Idea: Could we do without a print bed?

The latest patent news regarding the heated print bed has led me wonder if we really need a print bed in the first place.

Why not have a rotating rod as the print surface? Has anyone tried this?

Right now I'm trying to figure out how a slicer would slice for such a thing.

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2013 03:00AM by dudesom.

Alright, here's what I have in mind:

This is extremely rough but I wanted to get the idea out there.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2013 03:36AM by dudesom.

... some similar ideas - [forums.reprap.org]

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Well I'm glad I didn't spend too much time on that! Thanks for pointing this out to me.

... the link was not meant to stop you! - the idea/possibilities is/are interesting enough, so could bring some advantages in the DIY-area too

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

I'll keep working on it. The hardware seems like it would be easy to add to my prusa i3. I just need to get the software figured out. I'll be sure to post any code I come up with.

This would make for a useful RepRap project!






Yoav Sterman, additive lathe
[web.media.mit.edu]

The Multi Processes Lathe - 3D copy machine
[fab.cba.mit.edu]

files to download
[mtm.cba.mit.edu]

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2013 04:48AM by A2.

Thanks for the material, A2.

For my first go at this I will probably use something very similar to these (XZ cartesian gantry). Once I am able to print like this, then I'll try and build the bot I drew.

As a side note, another benifit to this design is that you could probably paint/color your print, just as long as it's geometry isn't too crazy. If a direct filament drive is used (instead of bowden) then the extruder motor could be used to even change pens on the fly, allowing for multiple colors.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2013 01:28PM by dudesom.

These ideas are interesting, but I'm not sure if they would help if the patent is indeed a problem. As I understand it from the other thread, the patent doesn't refer to a heated bed. It refers to a controlled local build environment. So if a heated bed is considered to violate the patent, I'm not sure that a heated rotating rod wouldn't.

Quote
dudesom
The latest patent news regarding the heated print bed has led me wonder if we really need a print bed in the first place.

There is nothing surprising about what is going on with with Stratasys. Even if they where able to go as far as stopping everyone from selling heated beds for 3d printers(i seriously doubt it), they can't stop you from making one yourself. Nichrome Wire, a heat shielding cloth and kapton tape is all you need, the howtos are all over the place on the net. There is one over here: [airtripper.com]

The only thing Stratasys are really trying to do is to spread FUD. They want to slow down the market long enough to spread fear on the investors. But they are not trying to stop people from selling 3d printers, they want that boom to happen. They are just trying to get a hold on the market so they can better push it forward after that, telling the inverstor, come with us, pay us a licencing fee, and everything is going to be fine. Or something like, pay us a licensing fee or else...

This makes me think about Microsoft, a while back, they where claiming that they had bunch of patents on the Linux Kernel. We never saw the patents and if i remember correctly, the lawsuit never got to the end. The company being sued offered a very small percentage on every product they sell with the Linux Kernel. Microsoft is still telling everyone in the business selling Linux based software(like Android), that they own it and they require a license fee for its use. This is a part of why Microsoft is making 2 Billions a Year on Android. But its just empty air. They are making this money because the other corporations are affraid of being sued, that's all. In the end, the user is the one paying the microsoft tax. On a single phone, the fee is small enough that no one cares, and no one should care. Its just the way our capitalistic evil like society works. It doesn't make it ok, but it shouldn't stop you from buying Android based phone or tablets, because the alternative is much worse.

In the end, the whole thing is just about a market that is showing signs that its about to explode and Stratasys are just trying to get a small percentage of the profits.

As an open source movement, there is no way its gonna affect us.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2013 05:25PM by swe3tdave.

Well the thing is, I don't think you'd have to heat a rod, due to the small surface area to lose heat from the print. Either way though, this seems like a worthwhile project, so I'll keep banging my head till I get some slicer code working.