A year or so ago, I discovered 3D printing when my partner introduced me to Makerbot and suggested we get one of our own. I'm a crafty person by nature, so the prospect of an entirely new form of making things was immediately inspiring. We soon welcomed a shiny new Makerbot Thing-O-Matic into our lives and thus began a new obsession.
It was only a matter of time before I discovered Makerbot's frostruder, an extruder made specifically for printing frosting onto cupcakes. And yes, turning CAD drawings into solid plastic objects is mind-blowingly amazing, but turning them into something you can eat is exciting on a whole new level. Eventually I also found out about RichRap's experiments in paste extrusion. He begins with a range of edibles and then steps it up a notch, printing in porcelain clay which can then be fired. It was at this point that I decided I needed to get in on the action.
So to cut a long story short, I've recently ordered an ORD Bot Hadron (or as I like to think of it, the prettiest of the RepRaps), which I'll be fitting with a paste extruder. I'll be using this blog to share my learning process as I assemble my 3D printer and experiment with extrusion methods, feedstocks and CAD design. Since I'm a almost a complete newbie at these things, there will be a lot of learning to share. If the mood takes me I might also talk a bit about hackerspace culture and the world of hobbyist 3D printing.
Posts will happen whenever I feel like it, but please check in every now and then to share in my adventures.
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