My family has a tradition of making people work for cash or gift cards if they do not give a suitable suggestion for their birthday. So this year I decided to take advantage of my 3D printer to fully encapsulate some cash for one of my cousins who is wanting to purchase an Apple iPod Touch. This "trap" does exactly that, it fully encapsulates either cash or a gift card so your recipient has to work at cutting or smashing out the gift.

This is my take on a smaller reprapable version of the Ultimaker. I was going to wait until I had it 100% working but there have been a few gantry systems posted and I wanted to get it out there. Here's a list of the current inspirations, I'll add links later: Ultimaker, brutestruder, bowden cable, mendel bearing setup and Makerbot.

The printer's external dimensions are currently 8.5inx8.5inx10in and the build area is 100x100x175mm.

The main reason I started working on this is most printer designs that have been coming recently have been getting larger in footprint. I want something that'll easily and conveniently fit on my desk, I also have no problem with the 100mm square cupcake build envelope.

Where I'm at: I have had problems with friction in the gantry and am in the process of redesigning all of the moving components. I would upload files, but I just trashed them all as not good enough. So, you'll have to wait until they are good enough. That being said the printer in the photos can easily do around 30mm/s. I just want better.

Here's a couple answers to questions that I know I'm going to get:

Yes, all of the parts fit on a makerbot.

Yes, there are diagonal supports that are not in the photo.

No, it's not a fab at home derivative, I haven't seen the workings of that until yesterday. (Has anyone else actually read the Stratasys patent from 1992?)

I attached an edrawing if people want to look at it. I'll post an stl of the full assembly later.
edrawingsviewer.com/index.html

Yes, that's a Makergear compact plastruder head. It's just so small, it fits perfectly. The new version will have two heads whose nozzle tips will be 18mm apart.


About timeframe, looking back on the last 3 months, I've (spent way too much time screwing around with the Makerbot) wife's quote. Now I have to get some real work done since screwing around on the makerbot doesn't pay the bills. I would expect something in a couple weeks.

Update: Here's a link to a video showing the new center gantry unit for the MiniMaker.
flickr.com/photos/48982649@N07/5659332598/in/photostream

Update: Working on minimaker2 right now, here's a video of the X-Y gantry running a calibration cube at 400mm/s!: flickr.com/photos/48982649@N07/6550391991/in/photostream

I wanted to be able to remove the ABP from my Cupcake CNC.

(click on the thumbnail for the full-length photo)

This is an internet-controlled pet treat dispenser. The model pictured has dual chutes and canholders so it will dispense two treats simultaneously, since we have two cats. That's not a necessary component, you can use a single shaft and canholder. The idea here is to put a webcam where it can view the dispenser, possibly something to make a noise to attract the cats, and then give them a treat. In our case, the 'webcam' and noise will be provided by a Rovio.

The electronics are arduino-based and can be attached directly to a PC via USB or controlled more remotely with a bluetooth dongle. There is a (very) simple Perl CGI that will activate the pet feeder over the internet.

For the record, the plastic used in my photos is:
Blue and Green PLA from: diamondage.co.nz/pla.html
Natural PLA from: makergear.com/products/filament

Printed on my Thing-O-Matic.

WIP WHY:
* Not completely tested, but it WILL be complete by the end of the day, with more photos and demo videos!!
* The joiners I was experimenting with in the STLs below are not really good, especially the part with 4 is basically impossible to get together, although it may work a little nicer in more flexible ABS; these prints of mine are all PLA.
* My initial tests show the treats I'm using are tend to jam up in the canister instead of falling into the hopper. My initial plan to fix this is to chop up the treats into smaller bits by hand and load them in the canisters. If that does not work, I may have to resort to printing the entire mechanism somewhat larger, and/or designing some kind of agitator for the canisters.
* Documentation below obviously WIP.
* Software to be (written and then) provided!

QUICK UPDATE:

Testing various treats, sizes, shaking the cans, and stuff... we're stuck with the problem that the treats bind up in the can instead of falling into the holes. The next step in solving the problem will be to add some kind of better agitation to the treats that are still in the can. This will require redesigning some of the parts, unfortunately, which I'm doing now.

UPDATE (2011-04-18):

I've got a new design for the gears, gearbox, and canholders that might help alleviate the jamming problem. I'll post them after a test.

- supplemental:
I posted the parts, although they are untested and still printing here.

UPDATE (2011-04-20):

New parts tested and they work MUCH better. I think it could still be improved somewhat, and there's a bit too much room in some places, but I can probably run with this design as-is.

This is adapter to turn your micro sim card into a standard mini sim card.
This is relevant if you buy a apple iPhone 4 or iPad2, which require the new micro sim. If you for some reson should want to plug your sim card into another unit that requires mini sim card, you can print this adapter and there you go.

A custom soap tray I made to fit onto the railing inside my sliding glass door

Thing-O-Matic
Z-axes stepper motor is very hot.
I made a holder to make cool-down in DC fans.

