EEVblog #237 - Makerbot Thing-O-Matic Unboxing. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 03:27:20 pm
content: EEVblog #237 - Makerbot Thing-O-Matic UnboxingWhen was that live scheduled. Didn't saw it coming tbh.Alexander.

author: naimis
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 04:35:52 pm
content: I've been digging into 3D fabrication recently, thinking I might be able to utilize some of these hobbyist solutions for my own projects. So far the precision has been underwhelming. A video posted on youtube by the designer of the Prusa RepRap showed a considerable gap between an M8 hex nut and the socket formed by the RepRap to fit it in.I haven't seen anything similar for the MakerBot yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was out there.While doing all that poking around, somewhere along the line I was given the impression that the Makerbot offerings were based on the RepRap and they'd basically just done the hardware equivalent of a fork. After watching the unboxing video that doesn't seem to be the case. The RepRap is designed with the intent of being able to replicate itself at least to some extent (obviously you can't make stepper motors out of ABS or PVC), while the Makerbot stuff doesn't seem to have any of that. I'm really not a big fan of the laser-cut wood.Other stuff I saw that was interesting at least on some level: the HP DesignJet 3D, apparently only available in Europe for the price of a low-end car, and one guy who was building an SLS (selective laser sintering) based system as opposed to the FDM (fused deposition modeling) system that RepRap and Makerbot employ.Of course, every time i hear "maker bot thing o matic", it reminds me of the old mattel Thing Maker.

author: tbscope
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 06:19:17 pm
content: I think it would be asking a little bit too much, but I would love it if Dave could film some of the assembly process too.

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 06:49:17 pm
content: I am betting there will be a time lapse video.Alexander.Quote from: tbscope on January 14, 2012, 06:19:17 pm

author: im_a_human
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 07:11:54 pm
content: This is very interestingi could make parts for my custom made guitar pedals that i sell to people if i had a 3D printer instead of using off the shelf parts. The wah pedal is very difficult to make yourself because you cant get the parts for the rack and pinion assembly and have to buy a cheap volume pedal to modify and add my electronics to it.

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 07:24:09 pm
content: What's that thing in the background on a stand/tripod?

author: shebu18
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 07:37:51 pm
content: Thats a support for a light source. You can mount 4 100w bulbs in it and illuminate something you want.Another versionhttp://www.photoloving.com/gbu0-prodshow/LCap-1-4.html

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 07:43:02 pm
content: Quote from: shebu18 on January 14, 2012, 07:37:51 pmAh, yes. I see now, thanks!

author: XynxNet
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2012, 08:27:05 pm
content: Quote from: im_a_human on January 14, 2012, 07:11:54 pmYes you can already do that, but you would have to build one of the (more or less) scalable 3d-printers. For example a RepRap. The problem is, that the build quallity isn't quite there yet. Your customers will still see, that your pedal was made with a fdm-3d-printer.

author: RJSC
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2012, 02:14:28 pm
content: I don't know about you, but it is still to expensive, especially when you consider its structure is mostly made of wood even without any varnish.An accidental water spill on the wood can make it bend.It's fine for something hacked at home, but for something for sale at this price point, I guess a laser or water jet cut aluminum sheet would be expected.

author: Ferroto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2012, 03:17:32 pm
content: will it accept autocad designs.

author: shebu18
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2012, 04:13:21 pm
content: Here you find some exaples.http://wiki.makerbot.com/how-to-printI think it's some kind of gcode.For some it is still to pricey, but what you can do with it is great.

author: plunger
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2012, 07:37:25 pm
content: Pretty smart of Makerbot sending it Dave, free advertisement

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 12:48:29 am
content: Quote from: Chet T16 on January 14, 2012, 07:24:09 pmThe stand for a studio soft box. I have two of them.Handy for lighting more critical photo/video work.http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Studio-Photography-Lighting-Light-Soft-Box-Kit-Set-SB-/270893573836?pt=AU_Cameras_Photographic_Accessories&hash=item3f1283e6cc#ht_4891wt_1139Dave.

author: Jimmy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 06:41:45 am
content: I have built my own 3d printer It took about 2 months of weekends and waiting time cost about $700 and was the first time I reflowed my own pcb. I can understand why Dave bought a kit as it is a pain sourcing all the parts and postage is a killer.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 06:44:21 am
content: Quote from: Jimmy on January 16, 2012, 06:41:45 amI didn't buy it, they gave it to me.Dave.

