I got a chance to go visit Hoeken’s lab tonight and turn a few screws on his reprap project. I’m totally inspired.
That’s him above as the proud daddy of an breadboarded dc motor controller built on an arduino.
Here are some links to blow your mind. Link Link Link
11:52:10 PM Lux Nightmare: how was hoeken’s lab?
11:53:18 PM Bre Pettis: freaking awesome…. I’m blown away!
11:53:23 PM Lux Nightmare: what is it?
11:55:25 PM Bre Pettis: he’s making machines that can make parts for machines that make other machines
11:55:35 PM Bre Pettis: it’s a self replicating machine
11:55:42 PM Bre Pettis: WOW
11:55:43 PM Lux Nightmare: are they making the same machine?
11:55:46 PM Bre Pettis: yup
11:55:52 PM Lux Nightmare: it’s like hiv!
11:55:53 PM Bre Pettis: it prints itself out
11:55:56 PM Lux Nightmare: it’s like a virus!
11:55:58 PM Bre Pettis: haha
11:56:00 PM Bre Pettis: it is!
11:56:52 PM Lux Nightmare: so it’s just making a machine that will make more of the same machine?
11:57:33 PM Bre Pettis: no it can make anything
11:57:46 PM Bre Pettis: including its own parts
11:58:15 PM Lux Nightmare: oh, ok
11:58:18 PM Lux Nightmare: anything?
11:58:24 PM Bre Pettis: yup
11:58:30 PM Lux Nightmare: a boat?
11:58:33 PM Bre Pettis: yup
11:58:37 PM Lux Nightmare: a pony?
11:58:42 PM Bre Pettis: yup
11:58:47 PM Lux Nightmare: whoa.
11:58:50 PM Lux Nightmare: IT CAN MAKE A PONY
11:58:54 PM Bre Pettis: YES!
11:58:55 PM Lux Nightmare: my mind is blown
11:59:11 PM Lux Nightmare: how does this shenanigan work?
11:59:38 PM Bre Pettis: it uses a thermoplastic which is a plastic that melts at about 120 F.
11:59:46 PM Bre Pettis: kinda like awesome hot glue
12:00:01 AM Lux Nightmare: and it just shapes it into whatever parts it needs?
12:00:17 AM Bre Pettis: it’s a 3 axis printer
12:00:28 AM Bre Pettis: so it lays down a layer .5 mm thick
12:00:33 AM Bre Pettis: and then lays another layer down on top of that
12:00:38 AM Bre Pettis: and so on
12:01:05 AM Bre Pettis: hoeken’s machine could only make a pony about 8 inches tall
12:01:12 AM Bre Pettis: but a bigger machine could…
12:01:18 AM Lux Nightmare: make a GIANT PONY
12:01:24 AM Lux Nightmare: it could make a pony that would eat the globe.
12:02:31 AM Lux Nightmare: if, um, plastic could eat