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

[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!

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

[safiq10]

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

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by 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!

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

Incredible opportunity. Thank you so much for sharing!

[Jimmy Nichols]

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

[protoserge]

Originally Posted by MrRiedemanJACC

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 did it in their shop. ORNL may have come up with something much more robust for industrial applications.

[Rynocorn]

Originally Posted by stinglikeabee

These guys 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!!! 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]

Originally Posted by 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!

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

Originally Posted by safiq10

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

Originally Posted by 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.

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by CENTURION

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]

Originally Posted by Rynocorn

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

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