author: shebu18
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 07:10:18 am
content: Then that was a late Christmas present.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 10:41:01 am
content: Dave mentioned (rather briefly) the changes in packaging/padding materials, and I though I'd elaborate a bit since I ran into similar mysterious materials a while ago and wondered how they came to be...First consider older padding materials, like the foam peanuts or bubblewrap. These work pretty well, but they already incorporate a large percentage of air (by volume.) that means they take up a lot of room in the factory, and they take up a lot of room being shipped TO the factory, both of which may be a substantial expense.So a better idea is to send out plastic tubing, and inflate/seal it as needed for shipping. this results in those big "air pack" bubbles, which are pretty cool.But plasitc of that sort isn't very "green", and is more expensive that the cheaper grades of paper (those already recycled at least once.)So the next class of packaging material machine takes as its input a big spool of paper (say, 3 feet wide and 18inches in diameter - a hundred pounds or more of paper), and runs it though a machine that produces "crumpled paper" suitable for wrapping fragile goods.The digikey wrapping is another step up. TWO kinds of paper, one of which gets criss-cross cut into a sort of net, co-extruded with a plain sheet of paper. More empty spaces, less actual paper. Saves the company money, and starts out as the same dense spools of paper, so you go longer between changing spools too. And of course the product is recyclable with other papers, and the source is also already a recycled product, so its relatively "green", but with the sort of repeatability and user efficiency you don't get from sending kids out to the garage to crumple up last weeks newspapers.Some of the technology being developed is actually rather neat. Here's one vendor:http://www.geami.com/protective-packaging.html

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 11:05:13 am
content: Ah, so the box was containing some extra stuff just for you? If someone buys the kit He will find inside all those things (all those plastic threads)?Alexander.Quote from: EEVblog on January 16, 2012, 06:44:21 am

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 11:47:02 am
content: What's the damage for one of these things?

author: im_a_human
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 12:10:39 pm
content: I was watching this thing on youtube and i swear i could almost smell the plastic... MMM!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 16, 2012, 12:36:22 pm
content: Quote from: firewalker on January 16, 2012, 11:05:13 amSorry, I don't know exactly what you get in the standard kit.But presumably only the stuff that had "Dave" written on it was extra thrown in for me?, I'd expect you'd likely get everything else.Dave.

author: Rutger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2012, 03:33:51 pm
content: Hi Dave,Could you PDF the BOM an put that on the forum so we can see what is part of the kit?Thanks,Rutger

author: Jimmy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2012, 12:56:05 pm
content: DaveHere is a good test printhttp://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9710you should be able to have the tipper tipping and the wheels should spinIf u need help with printer u can email me denominator at hsbne orgOthers if you scrounge parts and make some you can build a printer for next to nothing especially if you know someone with printer that can print parts for you.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2012, 04:08:13 pm
content: I have come across 3D printers via my employer. I saw a complete bicycle chain made using the process and all links were formed in situ with no post production assembly. It was amazing and the chain worked perfectly..... BUT and it is a big BUT.... the actual material used in the 3D printer process is not UV stable and is very brittle. I was advised that it was good for prototyping to show a customer what something will look like or test a CAD design in the real world, but it is not durable enough or suitable for production. I think CNC is the way to go to make production pieces.The unit I saw working was probably this HP product....http://www.hp3dprinting.co.uk/http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ga/WF06b/18972-18972-3328061-4154659-4154659-4154512-4154665.html?dnr=1I can't remember the model but the unit looks the same.Aurora

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2012, 01:24:28 pm
content: The latest issue of micromart magazine here in the UK has an article on 3D printing and included the following links which gave me an idea for a couple of projects for Dave and his makerbot, the first is a link to the New scientist and a video of an airplane and its first flight that was completely made using 3D printing and the other is a link to some free software that will make a 3D image from photo's so Dave could use the Makerbot to make a model of himself.Links. goo.gl/MVCVk and labs.autodesk.com/technologies/123d

author: Lawsen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2012, 08:36:15 pm
content: Thanks for introducing me the Makerbot store. I wished Makerbot would give you some advertisement token and the same is Rigol. Wow, Maker Bot gave you one complimentary to demonstrate for us, neat. Was not for the EEVblog, then I would not have taken interest in these items. The Maker Bot (3D printer) is better than the Growbot (robot cart) from Parallax, that I tried to help a friend assembled for her San Jose State robotics art class. Wow, this a 3-D printer. I would like one to make parts for electronics like light switch knobs and maybe the plastic cover parts.

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2012, 09:18:10 pm
content: Apparently you can get 3D printers which use materials like titanium powder which is sintered together with a laser a layer of powder is put down the laser is scanned over it fusing the material then another layer and so on Airbus have made a complete working bike at their Filton factory called the AirBike, Every thing was made as a single step fabrication including the bearings. Its know as additive layer manufacturing (ALM) the materials used are Titanium,Stainles steel and Carbon reinforced plastics, It will be whole aircraft next. A one piece homogeneous wide body jet printed out at a go cars too. The university of Exeter is printing with chocolate so if Dave wants keep the other half happy he could try loading up with that.

author: AntiProtonBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2012, 06:52:42 am
content: Do a construction vid Dave!And a review!(If you can.)plz?

author: Pat Pending
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2012, 08:25:03 am
content: I visited the Makerbot folks at this years CES - Oh...the smell of molten plastics was unmistakable as was the characteristic sound of stepper motors.Not that big of a booth but drawing a small crowd never the less, with stickers and reprints of Make magazine for interested punters.The extrusion resolution seems Ok and the software for filling the internal voids of the objects seems to do a better job this time around.Just looking at that kit unboxing just fills me with dread, its no wonder that the latest Makerbot machine is of a much mechanically simpler construction and comes ready assembled.

author: aokman
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2012, 12:40:29 pm
content: so have you built it up yeti wouldn't be able to resist leaving all those toys boxed up