Anybody hear of this - 3D printers for every FIRST team

[IndySam]

Aviation Week Article. (http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_11_08_2013_p0-635147.xml)

The challenge is to think beyond current materials and designs. To that end, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee is placing thousands of 3-D printers in U.S. schools to give future designers and engineers experience with the technology. Already the lab has helped local high schools in the First Robotics competition—including building the first all-additive robot. Beginning this year with 250 machines, the lab plans to place 3,000 printers next year, then 4,000 and finally 28,000 so every high school in First Robotics has one.

[Akash Rastogi]

Seems like the work of team 4265. I'll have to ask them and find out more details!

[techhelpbb]

If they gave away $500 printers to 28,000 schools that would be a very generous $14,000,000 donation. I wonder which printer they have in mind, how many extruders the printer has and what material it extrudes?

Plus with each year FIRST grows. So in 2 years will they be giving away 30,000 or more printers to emcompass the whole competition?

I looked around briefly and found not much as far as this goes stated elsewhere.
Hope it is accurate.

[Alan Anderson]

It's good to know that the rumor I heard last month was more than just a rumor.

[CENTURION]

Very exciting!

Though, as a team that is not associated with a particular high school, I wonder how that works out for us, and other teams in the same situation.

[dellagd]

And I just bought a 3D printer. My luck :yikes:

[yash101]

And I just bought a 3D printer. My luck :yikes:

Which one?

[Kathysmith]

Seems like the work of team 4265. I'll have to ask them and find out more details!
That definitely sounds like them, We had the good fortune to work with them last year and it's obvious that they really care about what they're doing and put a lot of thought into it.

[safiq10]

Thank-you to all thouse who are apart of this 3D printers for EVERY team. This is just spectacular. It really means alot to all the teams for someone to give 3d printers to all of us espically some of the smaller teams who barely have the money to pay registration. So thank you!
My second comment is where can I sign up for one!

[runneals]

I came across this earlier today about Makerbot trying to make this happen! http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2013/11/12/announcement-makerbot-academy-and-americas-classrooms/

[dodar]

Would teams still get one even if they just bought one?

[MrRiedemanJACC]

Thanks for the link to the Makerbot Academy!!!! I just applied, says 5 days for the application to get reviewed. I'm crossing my fingers because if I read it right, you only need approximately $100 for a Replicator 2, that isn't going to be a problem at all to find from local businesses!

Has anyone tried to get a hold of ORNL to find out more about the 3-D printing technology they are speaking of? I absolutely love this quote from the original article posted "Now the lab has developed a way to infuse reinforcing carbon fibers into the raw material to print parts that can carry loads." It reminds me of steel fiber reinforced concrete.

[sanddrag]

Thanks for the link to the Makerbot Academy!!!! I just applied, says 5 days for the application to get reviewed. I'm crossing my fingers because if I read it right, you only need approximately $100 for a Replicator 2, that isn't going to be a problem at all to find from local business.
It looks like right now only schools in Brooklyn, NY qualify for the "almost home" funding. Are you reading something I'm missing?

[pfreivald]

It looks like right now only schools in Brooklyn, NY qualify for the "almost home" funding. Are you reading something I'm missing?

Right, it looks like anybody can apply for the project, but only the Brooklyn schools qualify for the extra moolah.

[techhelpbb]

A few issues I should bring up:

MakerBot recommends the Replicator 2 for PLA and the Replicator 2X for ABS.

MakerBot takes their MakerCare requirements quite seriously. If you manage to acquire a MakerBot printer make sure to follow all their directions for any issue precisely. Do not get clever and use the printer outside of the recommendations or you may find yourself unsupported under MakerCare. A Replicator 2X printer dual extruder head assembly (steppers, fans, ceramics, hot end) costs $500 and the MakerCare costs $500. The hot end assembly alone is $250. Always consider the long term costs of anything that you have to think carefully before you buy and make sure you can afford to keep it working.

Also they offer classes for the Replicator 2 not the 2X. So I can go about 10 minutes away in Manhattan, NYC and take a class for $35 but not for the 2X and they really won't cover the 2X during that class. I can also not buy printer parts in the Manhattan store though I can buy printers and materials (if only everything was always on schedule and I would never need to acquire anything on short notice :))

I just bring this up because not all 3D printers are equal. There are very real differences between the products, the capabilities, the software, the wearability of the prints and your experience with the company(s) providing the printer or the parts. I strongly recommend doing sufficient research before you build or buy. One size does not fit all.

[pfreivald]

We are NOT a Brooklyn team (by about 300 miles), and MakerBot just covered all but $100, and our DonorsChoose.org project was fully funded in about 20 minutes....we're getting a MakerBot 2 for Christmas! :D

So, were I you, I'd get on this right away!

[safiq10]

We're also getting a 3d printer for christmas!!!! Everyone should apply

[TD78]

Very exciting!

Though, as a team that is not associated with a particular high school, I wonder how that works out for us, and other teams in the same situation.

Ditto. My team is 4-H based. Any ideas for non-school based teams?

[chmorroni]

Well, our school is not a public school, so, sadly, we don't qualify.

[sanddrag]

We are NOT a Brooklyn team (by about 300 miles), and MakerBot just covered all but $100, and our DonorsChoose.org project was fully funded in about 20 minutes....we're getting a MakerBot 2 for Christmas! :D

So, were I you, I'd get on this right away!Incredible opportunity. Thank you so much for sharing!

[Koko Ed]

We already have a 3D printer in our shop.
No one knows how to use it so it just sits over by the programmers.

[Jimmy Nichols]

Very interested to see how this will work for teams not working in their schools.

[avanboekel]

We work in a warehouse off school grounds that is owned by the school. So, technically a school building, but were not actually a classroom. We applied last night. I'll let everyone know the results as soon as I know if we got it or not...

[Qbot2640]

We already have a 3D printer in our shop.
No one knows how to use it so it just sits over by the programmers.

I think your programmers need more working space...I'll be happy to send you a postage-paid box with my address on it!

[akoscielski3]

I'm wondering if Canadian High School's will be able to take advantage of this to. Sounds like it will greatly benefit FIRST in the USA either way.

Great job to the teams who were able to make this a reality :)

[Koko Ed]

I think your programmers need more working space...I'll be happy to send you a postage-paid box with my address on it!
It doesn't belong to us. It belongs to team 73.

[mklinker]

I am pleased to report that Tribe Tech 4485 has also received an early Christmas present.

