iRapid - A new 3D printer built with “rack and pinion” concept April 19, 2012 iRapid, a new 3D printer made by iRapid.de in Germany is ready to hit the market. iRapid is a complete assembled 3D printer, one of the first fully assembled 3D printers in Europe. iRapid is built with a brand new and unique "rack and pinion" concept that uses no belts and thread rod. This design keeps the machine neat and very easy to build. According to iRapid.de, this is a pending patent in Germany and Europe and when it is successful they will apply for an international patent. The system is a ready to use 3 axis CNC machine with an extrusion toolhead and the total build envelope is approx. 140x140x140mm. Unlike any other in it's price range, iRapid has a rigid aluminum frame and a reliable gear rack solution. Some critical technical data of iRapid 3D printer listed in the website are: The iRapid is expected to be on the market latest in three month time at a price tag of approx. 999 Euros (excluding taxes). Watch the video below the printing test of iRapid:
Reprap development and further adventures in DIY 3D printing Fabbster Personal 3D Printer 3D-printing for everybody The Cult of Maker prays for a burst-resistant bubble Is 3D printing creating a movement strong enough to move beyond the imminent threat of a sudden pop? By Randall S. Newton Most of us at Jon Peddie Research are old enough to have witnessed more bubble moments in the tech industry than we care to recall. The infamous Bubble. For the past 18 months or so the specter of a new tech bubble has been hovering over the landscape, arising from a corner of the tech universe called 3D printing. The spirit of the 3D printing bubble rises from the prayers of the Makers, a new tech priesthood who cut their teeth on a faith tutored by dotcomism. RepRap is an open source 3D printer popular with hobbyists. Recently at SXSW—the Maker equivalent of Mardi Gras without penance afterward— MakerBot High Priest Bre Pettis made a sacred oath to vendor-bond with Autodesk, scoring legitimacy from the CAD priesthood whose tools are required by the Makers. Bre Pettis, founder of MakerBot Industries.
Building Your Own 3D Printer Home-built 3D printers are booming. In 2006 there were no such printers and 5 years later there are tens of thousands. There are currently hundreds of thousands of people wanting to start their own build waiting for the right moment to get started. The project that single-handily propelled home-built 3D printers out of nowhere is RepRap. It’s an open-source project meaning that all the information and design plans you’ll need are available free for all. Building a 3D printer yourself is a huge undertaking. Building a 3D printer is very hands-on and will require all your technical skills. These are the sections of this book: How a RepRap 3D printer worksParts of the printerA word on the most commonly used plasticsTools and skills requiredSoftware required to run a RepRap 3D printerBuyer’s guideLinks to build instructions This book is not a replacement for build instructions. Image 1 shows a fully assembled working home-built 3D printer. The frame gives the printer its stiffness. 9.