High resolution Stereolithography, resin-based 3D printer is out of reach for most of us - until now. Justin Hawkins is working on developing a low cost, build-it-yourself, high resolution SLA 3D printer sLAMPS for 3D printing community.
The printer works using a galvanometer and mirrors to steer a laser into a cured vat of resin. The resin cures at 405nm (which the laser puts out) and turns the liquid pool (Of Zero VOC Environmentally friendly resin) into 3D objects.
Not like the current existing SLA 3D printer, sLAMPS' software and firmware are open source. It consists of parts that can be easily sourced and printed at home. The design files will be shared for everyone to use.
The printer is still a beta version. So far Justin has built the sLAMPS 1.0 3D printer and tested electronics. Currently he is on getting the right vat coating and build platform to get good adherence during printing. He has tested two different PCB build platforms and it turns out that acrylated resin doesn't stick well on pcb surfaces but well on acrylic.
Specifications on the potential print size and resolution are still to be decided, according to Justin, the print bed is about 80mm x 80mm x 100mm, and layer height will be configurable, anywhere from 0.001mm to 0.2mm.
Justin launched a funding campaign on indiegogo for further development of the openSL 3D printer, sourcing affordable materials and tools. For $1,095 you can receive a complete kit, without case, including all the electronics you need (Laser, Laser Iris, Galvanometers, Galavanometer Driver Boards, Power Supply, Printer Control Board, Stepper Motor), plus the vat (pre-coated), printer chassis and the plastic parts. The estimated delivery time is around May 2013. And a build guide will also be released at the end of the campaign. You can find more information in the video below. If you would like to give feedback on his design or support this project, you can find information here on Indiegogo, still 7 days to go before the campaign ends.
Thanks to Tune for the tip.
Thanks to Tune for the tip.
No comments:
Post a Comment