40mm FAN
Countersunk screw M3x14 and M3 nut

I wanted to see how long it would take to make a replacement(orange) for the leg(black) I broke. 1 hour. Used TurboCad 11 and Replicator G. MAKERBOT RULES

This is a simple tool holder for common Allen Wrenches used on the Makerbot as well as a Radio-Shack screwdriver set. The parts fit nicely on each side of the Makerbot.

Same great and simple device as the one from MK4 but now for MK5.
This is my first design, be cool ;-)
Maybe some adjustement can be made to fit more because the ABS can shrink.

The name's Bot. James Bot.

Saving the world from market monopolies, this secret agent outfit for your Makerbot turns it into the perfect monopoly-fighting machine. Capable of printing out cups, keychains, and even mini-bots, this secret agent machine will have those massive corporations shaking in their hand-polished shoes.

Give your bot a spiffy tuxedo, and a hand to hold his martini, shaken, not stirred. Or perhaps you would like it to hold a trusty sidearm, ready to save the world (and the girl)!
Disk Shooter:
thingiverse.com/thing:7643

Also, for the ladies out there, print a bowtie that hooks on the top of the Makerbot, turning it into a hairbow. Print in your favorite color, and enjoy.

This set includes:
Tuxedo with bowtie
Bowtie/Hairbow
Fully articulated hand

I changed the design of some parts of this low profile design in order to print it with my MB. Although I had no problems with most of the other models, some of them were impossible to print for me. Usually he nozzle was always separating the part from the build platform soon or later.

Sometimes I decided a different approach in which I printed the thing in a different position, in two separate prints, and then join them with bolts. Other variations are small, for example the fact of hiding the bolt's heads inside the plastic in order to not interfere with my ABP.

Sushi tools "bamboo sushi mat" made ​​a curtain thermal insulation.

Everyone! Japanese restaurants are safe.
Please eat a lot of peace. Thank you.

This is the surface generated by a sinc function (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinc_function). It was inspired by some of the other work done on knots, specifically emmett who was using matlab.

The openSCAD file contains the matlab code to generate the surface which was then imported into openSCAD. openSCAD offers a very simple method for turning height data into an object.

Topography of a lake and mountain made in blender using a heightmap to displace vertices. It ended up being a great exercise for my new ToM and looks pretty awesome. I printed mine at .3mm thickness and would be interested to see it in different colors, larger build or smaller thickness. I made this several years ago and have lost the original heightmap, if I stumble across it I'll upload it as well. The STL file ended up being fairly massive, if anyone knows how to drop it down without any detail loss I'll do it. The blender file includes an object or two that I was using in a water simulation and thought I'd leave them in should anyone care to play around with it.

I found out that oiling the z-axis rods is tedious work with awkward hand positions. So why not design something that does that for you.


This is designed to be added on top of z stage platfrom guides. Or to be used as a direct replacements (..5mm base.stl).

i finally managed to build my exhaust fan. After a few tries and prints i came up with a simple design. The fan fits on the open left side of the cupcake, i first wanted to put it in the back but now that i have the lowrider thingiverse.com/thing:4213 (all hail twotimes!) i can't attach anything to the bottom part of the back opening since part of the x axis is sticking out.

The support brackets are a derivative of Makerbot Ventilation Fan Mount by JeremyBP thingiverse.com/thing:4380

I still have to cover the holes around th fan, cover as much as i can both in the back and the top of the bot. I might also put on some doors in the front ;)

This is a NEMA 17 template to cut 3mm or 1/8 inch cork board

The cork board reduces noise and vibration of the motors in your 3d printer.

This variation uses cork on both the motor and screws that attach the motor.

If you can't find cork board or don't feel like doing this, you can always purchase these very nice laser cut cork gaskets from MBI here: store.makerbot.com/accessories/nema-17-cork-gasket-pack.html


Update 02/12/11: with a new design and a DXF

The PRBP is a derivative of the MBI ABP 1.0 and the Printable ABP. It can be printed and used to do continuous printing, to turn your bot into a desktop factory.

It features a 100mm x 100mm build platform and a tensioner, plus you get to keep your cool LED's and last but not least... all the pfierceness you'll ever need with it's awesome teeth!

I'd like to thank Twotimes aka Aaron Double of DoCo Design for helping me tweak and test this design while my bot was down. Contact him if you need 8mm tubing for the platform, or if you need a new Kysan extruder motor. Supplies are limited!

Gcode has been uploaded, this pops of prints with a pfierceness. You may need to edit the gcode depending on how you are set up.

**Update 4/07/11:I've revised the side's motor holes to slots, so you can adjust the gear mesh from roller to motor, this reduces gear slipping, strips and breaks. I added a file with just the new sides to save some plastic. Also, the files are half the size of the old ones...technology keeps making things smaller and smaller :) Deleted the old files to give thingiverse 3Mb of room back.

I'm also working on an extrusion catcher for this.

Happy printing and check back for updates.

I used to just have one belt, but then I saw 2 more I liked and needed something to hang them with.

I had done a search on thingiverse for a belt hanger, but forgot how similar a belt hanger is to a tie hanger... While the thing was printing i realized that there may have already been a tie hanger, and turns out there is. This looks very similar to thingiverse.com/thing:922, but was independently designed.

The top gap is wider, for a spiked belt as shown in the picture.

