reporter: Fantastic! What are your plans for Batch 14?
MBI: Dang, we were hoping you wouldn’t ask that. Zero.
Reporter: I’m sorry – zero robots? Why did demand drop off so suddenly?
MBI: Quite the opposite – we’ve completely exhausted the entire world’s supply of aluminum toothed pulleys. We’re hoping to have some custom made, but at this point we’re competing with the Japanese for aluminum. Some people suggested we start melting down soda cans for the metal.
Reporter: <incredulous> You’re competing with the Japanese?
MBI: Not every Japanese person, but the automotive industry, sure. For a while India looked to be a competitor, but with the strength of the rupee I’m just not expecting that much competition. We’re far more concerned about the ability of Chinese to scale their production to meet demand. Fortunately, we think we’ve found a toner cartridge factory willing to switch over to aluminum toothed pulleys.
Reporter: <even more incredulous> Wait, wait, wait… You’re concerned about the ability of an economy of one billion people to scale production to meet the needs of a DIY robot kit start up???
MBI: Concerned is a strong word. The Chinese ambassador has been leaving us messages about this issue. When we finally got around to returning his calls he assured us they’re up to the task. I’d say we’re cautiously optimistic.
The cheapest commercially available 3d printer on the market is the Dimension uPrint Personal 3D Printer, clocking in at $14,900. The media cartridges run $250 – and consist of coiled ABS in a plastic box. I can’t tell from their website how much plastic is in each cartridge, so I don’t know how cost effective it is. I’m not positive exactly how their cartridges operate – but I would not be surprised if they were tamper resistant, not able to be refilled, and contained special chips which authenticated them as being untampered and coming direct from the manufacturer.
Am I jaded by inkjets? Probably. I’m tired of buying printers with 1/3 full cartridges and expensive refills. The warranties are so much worse:
“Expensive manufacturer refills only! Only use paper made from unicorn tears and the hopes and dreams of orphans! Only power your machine with live baby seals. Using reasonably priced alternative supplies, making disparaging remarks, failure to properly maintain your machine, or printing will destroy your machine and void your warranty.”
My MakerBot came with more plastic than I can print in two years runs just barely over $1,000 with shipping. If something were to happen to MakerBot Industries, I can always find new filament elsewhere, adapt my ‘bot to a new source, or even a new material entirely. Or, I could just toss in a Dremel and have a mini-CNC/drill press.
A little while ago someone posted on the MakerBot Operators group that they were looking for printed pulleys. Apparently he had managed to scavenge or hack together everything else.
This got me wondering – what printed parts would someone need to get a MakerBot rolling? There’s the obvious printed pulleys. If I had a friend who was putting one together, I’d probably want to give them a spare insulator retainer ring and Z axis pulley. What else should be in a MakerBot starter/welcome kit?
Some people have suggested MakerBot is somehow stealing thunder from the RepRap project. 1 Here’s a super simple way every MakerBot sold could, in a very small way, help the RepRap project.
Why not put a copy of every Mendel part as an STL on the SD card that comes with the MakerBot? Actually, why not put Spacexula’s set of Mendel production STL’s?
This is a cheap and fast way to disseminate plans for RepRap files to people who are actually capable of making them.
Edit: Jeff – Just in case you read this – I do not really think you are a bastard. I follow your blog and am very appreciative of your in depth posts and analysis on all things MakerBot/RepRap. The title is more about me feeling like a sucker than a commentary about you.
It’s not that I’m not materialistic or a complete stoic. It’s just that my interests are so simple, narrow, and specific there just isn’t a whole lot I require out of life. But for other happy and fortunate life complications1 I’d live in a studio apartment almost completely devoid of furniture except for a futon, small table, one (perhaps two) and book shelf. Give me a library card and a laptop and I’ll show you a content man. For example – one of my hobbies is origami. Which boils down to basically a lot of paper. 2
While this means I’m easily content, it means those family and friends are frustrated at the thought of having to find me a gift. 3 So, for basically the first time ever I’ve put together a wish list with stuff I would love to get (in rough order):
A hobby which, hundreds of years ago could only be practiced by those precious few who had access to a luxury such as paper, can now be practiced by anyone in reach of a paper recycling bin. [↩]
500 sheets of A4 bright white multipurpose paper??? Score! [↩]
Since I have none of the equipment or skills to perform SMT soldering [↩]
Someone mentioned the modular thermistor set ups don’t detect temperatures properly – about 10 degrees too low?! Update: Rick of MakerGear clarifies this was the result of a ring terminal mounted thermistor. His modular thermistor kit pictured at the bottom of the this page shows that this kit allows you to make the entire thermistor attachment far more modular by covering it’s terminals in PTFE sleeves and then adding a connector. This only makes me want this kit more. Thanks Rick! [↩]
