Foton 3Dprinter
Release status: unknown
| Description | Simplified Mechanics
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| License | unknown
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Contents
Overview
The foton 3D printer's is a redesign of the origional Mendel printer currently being developed by Foton labs.
The designs for this printer are based upon trying to developing a 3D printer that is both technically and economically accessible
to as broader spectrum of person as possible. This is seen to be achived thought a design that both simplifies the mechanics to reduce technical complexity and by developing a streamline production process to maintain a low cost per unit end product.
The primary factors in the designs of this printer have been:
1. Maintaining a low level of technical complexity for the end user
2. Cost efficiency and commercially
3. esthetics and form
Materials
The mechanics of this printer are made predominately form a polyester resin, that provides a low cost solution for the bulk material,
with this is added a flexible agent to vary the rigidity or flexibility of the material. Steel is used to provide structural strength, both in the fasteners and for the up right of the frame.
Production process
The majority of the parts are made from an open cold
casting process, which is both time and cost efficient and opens the printer up to the possibility of mass production, with production time of parts currently down to as low as one hour.
Assembly
Intergrating many of the mechanical parts has led to a large reduction in assembly time and complexity, with assembly time currently bellow five hours. One of the primary aims has been to create a design with as few parts as possible resulting in a quick and easy to assemble printer suited to the no technically minded person.
Distribution
This design is primarily aimed at an "Ikea style" form of distribution, easy to mass produce parts that can be made into a flat pack for shipping and assembled by the average person. The other form of distribution that this printer also lends its self well to is the self-replicating model and is a medium to long term goal of this design with the possibility of making the frame scalable currently being developed to this end.
Electronics
The mechanics of this printer are designed to work with the standard set of electronics used on a Mendel print,
being on a 1:1 scale with the stranded Mendel in size means that there should be no additional alterations to the software or electronics needed.
Current development
The Foton 3d printer is currently undergoing its second phase of redesign, The two areas that are being focused on are:
- continuing with the process of stripping the mechanics down to stream line their production and assembly
- making the printer scalable(expandable frame) and self-replicatable.
1.This is a design that continues with stripping the mechanics down to the most basic requirement, essentially doing away with the frames vertex supporting the z axes and replacing them with supports at the base of the threaded bars this gives the advantage of greatly reducing the quantity of materials, the overall weight, the assembly time and complexity, there are many advantages to this that work in continuing to streamline the mechanics. This faze of the redevelopment has been implement on the prototype using mild steel threaded bars and is proving stable.
The primary concern with this redesign would be the stability of the Z axes the video bellow shows aces being test
2.This is a current design that is being developed for making the printer self-replicating based around dividing the frame up into segments that are all with in a 15/20cm size limit. The design looks at cutting the frame to create a number of joints where in a nylon plastic threaded bar would be placed (see images bellow). The mechanics would then be assemble by screwing larger number of smaller parts them together
with the added advantage of make the printer less ridged than the original design using glue to holed the parts to gather.
This design would increased the complexity and time of assembly and production but it is thought worth it for the added advantages that self-replication would brings.
