While a vast majority of 3D printers use materials such as plastic, metals and even wood to bring ideas life, a Dutch Design duo has introduced a machine capable of creating objects out of ceramic.
Powered by an Atmel based Arduino and Ramps 1.4, the printer is equipped with an SD slot and three 2A stepper motors. The structure of Vormvrij itself has been built with as many standard components as its creators could find, in order to reduce costs and leave plenty of room for improvements and modifications.
MAKE Magazine’s Cabe Atwell notes that given the machine’s rather large size, Vormvrij is capable of printing out items that are nearly 3-feet tall with a base of 23” x 31″.
While the speed of their printer is contingent upon the specific design and wetness of the clay being used, the device is still faster than other desktop 3D printers. For instance, simple designs like a ceramic bottle may take just under 20 minutes to construct, while more complex things like a vase can take up to an hour.
Users may find that the base itself is unusually heavy; however, it was designed this way to offset the weight of the clay and counteract the movements caused by the single Z-arm.
Interested in learning more about the Dutch Makers’ 3D printer? Head on over to their official website here. For those do-it-yourselfers out there, you can always build your own for less than $700.
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