Building a RepRap - a huge undertaking

Hi, I have for some time followed the development of Darwin and Mendel. I plan to build a Mendel in the near future, when everything is working and part lists has been made etc.

I must say though. It all looks like a huge project, getting everything together and actually building it. Unfortunately it looks as if getting all the parts is really the main obstacle.

Some things I just don't understand. Doing some groundwork, some parts can be found at different suppliers (nuts, bolts, lead screws, etc.) but other parts are unique to the RepPap project (extruder components, electronics, ABS parts etc.) and can not be bought.

How do one go about getting these special parts. Is there people who has come together to get reasonable priced quotes of complete sets of parts (one quote for all the metal parts from a hardware supplier, another quote for the pcb's from a pcb manufacturer, etc. etc.). I know that getting parts can be more or less of a problem, depending on where you live, but has anybody made the groundwork, making it more easy to approach the whole thing.

Maybe what I'm looking for is a small European setup, with some dedicated people that has come together to make the RepPap available for a larger audience, and maybe even making some money doing it.


Any suggents / comments
/Bo

Hi Bo,

you know about BitsfromBytes in England ( [bitsfrombytes.com] ) and RepRapSource in Germany ( [reprapsource.com] )?

Viktor

Hi Bo,

This is always the dilemma and similar to the chicken egg problem, RepRap's main goal is to design a machine that can replicate itself. This leads to an ever increasing amount of parts for which you need... A RepRap. The theory is that anyone with a reprap should print two sets for anyone willing to build one. But this system is not yet working because it is no trivial task to print a complete set.
These are the solutions people have found for this dilema:
-Buy a complete kit from Makerbot or BitsfromBytes. You put this together yourself but nothing else needed. In theorie these are not RepRaps but Rep(ST)Raps.
-Build a Rep(ST)Rap, an easier to build printer using off the shelf parts or DIY techniques, You can also mount an extruder and electronics from Makerbot or BfB on this setup since the extruder is the most difficult to build. You can also mount one of this extruders onto an existing CNC-mill. Your Rep(ST)rap can than build the parts for a RepRap.
-Order your rapidprototyped parts (the ones your reprap would make) from a commercial company or get a school or university to make them.
-Order parts for a lasercut Rep(ST)Rap from Ponoko or go and lasercut them yourself in a FabLab.

So its the balance between, time, skills and budget that is the deciding factor here most of the time.

Succes!

ps. where in Europe?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/14/2009 06:30AM by unfold.

I know BitsfromBytes and RepRapSource but one has it's own pcb's and the other looks like it only has a small collection og RepRap parts. Maybe all that will change when Mendel is ready (I hope).

The easiest solution would be to just order a MakerBot kit. Their homepage is active and vibrant and has plenty of info. It also seems like they are constantly working on different practical things like finding the best extruder material (PLA) for their device etc. etc. Things that seems trivial, but in real life is what makes the total experience of having a RepRap, much more enjoying.

The problem is that I prefer the Mendel design, it has a much larger printer area, and it looks as if the community is working much more towards new innovative solutions like new print heads etc. The problem is making it all available to the rest of us. Why nobody has asked permission (like some smart student), and made small cheap kits of the ABS parts (maybe made by their own RepRap), or made small bats of fully assembled PCB boards with cabling and all, and sold it on places like eBay, is beyond me.

Another thing, when reading about the "Generation 3 Electronics" it looks as if only MakerBot Industries is making and selling these boards. Does the RepRap Mendel and the MakerBot machines share all electronics or are there differences.


PS: I'm located in Denmark

bo190e Wrote:
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> Does the RepRap Mendel and the MakerBot machines
> share all electronics or are there differences.
>
>
Makerbot och Mendel använda samma Generation 3 elektronik. Jag misstänker dock att BitsFromBytes styrkort kan lätt anpassas till det. Vore det så skulle jag bara köpa en Rapman från BitsFromBytes och använda den för att skriva ut min Mendel delar.

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Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.

