Sunday 24 April 2011

Starting Oakstrap

I am not sure when I first heard of RepRap 3D printers, but I do remember  how impressed I was by the possibility of making complex plastic objects at home.  The fact that the machine could, to some extent, replicate itself added a lot to its appeal.  The next stage on my path was at Fosdem last year where I spent a while watching a Mendel and a Makerbot in action and heard Adrian Bowyer himself give a talk.  At this point it became inevitable that I would at some time succumb to the temptation to build one myself.

The final impulse came as I was working on an electronic project this February.  I had spent some time making cutouts in a box to contain the circuit board and still needed to make some sort of fixing for the circuit in the box and also for the temperature/humidity sensors.  I remembered seeing custom printed boxes at this years Fosdem, and as soon as the idea came up I knew I had to try for myself.

A few days thought and browsing led to the following choices:

  • Build a RepStrap using oak, as I had access to good woodworking machines and ample oak offcuts.
  • Base the design on the original Mendel - not a Prusa, as I could not make the PLA bushes.
  • Use RAMPS electronics, since I was in the process of acquiring working knowledge of AVRs and arduinos
  • Use an recent hotend design, Camiel Gubbel's v6.
  • A suitable name for the machine 'Oakstrap' became obvious - it's descriptive and googleable.