The latest wrinkle in 3D printing …
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olo3d/olo-the-first-ever-smartphone-3d-printer/description
4 Likes
I’ve been saying for a long time, long before 3d printing exploded, that it wouldn’t be long before every house has a 3d printer as standard. It is short years away.
I see it working out like Apple and Microsoft made out. Right now its such a confusing market for the average person.
Holy freakin wow!!!
That’s really awesome!
Except, did you notice the clock ran for at least 2 hours ?
Better have the phone fully charged and not need to make any calls…
1 Like
Or a extra cell phone. I have a small collection of smart phones, but then again I would probably want to run it on the newest one because it would take even longer to run on older phones.
I think it’s a cool idea, but it’s not really what I have in mind for my first 3d printer. I have a lot to learn before I purchase my first 3d printer, but I’m sure that I want one bigger then that one.
The resolution of the phone’s screen would perhaps restrict the print resolution ?
Yes. However, the average smartphone’s screen density is 250 pixels/inch or higher which translates into about 100 microns or less. With phones with a higher resolution, this (apparently) allows their claim of:
X/Y resolution: up to 42 microns (0.042 mm)
Z resolution: up to 36 microns (0.036 mm)
As you noted earlier, the print time can be considerable … the pixels light up and expose the bottom layer, the platen moves up to allow more fluid to flow underneath, the platen moves back down until it is the z-step above the bottom film, the pixels light up for the next slice. Rinse and repeat. However, the upside is that only two linear servos are needed to make the thing work and (they claim) will run on four AA batteries for 100 prints. Another advantage is that the entire slice is exposed at one time which greatly reduces the layer printing time compared to other printing technologies. Dedicating a phone for this purpose seems like a small sacrifice. Their next version uses a tablet for the imager which should be big enough for most hobbyists. Also, the wide variety of materials available allows for a lot of different uses that are somewhat limited with PLA and PLS.
Personally, I think this is one of the more clever ideas I’ve seen in 3D printing since the first SLA machines.
Totally agree on the cleverness !
I’m looking for 3D printer that will print acceptable items for O’scale modeling (1/4" = 1 foot). Most of the amateur filament additive machines get down to 100 microns. (1/10 of millimeter) which is about 1/250 of an inch or 1/5th of an O’scale inch. This is pretty noticeable. When you get below 50 microns, you’re starting to get into a good range for modeling. When you’re making trinkets, the resolution isn’t a big deal. I’ve seen some machines using a similar concept with the layer being exposed in a single image (which is very efficient) that have resolutions high enough to create wax masters for jewelry or dentistry applications, but they’re expensive. This idea is starting to sound terrific. The material isn’t that critical because I would make a silicone mold and cast parts out of urethane resin.
I am a Backer on KickStarter and will get one later this year! All the $99 are gone… had to go to $129 package.
When are they going to make one that works with my 48" smart TV? that would be a large enough print area for just about anything… but why stop there.
Why go only for the big smart TV? I say - Go Jumbotron!
I wonder if you could mount a projector under a glass floor and have a multi-point crane to lift the structure as it was cured… you could grow a room, a house, …
Probably not the most efficient construction method, but v. cool 