18 June 2007

Building a 3D Printer

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When I last visited the Desktop Factory site, they were building parts using an original prototype machine. That was about a year ago. Now, they are in the process of assembling their fifth beta machine (Jimi), shown in the picture above. I was able to observe two machines in operation, including beta one (Axl) and beta three, which is operating successfully inside the (slightly chopped) case.

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They are currently experimenting with different tolerances and settings and debugging hardware and software issues. While it's clear that the machines aren't ready for customer use yet, my impression is that they are getting close.

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