Member cards printed for a rather exclusive group I am affiliated with. These items feature a raised edge and 2 level logo. One would think the very fact that these items cannot be readily made without an injection moulding maching, hot embosser or 3D printer should make them rather hard to copy!

Yay! Ninjas in your kitchen! This is a printable "Shuriken" fridge magnet.
SHOW EVERYONE YOUR NINJA PRINTING SKILLS! :-D

Updated: Version 103 has more user-friendly parameters. The 103.stl has an altered impact angle. So if you plan on printing more than one: Download and print both STLs for a more natural "ninja attack" look :-)

I wanted to add two switches to my Makerbot to turn on/off light and the second heater on my custom heated build platform (first heater is managed by the Extruder Controller).

So I designed a simple plate in Sketchup that fits on the side of the Makerbot.
Switches and Led caps have been purchased at Conrad (in Switzerland), I can provide the part numbers if needed

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.

I have been in the pursuit of getting the best print that I can, and as I learned skeinforge and learned what worked on my bot I noticed a wave coming from the wobbling of the z-axis rods. This thing will isolate the z platform from the wobbling of the rods and relies on two precision rods and bushings to eliminate the wobble.

Note: This will not work with the x-axis endstops, since they would be in the same place.

Here's a link to a video of it working: flickr.com/photos/48982649@N07/4500694961/

Incase I screwed up the part inventories, here are the links to the rods and bushings: Can't go wrong with rods for $6 each!
servocity.com/html/1_4__precision_shafting.html
servocity.com/html/bronze_bushings.html

Wilson was kind enough to flip my ascii stl files to binary, I didn't have a problem with ascii and forgot to check the stl submenu when exporting. Here are his links:
thingiverse.com/thing:2536
thingiverse.com/thing:2535
thingiverse.com/thing:2534
thingiverse.com/thing:2533
thingiverse.com/thing:2532

Torleif and I are claiming parallel simultaneous innovation just for the similarity of our two designs even though they have different intents. link: thingiverse.com/thing:2149

This will guard your Thingomatic's Y-axis idle pulley from those pesky cords and cables wanting to slither behind it and wreak various amounts of havoc. I can now trust that long prints won't suffer from slipped steps due to cables from my heated bed getting caught. If you haven't installed a drag chain and/or do a lot of hacking on your bot I highly recommend installing this on your machine.

I didn't have time to laser cut the cases that are here on Thingiverse, so I printed one instead. Fitment is perfect -- the board is snug when you slide it in, but not too snug. I made a mistake on the first print, and the hole for the mini USB connector is too small. I had to open it up all of the way so that the plug can mate closer to the board.

The design also precludes any need for support material, since the hole for the mini USB plug is open, and I have a 30 degree angle in the slot that holds the board in place.

An OpenSCAD script to generate a simple 2 part fit together packaging.
Consisting of a pair of hollow rounded cuboids with alternate internal and external lips for a click together fit. Support posts with screw holes or nubs can be added to the bottom half to hold a PCB or other item in place. It can also create simple rectangular, cylindrical or conical cutouts on any face of the packaging.

With this script you can easily make packaging for almost any electronic device you are working on!

This looks complicated but it has saved me a huge amount of time making custom packages for people over the past few days. I will release a more advanced version in a few days with options for adding mouse ears and having cutouts not penetrate the outer face for better surface finish!

Changes from previous versions:
v1.5
- adjusted a few values after receiving SLA proto-types
- increased height of posts
- added support structures on top side
- decrease diameter of support structures on top side sightly to allow for brackets at end of 40 way
- decreased z clearance
v1.4
- added angled lip (Cube_cone_cylinder_minkowski sum) for better mating of top and bottom parts when made via SLA/SLS etc
- new more simplistic rounded cuboid module
- moved around the cutout for the uUSB so that there wasn't such a thin piece of plastic above it
- changed post type to nub as SLA should be able to handle the resolution
- added easier control of orientation of parts relative to each other using single variable side_by_side
- added axis labels to most faces and tyndall logo to bottom
- added new fit type for super accurate manufacturing techniques such as SLA
v1.3
- Fix cutout positions for TOP SQUARE East and BOTTOM SQUARE West side
- Fix position of base of support posts on bottom half
v1.2
- Fixed Inner and Outer Lip Clearance implementation
- Added ability to generate support posts on bottom half of either nub or screw hole type
v1.1
- ???This version was lost in a computer crash. GRRRR!
- ???It implemented the ability to choose the reference point for measurements for each side
- ???Let this be a lesson!
- ???Back your stuff up regularly and on separate devices!
v 1.0
- Ensure pcb_clearance and fit clearance is taken into account
- fit type values changed
- - force_fit from 0.4 to 0.2
- - hold_fit from 0.6 to 0.3
- - slide_fit from 0.8 to 0.4
- - free_fit from 1to 0.5
- add cylinder & square holes to all faces
- allowed to stack or see side by side
- replace 0.1s with a_bit
- check holes on top & bottom sides meet properly

Organize your Makerbot's wiring.

This is a simple filament holder to stop the filament dragging on the stepper or its cables on a Prusa Medel