It’s in all probability secure to say that almost all of us began our journeys as makers with LEGO bricks after we have been kids. However in some unspecified time in the future, we transfer on to extra subtle fabrication strategies, like 3D printing. Nevertheless, LEGO produces a mind-boggling array of elements which might be extra versatile than you may suppose. YouTuber Artistic Mindstorms has confirmed that point and time once more, with many spectacular builds. And the way he’s achieved one thing that appears nearly unattainable: a totally purposeful 3D printer constructed solely from LEGO elements.
That is truly the fourth time Artistic Mindstorms has constructed a LEGO 3D printer. The primary try was about six years in the past and although spectacular, it printed poorly. Every subsequent try was an enormous enchancment and this latest iteration is able to printing fairly properly—on par with the earliest hobbyist 3D printers from a few a long time in the past.
Each half on this 3D printer is a LEGO product, with one exception: the extruder/scorching finish. LEGO hasn’t ever made something that might fill that position, so Artistic Mindstorms used a handheld 3D printing pen. However all the things else, right down to the leadscrews and controller, are elements that have been bought by LEGO in some unspecified time in the future in time.
Structurally, this design is much like a “bed-slinger” Prusa i3 3D printer. The mattress strikes within the Y axis on plastic LEGO screws pushed by LEGO motors. The X axis gantry is comparable. The Z axis strikes by means of a rack-and-pinion system, as an alternative of leadscrews. All the axes have restrict switches for automated homing and there’s a small motor to actuate a mechanism that pushes the 3D printing pen’s extrude button. On the high, there’s a filament spool holder that accepts 1kg rolls of PLA, identical to some other 3D printer.
The controller is probably the most stunning a part of the complete undertaking. It’s a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 P-Brick, which is definitely, basically, a whole single-board pc with a built-in consumer interface. On this case, it’s operating the official MicroPython picture out there from LEGO. The customized code written by Artistic Mindstorms is much like some other 3D printer’s firmware. It accepts customary g-code (created by Cura slicer software program) saved as textual content recordsdata. There’s even a file selector, so the consumer can select the mannequin to print.
The ensuing prints are fairly spectacular. They’ll’t compete with these from trendy 3D printers, after all. However they’re superb and the imperfections are principally the results of utilizing a 3D printing pen (they’re not nice) and the dearth of half cooling. It’s laborious to think about getting higher outcomes than this with out “dishonest” and utilizing actual 3D printer elements, however possibly Artistic Mindstorms will make extra enhancements in a few years.