This was very quick and painless. In less than 48 hours the Donors Choose project was written, approved, and fully funded.:)

[blackwood]

Team 2359 is also expecting a Christmas present. I filled out the information Thursday about 1:00am as I was in the process of writing a grant that included purchasing a 3D printer, and I ran across the MakerBot opportunity. I don't know if I will get the grant, and now it really doesn't matter because as of about 6:00pm here on Friday thanks to MakerBot, DonorChoice and 1 anonymous donor the MakerBot is now officially 100% funded. Woohoo.

[Gregor]

I'm wondering if Canadian High School's will be able to take advantage of this to. Sounds like it will greatly benefit FIRST in the USA either way.

Great job to the teams who were able to make this a reality :)

It appears to be a US initiative to promote American education. DonorsChoose.org is only open to U.S. high school teachers.

Nonetheless it's great news for our friends to the south

[protoserge]

Has anyone tried to get a hold of ORNL to find out more about the 3-D printing technology they are speaking of? I absolutely love this quote from the original article posted "Now the lab has developed a way to infuse reinforcing carbon fibers into the raw material to print parts that can carry loads." It reminds me of steel fiber reinforced concrete.

These guys (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1375236253/proto-pasta-gourmet-food-for-your-3d-printer) did it in their shop. ORNL may have come up with something much more robust for industrial applications.

[Rynocorn]

These guys (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1375236253/proto-pasta-gourmet-food-for-your-3d-printer) did it in their shop. ORNL may have come up with something much more robust for industrial applications.

I am a part of the Knoxville based team 1466 and we have worked closely with both 4265, 3824, and others the past few years. The team that has used the Carbon fiber and 3d printed technology has been 3824 and they featured it last year on their ultimate ascent robot. Their team also is one of the leading tenants of the Oak Ridge MDF (materials demonstration facility) facility where they have many many million+ dollar 3D printers and also titanium 3D printers which is kinda the coolest place ever.

The way the carbon fiber plastic parts has been explained to me is that they will print a part off the printer, take a roll of carbon fiber strip, run the carbon fiber through a resin, and then wrap the carbon fiber around a plastic part to reinforce it. That is just the FRC use so I'm not sure if the lab uses it in other ways.

As not being a member of either team, these are just what I believe to be true as a member of another team. Hopefully a member from one of these teams will see this thread and reaffirm what I have said.

[MrRiedemanJACC]

Wow..... I think I just did everything I needed to do also.... I'm quite shocked... in a good way!!! :yikes: But we will definitely put the Makerbot to good use!!!! Thanks everyone on here for posting and sharing the information on this. I did think that I had to be in Brooklyn, but it seems that may not be true. I had already applied when I read the posts, so I figured I'd leave it up there and see what happens!

For those of you who aren't school based, the students have to go somewhere and I bet they know a teacher who would apply for one! It really doesn't take long if you have a plan for what you are going to do with it. I think I spent about two hours filling out the application, but only because I rewrote it at least twice!

Stinglikeabee, thanks for the link for the kickstarter, I will be becoming a supporter for that one!!

Rynocorn, do you have any pics or contacts from those teams? I'm really interested in printing some of our parts on the printer and then being able to use them for the robot (or at least the test bot we are making in class). We have a great machine shop, but I want to push the students to really be able to design parts that are extremely functional with the 3-D printer.

[CENTURION]

We are NOT a Brooklyn team (by about 300 miles), and MakerBot just covered all but $100, and our DonorsChoose.org project was fully funded in about 20 minutes....we're getting a MakerBot 2 for Christmas! :D

So, were I you, I'd get on this right away!

We're also getting a 3d printer for christmas!!!! Everyone should apply

I am pleased to report that Tribe Tech 4485 has also received an early Christmas present.

This was very quick and painless. In less than 48 hours the Donors Choose project was written, approved, and fully funded.:)

Team 2359 is also expecting a Christmas present. I filled out the information Thursday about 1:00am as I was in the process of writing a grant that included purchasing a 3D printer, and I ran across the MakerBot opportunity. I don't know if I will get the grant, and now it really doesn't matter because as of about 6:00pm here on Friday thanks to MakerBot, DonorChoice and 1 anonymous donor the MakerBot is now officially 100% funded. Woohoo.

So pretty much all you guys had to do was make a project on Donorschoose.org, and voila, 3D printer?

We're not a school-based team, but our lead mentor/founder is a teacher with the local school district. I just emailed this out to him, sounds like a great opportunity.

[MrRiedemanJACC]

Pretty much. See here for the details:http://www.makerbot.com/academy/

But you have to take pics and write thank you letters but that's common courtesy right?

[geomapguy]

So pretty much all you guys had to do was make a project on Donorschoose.org, and voila, 3D printer?

We're not a school-based team, but our lead mentor/founder is a teacher with the local school district. I just emailed this out to him, sounds like a great opportunity.

Yep we applied for a project and just received confirmation that it was approved. When MakerBot makes its next run through, then we should only have $90 - $100 left.

[LittleRed]

I am a part of the Knoxville based team 1466 and we have worked closely with both 4265, 3824, and others the past few years. The team that has used the Carbon fiber and 3d printed technology has been 3824 and they featured it last year on their ultimate ascent robot. Their team also is one of the leading tenants of the Oak Ridge MDF (materials demonstration facility) facility where they have many many million+ dollar 3D printers and also titanium 3D printers which is kinda the coolest place ever.

The way the carbon fiber plastic parts has been explained to me is that they will print a part off the printer, take a roll of carbon fiber strip, run the carbon fiber through a resin, and then wrap the carbon fiber around a plastic part to reinforce it. That is just the FRC use so I'm not sure if the lab uses it in other ways.

As not being a member of either team, these are just what I believe to be true as a member of another team. Hopefully a member from one of these teams will see this thread and reaffirm what I have said.

I agree... the MDF (manufacturing demonstration facility) is pretty much the coolest place ever! And I'm lucky enough to have an internship there :D

But you were mostly correct about the way we used the carbon fiber. We would print parts and connect them with carbon fiber tubes. We then wrapped carbon fiber stands around these tubes and used epoxy to keep them together.

[lovelj]

FIRST team 3824 has been the catalyst for our desire to get additive into FIRST. When I went to Hardin Valley Academy the first day of build season their rookie year, I asked the students if they could show me and two other ORNL mentors for HVA their shop. They don't have a shop, BUT they did have a uPrint that they bought with startup funds. They just didn't know how to use it. I taught 3 HVA students SolidWorks and it's just exploded. The first year, about 25% of their robot was printed. Their second year, they printed their entire robot, even using our titanium printers. Last year, they designed and built a hybrid additive/carbon fiber robot. We had a booth with America Makes at Nationals last year. The students from 3824 have become an integral part of the MDF. They are working with us on a new printer that makes carbon fiber reinforced plastic parts. On top of that, it's big (8 ft x 8 ft x 8 ft) build volume and fast (500 cubic inch of material an hour). I'm hoping that they use this system this year to print their entire robot. By the way, I hire about 25 interns every summer to work in the MDF. Almost all of them are FIRST alums.

