Prusa I3 Based Ultrasonic Laser Resin 3D Printer

Team of scientists hacked a Prusa I3 to develop new 3d printing process that uses laser to solidify ultrasound arranged resin fiber particle in a small vat.
A laser diode module was mounted on the print head to cure the resin, with an emitting power of 50 mW. The laser diode was housed in a shroud, and was focused using a single 6 mm diameter lens, with a focal length of 20 mm. The small vat sized at 35mmx35mm was filled with low viscosity photocurable resin (Spot-A LV) and commercially sourced glass microfibres (Lanxess MF7904, length 50 μm, 14 μm). Ultrasonic transducer gives resin floating fiber the shape and laser solidifies it.
It is a new form of stereolithography which could see some upscaling into more capable machines.





Detailed article and scientific paper "3D printed components with ultrasonically arranged microscale structure" can be found at:

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0964-1726/25/2/02LT01

Source post:

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/january/3d-printer.html

The printed object and close-up of the object showing its very small layers.

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SprintRay MoonRay High Resolution UV DLP 3D Printer

SprintRay presented their MoonRay high resolution UV DLP 3D printer. It will be priced at  3499 USD.

Key features:

• Custom-built projector for 3D printing fine details: MoonRay’s resin requires UV light for proper curing. Other similar 3D printers use commercial projectors, which produce visible light but not pure UV light. The advantages of the custom UV LED projector in MoonRay are in the resolution and curing process. The MoonRay’s UV projector, RayOne, was custom designed with some special qualities:
• Perfect light spectrum: The resin used for 3D printing cures under light with a 405nm wavelength. The custom-built projector hits the proper wavelength consistently across the build platform, which allows you to get real 100-micron resolution.
• Runs cool and quiet: Utilizing a UV projector allows the MoonRay to avoid any overheating and makes it much quieter than other 3D printers.
• Long lifespan: RayOne’s 50,000-hour lifespan means you won’t ever need to replace the bulb.
• Revolutionary resin tank: the team designed the MoonRay’s resin tank to last, so there’s no more replacing your printer’s resin tank or changing the PDMS layer

MoonRay presentation:




Here is MoonRay on CES 2016 with more detailed presentation:




... it makes very fine objects like this 3d printed cloth:



SprintRay homepage:

http://www.global.sprintray.us/moonray

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Chimera DLP 3D Printer You Can Build for Under 60$

Here is one of the cheapest DIY 3d printers you can make, with cost at around 60 USD, and it is DLP SLA machine!
It also comes with very detailed construction guide made by the developer "matstermind".

How can the price be so low? Mostly by using used or scraped parts. You can see it in the parts list below.

Bill of materials:

• 1x Mitsubishi XD221u 1024x768 video projector, used or second-hand $50
• 1x computer disc drive laser deck assembly (must be one with a stepper motor), free from scrap disc drive
• 1x Arduino UNO / Duemilanove or atmega328 based Arduino clone, $4 ebay, used or second-hand
• 1x Easydriver v4.4, $2 from ebay
• misc wire, solder, etc.
• (optional) Ability to etch circuit boards (you can protoboard/breadboard it if you have to)
• (possibly) 5v, .5A power supply. Some laser decks can be powered by the USB port by the Arduino, some may need a power supply to be plugged into the Arduino or M+ on the easydriver to make the motor move. It will depend on the power of your USB port. My deck did not need one.
• Total=$55.5
• (optional for frame) scrap wood for free or 2x4ft MDF board or $10 from hardware store

Looks rough and simple with wood frame. I like the style ...

Chimera is named inspired by mythological creature that is made up of three different animals since this printer is made by using the recycled/modified parts of three different categories (projector, toys, and old computer stuff), hence the name.

Video of Chimera working its DLP resin hardening magic:





Print quality looks good:

Chimera has a very detailed construction guide at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Chimera-60-DLP-resin-3d-printer/

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SLA 3D Printed Working DIY RC Micro Drone "Air-Form 1"

Thingiverse user "niklasm" designed and 3d printed a fully working micro RC drone from tough resin on a Form 1.

