Work Session #2 - Sep 24th - 3 hours

H came over Saturday and we spent 3 hours working on the Automated Build Platform. Some tequila was consumed.

Here's a picture from the online instructions

Pondering the heated build platform

eyeing the belt and bearings

Taking shape

Looking at the on-line instructions.

X and Y platform assemblies. We have most of this done (photo is from the on-line instructions)

Then Sunday I went to Fry's Electronics and bought a soldering iron for $2.99, so we can solder the leads to the motors.

A new FabLab in Portland!

I left work a bit early (4:30, I hope Dave doesn't read this) since it was Friday and a 3-day weekend no less, and decided for one quick refreshing beer (PBR - $1.75) at the Bear Paw tavern right on my way home. It was a very nice surprise to see Kari Freeman there, who had urgent news for me, and not just about her involvement with FIRST robotics and the LEGO League robotics teams. Portland has a brand new fab lab called ADX located at 417 SE 11th Ave near Stark. They have Laser cutters, CNC Routers etc. They are having a big event called Fab Fest on September 17th.


http://www.adxportland.com/

They charge $75 a month to use the facilities, and there are discounted plans for groups. And they have free coffee for members and barbecues every Wednesday.

I think these are my people.

Assembly begins

Today we got started on building the Makerbot. H came over at 8am and we worked until 11:30.

We worked on the Y-stage assembly and the automated build platform.

Click here for a link to the instructions

The Maker bot Kit.
August 28th 2011
Happy birthday Jim!
Happy birthday Makerbot!

Get'n organized

Makerbot motherboard

H at work

At the end of the work session 3 hours later.

Jim has his first MakerBot design ready for printing

In Mathematica

In DraftSight (an awesome free AutoCAD clone)

"I made a STL file of a geodesic dome, specifically a stellated, frequency 3 icosahedron.
I made it with Mathematica (version 7) by one simple command:

Export["icos_f3_stel.stl",
Stellate[Geodesate[PolyhedronData["Icosahedron"], 3], 1.1]]

I loaded it into ReplicatorG, and scaled it up.

Cheers,

       IncrediJim

 In Replicator G - ready for the MakerBot

The MakerBot kit has been delevered

Here is the official update:
Today (Friday August 8th) the kit was delivered to H's house at last. But due to everyone's travel plans the first good time to get together to work on it will be August 27/28. That gives us lots of time to prepare Sketchup files and AutoCAD STL files. (total nerd speak).

On a related topic - There is a dutch version of the Makerbot called the UltiMaker. Same basic principal. The main difference is that the extruder travels in the X & Y axis and the build platform travels in the Z direction - which is the exact opposite of the MakerBot. The web site says that they've only sold 150 kits (versus 5000 MakerBots sold so far).

Why I love my 3D printer video

Click Here - Great video on 3D printers

Ideas into Objects

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSD5QmRxYyg&feature=fvst
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSD5QmRxYyg&feature=fvst
or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRTvtS5iWNo&feature=related

A recent interview with Bre Pettis

click here

Team Members

Ryan Kidwell

H Weston Drumheller

Tom Houha

Jim Houha

The deed is done. The beginning is now. Let the rumpus commence.

June 25th 2011
A day that will live in infamy.
The day the Maker Bot was ordered.
The wheels are in motion.
A chain of events has been put into motion that will not and can not be stopped.
Prepare for the dawning of a new era. The time for design is now.
Let it begin.