RepRap: Blog

Whew! I'm back from Interactivos '09 in Madrid where I was leading the project to build a reprap machine. It was a really fun, really intense 2 week project where we built an entire, functioning RepRap machine from scratch (well, sort of... we used PCBs and printed parts)

I'd like to give a big thanks to the whole Medialab Prado crew. They are really some awesome people over there doing some really rad things. They made me not ever want to leave Madrid. The city and people and culture they have there are really something to be proud of. It sort of makes my hometown of NYC seem a bit backwards. ;)

Here's a quick brain dump:

* tornillas = bolts
* tuercas = nuts
* canas = hangover ;)
* tapas = awesome :)

RepRap machines *can* be built from parts made on a Z Corp machine, but its tough and you have to be careful. We broke some parts and had to hack together some replacements.

It was really cool to use the machine to print out parts to fix itself and thus improve build quality. We broke the Z motor coupling and cobbled a fix together with hose clamps and heat shrink tubing. The Z axis had some major wobble. One of the first parts we printed was a replacement Z motor coupling from ABS. we put it on and the wobble improved dramatically. Yay for self-replication!

I learned how to do 3d modeling (gasp! yes, i dont know how to... this project is so fricking huge!!!) I learned about Sketchup, Blender, and how to make the two play nicely (blog post coming soon)

Edit: I also learned a really cool technique for doing embossed lettering on printed parts. Blog post coming soon.

Anyway, big shouts to my collaborators: Catarina, Ricardo, Guillermo, Kirsty, Erica, Christine, Juan, and everyone else who stopped by to pitch in that I have forgotten.

Cheers,
Zach