Dec 7, 2015 | By Benedict

Curious about 3D printing but priced out of buying a consumer-level machine? Meet the Curiosity eWaste Educational 3D printer, brainchild of entrepreneurial engineer Marc Rogivue. With the help of students and staff at the Poly University of Hong Kong, Rogivue was able to design an open-source 3D printing platform to educate children 10-12 years old (or new users of all ages) about making, inventing, and 3D printing. The best part is that all parts for the DIY 3D printer can be sourced for around $120. 

 

The team behind the Curiosity 3D printer saw that the price of consumer-grade 3D printers prevented many young makers and educational institutions from getting their hands on such machines. To solve this problem, they embarked upon an up-cycling project, in which old DVD drives and PC Power Supplies could be used as core components in a rudimentary, build-at-home 3D printer. As well as showing users how to build a 3D printer, the team hopes that the Curiosity project will help to educate young people about eWaste, environmental issues, recycling and up-cycling.

Builders of the Curiosity 3D printer can either source components themselves or buy a ready-to-go kit for $151.37. The printer cleverly utilizes a DVD drive for its X-Drive motor and a floppy disk drive (remember those?) for its Z-Drive motor. Tinkernut actually demonstrated a similar kind of resourcefulness a few weeks ago, when they used an old CD ROM drive to act as a CNC mill. Who knew that such near-redundant technology would be the future of budget 3D printing? The frame and base of the Curiosity 3D printer are made from laser-cut wood, to which the makeshift motors and electronics are mounted. Those electronics consist of an Arduino board, which runs a pre-configured version of Marlin, the established RepRap firmware based on Sprinter.

To use the Curiosity 3D printer, makers need to use the Printrun/Pronterface printer control software and Cura slicing software, both of which are free to download. Windows, Mac and Linux users should all be able to run this software and use the upcycled 3D printer for their educational and creative projects.

After being inspired by the popular one laptop per child campaign, the Curiosity project aims to bring DIY 3D printers to those who cannot afford readymade alternatives. There are tentative plans to bring the project to Kickstarter, where backers could potentially order a pair of 3D printing kits—one for themselves, and one for a child somewhere else in the world, for a combined price of around $250. Additionally, the developers hope to reduce the current $150 price tag for the kit to under $100 once they can bring the project up to scale. Keep following 3Ders for updates on the Curiosity eWaste Educational 3D printer project and other 3D printing inventions and initiatives.

 

 

Posted in 3D Printer

 

 

Maybe you also like:


   






Leave a comment:

Your Name:

 


Subscribe us to

3ders.org Feeds 3ders.org twitter 3ders.org facebook   

About 3Ders.org

3Ders.org provides the latest news about 3D printing technology and 3D printers. We are now seven years old and have around 1.5 million unique visitors per month.

News Archive