Why are we doing this? ORNL was established during the Manhattan Project to help win WWII. We, like all FIRST mentors, are concerned about our country's future. We see FIRST as the mechanism to train our future manufacturing workforce. We also see Additive Manufacturing as the perfect tool for establishing dominance in manufacturing. Who better to help develop and mature the technology than FIRST students? We are convinced that, if we just put printers in the classroom, they would gather dust. However, if we start with FIRST, you students can lead this revolution.

Buckle up. It's going to get wild. All we ask is that you do what you do best, innovate and inspire.

Lonnie

[lovelj]

I am the mentor for FRC team 3824 quoted in the article, Dr. Lonnie Love. FIRST team 3824 has been the catalyst for the pilot this year. When I went to Hardin Valley Academy the first day of build season their rookie year, I asked the students if they could show me and two other ORNL mentors, Craig Blue and Martin Keller, their shop. They don't have a shop, BUT they did have a uPrint that they bought with startup funds. They just didn't know how to use it. I taught 3 HVA students SolidWorks and it's just exploded. The first year, about 25% of their robot was printed. Their second year, they printed their entire robot, even using our titanium printers. Last year, designed and built a hybrid additive/carbon fiber robot. We had a booth with America Makes and showed what was coming at Nationals last year. The students from 3824 have become an integral part of the MDF. They are working with us on a new printer that makes carbon fiber reinforced plastic parts. On top of that, it's big (8 ft x 8 ft x 8 ft) build volume and fast (500 cubic inch of material an hour). I'm hoping that they use this system this year to print their entire robot. By the way, I hire about 25 interns every summer to work in the MDF. Almost all of them are FIRST alums.

Why are we doing this? ORNL was established during the Manhattan Project to help win WWII. We, like all FIRST mentors, are concerned about our country's future. We see FIRST as the mechanism to train our future manufacturing workforce. We also see Additive Manufacturing as the perfect tool for establishing dominance in manufacturing. Who better to help develop and mature the technology than FIRST students? We are convinced that, if we just put printers in the classroom, they would gather dust. However, if we start with FIRST, you students can lead this revolution.

Buckle up. It's going to get wild. All we ask is that you do what you do best, innovate and inspire.

Lonnie

[Michael Corsetto]

Heads up, based on a search of all donorschoose.org projects, the MakerBotAcademy bundle "almost there" donations (which take the crowdsourcing goal down to $100) are now limited to only Brooklyn teams. Maybe a few teams squeezed through, but it looks like the majority of submitted projects are now not being funded by MakerBot.

Oh well, worth a shot. No way we're going to commit 2.5k to this printer. We have bigger fish to fry.

-Mike

[MrRiedemanJACC]

Yes that is true, but from what I can tell Makerbot has made 216 projects "almost home". I'm not sure what the criteria is?

[sanddrag]

Heads up, based on a search of all donorschoose.org projects, the MakerBotAcademy bundle "almost there" donations (which take the crowdsourcing goal down to $100) are now limited to only Brooklyn teams. Maybe a few teams squeezed through, but it looks like the majority of submitted projects are now not being funded by MakerBot.

Oh well, worth a shot. No way we're going to commit 2.5k to this printer. We have bigger fish to fry.

-MikeI'm hoping they're just waiting until normal business hours again, tomorrow. A lot of the projects got posted (went live) over the weekend. This (http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/) is the most recent news we have from DonorsChoose which indicated funding is available for all full time public teachers.

Updated 11/13/13 – 6:32 pm: Almost Home funding is now available for all public school teachers, nationwide! - See more at: http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/#sthash.CV7LUu2e.dpuf

I really hope I didn't spend 6 hours getting a dozen of our teachers signed up for nothing. I do see a lot of completed projects with Almost Home funding from outside of Brooklyn, NY. So, that's hopeful.

I did notice that a lot of the MakerBot projects are under the Visual Arts category and have received Anonymous donor 50% match, but not Almost Home funding.

[Michael Corsetto]

I'm hoping they're just waiting until normal business hours again, tomorrow. A lot of the projects got posted (went live) over the weekend. This (http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/) is the most recent news we have from DonorsChoose which indicated funding is available for all full time public teachers.

I must have been looking in the wrong place, thanks for the link. Looking more hopeful :)

[Alex2614]

Maybe this is a dumb question. But what about those of us that pull from multiple high schools? Will they be given to the program itself or to one of the high schools?

[geomapguy]

I'm hoping they're just waiting until normal business hours again, tomorrow. A lot of the projects got posted (went live) over the weekend. This (http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/) is the most recent news we have from DonorsChoose which indicated funding is available for all full time public teachers.



I really hope I didn't spend 6 hours getting a dozen of our teachers signed up for nothing. I do see a lot of completed projects with Almost Home funding from outside of Brooklyn, NY. So, that's hopeful.

I did notice that a lot of the MakerBot projects are under the Visual Arts category and have received Anonymous donor 50% match, but not Almost Home funding.

Fingers crossed!!

[Qbot2640]

Maybe this is a dumb question. But what about those of us that pull from multiple high schools? Will they be given to the program itself or to one of the high schools?

Donor's Choose leans toward awards being given to the classroom - when a teacher leaves a school the award typically stays at the original school. I'd assume from that relationship that this program will tie the award to one of the schools.

[geomapguy]

Makerbot is now only supporting Brooklyn area high schools..... :(

[sanddrag]

Makerbot is now only supporting Brooklyn area high schools..... :(Source?

[ChrisArmour]

Looks like there is no more funding :(

Updated 11/18/13: All available Almost Home funding has been activated at the moment. Stay tuned to the blog and our help center for updates on this funding offer.

http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/

[sanddrag]

Could the above statement from DonorsChoose be any more vague? I sent in a question to them. I sure hope these get funded. I have my fingers crossed.

It's a pretty bold statement to say you're putting these in every classroom by making over $2000 of funding available for every full time public school teacher in the US. It would reflect pretty poorly on both MakerBot and DonorsChoose if this claim turned out to be false, after public announcement.

If these are not funded as originally announced, my school and I will have literally lost several hundreds of dollars in time to get our teachers signed up for nothing. I really hope more funding comes through.

[techhelpbb]

I have several concerns about the donation process at work here:

1. Did they fully anticipate the speed with which the requests for donations could accumulate? It's a donation after all and if MakerBot is taking a loss for this perhaps there's a finite limit before which it impacts their operation's costs. Perhaps if the donation requests were metered over a longer time frame it would be less of an issue.

