3D Printed Projects

This page is about the 3D printer hardware I will be using for my projects, check out the project index for the rest.

The printer is a Lulzbot AO-101, which is based on a MendelMax design. The printer itself has 3D printed parts and is open source.

Here's are some YouTube videos about my printer, including testing printing upside down which is a feature stated by Lulzbot. The second videos details the entire printing process. Scroll down for more pictures and words.

The Lulzbot AO-101 uses extrusion to build up layers of plastic much like many 3D printers currently on the market. The printer will print ABS or PLA, it has a heated bed and the build area is 190x200x100mm. It's powered by four stepper motors and has it's electronics also enclosed in a 3D printed box. The printer is open source so you can print your own spares, or assemble another whole printer if you wish. The frame of the printer is aluminium extrusion and the whole thing is rock solid.

The printer is also supplied with a very well designed holder for the filament spool which feeds the filament down a tube to the extruder, this prevents jams and so on. The printer is supplied with 0.5mm, 0.35mm and 0.25mm nozzles. The prints below are using the 0.5mm nozzle with 0.4mm layer height. This is the coarsest setting, the finest is 0.1mm layer height with the 0.25mm nozzle. Most of my parts with be functional mechanical parts so I'll be leaving the largest nozzle in place.

The software supplied is also open source. Slic3r and Printrun are used to generate Gcode and control the printer. Lulzbot release tested versions every quarter and make the download available from the support section of their website. They also provide the firmware for the electronics, calibration prints, config files and test print items.

I'll be using my 3D printer for several projects including Iron Man, and some Android builds.