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Thing-o-Matic

ThaedThaed
edited October 2010 in Everything Else
This does not have its own thread yet so here we go. I've been discussing it in other threads, but it is definitely thread worthy on its own. I'm going to buy one, it is only a matter of time. I've been trying to stop jumping into to hobbies that have zero practical purposes. For example, wood working leaves you with something you can use like a desk or a bookshelf. The Thing-o-Matic produces anything you can design in plastic. The rabbit statuette that they show on the website is kind of useless. But it turns out that with a little plastic primer, you can paint plastic. Moreover, you could quite easily design modular parts that fit together. Thus, the Thing-o-Matic will let me create plastic sculptures that I can paint and that really have no size limit so long as I can design the sculpture in a modular way. This is the height of awesome.

There are some great YouTube videos on the Thing-o-Matic including one where one of the creators says it takes 9 hours to put together once you get the kit. Honestly, I spend similar amounts of time building computers, so I think I'll be able to manage it and what I don't understand, I will learn. I am also highly amused by the fact that the Thing-o-Matic's PC interface is actually an Arduino Mega. I've been thinking about getting into Arduinos as well, but I haven't found the project yet that will make me pull the trigger. Here we have 2 birds and one stone...
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Comments

  • RymRym
    The best use I could personally find for one of these would be to make miniatures for Warhammer (or other wargames).

    In fact, that's a perfect use for one. If someone made a wargame and started distributing the instructions to make the figures yourself with one of these...
  • AprecheApreche
    Just be aware, it isn't cheap. It's also slow. If you want to make something big, you need a lot of plastic goop. It's also pretty slow. Assuming you get your model exactly right, it takes quite some time for it to be ready. Also, calibration is very important. If it's a little off, it will make things that are a little off.
  • AndrewAndrew
    image
  • TechparadoxTechparadox
    it isn't cheap.
    Are you referring to the cost of the machine? The $1,225.00 asking price for the Thing-O-Matic kit isn't out of the range of possibility for an enthusiast. Hell, people easily spend the same amount on other hobbies. Are you referring to the cost of the plastic? A five-pound roll of plain ABS filament will run you $45 at the makerbot store.
    The best use I could personally find for one of these would be to make miniatures for Warhammer (or other wargames). In fact, that's a perfect use for one. If someone made a wargame and started distributing the instructions to make the figures yourself with one of these...
    I've long held the idea that the availability of consumer-grade 3D printers will be the death of the wargames miniatures industry. Considering that you could easily print off a full army over the course of a couple days using a Cupcake unit with an automated build platform, the only real limitation at this point is the resolution of the finished product. From what I understand the print resolution on the Thing-o-matic has been greatly improved over the Cupcake, so I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of things people can crank out with it. Now all we need is to have someone invent a cheap, high-resolution 3D scanner and it'll be bootlegged minis for everybody. :)
  • AndrewAndrew
    Webiste Idea: Database for 3-D wargame models which can be downloaded for use in your personal 3-D printer.
  • RymRym
    Imagine what these printers will be like a decade from now. Two decades.

    Diamond Age nears. Alongside music torrents will be buildplan torrents. Why buy an anime chochke when I can print one? Wait until these exist for METAL. Who needs home depot to copy my key?

    I salivate.
  • Victor FrostVictor Frost
    You guys need to read some Cory Doctorow if you want to really salivate. He has several stories regarding 3d printers.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    Hell, people easily spend the same amount on other hobbies.
    Especially Warhammer.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    FYI: They exist for metal. I saw a company who uses them at the Newcastle Makerfaire. You have to bake the product pretty hot once it's printed but it's proper metal.
  • TheWhaleSharkTheWhaleShark
    FYI: They exist for metal. I saw a company who uses them at the Newcastle Makerfaire. You have to bake the product pretty hot once it's printed but it's proper metal.
    I imagine they use a pretty soft metal. I know GW's metal minis are pretty soft.

    This could be pretty freakin' neat.
  • OmnutiaOmnutia
    Just fished out their business card.

    Shapeways.com
  • AndrewAndrew
    I know GW's metal minis are pretty soft.
    They are made out of pewter.
  • RymRym
    They are made out of pewter.
    Not Ralidium? ;^)
  • ThaedThaed
    Pulled the trigger. Really looking forward to the November delivery.
  • gomidoggomidog
    The rabbit statuette that they show on the website is kind of useless.
    Of course it is! It is the Stanford bunny, the universal CG test object! We test shaders and all sorts of stuff on this little guy. Google him and the Utah teapot.
  • ThaedThaed
    The rabbit statuette that they show on the website is kind of useless.
    Of course it is! It is the Stanford bunny, the universal CG test object! We test shaders and all sorts of stuff on this little guy. Google him and the Utah teapot.
    Ahhhhh! I have been educated! It's the Hello, World of 3d.
  • ChurbaChurba
    Who needs home depot to copy my key?
    Dude, you can already buy key clippers and blanks trivially, and with a few minutes practice, be turning out copies of keys whenever you want, trivially.
  • MattMatt
    edited October 2010
    The best use I could personally find for one of these would be to make miniatures for Warhammer (or other wargames).

