PLA is here and quickly being embraced by the open source 3D printing community. PLA is a super cool material with a translucent crystalline appearance. Unfortunately the reports are coming in and many people are having trouble getting it to extrude. I’ve already invested many hours testing various configurations in order find some straight forward solutions. I’ve been posting these results on the MakerBot Google Group to try and help botters through the learning curve. I’ve also just created a PLA Printing page here on MakerGear. It is a bit sparse at the moment but will be frequently updated in order to get everyone up and running as quickly as possible…

Sorry…but it is really tough to pass up a cliche of this caliber!!

This is our new ceramic heater core – part of our new modular approach to extruding plastic. It is an M6 threaded brass core wrapped in nichrome and then coated with ceramic adhesive. Screw it on. Attach your hook-up wire. Power up.

Heater core kits are available now. Kits include:

-Brass core
-Nichrome wire
-Ceramic adhesive w/brush and popsicle sticks
-Hook-up wires
-Crimp connector pins (male and female)

Fully assembled heater cores will be available soon.

Between filling orders, developing new products and the holidays, the last few weeks have really zipped by…

We have several new products and product variations in the works – here is a look at the soon to be released Heated Build Platform kit. We are using a 4″×4″×1/8" ceramic plate as the heated platform. Here you see the ceramic plate mounted on a modified Y stage and the acrylic build surface.

The modified Y stage. Yes, you are correct – four screw independent suspension!! Now you can level that stage without shims! Ring magnets will hold the ceramic plate to the Y stage.

A top view of the ceramic plate on the mounting screws.

There are still a few details to work out like which ceramic adhesive (to connect the heating element to the ceramic plate) to use in production. I’ve tested several – just need to decide and get it ordered. The kit should be available in about two weeks. There will also be a standalone control module that will be released a little later that will allow you to use your heated build platform without firmware changes. More to come…stay tuned…

Almost sounds like a salad you’d get at Bravo (Italian restaurant). But not today! In preparation for the upcoming release of our modular, easy-to-use plastic extruders (aka plastruders) we’re stocking up on needed components. The 3/4" PEEK rod arrived today. Thatsalotta Insulators!!

We should have everything ready to go in early 2010. Stay tuned…

A big head nozzle that is…

These new, bigger nozzles are working really well. I’m so pleased with the results that all of our nozzles smaller than 0.5mm are now the big head variety.

The platform for Micromanufacturing…how the web revolution hits the real world…it will move the needle…as articulated by Chris Anderson today at Supernova 2009. (he starts a few minutes into the video)