Mihir's 150 USD DIY 3D Printer Build

Prusa MINI is here!

Prusa MINI homepage:

https://blog.prusaprinters.org/original-prusa-mini-is-here-smart-and-compact-3d-printer/


More detailed presentation video with Herr Thomas:

3D Printable DIY Scuba Diving Thrusters

Someone developed low-cost 3d printable underwater thrusters for scuba diving. There is a full set of instructions and files available.


Tech specs:

• 1.85 mph underwater speed! 
• 20 minutes runtime. 
• $153 for flying underwater at speed of 3 km/h
• DT700 brushless motors: 2 pcs x $14
• Kort nozzle for DT700: 2 pcs x $35
• ESC speed controller at least 40A with BEC: $4
• Servo tester: $5
• Slide Potentiometer any from 5K to 30K Linear: $2
• SLA battery 9Ah: 2 pcs x $22

Here are the thrusters in action:





Detailed construction guide and all the files:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Underwater-Wrist-Thruster-185-Mph/

Hackaday.io project page:

https://hackaday.io/project/27134-arm-underwater-thruster

Printrbot Smalls New Low Cost 3D Printer

Printrbot just introduced the Printrbot Smalls! It is a new low cost entry level 3d printer from a well known company. It is priced at $298!

Here is the presentation video of the last beta model, final production design will be more polished:




Tech specs:

• Model: 1704
• Build Volume (X-Y-Z): 100mm x 100mm x 130mm (apx 4″ x 4″ x 5″ / 80 cubic inches)
• Print Resolution: 100 Microns
• Print Speed: 80mm/sec max recommended
• Filament: 1.75mm PLA (sample included)
• Extruder: yes
• Auto Leveling: Auto-Leveling Probe works with software to calibrate Z axis height (see video)
• Print Bed: Not heated – 1/8″ 6061 aluminum (0.3mm level tolerance)
• Construction: _
• Belt: GT2
• Z Lead Screw: Acme 4 Start
• Pulleys: 20 tooth, dual flange GT2 aluminum
• Electronics: Printrbot Rev F5 Printrboard with USB B connection and micro SD card slot for untethered printing
• Software: Printrbot does not provide software, but recommends Cura v15.04 – available for free download.
• Power Requirements: 12V (6 amp) laptop power supply (included)
• Motors: NEMA 17 stepper. 
• Overall Footprint:  16.6″ x 13″ x 11″ (L x W x H)

Description:

The Smalls is a small, portable, and versatile 3D printer kit for the hacker, maker, or student on a budget …not afraid to build a kit and engage in our community forum for support.  Build volume begins at 4″ x 4″ x 5″ (X-Y-Z), but the possibility to expand is there with our upgrade kits (coming soon) or your own design whimsy.

The Smalls is perfect for customization.  Paint the stock metal.  Print your own parts out of any filament you like.  Install almost any existing upgrade and/or accessory in the Printrbot store.  Get the idea?  Make the Smalls your own!
Construction decisions were pragmatic, using the right fabrication tool for each job: Pristine machined aluminum, water jet 5052 and 6061 aluminum plate, and just a dollop of 3D printed parts to give it that “reprap flavor”.

Okay, so how does it print?  Since this is a kit, the results are largely up to you, but make no mistake.  In the hands of an experienced user (like the ones we have here at PBHQ), the Smalls can produce results comparable to the Play, Simple, or Plus.

This absolutely is the lowest priced 3D printer we’ve ever released!  (except for one other laser cut wood kit with fishing line instead of belts and sandpaper pulleys instead of real pulleys that was only available for a limited time until we corrected both price and some design problems …but let’s just keep that between us).   It is definitely the least expensive printer that we will EVER, EVER release  …that we know of. …for now.
We are pretty sure it is the most affordable American-Made 3D printer.   Definitely the most economical Northern-California-Made 3D printer.  Totally the most budget-friendly 3D printer manufactured in Lincoln, CA.  Not “cheap”, just inexpensive.

Printrbot Smalls homepage:

https://printrbot.com/shop/printrbot-smalls-kit/

Sub 300 USD market segment is certainly getting more interesting. Competition is a great thing!

We are still waiting for third party reviews and tests but Printrbot has a proven track record of making solid designs.

Here is a Facebook presentation by Brook Drumm:

DIY rotational casting machine made from wood and 3d printed parts

If you want to expand your home manufacturing arsenal, here is a very useful machine that will enable you to make hollow objects from various types of resin.
This machine is easy and cheap to make from 3d printed parts and 15mm MDF sheets cut on a CNC machine. It was published on Instructables by Jorge Dorantes.
It is hand cranked, but it could probably be easy modified to run with a simple electrical motor.

