RepRapMicron

(github.com)

105 points | by RobotToaster 1 hour ago

9 comments

  • CarVac 1 hour ago
    Related: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvV2CH5il3Q

    And the channel's preceding few videos covering the development of the prerequisite technologies.

    • chris_swart 11 minutes ago
      This video was amazing, thank you for sharing. What are the main applications for this technology with a home setup?
  • swiftcoder 27 minutes ago
    I did not expect this would be achievable to such tight tolerances - this is very impressive. Excited to see a new wave of micro-manufacturing in our future
  • post-it 3 minutes ago
    Does this mean we can print vinyl records?
  • le-mark 23 minutes ago
    I know it is a preposterous proposition to think this thing could create a 1/1000 version of itself, hence 1/1,000,000 3d printing, but why?
    • kadoban 9 minutes ago
      A mechanism that works at scale X doesn't necessarily work at scale Y.

      Different forces and material properties are all at relatively different levels.

      The one I know offhand that will mess with stuff is the square-cube law. If you double the linear dimensions of something, it's twice as big, linearly, but 4 times the surface area and 8 times as heavy. The strength of anything that depends on area (like friction) won't scale at the same rate as anything that depends on mass or volume or anything.

      Not to mention I'm sure this thing can only print a few different materials. Unless those are also all of the materials it's made out of, it couldn't even make itself.

    • wongarsu 16 minutes ago
      Calling it a RepRap, with full explanation that that means a printer that can print itself, does make it sound like it could be a goal

      But even if you could get a positioning system that small, I'm pretty sure you can't scale resin printing down three orders of magnitude smaller than this printer. Maybe a tiny CNC?

      Or more likely they refer to eventually printing the mems devices used in the printer

      • InsideOutSanta 1 minute ago
        None of the reprap 3D printers can fully make themselves. They all still need additional parts that can't be 3D-printed, like motors and controllers.
  • godber 1 hour ago
    Thank god, in 18 months we can start making our own RAM.
  • jlawrence6809 23 minutes ago
    Okay my tinker-lust has been aroused! Can someone tell me what I can make with this thing so I have an excuse to build it?
    • wongarsu 7 minutes ago
      If you get this to print conductive resins you could probably build a number of mems devices. Accelerometers, gyroscopes, tiny speakers

      Being able to make structures this small could maybe make DIY inkjet printers viable, if you can simplify them enough?

      The most exciting are the applications nobody has thought of yet

  • carterschonwald 39 minutes ago
    omg, ive wanted a precision computer controlled flexure motion system for yearssssss. i may also just really love tiny tools and devices.
    • mlyle 2 minutes ago
      So that's existed for a long time in the form of OpenFlexure. The microscope is a pretty easy / fun build.
  • thenthenthen 1 hour ago
    Very cool, and I understand the off the shelf parts ambition, but what are those usb microscopes used for? These are absolute garbage (but light weight).
    • wongarsu 22 minutes ago
      Sounds like they are used for homing. They just need to observe a tiny spot at known distance with high resolution

      To look at the output they recommend a separate regular microscope

    • ZiiS 38 minutes ago
      Phisics dictate they have a small depth of field but they can be absolutely incredible.
    • idiotsecant 58 minutes ago
      To see the print? Weird comment.
  • georgestones 57 minutes ago
    [dead]