2. If this is completely outside of MakerBot and MakerBot makes full cost on each and every printer. As I've stated previously I am not sure that was as wise a use of the donor's money as it could have been. There are other printers that are less expensive that may of sufficed for a wider range of materials. If the printers are half the cost (for example) the donation could go twice as far.

In any event: I would like to thank the parties involved with that website for their generosity. A donation is a donation even if there are limits. I am sure that whatever prompted the sudden blockage was as difficult for the donors as it was for the reciepients who may now go without.

In the event that further opportunities like this are limited I'd like to point out that there are respectable printers down into the $500 range. They might not be MakerBots but they print and like the MakerBot you may encounter some typical issues for this technology. So the question is not really do you have nearly $4,000. With RepRap style printers it might be as simple as being patient enough to accumulate the parts a bit at a time for less than $800 in the end.

[Joe Ross]

Could the above statement from DonorsChoose be any more vague? I sent in a question to them. I sure hope these get funded. I have my fingers crossed.

It's a pretty bold statement to say you're putting these in every classroom by making over $2000 of funding available for every full time public school teacher in the US. It would reflect pretty poorly on both MakerBot and DonorsChoose if this claim turned out to be false, after public announcement.

From http://help.donorschoose.org/app/answers/detail/a_id/237/kw/almost%20home

Using our website’s technology, projects that qualify for this funding offer will appear on the site with under $100 to go and the foundation or corporate logo on the project page. However, funding is only applied to projects if citizens fund the remaining cost before the grant runs out or the project expires.

[Akash Rastogi]

In any event: I would like to thank the parties involved with that website for their generosity. A donation is a donation even if there are limits. I am sure that whatever prompted the sudden blockage was as difficult for the donors as it was for the reciepients who may now go without.

.

Definitely agreed. People should be careful about sounding a little ungrateful when posting here. Who knows, maybe more funding is in the works?

[geomapguy]

It's a pretty bold statement to say you're putting these in every classroom by making over $2000 of funding available for every full time public school teacher in the US. It would reflect pretty poorly on both MakerBot and DonorsChoose if this claim turned out to be false, after public announcement.
.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[sanddrag]

The update now says all the Almost Home funding has been spent. I should mention that it seems Makerbot projects under the Visual Arts category still qualify for half off, but I'm rather disappointed with this news. This sure sounded like a much bigger opportunity than it looks like it's turning out to be. How many non Brooklyn schools were funded? A dozen?

I submitted my project less than 18 hours after the announcement, and proceeded to get about a dozen other teachers onboard. None of us would have taken the time to submit (and had the 2 "points" deducted from our accounts) had we known funding would be exhausted before our projects were even posted.

The right thing to do would be for DonorsChoose and MakerBot to at least fund the projects that were posted up through today, or at the bare minimum, add points back to our DonorsChoose accounts so we can run more projects in the future.

I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but it's now seeming like I've wasted a lot of teachers' time and made myself look foolish chasing something that was stated to be rather absolute, yet turned out to be nothing more than marketing hype and a dream now lost.

The other thing that gets me is I saw even 2nd grade classes get funded. Not to say that teaching elementary school is any easier than teaching high school (it likely is not) but how many 2nd grade teachers do you know who can design in CAD and operate such a machine, and teach 6 year olds to do the same....

[techhelpbb]

The other thing that gets me is I saw even 2nd grade classes get funded. Not to say that teaching elementary school is any easier than teaching high school (it likely is not) but how many 2nd grade teachers do you know who can design in CAD and operate such a machine, and teach 6 year olds to do the same....

One could posit something similar about high school students that build robots. 3D printers are additive and have only slight forces at work on most of their parts. One can buy extruders basically fully assembled. It should be well within the facility of most FIRST teams to assemble a printer when there are kits available. You can build a Prusa i3 out of mostly wood.

On the other hand: a grade school teacher might have a harder time justifying the hands-on likely to fall on that teacher because the students lack the dexterity to build a printer. They may need a more 'out-of-the-box' experience. We don't ask Jr. FLL to operate a lathe and we do hand them things we feel they can safely interact with. It is possible to build a 3D printer with mostly Legos.

This is just to say: obviously the donors have their reasons. There may be more logic to it than it appears.

I have to wonder: will the FRC people with their hopes set here accept a cheaper non-Makerbot printer and what if they can't get it in time for this build season?

[Akash Rastogi]

The other thing that gets me is I saw even 2nd grade classes get funded. Not to say that teaching elementary school is any easier than teaching high school (it likely is not) but how many 2nd grade teachers do you know who can design in CAD and operate such a machine, and teach 6 year olds to do the same....

Autodesk 123D Design Suite is designed for this exact purpose.
http://www.123dapp.com/

If a teacher's goal is to promote interest that early, I see no problem.

[Whippet]

I have to wonder: will the FRC people with their hopes set here accept a cheaper non-Makerbot printer and what if they can't get it in time for this build season?

We would gladly accept even just the raw materials for a RepRap if it meant we could produce prototypes overnight.

EDIT: Actually, we would accept any donations. It's free stuff, people!

[protoserge]

I have to wonder: will the FRC people with their hopes set here accept a cheaper non-Makerbot printer and what if they can't get it in time for this build season?

There are quite a few better options than a Makerbot at a better price. Makerbot gives you support, which is a huge selling point for a school environment.

[techhelpbb]

There are quite a few better options than a Makerbot at a better price. Makerbot gives you support, which is a huge selling point for a school environment.

The key elements of MakerBot support are:
1. Follow their instructions precisely.
2. Never print using any material they don't expressly say works in your model.

So I agree support is important but so is knowing the conditions of that support as a purchase criteria.

In fairness, MakerGeeks which is a small company selling RepRap and Chinese parts/printers, also provides support.
http://www.makergeeks.com/3dprinters.html

There are plenty of others. It's just a question of matching the product with the expectations.

[sanddrag]

Well, I heard back from DonorsChoose that they are working to extend the funding offer, so, I'm still hopeful.

It does look like several non-Brooklyn schools were funded. 225 schools funded in total. So, although I may have missed the first boat by a few hours, I'm glad this many schools got in on the deal, and I'm hoping there will be another chance.

I even see a kindergarten class that got one. Interesting.

[Alan Anderson]

It is possible to build a 3D printer with mostly Legos.

In an amusing instance of symmetry, it is possible to produce LEGO bricks with almost any 3D printer.

[techhelpbb]

In an amusing instance of symmetry, it is possible to produce LEGO bricks with almost any 3D printer.

That has been ultimately a primary motive for the RepRap project from the beginning (http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRap)

Building a mostly Lego based 3D printer to print Legos and therefore parts for more Lego based 3D printers is a fundamental form of a self-replicating machine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-replicating_machine).

