[Click here to view the video in this article]
Engineering student Matthew Krueger was deeply interested in 3D printing but being unable to afford a 3D printer as a student, he decided make his own.
Krueger built his 3D printer out of LEGO bricks and other materials he had on hand. He said, “I spent a total of $0 on parts for this. I already had everything and didn't want to spend extra.”
Unlike normal 3D printers that print with plastic, the ‘LEGObot’]prints with hot glue. Although useable, hot glue has a rubbery consistency that has less practical use.
Krueger is currently trying to build a machine to recycle milk bottles into filament for printing, and will adapt he ‘LEGObot’ to use the filament.
Controlled by the LEGO Mindstorms NXT module, Krueger also faced challenges in programming. He had to manually program every move into the NXT software.
Although it prints, Krueger still considers the ‘LEGObot’ a prototype and is working to improve it.
Click to watch the video below:
[via Gizmag and Instructables]
Engineering student Matthew Krueger was deeply interested in 3D printing but being unable to afford a 3D printer as a student, he decided make his own.
Krueger built his 3D printer out of LEGO bricks and other materials he had on hand. He said, “I spent a total of $0 on parts for this. I already had everything and didn't want to spend extra.”
Unlike normal 3D printers that print with plastic, the ‘LEGObot’]prints with hot glue. Although useable, hot glue has a rubbery consistency that has less practical use.
Krueger is currently trying to build a machine to recycle milk bottles into filament for printing, and will adapt he ‘LEGObot’ to use the filament.
Controlled by the LEGO Mindstorms NXT module, Krueger also faced challenges in programming. He had to manually program every move into the NXT software.
Although it prints, Krueger still considers the ‘LEGObot’ a prototype and is working to improve it.
Click to watch the video below:
[via Gizmag and Instructables]