The reprap is not the only 3d printer that can replicate itself, now the Makerbot can to.

This Makerbot is made out of aproximatly 150 individual pieces that is printed on , "yes you guessed it) a Makerbot.

My Makerbot worked hard everyday for about a month straight to finish this project, and i am immensly happy about the end resoult.
There are more pictures on the bottom of this page;)

(The pictures doesnt do it justice one bit, but it really is a thing of beauty)

Now i have added a zip file that includes all stl- and max-files.

Dremel Flex-Shaft + MakerBot + MakerBeam + OpenSCAD = (Micro CNC Mill | Drill Press)

Expect future refinements, but this is the first version that works on my Batch 1 MakerBot.

Perhaps one of the funnest projects we have attempted around the .:oomlout:. offices. A five degrees of freedom robotic arm. While we have spent many hours twisting knobs to move pop cans from one point on our desk to another sadly it has not progressed much further.
The main reason for this is the sum total of math knowledge around the oomlout.com offices is about 4 (don't ask us to show our work on how we calculated this) so inverse kinematics is well beyond our reach.

We are releasing it in an imperfect form in the hope that the clever Thingiverse denizens will be able to make it better.

Why this isn't quite ready for sale:
-We lack any inverse kinematics program which makes moving the arm intelligently nearly impossible.
-Without software limits on the servos it is capable of stripping the low cost hobby servo motors (this is alright for testing as they are only five dollars) (we have stripped two in the life of our arm and both happened when we were asking it to do silly things) (this can be fixed by upgrading the servos)
-We haven't completed the 3d model or assembly instructions just yet, but by studying the photos it is possible to assemble. (think more jigsaw puzzle than lego set)
-The gripper, lets just say the gripper needs a little work.

That said it is an amazingly fun toy to play around with, and a good starting point if anyone has ever had a desire to make the perfect robotic arm (it is open source so you'd be free to make and sell your own)

(shameless plug)

For more details about becoming a Robotic Arm Developer visit our blog
(http://www.oomlout.com/blog)

Getting some designs laser cut and wondering what to do with the unused space? Why not fill it with something fun like Lego-compatible blocks?

Note: I have not confirmed these work. I just wanted to fill up some space on a heated build platform design I'm hoping to send off to Ponoko shortly.

Update 2009/12/11: I uploaded the QCAD DXF (LCBlockFiller.20091210.dxf) and source SVG (LCBlockFiller.20091210.inkscape.svg) I sent off to Ponoko to figure out the service and exercise my QCAD+Inkscape design flow. QCAD calculates the total length of the "CuttingLines_0p003mm" layer geometry as 10931.7mm (~430.4"). Note: I created this file by laying down 8mm-spaced grid lines and placing peg outlines at the center of each so I wouldn't get double-counting of internal lines.

Update 2010/01/04: Test print from Ponoko arrived! I need to take some measurements and tweak designs to better accommodate the laser's kerf.

Disclaimer: LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO Group and these explorations are in no way associated with LEGO Group. Heck! The files are CC-licensed; nothing to stop them embracing and extending it themselves if they so chose! ;-)

These are MakeBeam 10cm prototype .STL files that have been run through "Magics 14 64bit" to remove all kinds of errors and make play nice with the majority of 3D printers throughout the world... (courtesy of Materialise)
I've included a 254mm (10") for yucks (if you print on a Dimension - wrap it with support material otherwise it will bend on you ...)

Note: as a curiosity I made a horizontal an a vertical lay/orientation - and as you would guess the horizontal is a lot stronger. If I had unlimited funds, it would be interesting to do real testing to see at which orientation (90, 60, 45, 15, 0 with rotation components also - permutations get astronomical), would be best to build for overall beam performance verses maximizing in a single plane of force (vertical lay/orientation with no side forces would win hands down, compression load only)

INTRO
It seems to be the month of construction sets on Thingiverse, so here is another entry in the category.

Contraptor is a DIY open source construction set for building Cartesian robots. It is basically 1" aluminum Erector set with linear motion extensions. While it's in development and sometimes things don't work as they should, functional robots have been assembled from it: contraptor.org/contraptions

The set is designed to be made with the simple tools of a basic workshop. A lot of materials for Contraptor like aluminum angle, threaded rods and fasteners can be found in a hardware store. In the spirit of modularity, it uses Makerbot/Reprap electronics and Arduino/Sanguino controller.

In addition to DIY plans, we're working on Shopbot-able kits that can be manufactured in small quantities by anyone willing, from open source drawings.

Contraptor components and assemblies are modeled in Sketchup and are hosted on Google 3D Warehouse, mostly for ease of accessing from within Sketchup. Thingiverse is the best place to host DXF/SVG sources and part lists for components, so there will be more Contraptor things coming (hopefully including printed ones from the community :).

Apologies for the long read, on to the thing:
/INTRO

Perforated angle comes in lengths from 1" to 24" and can be used as a structural component, as well as a linear motion rail for sliding elements. Attached DXF file and part list are for 1-ft long perforated angle.

Sketchup source:
sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/search?q=contraptor+angle

This is my second prototype of a Sarrus linkage type linear axis. A Sarrus linkage uses hinged joints to make linear motion. The idea is to have a linear bearing suitable for making part of an x-y cartesian assembly without needing long polished metal rods, thus getting a 3D printer that can make more of its own parts.

Notice that there is a set of 4 holes on the top armature that match 4 hole patterns on the end pieces. This means that one axis could mount on two others at right angles.

Drive system: DC motor from a cheap garage sale inkjet printer, using the timing belt from the printer. The pulley at the other end of the belt is a screw/washer/spacer combination with a skate bearing. The skate bearing is mounted in a flexure plate style mount to give tension the belt.

Optical feedback: I took a optical quadrature encoder and encoder strip from the same printer as the motor. The encoder is mounted on the moving armature, and the strip is anchored at both ends in the end blocks.

Hinges: The hinges on the Sarrus linkage are made with 1/16" diam brass rod as the hinge pins. The holes for the hinge pins were reamed out with a 1/16" drill bit.

Frank Davies

A hook that you can clip onto then end of a horizontal surface, such as a tabletop, bookshelf, etc. to hang things on.

I'm using it for hanging a basket with filament on. I'm using Vik's Y-bearing holder to make sure that it can rotate (see thingiverse.com/thing:921 ). I put a loop of rope through the two holes that hang over this tabletop clip.

Version 2.3 has some improvements, the hook's lowest point is now nearest to the table. A cord will tend to rest there causing minimum torque on the hook-clip.
It is made stronger at the two 90 angles that have to withstand forces. This is a more efficient use of material and builds faster.
A hole under the hook where no material is required for an adequate strength of the hook.

Version 2.3_thin is simply for a thinner tabletop/shelf.

Print out this handle, slide in two popsicle sticks and tweeze away. Perfect for tweezing the test extrusion plastic off your makerbot.

Features two sides for different springiness settings. The "0" side has parallel slots, the "2" side has a 2 degree angle outward for wider opening tweezers.

On the uploaded gcode file it'll take 33 minutes to print.

The goal is to be able to drop in an off-the-shelf plastic frosting bag and go. The shaft squeezes the bag and out goes the frosting. This design is functional but still needs work. The metal tip and plastic nozzle are available at hobby and grocery stores. The rest of the stuff (except for the motor) were sourced from my misc. parts bin. Not sure where the gears originated but they shouldn't be hard to find (or replace).

The treads are lasered into the plywood. The squeezing mechanism is new, the frame is derived from Will's.