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MakerBot Thing-o-Matic 3D Printer Assembly, In Pictures

Posted by timothy on from the doesn't-yet-self-assemble dept.

ConMotto writes "After an estimated 16 man-hour assembly effort, these are some of the first high-quality user photographs of the Thing-o-Matic 3D printer and completed component assemblies, released December, 2010 by MakerBot. The Thing-o-Matic is a commercial-supported open source 3D printer (similar to the RepRap), allowing hardware hackers to print their own 3D objects out of Lego-like plastic."

3 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. free download for Cory Doctorow's "Makers" by waterwingz · · Score: 5, Informative

    I've got mod points tonight but I'm going to post instead. Take a look at this link http://craphound.com/makers/ for an interesting scifi spin on what the OP is thinking about. Free download available - its a good read.

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    . waterwingz
  2. Re:stargate replicators but not evil by SharpFang · · Score: 4, Informative

    They both have a strict purpose of making replicating them easy.
    They can't print their own PCBs. They can't place and solder their components. They can't make their own stepper motors or even create the construction metal bars. But they were made with a specific ability in mind: to be able to print any custom part of themselves, and for the rest of the parts to be off-the-shelf commodities or doable by common low-difficulty DIY techniques requiring no advanced tools.

    It's 16h assembly of off-the-shelf parts and parts printed by the device. No milling, stamping, welding or anything like that. Making and soldering the PCBs is the most difficult, and the hot plastic dispenser/noozle is the only part hard to obtain "off the shelf" and not printable itself.

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    45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
  3. Re:Milling Accessory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    "In the 1980s there was a popular series of books on how to make a very simple low budget foundry, how to use that to make the basics of a lathe, how to use that lathe to improve parts and make it a better lathe and how to use that to make a two axis milling machine.
    Anybody remember those and the author or titles?"

    http://www.lindsaybks.com/

    The Dave Gingery book set.