[GRLUG] NOT LINUX

[Don Ellis]

I went to the 2600 meeting at the St Louis Hackerspace earlier this
month (Arch Reactor -- http://archreactor.org/) and a guy was using
their 3d printer. Much smaller, not color, but still...

He was printing the parts with which to assemble another (larger) 3d printer.

I saw [results of] one at ITEC Expo some years ago (10 or so)
presented by the local community college. They were promoting classes
in how to use a 3d printer. Theirs was much more precise than the tiny
one at Arch Reactor. I thought a really neat feature was that you
could print something that could not be assembled by traditional
methods.

There have been several different technologies over the years. Some
will solidify a liquid with UV, the little one at Arch Reactor
deposits ABS plastic from a long piece of spaghetti (change it for
different colors), and the one in the video deposits a layer of powder
with hardener and coloring agents. I like that an item can float in
the powder, but OTOH, the powder does have to be removed afterward, so
any voids will have to have drain holes.

The one in the video is really cool. Especially the scanner and the
color printing feature. (Yes, I want access to one!)

--Don Ellis


On Mon, Jul 11, 2011 at 9:34 AM, Bob Kline <bob.kline at gmail.com> wrote:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZboxMsSz5Aw
> Of possible interest to some.  Kyle
> could see his 3D steam engine efforts
> turned in to hardware - albeit plastic.
>    -- Bob
>

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