Since generally RepRaps have some parts they can't print themselves it would be safe to assert a similar achievement toward the goal. Except the Legos have more general purpose application. So maybe someone can feed a Lego based 3D printer to a Lego based assembly machine that makes more 3D printers that....somewhere Lego is already thinking of expanding their 'lights out factory' using some of their own bricks I am sure. Hopefully the factory will stop building itself at some point.

[WaterClaw]

I wish we could use a 3-D printer but the return isn't worth the cost when we can make it ourselves. Simply not economical. True, while you're fabricating one part you can be working on another, but in the pits that could be a draw back.

[pfreivald]

I wish we could use a 3-D printer but the return isn't worth the cost when we can make it ourselves. Simply not economical. True, while you're fabricating one part you can be working on another, but in the pits that could be a draw back.

One of the things I intend to teach my students with the MakerBot we're getting through this AWESOME program (which, if people complain about just because money is finite, they need to re-evaluate their expectations of life) is the cost/benefit analysis of additive vs. traditional manufacturing. I intend to include materials costs, time, expertise needed, material optimization, and anything else I can think of in the analysis.

A good skill for students to develop in high school, methinks.

[rcoren22]

I have signed up through Donors.org for a Replicator.
I understand that Makerbot may not be funding any more teams, however did you have to do anything additional to be funded, or did they simply find your project?

[pfreivald]

I have signed up through Donors.org for a Replicator.
I understand that Makerbot may not be funding any more teams, however did you have to do anything additional to be funded, or did they simply find your project?

I didn't have to do anything but sign up, and they took care of the rest. I was informed today that the equipment is purchased and should be in our hands within the next three weeks.

While we're on the topic of 3D printers, does anyone know if MakerBot 1.75mm PLA critical, or can you buy 1.75mm PLA from other sources/companies that work as well/better? This is our first go-round with additive manufacturing, so I'm sure there's a lot of little details we'll have to learn.

[techhelpbb]

I didn't have to do anything but sign up, and they took care of the rest. I was informed today that the equipment is purchased and should be in our hands within the next three weeks.

While we're on the topic of 3D printers, does anyone know if MakerBot 1.75mm PLA critical, or can you buy 1.75mm PLA from other sources/companies that work as well/better? This is our first go-round with additive manufacturing, so I'm sure there's a lot of little details we'll have to learn.

I can not stress this enough:
Until you are comfortable with a MakerBot printer do not extrude anything that MakerBot does not approve of.

Buy their filament or be prepared they might waive off your other material as the cause of whatever issue you might have.

On the plus side there are MakerBot stores that carry their filament if you are near to one you can just walk in an get it.

[pfreivald]

I can not stress this enough:
Until you are comfortable with a MakerBot printer do not extrude anything that MakerBot does not approve of.

Buy their filament or be prepared they might waive off your other material as the cause of whatever issue you might have.

On the plus side there are MakerBot stores that carry their filament if you are near to one you can just walk in an get it.

I had heard something to that effect at one point--thanks for verifying!

(Me, near a store. That's *hilarious*! :D )

[avanboekel]

Looks like most projects are "almost home" now. Looks like they got more funding.

[Qbot2640]

Looks like most projects are "almost home" now. Looks like they got more funding.

Looks that way...ours just got funded, down to $98.00 - then the remaining in about 10 minutes by friends of the team.:D

[geomapguy]

Yep ours got funded.

[MysterE]

We're just waiting for $96.00 more dollars.

[geomapguy]

We're just waiting for $96.00 more dollars.

seems there's only three makerbot projects in Louisiana.

[sanddrag]

We're just waiting for $96.00 more dollars.My recommendation is to go fund the $96 NOW! If your project was posted in the last 7 days, you can donate half that, and use the code INSPIRE to match it.

The "Almost Home" funding is not gauranteed until your project is "Completed." You might miss out if you don't just go apply the $96.

[IndySam]

We just got ours fully funded!

[nicholsjj]

We just had ours fully funded as well. This is fantastic for many schools and teams across the country. This was the most surprising Christmas present our team has received this year.(Well if we get it shipped in time ;) )

[safiq10]

Congratulations to all the teams that got a 3d printer. Now my question is how do you use this printer? also what are some useful thing you can print

[MysterE]

Apparently in one 12 hour period we got Almost Home funding and then lost it.

Sadness

[underdog1924]

Apparently in one 12 hour period we got Almost Home funding and then lost it.

Sadness

This just happened to me as well. Hopefully it goes up again quickly.

[mrnoble]

Thanks to the original poster and everyone else with the updates. I went ahead and signed up as soon as I was aware of this, in spite of what looked like the end of the Almost Home money. They did start it back up, and we were fully funded in about 10 minutes last night. Fantastic! Can't wait to put this to work.

[avanboekel]

Apparently in one 12 hour period we got Almost Home funding and then lost it.

Sadness

Same here. We contacted them, and they said it may go back up. My guess is it went to another project and will come back funding pending.

[Qbot2640]

Same here. We contacted them, and they said it may go back up. My guess is it went to another project and will come back funding pending.

I think the difference may be how quickly you fund the remaining $100.00. I watched our project get finished and a neighboring middle school lose the "Almost Home" almost simultaneously. Have the requesting teacher closely monitor the email and have someone ready to finish it off as soon as you are notified.

[Alpha Beta]

Wanted to publically thank Team 330 - Beach Bots for contributing to our project. Your contribution triggered an e-mail which caused us to look at the donorschoose webpage. Only then did we discover that the "Almost Home" funding had been applied to our project. We quickly funded the remaining amount and had the process completed by about 8:10 last night.

In the first 10 days of the project donors who include the code INSPIRE with their donation can get up to $100 matched by other donors. We did test this function during our final funding push and found it to work. This suggests that even without the "Almost Home" funding teams might be able to secure the technology by raising only half of the funds.

I expect MakerBot to continue to search for funding to honor their goal (http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/#sthash.9hTl3wXm.dpuf). We did not have the resources to add this technology without their generous support. Check often, act quickly, and Good Luck.

[sanddrag]

Radio Shack has 1kg spools of 1.75mm PLA filament for $25 today. (http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=30109456&allCount=30&fbc=1&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2F3D+printing&fbn=Type%2F3D+printing&filterName=Type&filterValue=3D+printing) I wonder if it's any good.

Edit: I realized this price isn't really any better than what similar spools are available for on eBay and elsewhere. I'm still curious about the performance of these Radioshack ones though.

