ResizerBot - Parametric MakerBot-Setup

thingiverse

I was thinking about the optimal stage set up for the MakerBot to increase the maximum buildable area. This is the outcome: My idea: Creating the whole stage from one big extruded/casted (aluminum?) piece, just adding a motor, a belt and rails. If that actually works, what about using the same pieces for all three stages? Wouldn't that be awesome? It could be quite precise and very, very cheap to produce! What do you think? Best of all: This design is size independent - the base, belts and rails can be produced at arbitrary lengths! So give it a try with a 10m stage! Allow me to dream away for a while... :-) Instructions This is nothing that can actually be built right now, it's rather a design concept for future MakerBots. Open the OpenSCAD file, turn on animation, play with the values (esp. xL, yL, zL, sub) and see what happens. You can even manipulate the diameter of the rails, thickness of each part, size of belt etc. All measurings are constrained, so if you change a parameter, the design will always be valid (including positions, spacers etc.) The resulting "maximum printable area" is marked as a transparent grey box. You will notice that -clearly- the maximum printable area increases with xL/yL/zL and decreases as you widen up the width of each stage. eFace told me that the maximum stability is usually achieved by attaching the rails at length - 2/9th at each side (reference: Bessel Points). This means setting the variable sub to 1.0 - 2x 2/9. But actually a value of 1/3, 1/4, 1/6 looks good to me :-) Have fun!