All the files and instructions can be found at:

https://www.instructables.com/id/Rotomoldeadora/?ALLSTEPS


If you are not sure how this machine works, here is a demonstration video of a different rotational casting machine by TGS Props where they use two piece silicone mold and Smoothcast 65D resin to make, well ... raptor / alien  eggs!

R-CNC DIY CNC Mill with 3D Printed Parts

RoMaker from France developed and published the R-CNC mill plans. It is made from 3d printed parts and aluminum structure elements. It looks easy to make with well documented build instructions. The cost of it should be relatively affordable and cheap to make. Eletronics is based on Ramps 1.4

Other key features:

• It also has 4 rubber pads at each angle, anti-vibration and anti scratch.
• The electronics are integrated into the machine and it has a front USB port to connect a computer to the Ramps 1.4 if necessary without dismantling everything.
• Clean installation thanks to dragchains
• The pressure of all bearings on the square tubes is fully adjustable
• Very high torque for Y moving thanks to a nema motor 23 multiplied by 3 with pulley 20×60 teeth
• Integrated LED lighting
• Easy mounting with printable drilling templates
• Tested successfully on wood and plastic at 700mm / min and passes of 2mm, the measurements are perfect at 5 / 100th of mm, the diagonals of the squares are equal, the round ones are round!

Thingiverse page:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2159840


Project homepage with detailed descriptions and instructions:

http://www.makerfr.com/en/cnc/r-cnc/

Low Cost 3D Printable Robotic Rover

"Slime Eel" published the robotic rover he developed and which is mostly 3d printable.

All the instructions and files  needed to make it:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Budget-3D-Printed-Rover/

RooBee One Open Source DLP SLA 3D Printer

Aldric Negrier developed this DLP projector based open sourced 3d printer. It looks easy to assemble and cheap to make. It all depends on how cheap can you find a suitable projector. 

Project description:

Roobee One is an SLA DLP 3D printer inspired on the Cristelia - SLA/LCD 3d printer and the Vulcanus MAX 3D printer.
It is built out of 20x20 mm aluminum profile chassis, It has an adustable print area of 80x60x200 mm up to 150x105x200mm build volume using a ACER DLP projector.
The open-source machine is called RooBee One because it is red color just like a Ruby gem.

RooBee One presentation video:



Detailed build guide can be found at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/RooBee-One-SLA-DLP-Aluminum-Frame-3D-Printer/

Thingiverse page:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2001118

Cristella 3d printer (open source, daylight):

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1680172

Low Cost DIY SLS 3D Printer by Vulcaman

Vulcaman, well known for his previous machines, has released his latest sintering 3d printer you can make for some 500 Euro: the JRLS 1000.
It is still far from commercial machines, but this field is progressing forward and that is the most important thing. Vulcaman is only 18 years old, so we can hope much more from him in the future.

Key features:

• 5x5x5cm build volume
• 1.8w 445nm laser
• 80w 12V heated-bed
• 150w 230V powder heater with IR-Sensor
• coater which compresses the powder
• adjustable Feed control
• overflow container
• closed build chamber
• low cost

Most prints are currently done in instant tea powder which is 95% sugar, but the powder is used because of its red color which will absorb the 450nm laser well. White sugar will not work, because it will just reflect the laser. The laser is focused to 0.2mm. The power of the laser is set to 1W.

Here is the machine printing:



Detailed build guide and all the files:

http://www.instructables.com/id/JRLS-1000-DIY-SLS-3D-PRINTER/

Dtto 3D Printable Modular Open Sourced Transformer Robot

Dtto robot is just cool! See it here in the video presentation:





Project description:

The Dtto v1.0 Robot is a modular transformable robot designed to be versatile, flexible and self-reconfigurable. The idea of modular robots is that they can adopt any shape they want, by changing the position and the connection of their modules.

This robot is aimed for research on modular self-reconfigurable robots and educational purposes. It is designed to allow multiple modules to communicate, mechanically connect and disconnect and to work collaboratively in the locomotion, self-reconfigurability and efficient movement.

The versatility of the robot will allow it, in the future, to be able to perform rescue operations, exploration of unknown environments and space exploration.

In future works, the modules will have built in camera, ultra-sound sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer… The possibilities are endless.