    In fact, that's a perfect use for one. If someone made a wargame and started distributing the instructions to make the figures yourself with one of these...
    Webiste Idea: Database for 3-D wargame models which can be downloaded for use in your personal 3-D printer.
    There actually is a huge database for user-made models that can be downloaded for 3D printer use, and yes, they DO have wargaming miniatures there! From what I remember it's mostly terrain elements, doorways, etc. intended for use with D&D; miniatures. Let me see if I can dig up the link.

    EDIT: Here's the url http://www.thingiverse.com/

    No actual figures as I suspected but here are the hallway terrain and doorway models I remembered.
    Post edited by Matt on
  • AprecheApreche
    I was talking about the cost of the plastic. Making something big is going to cost you.
  • AndrewAndrew
    I was talking about the cost of the plastic. Making something big is going to cost you.
    This cost will drop once 3-D printing becomes more ubiquitous. Currently, I believe it's an early adopter fee unless this type of plastic has significant costs for manufacturing, of which I'm not aware.
  • AprecheApreche
    I was talking about the cost of the plastic. Making something big is going to cost you.
    This cost will drop once 3-D printing becomes more ubiquitous. Currently, I believe it's an early adopter fee unless this type of plastic has significant costs for manufacturing, of which I'm not aware.
    Does anyone know if the plastic can be reused? Let's say I print out a few test-cubes while calibrating. Can I melt down the useless cubes to make something else? How easily?
  • ShiamShiam
    edited October 2010
    I was talking about the cost of the plastic. Making something big is going to cost you.
    This cost will drop once 3-D printing becomes more ubiquitous. Currently, I believe it's an early adopter fee unless this type of plastic has significant costs for manufacturing, of which I'm not aware.
    Does anyone know if the plastic can be reused? Let's say I print out a few test-cubes while calibrating. Can I melt down the useless cubes to make something else? How easily?
    I feel like this is a yes and no thing. Most plastics can be reasonably easily remelted and formed with care, but getting it to a form the machine can use is harder. A Makerbot Google group talking about this.
    Post edited by Shiam on
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited October 2010
    Webiste Idea: Database for 3-D wargame models which can be downloaded for use in your personal 3-D printer.
    I had the same idea a while back. I'm now considering it as part of the hackspace long-term project I'm working on.

    We'll need a 3D scanner, though. Total price to hackspace will be about $6k for a basic scan-and-print fab lab, which isn't too bad, all things considered.
    Does anyone know if the plastic can be reused? Let's say I print out a few test-cubes while calibrating. Can I melt down the useless cubes to make something else? How easily?
    Depends on the type of plastic, although there are some types of thermoplastic resins that can be melted and reset as many times as you want without degrading the plastic if temperature control is done well. ABS (Lego plastic) is one such thing; with a proper setup, a gang of makers could run a piecemeal recycling shop for old ABS and fuel their printers for a long time.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • MattMatt
    We'll need a 3D scanner, though. Total price to hackspace will be about $6k for a basic scan-and-print fab lab, which isn't too bad, all things considered.
    If you're going to use a 3D scanner to duplicate a model that already exists, you are better off cracking your own resin mold and making the dupes that way. I would think the real use case for the 3D printer would be to manufacture something you can picture in your mind but exists nowhere.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    edited October 2010
    If you're going to use a 3D scanner to duplicate a model that already exists, you are better off cracking your own resin mold and making the dupes that way. I would think the real use case for the 3D printer would be to manufacture something you can picture in your mind but exists nowhere.
    Casting a mold is a hassle and uses more resources than printing. However, you could print negatives for a plaster mold and just fit them into a homebrew injection former.

    Homebrew injection former, powered by Arduino. I'm going to get on that.
    Post edited by WindUpBird on
  • MattMatt
    I like where this is going
  • ninjarabbininjarabbi
    I could see this being great for all those old rare boardgames that are out of print.
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    I could see this being great for all those old rare boardgames that are out of print.
    DUNE
  • ninjarabbininjarabbi
    I could see this being great for all those old rare boardgames that are out of print.
    DUNE
    My thought exactly
  • AprecheApreche
    Sorry guys. Dune doesn't have plastic bits that require printing. Instead, maybe you should print board games of your own design?
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