Source: Make: DIY Projects and Ideas for Makers
There was a time when every home 3D printer was some kind of experiment. There wasn’t a widely agreed upon layout or electronic configuration or size. Everyone was pulling info they needed from the RepRap project and kind of just winging it. Over the years, a few designs have certainly dominated the landscape and mass production has brought costs down and performance up.
These are all good things.However, though we can all agree that modern day 3D printers are amazing, many of us kind of miss seeing such a wide variety of experimentation. One person in particularly has carried on this tradition, and we’re glad he did because he’s kind of known in the community for having out-of-the-box concepts. This person is Nick Seward, a teacher of computer science at public residential high school for gifted in Arkansas.
Here’s a quick video of one of the more visually stunning designs he’s put out, just to get you in the right mindset.
Over the weekend of the Midwest RepRap fest, I saw Nick’s name pop up again, and of course it was attached to a really cool printer. This is Wheelios, a little SCARA arm on wheels that can print indefinitely in one direction, assuming you could supply an unending spool of filament, a clear runway, and a long enough power cord.
I reached out to Nick and asked him a few questions. I was curious not only about this printer, by why he continues to make interesting new designs.
Why do you keep designing new 3d printers? (as opposed to refining a single design)
My original goal was to make a true RepRap printer. I was able to get much closer than most but some of my early efforts like Simpson and Wally needed more advanced control than I was able to supply them. The designs weren’t as easy to use as the printers then and printers have gotten even easier to use now. Simpson and Wally served their purpose. They showed me and others that it is possible to get good prints out of low cost largely 3D printed printers. Moving forward, I needed to either find a design that is easier to control or improve my ability to control them. I have been working on both fronts.
Currently, my best serious hope is RepRap HELIOS. The SCARA arm moves only in one plane make control infinitely easier than Simpson. We now have better bed leveling technology. Specifically, I use impact probing (sense when you hit the table) to characterize the surface that I am printing on. I can…
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