Jun.9, 2012
Chelsea, David, Nathan & Courtney quit their daily job and founded an open source 3D printer company the QU-BD aiming to provide high quality components in low prices.
The QU-BD team launched the first product - open source universal 3D printer extruder on Kickstarter. This universal extruder is dual extrusion capable - you would just need to get two of them. All the parts of the extruder are CNC machined and there is no wood or plastic components. There will be also 2 choices available for mounting plates. One is a universal mounting plate suitable for most 3D printers - it includes a large selection of bolt patterns to bolt directly to the X-axis of a variety of printers. Another optional mount is compatible with Makerbot Replicators.
"what we did is take Makerbot's open-source design and improve reliability by replacing the hobbed gear with a 20 tooth spur gear (ala Makergear) with a groove machined into it which centers the filament along the axis of movement; this majorly cuts down on any slipping or stripping. We also changed the 'plunger' to allow for much smoother engagement and precision during adjustment."
According to the team, the pledges from Kickstarter campaign will be used to buy billet aluminum, other raw materials and stepper motors in larger volumes and keep overall costs low. For $34 Pledge you will get one of the basic single extruder kits including the extruder, the hot end, a power resistor heating element and a 100k thermistor to measure temperature. If you pledge the highest amount $129 you will receive two of the fully assembled single extruders that are mounted side by side on the included mounting plate for dual extrusion. Check their Kickstarter page for more pledge options.
This project is reached its $5,000 goal in just two days, and up to now $10,490 is pledged and the campaign has still 26 days to go.
Before the end of campaign the QU-BD team will release dimensioned drawings in .PDF format to keep the project open source. This is an awesome project to keep innovations rolling.
Source: Kickstarter
Posted in 3D Printing Accessories
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