DIY Ultimaker Tool and Extruder Changer Mechanism

Ultimaker forum user by the name of FoehnSturm presented his approach to toolchanger mechanism on the original Ultimaker machine.

It uses a custom modular direct drive extruders with hot end placed in holders mounted on printer's frame. This extruder is powered by NEMA 8 motor and has a   hotend like Merlin, Prometheus, E3D or similar. In the future it will use other tools also.
This system can hack your Ultimaker in true multitool hybrid digital fabricator.

Do keep in mind that this project is still in the development but it looks very interesting. It could be also adapted to other 3d printers. My opinion was always that the multitool machines are the future.


Here is the first prototype:




... more developed version with higher accuracy and repeatability:




Here is the mechanism working well with dual extruders doing two color printing:




Here is the high speed tool change in action:




The mechanism can have magnetic connectors and supports different tools like polishing head:



You can see the entire thread on the UM forum with much more information and insight in the development process:

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/10657-a-different-multi-extrusion-approach-um-tool-printhead-changer?page=1


You can see some of the files on Youmagine. Here is the one for the modular Ultimaker printhead that uses a direct extruder:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/modular-printhead-nema8-worm-gear

... here are some of the files for the magnetic exchangers:

https://www.youmagine.com/designs/um-magnetic-printhead-changer

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Iteration and Repair of Existing 3d Printed Objects Without Re-printing

I have seen the future! Changing already 3d printed objects without the need to 3d print them again! Group of researchers developed this method that uses multifinctional 3d printer with laser 3d scanner and CNC milling head to make changes to the already 3d printed object to add or subtract from the previous design.

You can also repair failed prints and make changes on the fly. The developers call this system "Patching". It saves a lot of time and material. Imagine spending few minutes repairing object that would take hours to reprint!

Seeing it in action is very impressive:




Hopefully this technique will find wider application and adoption on mainstream machines and design/control software.


Project description:

Personal fabrication is currently a one-way process: Once an object has been fabricated with a 3D printer, it cannot be changed anymore; any change requires printing a new version from scratch. In this paper, we propose a different approach: instead of re-printing the entire object from scratch, we suggest patching the existing object and replacing only the unsatisfactory parts. This saves material and reduces waste, making a first step towards more sustainable 3D printing.

This project is a collaboration between Hasso Plattner Institute and Cornell University.

More Information: 

https://hpi.de/baudisch/projects/patching-physical-objects.html

The machine has several additional axis of movement with laser 3d scanner and CN mill head

Patching Physical Objects is a research project by:

Alexander Teibrich, http://www.teibrich.de

Stefanie Mueller, http://www.stefaniemueller.org

François Guimbretière, http://www.cs.cornell.edu/~francois/

Robert Kovacs, http://robertkovax.com/

Patrick Baudisch, http://www.patrickbaudisch.com

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TRiBOT will give you 3d printing, CNC milling and injection molding in one machine

TRiBOT is a world’s first 3-in-1 manufacturing machine that allows you to 3D print, CNC mill and injection mold and it's developed by Luminar Products. It looks like a heavy duty home manufacturing machine that could enhance capabilities of hobbyist, professional home craftsman or even small company.
The concept of all-in.one machine has both supporters and critics, advantages and disadvantages. It's up to you to decide.
The price is in the 8000 USD range so it will definitely not be in everyone's garage.


TRiBOT technical specifications from Kickstarter page:

The TRiBOT Machine Includes:

• The Base 130 pound base mill converted to CNC with a www.stirlingsteele.com 3 axis motion control kit

• Enhanced 11 x 5 x 11 travel area

• 3 NEMA 23 steppers 

• 4 axis step and direction controller/driver & DC power supply 

• 0.200 pitch Z axis ball screw 

• X and Y Lead Screws 

• Extruder 3D Printer head which includes a 70 oz/in NEMA 23 gear-head stepper motor, Stainless steel feed tube with 1.5 inch tall copper, heater block 100 watt heater cartridge, Thermocouple and cooling fan 

• Filament injection mold head Includes a 120 oz/in NEMA 23 gear-head stepper motor Stainless steel feed tube with 4 inch tall aluminum heater block 280 watt heater cartridge Thermocouple and cooling fan 

• 2 PIC digital temperature controllers boxed in an electronic enclosure 

• 3D printing stage plate 

• Sample pack of 3mm diameter PLA printing filament 

• Tooling package including: Vise, 6 piece end mill set, collet set, parallel set, 0-1/2” drill chuck, assorted wrenches, T-Nuts, mounting screws, bar clamps and step blocks 

• Wheeled steel service cart with 2 shelves

• Power strip with built in circuit breaker 

• Desktop computer with Linux OS, Linux CNC, MeshCAM, Slic3r, and FreeCAD 3D drawing software all pre-installed and ready to use. 

