May 26, 2014
Meet the LittleDLPer, an affordable, open source DLP (Direct Light Processing) 3D Printer. DLP Projector based printers have been gaining in popularity in the last few years. The projector shines on the surface of a liquid plastic resin that hardens when exposed to a certain wavelength of light. The light draws and hardens a layer at a time until the entire model is built.
The LittleDLPer has been designed from the ground up to simplify the resin printing process, says Brad Hill, founder of LittleDLPer. To make it easy to self source, the LittleDLPer uses lasercut materials and standard T-Slot extrusion so you can easily build your own from scratch. It also uses high quality components such as linear slides and integrated leadscrew steppers to improve the reliability, according to LittleDLPer.
The LittleDLPer focuses on smaller high quality prints so its build volume is only 60mm(X) 40mm(Y) 100mm(Z) (2.4 x 1.6 x 3.9 inch). It takes approx 2 minutes to print 1mm at .05mm layer height. A 40mm (1.57 inch) tall print would take about 80 minutes to complete.
The LittleDLPer will be compatible with most general UV curing resin on the market. In order lower the barriers to entry for those looking to get into the world of DLP printing, Hill says the price of the LittleDLPer kit (projector not included) will be under $500, and an assembled 3D printer should be just under $1000. The startup plans to show off the LittleDLPer at Maker Faire Kansas City Jun 28~29.
LittleDLPer is currently in the process of setting up their Kickstarter campaign, raising funds for obtaining bulk pricing on materials and the setup of initial community. To be notified their Kickstarter status and to make sure you don't miss out on limited early backer reward levels, you can sign up for kit availability via their website.
After the conclusion of the Kickstarter campaign, LittleDLPer will make the bill of materials, laser cutting files, and stl files of the printer publicly available and open under a cc-by-nc-sa license.
Check out the 3D prints below made on a LittleDLPer 3D printer, printed at .05mm layer height using a Dell 2300MP XGA (1024 x 768) DLP projector which costs about $150 on ebay.
Thanks to hp for the tip!
Posted in 3D Printers
Maybe you also like:
- Autodesk unveils new 3D printer and Spark, the Android of 3D printing
- MOD-t 3D printer to launch on indiegogo May 28, priced below $300
- Stratasys launches two highest precision wax 3D printers for dental industry
- Kast SLA 3D printer launching soon on Kickstarter for $1790
- Monoprice's new dual color 3D printer, an OEM version of Flashforge Creator X?
- New Matter MOD-t 3D printer to launch on crowd-funding site soon
- China using 3D bio printer to create artificial dura mater
- Flying 3D printer could help remove nuclear waste
- Solidscape introduces MAX 2 high precision 3D wax printer
- Joshua Harker Offers 3D printed 'Mazzo di Fiori', raising funds for next-gen 3D printer
MakerJuice is almost on par with quality PLA / ABS prices at $55 per 1000ml.
Wild Bill wrote at 5/26/2014 7:54:27 PM:
Anybody developing affordable resins... Current prices make it out of reach for most 3D printer hobbyists.
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.
