Paper Bits

Sep 28

shapeways:

via Shapeways | blog: Makerbot MK7 Extruder Does Bowie the Bunny

The picture on the left shows the relative quality of a Makerbot Cupcake, with a Mark 4 extruder. Just like mine when I first assembled it. For comparison, it’s next to the output from a much more expensive commercial FDM printer. The Makerbot and RepRap printers are additive printers using the exact same process as FDM. Except FDM is trademarked, so they call it something different. Whatever. The point is, that left picture shows the vast difference in quality between a $900 hobbyist device, and a $20,000+ piece of professional hardware.

The picture on the right compares a Makerbot Thing-O-Matic with a Mark 7 Extruder to the same commercial FDM printer. As the Makerbot blog says, we’ve come a long way.

An interesting detail: I assumed, when I saw the black print on the right, that it was the result of some careful calibration by an expert user. But in his blog post, Bre claims that it was produced using “stock settings right out of the box.”

Most impressive.

via Shapeways | blog: Makerbot MK7 Extruder Does Bowie the Bunny

The picture on the left shows the relative quality of a Makerbot Cupcake, with a Mark 4 extruder. Just like mine when I first assembled it. For comparison, it’s next to the output from a much more expensive commercial FDM printer. The Makerbot and RepRap printers are additive printers using the exact same process as FDM. Except FDM is trademarked, so they call it something different. Whatever. The point is, that left picture shows the vast difference in quality between a $900 hobbyist device, and a $20,000+ piece of professional hardware.

The picture on the right compares a Makerbot Thing-O-Matic with a Mark 7 Extruder to the same commercial FDM printer. As the Makerbot blog says, we’ve come a long way.

An interesting detail: I assumed, when I saw the black print on the right, that it was the result of some careful calibration by an expert user. But in his blog post, Bre claims that it was produced using “stock settings right out of the box.”

Most impressive.

Nov 30

emergentdigitalpractices:

*Nice homemade Dutch CNC router, there. If you can fab a fabber, you oughta be able to route a router. http://protospace.nl/ultimaker-en-mantis-machines-make http://www.flickr.com/photos/protospace/sets/72157625071449720/with/5036557238/ (via Spime Watch: the Mantis Machine | Beyond The Beyond)

Nov 23

Metal Parts from Papercraft Molds — How-to from Make: Projects

As the internet papercraft explosion has taught us, paper is really not a bad medium for 3D design, especially for the cost. Software like Pepakura Designer will convert any 3D digital model into a papercraft one that can be printed out, cut out, folded up, and glued or taped together to make a reasonably accurate real-world replica of the original. What if, instead of using the paper as a positive representation, one were to use it simply as a negative space—a volume, supported by dry sand, that would survive just long enough to impart its form to molten metal poured inside?

Nov 14

BLDGBLOG: Printheads in Space

Here is today’s mad utopian vision: build space stations by launching automated fabricators into orbit.

A seemingly website-less company called Made in Space “wants to launch 3-D printers into orbit and use them to make parts for spacecraft and space stations, which would be assembled in zero gravity.” They would do this using “thin layers of ‘feedstock,’ which can be metal, plastic or a variety of other materials.” Even better, when parts break down, they’d simply be recycled back into future printed components: “Rather than shuttling a replacement part from Earth to a space station, 3-D printers aboard the station could simply crank out whatever’s needed. And the broken part could be recycled into feedstock.”

My inner twelve year old just exploded in joy. I don’t care if it’s feasible, I want my orbital makerbot constructing space seraglios.

If you’re very nice, I might even let you aboard.