• Computer monitor - key board - mouse - cables

• One set of blank aluminum mold plates 

3D printer specifications:

11x5x11 build area. Capable of printing multiple plastics at temperatures up to 400 degrees C. Luminar Products super extruder print head with gear head stepper, very strong solid aluminum print head body, copper heater block with stainless steel feed tube and brass nozzles. Prints up to 75 mm per second. 3 amp 4 axis motion controller with 8 micro steps for 1600 steps per motor revolution

CNC Milling Machine specifications:

11x5x11 XYZ travel All cast iron, dovetailed ways heavy duty X2D mini-mill shipping weight about 140 pounds R8 spindle taper accepts common tooling Variable speed DC spindle motor T slotted cast iron table 1 inch drilling capability , 3/4 inch milling capability The CNC converted milling machine also retains its ability to be used as a manual mill when needed

Automatic injection molding machine specifications:

Can inject single or multiple cavities of equal or different shot sizes. Molded parts can be created from a 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) spool of plastic plastic weld rod or printer filament. This means no filling with pelletized plastic in between each part. Plastic weld rod or filament is available in many plastic types and colors. computer programmed in g-code for automatic injection molding Powerful NEMA 23 200 in/oz stepper motor driven gear head mounted to a Luminar Products super extruder print head with an enlarged 300 watt powered heater block for rapid shot recovery. controlled with g-code so shot size can be programmed for each mold cavity.

TRiBOT is on Kickstarter:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/889592677/tribot-3d-print-cnc-mill-auto-mold-machine-in-one


Luminar Products home page:

http://www.luminarproducts.com/

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Blacksmith Genesis all-in-one 3d printer, 3d scanner and 3d copy machine from Singapore

Blacksmith Genesis is new standalone all-in-one 3d printer, 3d scanner and 3d copy machine.
Blacksmith is currently incubated at Nanyang Technological University Venture in Singapore.

It will be on Indiegogo soon.

Technical specifications:

3D PRINTING

• Technology: Fused Deposition Modeling with Rotary Platform
• Build Volume: 6648 cm3 (23 cm / 9.1 inch Diameter, 16 cm / 6.3 inch Height)
• Layer Resolution: 50-200 microns
• Filament: PLA, 1.75 mm diameter
• Nozzle Diameter: 0.4 mm
• Print File Type: .STL, .OBJ

SCANNING

• Technology: Laser Triangulation
• Scan Volume: 5542 cm3 (21 cm / 9.1 inch Diameter, 16 cm / 6.3 inch Height)
• Scan Speed: Approx. 6 minutes
• Steps per Rotation: 1200 steps
• Camera: 3.1 MP CMOS Image Sensor
• Exported File Type: .STL, .OBJ

SIZE AND WEIGHT

• Product Dimensions: 35 (L) x 25 (W) x 41 (H) cm / 13.8 x 9.8 x 16.1 inch
• Product Weight: 11 kg / 24 lbs

SOFTWARE

• Software Bundle: Blacksmith Sorcerer
• Supported File Types: .STL, .OBJ, .BS
• Operating Systems: All (Web-based): Windows, Mac OS, Linux

ELECTRICAL

• Power Requirements: 100-240 V, 50-60 Hz, 100 W
• Connectivity: USB, SD Card, Wi-Fi (future development)

http://www.blacksmith-group.com/blacksmith-genesis/

https://www.facebook.com/blacksmith3D

Just a note, there are two more 3d printers named "Blacksmith":

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/09/blacksmith-printr-rotary-3d-printer.html (Update: looks like it was a first model from the same company)

http://diy3dprinting.blogspot.com/2013/09/meet-balcksmith-open-source-3d-printer.html


Update (14.8.2014.):

Blacksmith Genesis is on Indiegogo:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/blacksmith-genesis-all-in-1-3d-printer-scanner

... with new videos:





You can get it on this campaign for 1200 USD.

Here is the comparison of Blacksmith Genesis vs. MakerBot Replicator 2 and MakerBot Digitizer:

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