With the advent of the new Plastruder MK5, we have a lot of MK4 parts here at the botcave. We’ve decided to take 50% off the MK4 Plastruder to make room for the MK5 parts.
If you’ve wanted an extra extruder or a backup extruder or frankly, if you just need spare parts, here’s your chance to get an extruder for cheap. At this point, if you need spare parts for your MK4, you might as well buy a whole new extruder!
ReplicatorG 0018 is now available for download! This release is predicated on the firm belief that no one should have to learn to use Blender just to scale an object. ReplicatorG now includes basic object manipulation functions, like scaling, rotation, placement, and mirroring. See our documentation for a quick introduction to the new features!
We could say more, but really, there’s no reason not just to get it from the ReplicatorG download page. Go! Get it now!
As always, there’s also a number of minor improvements and bug fixes, like a smarter launcher for Windows. See the full list below.
In response to the growing power-needs of the CupCake CNC community, we have released the MakerBot Relay Board Kit v1.0. This kit allows you to use relays for power control. This super-easy-to-build kit is two mechanical relays that allow a 12v ATX power supply to run power to anything. We’ve been using it to power the Heated Build Platform! We have had some cases where the HBP’s power draw causes the MOSFETS of the Extruder Controller to burn out- this fixes that issue, and gives you lots more power to spare! Basically with this baby attached, you could power your HBP, and a Christmas tree of LED’s or a giant 12v motor, practically anything that needs 12 volts of juice!
We’ve been joking around with what to call it, because it clicks when the power is on, -rather satisfying feedback- but all the names we came up with were awful, so we stuck with the Relay Board.
Check out our Fail Force test rig at the MakerBot R&D lab- We test out the maximum push strength of the new MK5 Drive Gear! Watch the results in real time!
You can now buy the MakerBot Industries Frostruder MK2! It’s an air powered toolhead for your MakerBot that will allow you to print in frosting, silicon, clay, and more!
Charles Pax and I were up late and explored the world of sanding down the kapton tape on the MakerBot heated build platform. Charles found that sanding added a lot of “tooth” to surface which increases the amount of surface area and makes the plastic adhere to it with more constancy.
After an initial bit of frustration with the heated build platform I sanded the surface with 220 grit sand paper, increasing the surface area significantly, thus increasing the adhesive force. Since doing this I’ve had fewer failed prints, most of which were due to the Kapton being too cool.
The heated build platform greatly reduces warping of prints and so if you’ve been wanting to make bigger things on your MakerBot you should get it!
Hi Everybody- Some good news for all you people who love printing in color on the CupCake CNC! You can now get our full selection of colors in 1 pound rolls! We know that some people just don’t love red, or blue, as much as they love yellow, so now you don’t have to deprive yourself ever again! Buy all the colors, and then round it out with a 1 pound or 5 pound roll of delicious looking PINK ABS. For the first week we are also offering a special reduced price to get them out to you on the cheap!
No longer will your prints be thwarted by the evil incarnation of plastic physics: CURLING! Curling happens when layer upon layer of plastic cools down on top of each other and shrinks a small percent. This shrinkage builds up layer after layer and the edges of the printed object start to curl up! The heated build platform greatly reduces curling by keeping the temperature of the base of the object at a steady 110C.
Full instructions are on the MakerBot wiki. We’re open source and we believe in keeping designs open so you can hack on them! Check out the designs on Thingiverse. We are also going to try something new with this project. We’re going to use our forums for community discussion on this project. Here’s the forum for this project.
Big thanks to Jordan Miller for his early support and research into heated build platforms. Thanks also to Nophead for his pioneering research into heated platforms and his work identifying appropriate materials to for printing on.
Special price of $42 until 3/29 when the price goes up to $50!
NOTE: We have started putting kits together now and will be able to ship them next week (The week of March 29). If you order more than the heated build platform, your shipment will be shipped when kit assembly is complete next week!