Technical specifications:

• battery: 150mAh
• thrust: 54g
• weight: 60g
• wingspan: 58cm
• dihedral: 15deg
• flight time: 11min

Non-Printed Parts:

• specktrum ar6410
• 150mAh battery
• laTrax motor
• laTrax bearings
• laTrax gear/propshaft
• laTrax prop
• 3/32in X 7/32in X 3ft rectangular carbon rod
• 3/16in carbon tube
• 7/64 carbon rod
• 3ft X 3in X 3/32 balsa board
• 1/32in music wire
• superglue

All the files to make it and instructions can be found at:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1051655

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iBox Nano SLA 3d printer is best in EVERYTHING except print volume and purpose

It's the world's smallest 3D printer, it's the quietest, simplest and most affordable 3D printer on the market. It has EVERYTHING ... well ... except printvolume ... or purpose ... I really don't see the usage scenario. Maybe for some specific hobby or modelling applications. Still it is a interesting small machine.

Here are the technical specifications and key features:

• Printer Technology: Stereolithography (LCD)
• Build Envelope: 40 x 20 x 90mm
• Resolution X-Y: 328 Microns
• Print Material: iBox Resin or Makerjuice
• Power Consumption During Print: 2.7 Watts
• Maximum Z Precision: 0.39 Microns
• Noise Volume: 29 db
• Weight: 3 pounds
• Optional battery for up to 10 hours of printing
• Controlled by Raspberry Pi and remote control (computer, tablet, smartphone with web browser)
• Price: $189 early bird, $299 retail

From Kickstarter:

• The iBox Nano is designed to produce high resolution prints with the touch of a button 
• There is no software to install so you can spend less time setting up prints and more time printing 
• A robust ecosystem of open source and free software for 3D modeling and editing 
• WiFi enabled so you can print untethered
• Battery powered option for on-the-go printing (optional purchase).
• The iBox Nano is:
• The worlds smallest Resin printer 
• The worlds most affordable Resin printer 
• The worlds only battery powered (option) Resin printer 
• The worlds first production LCD based UV Resin printer 
• The worlds quietest 3D printer 
• The worlds lightest 3D printer

iBox Nano is now on Kickstarter where you can find more technical details and comparison data:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/826799607/ibox-nano-worlds-smallest-least-expensive-3d-print


iBox homepage: http://www.iboxprinters.com/

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LittleRP affordable open source DLP 3d printer

LittleRP is a low cost open source DLP 3d printer where you can configure it and adapt it to fit a variety of needs. It is compatible with a range of vat designs, linear motion components, and DLP light sources. The higher the resolution of the DLP projector, the higher resolution of this 3d printer will be.

LittleRP technical specifications:

• Build Volume: 60mm(X) 40mm(Y) 100mm(Z)
• Build Speed: Approx 2 minutes per 1mm at .05mm layer height. A 40mm tall object would take approximately 80 minutes to complete.
• Electronics: Arduino compatible microcontroller, GRBL Firmware
• Software: Envision Labs Creation Workshop (STL Slicer, Projector Controller, Gcode Sender)
• Available Resins: Most general UV Curing Resin such as MakerJuice (SubFlex, SubSF), MadeSolid (MS resin)
• Resin Vat: PDMS (Standard), Teflon
• The basic LittleRP kit uses a non-peeling vat, and is intended for jewelry, miniature figures and similar styles of prints. For printing larger or more solid prints the company offers a tilting upgrade. The tilt option will allow you to print much larger models and print them with a larger variety of resins. The optional tilting vat will be available for $149 and all LittleRP printers are upgrade ready before shipping.
• The non-stick coating of the LittleRP resin vats only requires $1 of material to re-coat compared to $8-10 for larger printers.

http://www.littlerp.com/


From the LittleRP page:

LittleRP, an affordable, open source 3D resin printer that lowers the barriers to entry for those looking to get into the exciting world of stereo-lithography printing.

The LittleRP has been designed from the ground up to simplify the resin printing process. Our focus on smaller high quality prints means complicated peeling mechanisms are not required.
Being open source is one thing, but we wanted to make the LittleRP easy to self source. Lasercut materials and standard T-Slot extrusion means building your own from scratch, or simply modifying an existing LittleRP is an exercise you can take on yourself!

Inexpensive quality stereo lithography prints are possible thanks to the use of high quality components such as linear slides and integrated leadscrew steppers. The LittleRP might be inexpensive but corners were definitely not cut.

LittleRP was known as the LittleDLPer / LittleSLA, but the name was changed due to some trademark
issues.
It will be on Kickstarter soon where you will able to get Extra Early Bird LittleRP Kit for $475 and for $499 for later supporters. The Kickstarter kit comes in Complete, Complete HD and Projectorless options. The Complete kit includes everything you need to get printing, whereas the Projectorless option requires you to supply your own DLP projector.

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