[protoserge]

Radio Shack has 1kg spools of 1.75mm PLA filament for $25 today. (http://www.radioshack.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=30109456&allCount=30&fbc=1&f=PAD%2FProduct+Type%2F3D+printing&fbn=Type%2F3D+printing&filterName=Type&filterValue=3D+printing) I wonder if it's any good.

Edit: I realized this price isn't really any better than what similar spools are available for on eBay and elsewhere. I'm still curious about the performance of these Radioshack ones though.


It would be nice to know if they work well though. Sometimes having a local supplier is handy in build season :]

[Rohawk1]

These printers won't go to every FIRST team this year, but the ones who do receive them will have the option of a 3D Systems Cube, a MakerBot Replicator 2, or a MakerGear. As a part of 3824, we are partnered with ORNL, so we have had the privilege to use various 3D printing machines. We have found an incredible amount of uses for this technology, and we want to share our knowledge and experience with it. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

[protoserge]

FYI, Cyber Monday is quickly approaching!

11 AM Eastern tomorrow, Amazon.com will be selling this printer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5OQEUC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00E5OQEUC&linkCode=as2&tag=robo0f6-2) (Up! Plus 2) at a discount. It is presently listed at $1612, and I've seen it as low as $1599 regularly. Others (Joe Ross, below) have noticed it at $1523.

[Joe Ross]

11 AM Eastern tomorrow, Amazon.com will be selling this printer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E5OQEUC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00E5OQEUC&linkCode=as2&tag=robo0f6-2) (Up! Plus 2) at a discount. It is presently listed at $1612, and I've seen it as low as $1599 regularly.

It was $1523 on 10/20. Hopefully it will be cheaper tomorrow.

[protoserge]

Currently $1290!

[Dad1279]

It was $1523 on 10/20. Hopefully it will be cheaper tomorrow.

$1289 for the next two hours, or until they run out.

[techhelpbb]

On MakerGeeks.com 20% discount until 2:00 PM EST 12/2/2013:
Read the next 35 minutes...so hurry :)

http://www.makergeeks.com/
Code: FLASH20a

So Duplicator 4 = http://www.makergeeks.com/d4prbot3dprd.html
Price is about $1,165

Code is not locked to hardware so: filament, Cube mod, RepRap parts.

Just grabbed the starter kit for $392 (savings $98 off normal)
Contains: RAMPS 1.4, 5 Pololu stepper drivers, 5 NEMA17 steppers, control shield, heated bed, glass bed, thermistor, drive cogs, belts (probably not GT2 belts but hey), VXB 8mm linear round rod bearings, cables, limits, single nozzle extruder

Worth at least $415 not including S/H if you parted this yourself:
Motors $100
Control kit $150
Extruder $75
Cogs / Belts $75
Bearings $15

If someone is still interested, till the end of CyberMonday:

15% off order over $350 is code CYBER25
12% off order over $250 is code CYBER15
10% off any order is code CYBER10

[pfreivald]

We got our Replicator 2 today! :D

[Alpha Beta]

We got our Replicator 2 today! :D

Ours arrived today. Went from opening the box to printing a nut and bolt in minutes. I had no idea it was that easy to get started. Both my chemistry class and robotics team are going to have some fun creating. The only trouble I had was the objects were more stuck to the build plate than I expected. Having never used this technology before I guess I didn't know what to expect. They did twist off with some force.

On December 3rd the Donorschoose.org blog (http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/) answered a few questions. Here are some quotes.

Mrs. G and Andrew – Sorry for the disappointment and general confusion around this offer. The offer initially was just for Brooklyn. And shortly after, it went national.

We’re working with the MakerBot team to receive additional funding so you and your students can take full advantage of this opportunity. You’ll find the latest updates on this blog.

Amit - December 3, 2013

Hey Mr. B – We’re working hard to bring this offer back! Stay tuned to this blog post for the latest.

About the optional donation – You do not need the full optional donation amount for your project to be fully funded. Donors can opt out of this donation, if they want to. You can learn more about how it works here:

http://help.donorschoose.org/app/answers/detail/a_id/203

Amit - December 3, 2013

Chris – If the Almost Home offer comes back, be sure to get the $98 donated while the offer is on your page. Here’s some more information on how Almost Home offers work:

http://help.donorschoose.org/app/answers/detail/a_id/237

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us here at: http://help.donorschoose.org/app/contact

Amit - December 3, 2013

- See more at: http://www.donorschoose.org/blog/2013/11/12/makerbot-announces-a-mission/#sthash.9hTl3wXm.5S34gze3.dpuf

[safiq10]

We also had the same problem with our printer getting stuck. We tried applying the blue tape to it but it wasnt that good unless you completly remove the tape. Also the lube isnt for the board.

[Alpha Beta]

Also the lube isnt for the board.

That made me chuckle. :yikes:

The plate has two sides. One is quite smooth, and the other is slightly textured, almost frosted. I put the frosted side up. There really weren't any instructions on which side to use.

Just read a suggestion in another forum to use a transparancy sheet (we still have some old overhead projectors) to saw underneath the part to pry it free. Someone else recommended the Circut Spatula Tool (http://www.amazon.com/Cricut-29-0099-Spatula-Tool/dp/B000NP1ESO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353536044&sr=8-1&keywords=cricut+spatula) to help separate the part from the build plate.

[nicholsjj]

That made me chuckle. :yikes:

The plate has two sides. One is quite smooth, and the other is slightly textured, almost frosted. I put the frosted side up. There really weren't any instructions on which side to use.

Just read a suggestion in another forum to use a transparancy sheet (we still have some old overhead projectors) to saw underneath the part to pry it free. Someone else recommended the Circut Spatula Tool (http://www.amazon.com/Cricut-29-0099-Spatula-Tool/dp/B000NP1ESO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353536044&sr=8-1&keywords=cricut+spatula) to help separate the part from the build plate.

We received our makerbot yesterday and we were able to print off the bolt,bracelet, chain, and comb. We actually used the smooth side with rubbing alcohol and an old electronics spatula to get the parts off. The only part that was pesky to get off the build plate was the comb. Also as a future design note make sure that you don't use a pla part by a high heat source like the compressor due to it deforming. My beautiful comb didn't care to much for my space heater.:)

[Kevin Ray]

On the smooth side of the build plate is a sheet of Kapton which helps the filament adhere to the plate (at least is on the Replicator 2X). There are some other tricks for removing a build from the deck. Try holding a can of compressed air upside down and letting the cold air "shrink" the build momentarily. It usually pops right off. Also, you may not have to do a lot of rafting (building a stable adhering surface on the build plate) for the Replicator 2X that you might have to do for other printers because of the heated build plate.
Many downloads from Thingiverse (warehouse of 3D models) are made on other brands of printers and you may have to make adjustments to the printer settings prior to hitting "print".