Dtto key features:

• Small and self-contained robot
• Fully 3D printable
• Self-reconfiguration capabilities
• Bluetooth + Radio communication
• Multiple locomotion modes (snake, wheel, walker...)
• Rechargable batteries
• Simulation model validated
• Cheap modules (<55 USD)
• Open Source Hardware and Software
• FIRST OPEN-SOURCE SELF-RECONFIGURABLE MODULAR ROBOT!

Dtto is made from modules:

Hackaday project homepage:

https://hackaday.io/project/9976-dtto-explorer-modular-robot

Dtto GitHub:

https://github.com/otrebla333/Dtto-Modular-Robot


Dtto was inspired by high-end MTRAN3 robot system:

Turnigy Fabrikator Mini Review Compilation

Hobbyking Turnigy Fabrikator Mini is one of the cheapest 3d printers available. Here are several reviews that can help you decide is it worth to buy it.

Here is Herr Thomas:




Here is Dirk's review:




Here is Angus:



Looks it is a relatively good purchase ...

DIY SLS 3D Printer Made For 400 Euro

Vulcaman from Germany developed a DIY laser sintering (SLS) 3D printer that you can make for some 400 Euro or 450 USD.

Technical specifications:

• 1W 445nm laser diode
• 8 x 8 x 8cm build volume
• 36 x 54 x 60cm outer dimensions
• CORE-XY movement
• speed: 60mm/s tested, 300mm/s possible
• costs around 400€

Video of the machine in action:



Since the nylon powder that commercial SLS printers use costs some 200€ per kilogram, developer used much cheaper black powder for powder coating. This gear was printed in black powder coating material at 60mm/s it has dimensions of 3 x 3 x 0,5cm and took one hour to print.

Project homepage with very detailed step-by-step build guide:

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-SLS-3D-Printer/

Let the cheap DIY SLS era begin!!!

3D Printed and Laser Cut Open Source DIY Air Purifier

Ian van Mourik, a product designer from the Netherlands developed and open sourced an air purifier anyone can make. It is autonomous since it is controlled with Arduino and uses simple fans to move air trough particle filters and activated carbon.
It costs around 70 Euro. It has some laser cut parts from plywood but you could cut them manually or use different structural support since they are mostly decorative.
Looks like a great solution to improve your home air quality by removing dust and destroy mold particles or pollen (which I'm allergic to). Just keep in mind to change the filters or upgrade them with HEPA. Carbon filters get used up relatively fast.

Here is the video presentation:




Detailed build instructions can be found at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/OPEN-SOURCE-AIR-PURIFIER/

3d printed air purifier parts that hold carbon and dust filters with fans that push the air

Cheap 3D Printable RC Plane

If you own a 3d printed and want to get into RC flying on a low budget, here is a great project that will get you in the air.

Here is a very detailed build guide from design in CAD software to first flight instructions on Instructables:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Design-Test-Print-Build-an-Aerodynamic-RC-Plane-Tu/?ALLSTEPS

3dpBurner Open Source Laser Cutter and Engraver

3dpBurner is a DIY laser engraver and cutter project that uses 3d printed parts for the structural elements and movements. It also uses many standard parts like laser diodes and Arduino to make it work.

Here is what the developer writes about this project:

It is created with the same RepRap concept, by using 3D printed parts and some easy to find "vitamins" (non printed hardware).
I tried to design as cheap as possible, by using common electronics and a "low power" laser (a laser diode).
The X/Y working area is fully customisable by simply cutting the rods to desired length.
The max object height for working can be up to 50-60mm.

3dpBurner basically uses 3D printed parts, 8mm rods, M3/M8 hardware, some small bearings and a pair of GT2 pulley/belts. I got most parts from my "old" RepRap printer.
Motion is controlled by Arduino UNO, a CNC shield and a pair of Pololu based stepper drivers for driving two NEMA17 stepper motors.

The laser module is cooled by heatsink and forced air (small fan) and is drived by a constant current driver.
Personally I'm using the popular NDB7875 1.6W blue laser diode (note this diode is sold as being capable of up to 3W when overdrived), but you can use your own diode (DVD recorder, BluRay, M140...).

While 3dpBurner can be controlled by mostly GRBL based applications (gcode senders), i create a pair of Windows based ones. They provides an easy control and optimized gcode streaming for the GRBL firmware and also can be used for convert images to gcode files for gray scale engravings.