Thomas A. Edison

Babelfish translate!
The main driving force behind all reprap electronics is Zach Smith (correct no?) co-founder of Makerbot. So not so strange that makerbot is on the frontlines concerning use of gen 3 electronics. And unfortunatly the only source at the moment. Actually I think you can safely use Gen2 electronics. Arduino Mega is easy to get and the other parts are more widespread too. At the moment Mendell looks like an evolution on the cartesian bot to me and not yet a RepRap v2 (read the targets for Mendell, multiple heads, pcb printing, ...). Its simpeler, robuster, smaller but I cant really see the added value for me now owning a BfB machine at the moment. I would say, Build what you can afford/get now because the nice thing is that you can upgrade anytime. A makerbot/BfB Rapman/Rep(st)rap can all make Mendells parts.

You can build the mechanical parts yourself, especially if you are creative, but unless you have a small home machine shop, some of it's going to be very slow going.

As far as the REPRAP electronics go, Zach has a lot of experience with generations 1, 2 and 3 he's now in makerbot.

I'm doing my own project, with a 100 pin ARM that has pretty much more and faster of everything, but so far I'm doing it all on my own, so my progress is not necessarily as fast, and I haven't open sourced anything substantial to date.

However, I expect to be printing and or routing within the next couple of months, and will at some stage do a second generation version of my board to tidy up some minor annoyances.

Anybody interested in my project let me know, and we'll see what can be organised.

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My CNC/extruder creation: [grael-minifactory.blogspot.com]

Well, the main issue for me IS the reprap (mendel) specific parts.

There is now 2 nice sets of drawings in this forum one for wooden mendel one for the metal mendel.
Both could be used to make a repstrap version of Mendel
not nesersaraly out of metal use wood plastic there is enought info to be creative/original using your imagination with any thing that looks like it could work that is half the fun of building a repstrap machine.

My last Repstrap Darwin mechanical component build cost was less than £50 /$100

With motors total cost £100 / $200 and with Electronics it is not too far off £250 / $500 It can be done

I have not made a Mendel Yet I have some new Ideas though on how I will make one using the valuable info contained in the afor metioned drawings.

With both my partner and I still out of work means I will not spend a lot of money building my Mendel as I dont have a lot of Money to spend.

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Bodge It [reprap.org]
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BIQ Sanguinololu SD LCD board	BIQ Stepcon	BIQ Opto Endstop
BIQ Heater Block PCB	BIQ Extruder Peek clamp replacement	BIQ Huxley Seedling
BIQ Sanguinololu mounting	BIQ standalone Sanguinololu or Ramps mounting	Print It Stick It Cut it

My rep strap: [repstrapbertha.blogspot.com]

Buy the bits from B&Q pipestrap [diyrepstrap.blogspot.com]
How to Build a Darwin without any Rep Rap Parts [repstrapdarwin.blogspot.com]
Web Site [www.takeaway3dtech.com]

We are a company involved in manufcatring and supplying machined components for variuous engineering industries ..We have developed more complicated parts ( mechanical) than the one i see in the pictures .I liked this project ..please let me know if I can buy one complete assembled machine so that we can dismount the parts and make duplicates of it and supply to required people in very low cost ( we are based in India ..our manufcatriong cost is very low) Please let me know Contcat me on caddpro@hotmail.com

Shridhar,

It is currently quite difficult to get all the parts for a full machine. You can download the .stl files from the sourceforge page at this link: [reprap.svn.sourceforge.net]

These can be opened in an application like Art Of Illusion or SolidWorks to look at the models.

I am now applying those Ideas as Iam making a live build of Mendel making bits as I go. I think I may do it wihin the weekend. so mechanicaly not a huge undertaking.

Electronics if you are a begiiner might seem daunting but many like Motorassist have takled it with great success I think.

Thread Nylon Block Mendel or my live blog for today perhaps tomorow as well.

http://repstrapbertha.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-uninerversal-vitamin-nylon-corner.html

Excuse spelling mistakes Dislexic fingers and brain.

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Bodge It [reprap.org]
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BIQ Sanguinololu SD LCD board	BIQ Stepcon	BIQ Opto Endstop
BIQ Heater Block PCB	BIQ Extruder Peek clamp replacement	BIQ Huxley Seedling
BIQ Sanguinololu mounting	BIQ standalone Sanguinololu or Ramps mounting	Print It Stick It Cut it

My rep strap: [repstrapbertha.blogspot.com]

Buy the bits from B&Q pipestrap [diyrepstrap.blogspot.com]
How to Build a Darwin without any Rep Rap Parts [repstrapdarwin.blogspot.com]
Web Site [www.takeaway3dtech.com]