Finally, I can't wait until there is a plethora of FIRST-specific models out there on CD's white pages or Thingiverse for teams to share. There are literally hundreds of parts that can go on a bot that can be printed and I think this year will bear that out. I just hope the Makerbot will accept the carbon fiber Pla from the Proto Plant Inc. guys. That could open a lot of doors.

[MysterE]

So -

Imagine my surprise when I got back on our Donor's Choose site to find that our project had been fully funded.

Yay!

Now to wait for it to ship.

[Bald & Bearded]

Just grabbed the starter kit for $392 (savings $98 off normal)
Contains: RAMPS 1.4, 5 Pololu stepper drivers, 5 NEMA17 steppers, control shield, heated bed, glass bed, thermistor, drive cogs, belts (probably not GT2 belts but hey), VXB 8mm linear round rod bearings, cables, limits, single nozzle extruder

Worth at least $415 not including S/H if you parted this yourself:
Motors $100
Control kit $150
Extruder $75
Cogs / Belts $75
Bearings $15

If someone is still interested, till the end of CyberMonday:

15% off order over $350 is code CYBER25
12% off order over $250 is code CYBER15
10% off any order is code CYBER10

This was a pretty good deal.

[Bald & Bearded]

All:
Attached is a portion of a presentation I gave at the FRC Workshops sponsored by Team 1418 this past Saturday.

The core of the charts are #6,7,and 8 which are some comparisons of the printers being offered in FIRST Choice, some highly reviewed printers from Make magazines 3d printer issue, and some information on kits I am familiar with.

The key is teams need to do an ROI and value analysis before they jump on this technology.

[techhelpbb]

All:
Attached is a portion of a presentation I gave at the FRC Workshops sponsored by Team 1418 this past Saturday.

The core of the charts are #6,7,and 8 which are some comparisons of the printers being offered in FIRST Choice, some highly reviewed printers from Make magazines 3d printer issue, and some information on kits I am familiar with.

The key is teams need to do an ROI and value analysis before they jump on this technology.

Thanks I like the effort put into the comparison.

I am not sure one actually needs to have dual Z motors as a "critical feature" (page 4) as long as they can achieve the resolution and movement with one: does it really matter?

After all: often times the dual Z stepper motors are in parallel (with respect to a RAMPS 1.4 system for example...not in the general sense of stepper motor windings) and you are actually sending less power to both motors. For something like a Prusa I3 it makes sense because the dual Z lifts the carriage over the width of the printer. In a design like the MakerBot, Duplicator 4, or others of that type the table moves the print in the Z axis of the printer instead of the potentially heavier head assembly. Keeping in mind the head assembly moves in the X from side to side so at any one time the increased weight of the head is on one side of the other of the Prusa I3 design. That issue does not exist in the other design: the prints weigh less and really should not extend over the bed, while the extruder may extend out over the bed surface increasing the leverage of the head weight in the Prusa I3 system.

[Bald & Bearded]

Thanks I like the effort put into the comparison.

I am not sure one actually needs to have dual Z motors as a "critical feature" (page 4) as long as they can achieve the resolution and movement with one: does it really matter?

After all: often times the dual Z stepper motors are in parallel (with respect to a RAMPS 1.4 system for example...not in the general sense of stepper motor windings) and you are actually sending less power to both motors. For something like a Prusa I3 it makes sense because the dual Z lifts the carriage over the width of the printer. In a design like the MakerBot, Duplicator 4, or others of that type the table moves the print in the Z axis of the printer instead of the potentially heavier head assembly. Keeping in mind the head assembly moves in the X from side to side so at any one time the increased weight of the head is on one side of the other of the Prusa I3 design. That issue does not exist in the other design: the prints weigh less and really should not extend over the bed, while the extruder may extend out over the bed surface increasing the leverage of the head weight in the Prusa I3 system.

Good point on the other designs. I should have noted that designs that move the bed vs the X-carraige in the Z would not need dual motors. My main concern was both the weight of the Xcarraige and the resonance/vibration from the unsecured end as the carriage moves.
Rostocks are yet another example where the Z motor does not apply.

The reality is that the overall stability of the entire system is the key. Rod driven versus belt driven systems tend to have better absolute resolution in the X and Y.

[Navid Shafa]

Our 3D printer got here. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

http://i.imgur.com/VLOXSUS.png

[protoserge]

Our 3D printer got here. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.

http://i.imgur.com/VLOXSUS.png

I'm jealous. The color variety of print material available is impressive! Have you tested Plumber's Putty?

[James3245]

All:
Attached is a portion of a presentation I gave at the FRC Workshops sponsored by Team 1418 this past Saturday.

The core of the charts are #6,7,and 8 which are some comparisons of the printers being offered in FIRST Choice, some highly reviewed printers from Make magazines 3d printer issue, and some information on kits I am familiar with.

The key is teams need to do an ROI and value analysis before they jump on this technology.
A. In the presentation and your comments it notes the importance of a heated bed for ABS. One of the First choice items in the presentation comparison chart shows no heated bed but notes it is ABS compatible. Is a heated bed absolutely necessary or desired for ABS?

B. You mention belt vs. motor driven. What is the case with the First choice items?

Thanks!

[Bald & Bearded]

LOL - And all sorts of pre-built stencils.

[Bald & Bearded]

A. In the presentation and your comments it notes the importance of a heated bed for ABS. One of the First choice items in the presentation comparison chart shows no heated bed but notes it is ABS compatible. Is a heated bed absolutely necessary or desired for ABS?

James:
ABS will tend to warp without a heated bed in general. Warping can range from aesthetic to ruining long running prints. Warping can cause the print head to hit the object (because it is higher than planned) and knock the object loose from the bed. Without, heat ABS does not seem to stick well at all to the build surface.

So to me, unless you want a TON of frustration don't try ABS without a heated bed. Most likely on the First Choice item referenced it means the hot end is rated for ABS temps and the vendor will not void your warranty if you print with ABS. It would have to do further research to make sure on that.

When ever I have had the heated bed go out during a print I have lost that print due to warping or the print just separating from the bed.

[QUOTE=J
B. You mention belt vs. motor driven. What is the case with the First choice items?

Thanks![/QUOTE]

Great question.
I meant to say Belts versus LeadScrew driven I think.

It looks from what I can Google all 3 FIRST Choice options use belts for at least one or two axis.
And so do almost all RepRap models I am familiar with.

Belts are not bad per-sea they just need to be tensioned regularly to avoid backlash.

I have only seen a couple home 3D printer designs that use lead screws. Most of those are derived from CNC machine designs. In fact, when I visited the folks at ShopBot in Oct they showed me a printer built directly on their Desktop CNC platform.