3dpBurner in action:



Project homepage with all the instructions how to make one:

http://3dpburner.blogspot.com/

Low Cost DIY UV Curing Chamber

kidNeutrino shared this great solution to UV curing of resin 3d printed parts. It's a low cost DIY solution that can be made for some 30 USD and consists of aluminum foil covered cardboard box and a gel nail dryer lamp.
You just put your part in, turn on the dryer UV lamp and let it cure.

Instuctables page with step-by-step build guide:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Low-Cost-UV-Curing-Box-for-3D-Resin-Prints/?ALLSTEPS

Low Cost Fully 3D Printed UAV Developed by Airbus

Thor is a fully 3D printable UAV (unmanned aircraft vehicle) developed by Airbus with production price of some 20000 Euro. The cost could probably go even further down, but it is many times cheaper when compared with simillar drones.
Thor is made of some 50 3D printed parts, two electric motors, and a remote control with some 4 weeks needed for printing and assembly. It weights 25 kg and has some 4 meters in wingspan.
It has some 40 km in range and 18 successful flight missions behind it.

Here is the video presentation (in German):



Source and more info:

http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-tests-high-tech-concepts-with-an-innovative-3d-printed-mini-aircraft/

Precious Plastic DIY Plastic Recycling Machinery

Dave Hakkens developed a great set of open sourced DIY machines for recycling plastic. There are several machines including a 3d printing filament extruder. Every device is well documented with manuals, open sourced and uses simple and easy to find components. There is a shredder, extruder, injection molding machine and compression forming chamber.

here is the promotional video:




You can learn something about many types of plastics, which are everywhere! Like difference between thermoplastics and thermoset plastics:




3D printing filament extruder demo:




Here is a video explaining how you build it:



Here are some things you can make with recycled plastic, ranging from lamp shades to building blocs:



Project homepage where you can learn how to build each machine and about the plastics as a material:

http://preciousplastic.com/en/

You can find all the documentation on:

https://github.com/hakkens

Now, recycling plastics is great idea and useful skill to have, but will it decrease the usage of plastics in general? I do not have the data, but i have strong doubts that it will not. There is a something called Jevons paradox that notes that the more efficiently we use a resource, the rate of a consumption of that resource will increase.  Think about it ....

BTW: Dave is a very cool guy, do check his youtube channel: https://youtube.com/user/hakopdetak

Here is his pro-tip video on how to get organized as a DIY / Hacker / Maker guy with industrial plastic crates:

LiteFab Open Source DLP 3D Printer

LiteFab is an rugged open source DLP 3D printer you can build yourself at a low cost and which comes with an excellent step-by-stem construction guide.
The cost for this project is some 400-500 USD plus the DLP projector which you can buy new or used which will cost you some 50 - 1000 USD extra. For this build the developer used Acer h6510bd.

The supporting structure is made from CNC cut wood, aluminum rails and 3d printed parts. It looks very hackable, which is encouraged by the developer.

This machines is developed by Instructables user that goes by name of bongoboy23. Cool name bro! Thnx for this project!

Some of the features of this design:

• Quick removable vat
• FlexVat design means no secondary action needed for peeling parts off vat. For example, the Form1 pulls the vat down on one side to peel parts off the vat. The FEP film used in a flexvat, being flexible, peels as it flexes. This film also has a much longer lifetime then standard vats, which means less often replacement of the vat.
• Quick removable bed
• Adaptable for use with any projector 
• Large vat allows for a large build area
• Nice open area for easy access to components, for easier maintenance and modification
• Opensource! All the design files are provided. 

Resin vat with DLP projector underneath which solidifies the resin with UV light. 

LiteFab has a very detailed build guide with all the files at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-LiteFab-the-Affordable-and-Rugged-DLP-Printer-/?ALLSTEPS

Knight and a Rook. Very detailed and fine. 

Objects printed on LiteFab. Looking good ...

nUnitled 3D Printer and Giova's Extruder from Italy

nUnitled 3d printer and Giova's extruder are DIY  machines developed in 2015 from Italy which are low cost and feature some interesting solutions.
The main feature of this project is its anti-wobble system which consists in the separation of Y and Z axis from Z screws. Y axis can moves freely on Z axis, because it's leaning on Z screws. This innovation avoids the transmission of Z screws wobble to Z axis.
This machines has wooden support structures.
Giova's extruder aims to be light and low-cost extruder based on the cheap 28BYJ-48 motor. It is relatively weak but it works.
Third party reviews are not yet available.

Here is the presentation video:




You can find all the files for the printer and extruder:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1434161

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1434128