Month: December 2012

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Bobbins ordered from China

I’m partnering with a Chinese manufacturer to make my bobbins now. The best price I could get locally was $6/pc and they offered $4/pc after shipping and before import fees, which is still cheaper. So I got 100 units, enough to cover me for the next few weeks. After that we’ll see about ordering more.

PS: Here’s an STL model of the part on Thingiverse. If you want to beat that price, I’d love to buy from you.

What does that mean? It means the last of my production problems are solved in the current model. I can focus on improving the software and tackling some of my other projects. I’m a little embarrassed that I’ve been claiming the software will be great and never dedicating time to make it happen. Send me your feedback! I want to know what works and what doesn’t. Please comment on Github.

Next time I release a new product I’m going to have all these production questions solved BEFORE the product hits the store. I want people from day 1 to be able to say how awesome it is. Now let’s see if I learned my lesson.

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Steven’s Makelangelo Timelapses for Reddit Holiday Greeting Card Exchange 2012

Fellow VHS member Steven has made a couple of timelapse videos with a Makelangelo.

Awesome!

You can see in the Reddit heart video the pen is drying up at the picture continues.

The Cracking is probably due to the bobbins slipping. Actually… it could also be caused by radical changes in bobbin diameter. If the string is poorly wound around the bobbin then the bobbin could be “lumpy”. The best way to fix it would be to wind the bobbins very carefully.

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Makelangelo first pen up/down success

Pen up and down is now working thanks to the 4th generation pen holder seen in this video. The prototype is crude cardboard, the final version will be laser cut acrylic just like our sweet new motor mounts.

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Evolving Design through Rapid Prototyping

Here’s one part of the Makelangelo Drawbot as it has evolved over time. Note that this could not have been possible without rapid prototyping machines and software like Solidworks, RepRap 3D printers, and the Redsail laser cutter at the VHS.

Version 1 – 30 minutes for each piece. 10% of prints fail Quality Assurance or need cleaning up. Eight other pieces in three varieties need to be added to make this part work.

Version 2 – 70 minutes for each successful piece. 60% of all prints fail QA. Two types of screws need to be stocked to use this part.

Version 3 – 3 minutes for each successful piece. <5% of all prints fail QA. Two types of screws need to be stocked to use this part.

It’s finally fast enough that I can video the process.

With each new technology that becomes available I am able to iterate that faster and produce better parts. I’ve finally reached a point where I’m satisfied with these motor mounts and they will no longer be a production problem. The next challenge is to do the same for the bobbins, and then build a better pen holder. Where will I find A CNC lathe and a drill press?