Lead screws have less backlash, are generally more accurate, and require less maintenance than belts.

So unless you want to spend serious money, belts will be what you get.

[techhelpbb]

So unless you want to spend serious money, belts will be what you get.

I've built plenty of CNC machines so I will chime in on this.

There is still backlash with a mere nut and screw, the issue is that it's easier to create situations that limit backlash with a lead screw.

Belts, even ones reinforced with steel, will stretch and depending on their profiles they may have more backlash limiting their resolution. For example the GT2 tooth profile is more accurate than the MXL.

To limit the backlash of a lead screw there are several simple choices. One simple trick is to heat a section of the screw up till it can melt it's way into a block of nylon cut in half. The resulting 2 halves of nylon will tightly grip the thread and reduce the backlash until wear increases the backlash again.

Backlash compensation nuts exist and generally they work on a variant of 2 nuts pushed against some spring tension so that there is less backlash regardless of the screw drive direction.

In the case of an all lead screw design the Prusa I3 should not be all that difficult to convert to all leadscrew economically. The bed axis is already supported it just needs a lead screw down the length. The X axis with the head assembly will be heavier but the Prusa I3 design is already a dual Z stepper. So if the mechanism got much heaver with a lead screw across just add another Pololu driver, split the drive signal from the controller board and run both Z steppers at full power (that's something you could do by making a module to plug into the existing Pololu driver socket).

[Bald & Bearded]

In the case of an all lead screw design the Prusa I3 should not be all that difficult to convert to all leadscrew economically. The bed axis is already supported it just needs a lead screw down the length. The X axis with the head assembly will be heavier but the Prusa I3 design is already a dual Z stepper. So if the mechanism got much heaver with a lead screw across just add another Pololu driver, split the drive signal from the controller board and run both Z steppers at full power (that's something you could do by making a module to plug into the existing Pololu driver socket).

Good points about how you still have to deal with backlash on lead screws.
One neat design I saw on a small CNC used two wing nuts (one fixed and one floating) with a spring between.

I have seen some posts about modifying the I3 to be all lead screw and there is at least on kickstarter running to build something similar. You are right doing the Y bed would be easy. Unless you use a really screw and mechanism
I don't think you need to add another Pololu driver. As is my driver is set at less than 50% current so unless the weight is doubled.

I am looking forward to see some of these designs in action and how fast they are able to print accurately.

[pfreivald]

This experience has been awesome. We got our 3D printer, almost entirely donated by MakerBot, last week, and since then we've printed parts for use in my robotics class, had several students (not on my FIRST team) designing parts for curricular use and figuring out the best way to print them, FIRST students printing parts and testing their durability under different situations, art students and teachers manipulating objects for practical production....

And a whole heap of kids inspired by really cool technology.

Thank you, MakerBot, and DonorsChoose, and those who contributed. This is fantastic. :D

[Qbot2640]

This experience has been awesome. We got our 3D printer, almost entirely donated by MakerBot, last week, and since then we've printed parts for use in my robotics class, had several students (not on my FIRST team) designing parts for curricular use and figuring out the best way to print them, FIRST students printing parts and testing their durability under different situations, art students and teachers manipulating objects for practical production....

And a whole heap of kids inspired by really cool technology.

Thank you, MakerBot, and DonorsChoose, and those who contributed. This is fantastic. :D

We got ours yesterday and I can already see a similar situation building here.

[otherguy]

We got ours last week. Just got it out of the box and set up this week.
Going straight to big parts. This part will take 13hrs to complete.

Its our first part printed using ReplicatorG, sliced by skeinforge

http://youtu.be/UIyJ3P3pPtU
http://youtu.be/UQH6Ev4iBsE

We'll have more info up on what it is we are printing in these videos in a few weeks.

[pfreivald]

We've been doing a lot of little experiments, testing the applicability for every class: Earth Science, Art, Social Studies, etc, etc. The art teacher is ecstatic over the 3D printer, so we've been testing what kind of supports are needed, and whether or not it's easier to let the MakerBot software handle them, or to add them in ourselves.

It's pretty cool to get the whole school involved in the technology wow-factor!

[nicholsjj]

I have to completely agree with everyone else here on the forum that 3D printing is fascinating. Since receiving our Makerbot last Thursday we have put over 40 hours of printing time on it even though our school was out last Friday and all of this week due to weather. My favorite story of 3d printing so far was that one of our seniors Designed a lightning bolt handout for regionals. Instead of putting a value of 4 inches for the height she put .04 inches. Needless to say that was a very quick and small print, but it still held up :D .

Edit: I also want to thank FRC team 981 and Rob Steele for providing a stl. file for a denso window motor adapter. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:190429. If we use the window motor worm gearboxes at anytime during next year's game we plan on using these adapters.

[Rohawk1]

This technology has really given our team some incredible oppurtunities. Last year, we integrated 3D printing with carbon fiber technologies, and the attention we got was surprising. This technology provides for a lot of creativity an possibilities in FIRST. I can't wait to see what teams will come up with next year using this technology!

[geomapguy]

Our project just got randomly funded!
Yay!

[Qbot2640]

Our project just got randomly funded!
Yay!

If there is a small amount remaining (for us there was $98.00), make sure you fund that remainder quick - I've seen others loose the Makerbot Contribution as quickly as it came.

[geomapguy]

If there is a small amount remaining (for us there was $98.00), make sure you fund that remainder quick - I've seen others loose the Makerbot Contribution as quickly as it came.

Luckily it was an anonymous donor so we didn't have to have the $100 additional.

[mwmac]

Reviving this dormant thread as a reminder to teams that the 3D printer project continues!

Team 2122 just received notification that their school's application for the Makerbot Replicator bundle has been fully funded! A huge thank you to the donors that made this possible especially Makerbot and Autodesk.

If your team has not applied, do so now...:)

[dubiousSwain]

I thought it was interesting that dictionary of numbers showed me this
...a very generous $14,000,000 [≈ Average wealth of US senators, 2011] donation.

[underdog1924]

Thanks for the heads up. My project expired a couple weeks ago. I just resubmitted it. *fingers crossed*

[Alpha Beta]

Wanted to publically thank Team 330 - Beach Bots for contributing to our project. Your contribution triggered an e-mail which caused us to look at the donorschoose webpage. Only then did we discover that the "Almost Home" funding had been applied to our project.

As I was preparing my Thank You package today I noticed that the team number of a donor had been changed from 330 to 3309 on the DonorsChoose account. I accordingly need to switch my public thanks to the Friarbots. Again, Thank You for your timely donation. The 3D printer has been an incredibly fun way to allow students to work on some small design projects.