3D Printer Repairs 2D Printer

Earlier this month, one of our faculty members had a problem that is common to many of us: His 2D Printer stopped printing! Upon closer inspection, he realized that one of the small plastic guides above the paper tray was broken. Unfortunately, a replacement guide was not available from the manufacturer. Normally, when this type of situation occurs, we would end up buying a new printer.  However, in this case, our intrepid faculty member enlisted the help of the MakerLab. He gave one of our Gurus the broken guide, which the Guru then used to design a replacement part using 3D modeling software and then printed the newly designed replacement using one of our 3D printers. The entire process took less than one hour and the cost of the materials was about 10 cents. With the help of one of our highly skilled computer technicians, our faculty member was able to attach the newly printed guide and his 3D repaired 2D printer was back in business!

This is another great example of how 3D printing can extend the life of the things we own by enabling us to repair broken equipment rather than replacing it with something new. Why spend $250 for a new printer when you can repair it for less than 10 cents?

Our Professor's 2D Printer

The broken part is on the right and the newly created 3D replacement is on the left.

The installed 3D printer replacement part (on the left) .

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Things we Make: Adjustable Wrench

One of the most impressive aspects of 3D printing is the capability to create complex mechanical objects with moving parts in a single print. Unlike traditional manufacturing techniques which produce component parts that must be put together, with 3D printing, there is no assembly required! To illustrate this feature, we have recently begun to use our 3D printers to produce adjustable wrenches that actually adjust! The process is simple: We just download the design file from Thingiverse (Thing 139268 by barspin), put it on an SD card, insert the card into one of our MakerBot Replicators, and hit print.  We then sit back and watch, and 40 minutes later, we have a fully functional adjustable wrench. To see our wrench in action, stop on by our lab. Or if you have a 3D printer, a laptop, and an internet connection, you can print your own.  Welcome to the future!

Things we Make: Birdhouse

In addition to making useful items for humans, 3D printing can also be used to make things for our animal friends. For example, in 2011, MakerBot sponsored a competition to design 3D printed shells for hermit crabs. More recently, MakerBot held a competition to see who could design the best birdhouse. The winning design was submitted by Erik Durwood and is freely available at Thingiverse. We recently printed this birdhouse and are proudly displaying it in our lab (see below). As shown in the photo, the design is inspired by the American Craftsman Bungalow movement and is richly detailed. Now all we need are some birds!

 

Things we Make: Dalek

One of the main characters in the hit British television program, Doctor Who is the Dalek, a race of extraterrestrial cyborgs that seek to take over the universe. One of our Makers is a big Doctor Who fan and created a 3D printed version of a Dalek. "Exterminate!"

What fictional character would you like to bring to life via a 3D printer?

Things we Make: University Keychains

The MakerLab receives many requests from students and faculty for 3D design and printing assistance. One recent request was from Greg Fisher, a marketing doctoral student here at Illinois. Later this week, Greg will be interviewing for a job as an assistant professor at a number of universities, including Marquette, Missouri, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, and Wyoming. During his interview, Greg plans to discuss some of his recent research on the factors that influence user adoption of 3D printed objects. Thus, he felt it would be nice to have a 3D printed object that he could leave behind after each interview. Greg supplied our Lab with a set of 2D logos for each school. Our intrepid MakerLab Guru, Danny developed 3D designs based on scans of these logos and then printed them using our MakerBot Replicator 3D printers. The result is a memorable souvenir of Greg's talk. How can 3D printing enhance your career?

Things we Make: 3D Printed Chess Set

MakerLab Gurus Danny & Ryan recently created a 3D printed chess set. The entire set, including all of the pieces and the game board, were digitally designed and 3D printed in our Lab. Stop by on a Tuesday or Thursday and challenge one of our Guru's to a game of chess!