This article was taken from the May 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Brooklyn-based MakerBot is leading the market for desktop 3D printing for hobbyists, prototypers, designers and, increasingly, the public. Its latest model, the Replicator 2, prints custom creations, downloaded or designed yourself, out of high-quality plastic. Wired took one and dismantled it to see how it creates your works of art.
How it works
Download your design from a choice of 25,000 on thingiverse.com, tweak it on desktop software and click "Make it". Plastic filament is pulled up into the extruder, where it's heated and pushed through a 0.4mm hole. The printer produces a 100-micrometre layer of the design, then moves the object down to add more until complete.
1. PLA filament
Polylactic acid (PLA) -- a renewable bioplastic -- expands very little as it heats, so it doesn't shrink or crack when it cools. It's strong enough for fine-resolution objects and designs with moving parts.
2. XY gantry
The XY gantry controls the extruder assembly to a positioning precision of 11 micrometres. The system is controlled by stepper motors with a 1.8° step angle and 1/16 micro-stepping.
Oil-infused bronze bearings self-lubricate the rods.
3. Build plate
A 15cm by 28cm build-plate will accommodate printed objects up to 6,700 centimetres cubed in volume. It lowers precisely, with settings to make layers as fine as 100 micrometres.
4. Extruder assembly
PLA enters the extruder and is pushed through a nozzle on to the build plate. It's then pushed against the driver gear on to a heater, where it's heated to 230 degrees celsius.
<span class="s1">MakerWare
MakerWare is MakerBot's software for preparing models. Multiple designs can be moved and scaled in the same build space for simultaneous printing in "quick" or high-resolution.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
