RRWT Carries on...

Well, sorry to the folks who signed up for the planned second stop of the RRWT in the McLean, VA area. Due to last minute logistics issues, the class had to be postponed until a future date and time (TBD).

In the meantime, the show must go on! So the next planned city is the great city of Philadelphia, PA. We will be hosted by the local fab lab, NextFab, who has graciously opened up their facilities and is allowing us to carry out our class on the premises. All the while working in conjunction with the native hackerpsace, Hive76, represented by Jordan Miller and Chris Thompson who are doing the work for promoting the event in the area.

Glimpse into the room in question, this is where all the building action will unfold. ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/whmchale/4310351527/)

So the details:

Date: August 26th - 28th
Times: Friday 5 -10PM, Saturday/Sunday (10AM - 10 PM)
Location: NextFab Studios (NextFabStudio.com)
Costs: $1,200, that includes EVERYTHING! (well, besides some basic tools)

So, for $1,200 and ~30 hours of building, you get your very own RepRap Prusa Mendel. This kit for the class isn't like any kit you can find on the internet anywhere. For one, we are using linear bearings (LM8UU flavor) instead of the printed PLA bushing or the brass bushing alternatives you may have seen when you were shopping around. More details on the specifics of the kits will be available shortly, just check back here often.

Any questions/concerns/inquiries/curiosities, please do not hesitate to contact me. My email address is ta.anderson.h@gmail.com. If you are a RepRapper in the general area and would like to volunteer your time to help others get in on the hobby, feel free to join in on the festivities! (Do email me as well)

Attached at the bottom is the promo flyer we have floating around the Philly area, take a look, it sums up all the knitty gritty details you'd need to get your piece of the AWESOME 3D printing future!

Pretty much the same bot you will end up building. Might have  a bit more bells and whistles in the end though.

RRWT 00000002 Flyer:

Update of things in the work flow...

Well, seeing as the second build class has been post-poned, I guess I better find something else to talk about. How about we get back to the point of this blog? What have I been up to?

Well, I've been working on making machines that make more machines (or at least more things!). Current project on hand is the MTM (Machines that Make project from MIT) Snap. It is a small form factor mill cut from 1/2" HDPE. So why the name "Snap"? That is a result of the fastening mechanism of this machine. You won't find nuts and bolts holding this little baby together. What you will find is the following mechanism:

Yeah, its pretty much the same mechanism as a buckle. Pretty nifty and def one of those "Why didn't anyone do this SOONER?!" kinda ordeals. But yeah, I got most of it cut out and assembled, just waiting on a few more components and I should be ready to mill some PCB's! I'll post pics as things develop to a point where I want to show someone, until then, hold tight.

Nonetheless, you can find the knitty gritty details and specs of the machine (as well as maybe make your own?) here.

I'm def finding myself more and more intrigued by MIT's MTM Project, next target is going to be the super awesome FAB-in-A-BOX! One machine to do it all! Sounds good to me.

Also, for all you fab labbers that happened to still stay tuned to my rants, I have established a Fab Lab IRC channel (Freenode server), come and join. ATM, there is hardly anyone on it, let's fix that!

That's all for now...until next time...

Class Post-poned!

Due to some supply chain issues, the second stop of the RRWT is going to be postponed. Sorry to all the folks that registered and was looking forward to their piece of 3D printing future.

You should have received a notice on your refund, if not please notify me and I will look into it.