You can convert LEGO Ldraw files to STL using open source tools. The generated STL imports OK into meshlab and OpenSCAD, but it might need repair before it can be sliced. Step 1: Download and install LeoCAD Step 2: Download and install Meshlab Step 3: Start up LeoCAD, and pick out a part from the "Pieces" menu Step 4: In LeoCAD, choose File -> Export -> Wavefront... and save the part aby MattMoses - General
Is it this one? Stepper Motor Driver 1.2by MattMoses - Reprappers
Here's an idea that is Reprap-based, quick and painless, and all the pieces already exist: Step I. Write up a new wiki article that has clear, noob-friendly instructions on how to create a wiki page. Call it: How To Create a Reprap Physible, or something like that. Step II. Make a new "physible" template for the wiki that is easy to use. Step III. Make a sticky post that stays at the top of thby MattMoses - General
The reprap wiki has a very informative entry on Stepper Motors .by MattMoses - General
Yes, Simba, the author of those wiki articles has special clout around here.by MattMoses - Developers
Check out Granule Extruder and the associated links.by MattMoses - Developers
A CNC can certainly mill boards. A reprap can too, if it is fitted with a milling head. Check out PCB Milling and Milling and Drilling Headby MattMoses - General
Nice work, davey. I really like to see the new methods people come up with on this forum. How do you charge up the board with static? Do you think an electrostatic-based method could work with some type of simple powder depositing mechanism, simpler than a laser printer? Not to discourage you in your quest, but repraps already can make their own RAMPS boards. If you check out Automated Circuiby MattMoses - General
You might be thinking of the PrintBrush.by MattMoses - Let's design something! (I've got an idea ...)
The Grand Prize looks to be awarded in 2015. The Interim Prize looks to be scheduled for 2012. From the guidelines: 2012-10-02 - Interim Prize entry submission deadline & judging begins 2012-12-31 - Interim Prize award date 2013-01-30 - deadline for post-prize work (publication of all remaining unpublished entries, etc.) 2015-10-02 - Grand Prize entry submission deadline & judging begiby MattMoses - Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize
Is the Gada Prize still alive? According to the guidelines document, which is linked from the Printrbot page, Interim Prize judging began yesterday. The wiki page has been pretty quiet for a while. Is anyone actually working on this?by MattMoses - Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize
Silicone caulk is easy to extrude with a paste extruder, and it is an acceptable mold material. I have cast polyurethane and low-melting-temperature-alloy parts in a 3D printed mold made from DAP 08641 Silicone Sealant. This Fab at Home page has quite a bit of information on 3D printed molds.by MattMoses - General
I think this introduction to Reprap Prusa Mendel by OhmEye is very good.by MattMoses - General
You might be interested in this wiki article and the associated forum discussion.by MattMoses - General
I think it would be cool to make an automated chakpur. (A chakpur is the tool that monks use to deposit sand when making a mandala sand painting.)by MattMoses - General
Is it worth doing? Yes! But it will be a while before the circuits or motors built by a reprap can compete with conventional pcbs or motors. If someone needs a motor or a pcb it is faster and cheaper to use the traditional methods for obtaining them (i.e. buy an off-the-shelf motor or order a conventionally made pcb). The quality-to-price ratios for these pieces of modern technology are very hiby MattMoses - Developers
For structural parts, check out interlocking trusses like these ones There are also a whole bunch of similar things here My own personal favorite of course is this one There are some pretty cool printable motion mechanisms like these Printable Sarrus Z linkage: Printable Sarrus X/Y: Printable X/Y Linear rail: 3 starts lead screw: Rack and Pinion for Prusa: and there are compliant fleby MattMoses - Developers
There is a big archive of motor related projects (including linear drives) on the wiki hereby MattMoses - Developers
The reprap forum already has that and almost no one uses it See "Look what I made!" and "Let's design something!"by MattMoses - General
Thingiverse is not perfect, and yes it is run by a for-profit, but what specifically about it is so terrible? There are also a lot of existing alternatives, and they all have good points and bad points: GrabCad, ShapeWays, heck even Pirate Bay has a section for things now. I'm sure there are many others. What is happening with Tangible Bytes? There have been efforts before on the wiki to startby MattMoses - General
Hi All, I made a prototype hot end using electroforming and casting. The main motivation behind the design is to reduce the number of different materials required, and to take a step toward a hot end that can be printed on a 3D printer. The main tube is electroformed copper. The insulating portion is cast plaster. The heater coil is made of enamel insulated copper wire. Temperature feedback isby MattMoses - General
mung: I do not think you could possibly post any information that would make the community any more fractured or chaotic than it already is. I think your idea sounds interesting, and many other people here probably feel the same way. I say post it! darkpaw: It makes me really happy to see other people working on alternatives to steppers. I would really like to see a fully printable RepRap somedby MattMoses - Developers
With a few reasonable compromises, the VORBAT paper punchtape requirements become feasible, at least from a proof-of-principle standpoint. The key assumption is that you have a model that can be built up from repetitions of a small number of unique layers. How much do you need for layer storage? Suppose our layer is a 75mm square. Coarse resolution is acceptable for this project, so let us asby MattMoses - Developers
Vik - Did you post pictures of the cam setup at one point long ago? It sounds vaguely familiar. The Solar Sinter guy (Markus Kayser) used cams to control one of his machines and it is really a lot of fun to watch While cams are simpler, punchtape has the advantage that it is a true digital medium and hence has a higher tolerance to errors in copying (i.e. a hole in the tape that is slightly mby MattMoses - Developers
Well, OK. So on first glance it looks like this would take a prohibitive amount of paper (thanks Traumflug! ) But let me ask you this: How much paper would it take to store one single layer? There are many useful parts that are composed from many repetitions of only a few different layers. For example, look at the Prusa parts "y-motor-bracket" could be done with one or two unique layers. "by MattMoses - Developers
I have an informal design challenge. I've been thinking about it for a while and here is as good a place to post it as any. Vik's comment inspired me. Summary - The VORBAT Challenge: Build a reprap entirely from scrap without any electronics other than hand-wound coils. The instructions are stored in a punched paper tape, which plays back trajectories directly to the motors, as in a player piby MattMoses - Developers
Quote To me it seems like it would be a very distant dream to think that the electronics can be replicated, I mean for example the micro-controller. Distant, yes. But maybe not as distant as you might think. There are several projects related to "replicatable" electronics, for example Mr Kim's reprapped transistors, Folks like Nyle Steiner and Jeri Ellsworth have done a lot of work on homebby MattMoses - Developers
You guys might like this work, where they bond micro blocks using UV adhesive (has cool movie) Also related is the Voxels Projectby MattMoses - General
Quote Looks good! With which software did you make the animations of the first video? The solid model parts were created in Alibre Design, then exported as stl. A custom Matlab script was used to import the stls and generate the animation.by MattMoses - Developers
This design costs a lot more than a stepper motor, but a different choice of components could probably reduce the cost quite a bit. The magnets alone are about 25.00 USD (part number 469-1004-ND from digikey). Components for the drive electronics are 37.00 USD which could certainly be reduced. And about 45.00 USD for the printed circuit board (from a place like batchpcb). So, $62 if you can fby MattMoses - General