3D Printed Silicone Robot Grabber

Further reading: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/admt.201800528

DIY Silicone Nozzle Cover

One way to protect your nozzle from getting dirty is to wrap it in a cover, sock, sleeve or boot and prevent all the hot nasty stuff sticking to it. E3D released their silicone sock for Vulcano nozzles but someone found a way to make a DIY version.

Ubermeisters used 3d printed model of the nozzle and made a mold around it and than used some high temperature silicone mixture to produce the final cover. All steps are photographed in detail.

Here are the files and the instructions:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/e3d-volcano-silicone-casting-mold

Build log gallery:

http://imgur.com/gallery/vHDmL

And here is the E3D sock:

http://e3d-online.com/Socks-Launch

How to make big silicone molds from 3D printed objects

Volum3 from Romania made a tutorial on how to make large molds with several 3D printed parts acrylic plaster and silicone that can be used to cast relatively big objects from polyurethane foam.




Instructables page:

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-a-Cheap-Silicone-Mold-of-a-3D-Printed-/

3D Printed Silicone Nerve Repair Guide

Scientists developed a new 3d printing technology where they use printed silicone guides to regrow damaged nerves. It could help large number of disabled people.




Object description:

Specialized 3D printing is used to create a first-of-its-kind customized nerve regeneration guide with incorporated biochemical cues to promote both sensory and motor growth nerve regrowth. The red dots represent cues for motor growth the green dots represent cues for sensory regrowth. This research was led by University of Minnesota mechanical engineering professor Michael McAlpine.

More information:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2015/09/3d-printed-guide-helps-regrow-complex.html

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201501760/abstract

3D Weaver loom makes woven structures from cotton, wool, paper and silicone

3D Weaver is weaving machine that layers natural fibers including cotton, wool, paper, and then binds them with silicone to maintain the structure, material / spatial properties in three dimensions. It is basically 3d loom with advanced yarn materials fed through two tubes and wrapped around a grid of vertical poles. Woven 3d structures can be used for many purposes ranging from shoe soles to custom high level packaging.

It was developed and constructed by Nigerian American designer Oluwaseyi Sosanya for his The Structure of Protection graduate project. He has a patent pending on this technology.

3d Weaver project homepage:

http://www.sosafresh.com/3d-weaver/

3d waved shoe soles. Source: Dezeen 

Woven 3d matrix structure.  Source: Dezeen 

3D Weaver additive manufacturing DIY loom. You can see the layering frame and spools of material.

Discov3ry paste extruder by Structur3D

Discov3ry is new high end extruder designed for past extrusion of various materials like:

• Silicone 
• Icing Sugar 
• Wood Filler  
• Drywall compound 
• Polyurethane 
• Latex 
• Clay
• Many more ...

From company page:

• The Discov3ry offers printing enthusiasts a simple, ingenious and affordable hardware add-on solution for printing a wide range of pastes. Now Makers can quickly and inexpensively experiment with easily sourced materials, like silicone, clay and cake frosting — allowing them to do more. 
• CARTRIDGE SYSTEM: The Discov3ry system uses a syringe based cartridge system which keeps your printing materials separate and makes for an easy clean up. Switching from silicone to icing sugar is safe and seamless.
• HIGH VOLUME AND EASY CLEAN UP: Each cartridge holds over 60cc (cubic centimetres) of your printing material. This is enough material for several prints. Unused material can be capped and saved for later.
• USE YOUR OWN PRINTER: Discov3ry works with any stepper based desktop 3D printer system. The printing tip is easily mountable and the device plugs into your existing electronics. Slicing and printing works with existing open-source software like Slic3r and Repetier.

It will soon be Kickstartered and probably priced at USD 350 range.

Interview with the creators:

Discov3ry paste extruder is on the table attached to the 3d printer

Printing with polyurethane 

Company homepage:

http://www.structur3dprinting.com/

If you want an see similar DIY paste extruders check projects by Mr. Keep:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2014/03/3d-printing-with-locally-dug-clay.html

RotoMAAK - DIY spin casting machine

Desktop spin casting machine would enable you to make series of objects with rapid molding process. This could develop into very interesting sector of machines and products.

Co-Founder of TeMAAK and Inventor of the RotoMAAK, Mark VanDiepenbos presents the RotoMAAK desktop rotational molding machine and demonstrates its use.
The RotoMAAK evenly distributes 2 part epoxies, as well as other rotational mold materials, to make parts out of 3d printed molds, silicon molds, or other types of molds in as little as 5 to 10 minutes. More details and specs coming soon, including the date for the Kickstarter campaign. Sign up on their website www.rotomaak.com to receive email notifications about its development and Kickstarter Launch.
Mark VanDiepenbos is a part of Makerspace Goshen, the same group that John Oly and Steve Wygant of www.seemecnc.com (Rostock Max and Orion 3D printers) are a part of.

If you are not sure what spin casting is (like I was) here is wikipedia page on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_casting

Here is a link to another DIY spin casting centrifuge that illustrates the process:

http://www.myheap.com/chapter-2-tools/a-spin-casting-centrifuge.html

Update (17.3.2014.):

Here is Mark on Midwest RepRap Festival showing 3d printed resin molds.





Update (23.4.2014.):

RotoMAAK just finished its Kickstarter campaign with excellent results:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2014/04/rotomaak-bridging-gap-between-3d.html

From DIY 3d printing history 1 - Silicone 3d printer from 2003 with rotating cylindrical surface

3D printer that deposits silicone layers based on Illustrator drawings to produce printed shapes. It has cylindrical rotating surface as build platform which allows it to print shapes impossible to print on flat surface. It is hard to find further technical information on this machine, so if anybody knows more, let me know.

School project et ENSCI Les Ateliers, Paris in 2003.
Uros Petrevski, in François Azambourg's atelier Formes et matières

Source:  http://vimeo.com/67167271, http://www.nodesignlab.net/

Close up of 3d object printed in silicone

There is more to come in this post series, I'll update it as I find interesting materials from history of 3d printing development ...

Update:

Here is part 2:

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/10/from-diy-3d-printing-history-2-humble.html