This is an article about the power of open source to inspire future makers
There has always been a common joke in the 3D printing community. And it is to buy a 3D printer then use that 3D printer to print another one and then to go back to the store and get your money back. But what if that joke becomes a reality? What if by using a 3D printer we can 3D print a fully 3D printed printer?.
With the current influx of small build volume SLA resin type printers coming from china. I believe now is the time too uses 3D printing technology to print a large resin printer. So I thought lets 3D print a 3D printer. By the printer being open source, this opens it up to thousands of makers from all over the world. The price of resin is going down due to supply and demand, so now is the time to strike.
3D Print A 3D Printer Its Time To Act
So I got to work. I started to 3D model the printer in software called Autodesk Maya. By researching how the technology works, I discovered that it is more simple than traditional FDM printers.
On thingiverse.com there is a history of smaller form DLP (digital light processing) and SLA (Stereolithography) printers all open-sourced. With a remix culture on the website, you can take any model and make it better. You can save hours on modelling from scratch and kit-bash together the ideas, that you have for your projects.
The electronics are the same as kit-bashing the models together. By using a smaller form factor BOM (Build of materials) list from an already existing smaller printer. We can use the same working electronic system and use it to power this larger, newly designed DLP printer.
I believe there has not been enough RnD (Reseach and development) into these cheap Chinese printers that are coming to market. So because of this by going back to thingiverse.com’s roots, we can make this technology better by improving it our selves.
3D Print A 3D Printer Result So Far
It is up to us as makers to create the sci-fi future we all dreamed of as children. Not to accept the world the way it currently is, but by invention and open source. We can create futuristic notions and ideas that give ourselves the future we have always wanted.
Why can we not design working flying cars? Humanoid robots that work or rockets that can take us to mars? Not just leave it up to the military companies or tech billionaires. Because we now have access to learning materials, information, and growing ourselves to do anything we want to do.
This 3D printer build is too inspire people from all over the world to show them that anything is possible and that they can achieve and do anything. I do many other projects like building a humanoid robot to leave a base to build upon for future makers.
