DESIGN NAME: PocketMaker
PRIMARY FUNCTION: 3D Printer
INSPIRATION: Today, more and more people feel the convenience of 3D printing. 3D printing can be found everywhere in life. However, most commercially available 3D printers are bulky, expensive and structurally exposed. As a result, ordinary people have no opportunity to access 3D printing and enjoy the convenience that it brings to life. Therefore, we are determined to make a 3D printer that is compact, easy-to-operate and affordable for everyone, to make "creation" easier and fill life with creativity.
UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: PocketMaker is a USD99 palm-sized 3D printer. This 3D printer is only as large as a palm, but it can print any object at the maximum size of 8*8*8cm. It adopts four special customized micro stepper motors and a set of self-lubricating plastic slide rail, which substitutes heavy metal slide rail, to reduce volume and cut the cost. In addition, in such a compact space, the product has a patented ultra-small replaceable print head. Its price of USD99 makes it a creative tool affordable for everyone.
OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION: In such a compact space, the product has a patented ultra-small replaceable print head, and the user no longer has to worry about print head blockage. Large industrial 3D printers often are provided with replaceable print heads in order to solve the problem of print head blockage. The palm-sized PocketMaker is also equipped with a replaceable print head usually found in industrial 3D printers and its ingenious buckle design allows users to replace the print head in just three seconds.
PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION: The project of PocketMaker has been underway for nearly two years. After a series of market surveys, we are determined to develop a small-sized and easy-to-operate 3D printer affordable for everyone and thus make creation much easier and fill life with creativity.
FITS BEST INTO CATEGORY: Digital and Electronic Device Design
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PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY: The PocketMaker 3D printer adopts polylactic acid (PLA) as its printing consumable. PLA is made from starch raw materials extracted from renewable plant resources. In addition to high hardness and strength, PLA has a good biodegradability. Since PLA boasts good physical properties and environmental performance, the main shell of the PocketMaker 3D printer is made of PLA, which can be completely degraded by microorganisms in nature under specific conditions after the product is recycled.
SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES: Product size:10*14*15cm.
Product weight:650g
Print volume: 8*8*8cm.
Print accuracy:0.2mm.
Filament: 1.75mm.
TAGS: Printer, Tiny, Small, Mini, 3D
RESEARCH ABSTRACT: 3D printing can be found everywhere in life. However, most commercially available 3D printers are bulky, expensive and structurally exposed. In the previous survey, we distributed a total of 1,200 online questionnaires. When people want to use 3D printing, their biggest concern is whether the 3D printers are expensive, whether their software is easy to operate and whether their print heads get stuck easily. In this survey, we have summarized the development direction of 3D printing technology in the future. After a series of market surveys, we are determined to develop a small-sized and easy-to-operate 3D printer affordable for everyone and thus make “creation” much easier and fill life with creativity.
CHALLENGE: In the conventional transmission machinery, the guide rail and the sliding block are usually made of bulky and expensive metal materials to obtain a good wear resistance and lubricity. The PocketMaker 3D printer’s guide rail and sliding block are made of special self-lubricating plastic materials which have a good wear resistance and lubricity while greatly reduce the weight and cost of the product. However, the materials are highly shrinkable. To solve this problem, the guide rail and sliding block are precisely shaped using specially designed molds.
ADDED DATE: 2019-03-03 05:32:37
TEAM MEMBERS (5) : LANG Qiyue, YANG Tian, Bruce Tao, PANG Wei and SUN Ran
IMAGE CREDITS: LANG Qiyue and YANG Tian, 2018.
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