Idea for making parts larger than given space. Make a team in Southern California?

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but I thought of an idea to basically put a treadmill type bed to print on so you can make parts bigger than the given space, allowing you to increase the ratio of parts made by the printer, for the printer (rods/frame).

Just though I might give out my idea since I have been looking into 3d printing technology for a few days now and am not an expert yet. (Studied robotics so maybe soon )

I have some other ideas as well, I'd like to make a team of developers so we can pull out some real nice projects for the future. I am in Los Angeles.

Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2013 02:08AM by sv1337.

That wouldn't work too well for that purpose. A treadmill type would works great for doing lots of parts. All 3d printed parts using FFF have to stick to a bed and print layer by layer. It could be done with the right engineering but not cost effectively. Would be easier to build a larger machine, but the larger you go the more change of peeling, especially with ABS

VDX suggested the very same idea a few years ago. There is some discussion here: Printing methode for 'endless' objects

There was also some discussion about this on the rep-dev mailing list, in particular what Vik Olliver called "the old 5x4x3 box trick". See here and here.

Quote
Vik
A 5x4x3 box can extrude from the 5x4 surface a 4x3 box of infinite
length, so theoretically being more and able to make a 5x4x3 box.

... I'm actually rethinking this 'endless printing' for a SLS-setup, where the conveyr is moving in 45deg scewed down and the printing/fabbing is made in a horizontal plane.

But then the slicing has to be done in 45deg too and you'll need support structures for the 'starter' and overhangs not connected to the conveyr surface ...

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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]

@VDX: I like the 45 degree slicing idea for fused filament setup. All the problems seem to be software.

@sv1337: Endless printing is going to happen. I think it can be done on the cheap. I am personally interested in an automatic part ejector but would also be interested in oversized prints. My advice, assume it will work and search for the easiest simplest setup that will make it come true. In the world of rapid prototyping, we need to stop being hung up on whether something will work or not. That kind of thinking is from the days when you had to work to make 3D objects. Good luck!

@VDX, that's similar to Voxeljet's continuous printing system.

Although the printing happens in a 45 degree plane.

"... great spirits ... "

With powder or paste it's maybe better to print in a horizontal plane and unload in 45deg or vertical when the transporting system is rigid enough to hold the weight.

With LOM fabbing or DLM the orientation of the fabbing plane is irrelevant - you can even fab upside down or in a endless continuous helix ...

We had some talks about different setups, e.g. a rotating disk for printing/unloading in 'pizza-segments' or printing into a fluid basin as 'supporting' medium.

There are some more interesting methodes meeting or solving different problems, so stay tuned for other 'brakthroughs' when the fabbing methodes, tools and materials develops further

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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]

If Im reading this correctly, the treadmill type off addon will definately happen. For one reason or another.

The sad part?

Makerbot holds the patent...

Idea was discussed here orginally:

Adrian Bowyer - Continuous belt production

About a year later a patent was created by MBI:

MBI Conveyor Patent Information

Well I am up for making it, ignoring the patent. Anyone from California?

Make a mendelmax 2.0 styled machine, substitute wheels on the bottom for the build plate. The base /wheels would need to be rather heavy, and you want a very even floor to work on, as well as some sort of laser positioning system.

Liquid Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If Im reading this correctly, the treadmill type
> off addon will definately happen. For one reason
> or another.
>
> The sad part?
>
> Makerbot holds the patent...
>
> Idea was discussed here orginally:
>
> [url=http://blog.reprap.org/2010/07/continuous-bel
> t-production.html]Adrian Bowyer - Continuous belt
> production[/url]
>

Not sure how patents work in different countries, but it looks like the novelty aspect is not met in the makerbot application as "prior art" was discussed by Adrian Bowyer.

However, I have a very dim view of the patent system anyway. It rewards Lawyars and civil servants working in the system, but is laughable in real world application of their stated goals. i.e. apple and samsungs recent rubbish arguments over phone shapes.
> About a year later a patent was created by MBI:
>
> [url=http://www.patentgenius.com/patent/8226395.ht
> ml]MBI Conveyor Patent Information[/url]