1 Topic by paeltz (edited by paeltz 2013-02-27 07:40:12)

  • paeltz
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Topic: Check this printer out - PiMaker

I visited my local hacker space last night as I noticed they had a 3d printer and various other tools that I am very interested in.  Wow was I surprised!  Bill Steele was there who successfully funded a 3d printer project on Kickstarter. I remember looking at his Kickstarter project (I cant post links) Ultra-Bot as I have browsed all of them but never revisited the page.  He ended up coming up with a better idea after it funded and allowed all of his backers to choose between the one he showed on Kickstarter or his newer invention called the PiMaker.  This thing is amazing and the detail of his high resolution prints are remarkable.  His high res prints were practically flawless and it was very hard to see any lines at all (like in I couldn't on some of them)  The printer also supports Dual extruders that take either size of PLA or ABS (1.75 or 3mm) but also has scanning functionality (another add on of course) to create STL files.  His system is also different than others as it uses a Cartesian based system vs an X,Y,Z. 

Check out the updates of his Kickstarter page to see his PiMaker.

2 Reply by IanJohnson

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Re: Check this printer out - PiMaker

RepRap has a whole forum for Polar bots - http://forums.reprap.org/list.php?185  I've never seen one offered though, apparently the math is really tough.

3 Reply by paeltz

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Re: Check this printer out - PiMaker

IanJohnson wrote:

RepRap has a whole forum for Polar bots -   I've never seen one offered though, apparently the math is really tough.

I was able to talk with him for about 30 minutes or so and was blown away with how well this was working.  As far as the software being complicated like the link you posted suggests, he said that he only had to modify a couple lines of code within the firmware to make this happen.  As far as the user is concerned they use all of the same software that most other printers use.  He didn't have the camera's attached to the printer that I saw but they way he described it sounded pretty awesome.  I believe (don't quote me on this) he said it takes around 60 pictures of the item as it rotates on the bed.  He had a few examples of items that he scanned and printed out and they looked nice.  I was unable to see any of the lines in those prints as he printed them in the printers highest resolution.

4 Reply by solijohn

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Re: Check this printer out - PiMaker

paeltz wrote:
IanJohnson wrote:

RepRap has a whole forum for Polar bots -   I've never seen one offered though, apparently the math is really tough.

I was able to talk with him for about 30 minutes or so and was blown away with how well this was working.  As far as the software being complicated like the link you posted suggests, he said that he only had to modify a couple lines of code within the firmware to make this happen.  As far as the user is concerned they use all of the same software that most other printers use.  He didn't have the camera's attached to the printer that I saw but they way he described it sounded pretty awesome.  I believe (don't quote me on this) he said it takes around 60 pictures of the item as it rotates on the bed.  He had a few examples of items that he scanned and printed out and they looked nice.  I was unable to see any of the lines in those prints as he printed them in the printers highest resolution.

Cool idea. It might be a big pain to build in practice.

Former Solidoodle employee, no longer associated with the company.

5 Reply by sswanson

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Re: Check this printer out - PiMaker

I was one of the Kickstarter backers for this project. Originally we backers paid for something called the Ultra Bot, and at the estimated time of delivery for the Ultra Bot - Nov/Dec 2012, This printer, the PiMaker was announced instead. I paid for the top tier pledge of $1449.00 for one of the first ten fully assembled and ready to print units to be made.  Over a year later I have not received anything to date, while many others have received non functioning parts & assembled units. His website is offline, and he's not returning emails or calls. If you have purchased one of these units, be sure to ask for an in-person demonstration if you can, to ensure it's functionality before accepting it. The design looks fantastic, and may turn out to be a good printer in the future, but be VERY careful if you're considering paying for one.

6 Reply by chuddly

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Re: Check this printer out - PiMaker

I thought about getting one from him before i got my SD3.....he wouldnt return my calls (MANY calls) or emails (many of those too).  So i figured if he didnt want my money then I didnt want his product.  I may have scared him off when i told him i was only a couple hours away and would drive in to see them/ buy.  who knows....im not trying to drag him through the mud but I can just tell you from my experience im glad i went the way i did.  Not that SD is perfect....but they are a real company that is selling a real product and I was treated very fairly