3D printing and micro-manufacturing with Robox

C Enterprise Ltd. (CEL) recently debuted a new desktop 3D printer and micro-manufacturing platform. Powered by an Atmel | SMART ARM-based MCU, the Robox was designed by its creators to “demystify” the 3D printing process.

“We wanted to produce the most reliable, stylish and easiest-to-use 3D printing solution available. What we’ve done is more than that; with the HeadLock system, Robox can operate with different heads, which means different tools that can perform a whole range of new functions from stylus cutting to paste deposition, and coming soon, 3D scanning,” the C Enterprise Crew explained on its Kickstarter campaign page.

“We have future-proofed the platform so that it is ready to take immediate advantage of new additive and subtractive manufacturing processes as we develop them, making the Robox platform not only the most accessible 3D printer but a complete micro-manufacturing system. We’ve designed the whole product from the ground up; the frame, electronics, software and firmware are all tuned to ensure that all the innovation we’ve added works seamlessly to give you the best possible user experience.”

Perhaps most importantly, Robox includes a proprietary dual-nozzle system which is said to improve print speeds by up to 300%, while a single material feed can be directed out of one of two nozzles – with a 0.3mm or 0.8mm extrusion diameter.

In addition, the printer’s “SmartReels” are capable of recognizing every reel of official Robox filament which includes an EEPROM chip storing all the details about the material parameters. For instance, it lets the printer know just how much filament is remaining, warns the Maker that there may not be enough to complete a job, among a number of other things. This allows for instant machine set up when it is installed in the dock.

Meaning, Robox is capable of producing highly detailed exterior surfaces and then quickly filling the object using the larger nozzle multiple layers at a time — without affecting part strength or detail.

Additional key features and specs include:

• Automatic material recognition
• Quick-Change print-head
• Replaceable, ‘tape-less’ and removable PEI bed
• Enclosed build chamber
• Expandable for 2 extruders
• AutoMaker proprietary software
• Minimal inertia
• Large high torque stepper motors with high resolution axes
• Separate build chamber and electronics enclosure
• Automatic build platform levelling
• Extruder construction and feedback loop
• Nozzle valve system
• Integrated cooling

“[3D printing] technology has the potential to disrupt traditional manufacturing processes and even the way in which products are bought and sold. It will enable people to bring manufacturing back to their local economies and reduce reliance on imports – shipping only raw materials, not finished products,” the CEL crew added.

“There is also the potential of the technology in developing economies, where communities will be enabled to produce appropriate technology for their environment using locally available resources – think printing a water turbine from recycled plastic. We want Robox to be part of this revolution – bringing micro-manufacturing to everyone.”

Following last year’s impressive Kickstarter campaign where it nearly tripled its original £100,000 goal, the last batch of crowdfunding units were shipped to their loyal backers earlier this fall. At this point, the team believes that their hardware has reached a point where “they are happy with the build quality and print quality,” and CEL is currently accepting pre-orders for the holiday season.

Interested in learning more about Robox? You can check out the Atmel powered printer’s official page here.

 

Winning with Atmel on Kickstarter

Kickstarter first opened its virtual doors on April 28, 2009. Since then, the wildly popular crowdfunding website has tracked over $1 billion in pledges from 5.9 million individuals who actively funded 59,000 creative projects.

Unsurprisingly, quite a number of Atmel-powered Kickstarter projects have been successfully funded over the past year, including:

MicroView



MicroView is a chip-sized platform with a built-in OLED (64×48) display that allows Makers to see what the Atmel-based board is “thinking” without having to link with a PC.

The device, designed by the Geek Ammo crew, is built around Atmel’s versatile ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU).



1Sheeld

Integreight’s 1Sheeld – designed around Atmel’s ATMega162 MCU – is an easily configurable shield for Arduino boards.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/integreight/1sheeld-replace-your-arduino-shields-with-your-sma

Essentially, 1Sheeld connects to a mobile Android app that allows users to take advantage of various smartphone features including the display, gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer, GSM, Wi-Fi and GPS.

DIWire



The first desktop CNC wire bender recently hit Kickstarter with an Atmel MCU (ATxmega192/TinyG) under the hood.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1638882643/diwire-the-first-desktop-wire-bender

Designed by Pensa Labs, the DIWire transforms drawn curves into bent wire that can be assembled to make just about anything.

Primo



Primo can best be described as a playful physical programming interface that helps teach children programming logic without the need for literacy.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1039674461/primo-teaching-programming-logic-to-children-age-4

Powered by an Atmel-based Arduino board, the Primo play-set uses shapes, colors and spacial awareness to instruct programming logic through a tactile, warm and magical learning experience

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Robox



Robox is a 3D printing and micro-manufacturing platform designed byC Enterprise Ltd. (CEL).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/robox/robox-desktop-3d-printer-and-micro-manufacturing-p?ref=live

Driven by an ARM-based Atmel chip, the Robox was designed by its creators to “demystify” the 3D printing process.

The EX¹ 

The Atmel-powered (ATmega2560) EX¹ allows Makers and engineers to quickly print circuit boards on a wide variety of material.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cartesianco/the-ex1-rapid-3d-printing-of-circuit-boards

Simply put, the EX¹ is helping to transform electronics and prototyping in the same way that conventional 3D printing revolutionized traditional manufacturing.

Touch Board: Interactivity Everywhere



The Touch Board is an Atmel-powered platform (ATmega32U4 MCU) that allows Makers to more easily create interactive and responsive projects.

The Touch Board can change the world around you by turning almost any material or surface into a sensor.

Flutter

Flutter is an open source Atmel-powered wireless platform with a 1000m+ (3200 ft) range.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flutterwireless/flutter-20-wireless-arduino-with-half-mile-1km-ran

Protected from digital intruders by Atmel’s ATSHA204 which offers 256-bit AES hardware encryption, Flutter makes it easy for DIY Makers to build projects that communicate across a house, neighborhood and beyond.

Hex ‘Copter

Hex – powered by Atmel’s ATmega32U4 – is a 3D-printed nanocopter that can be controlled using the gravity sensors in a mobile device.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1387330585/hex-a-copter-that-anyone-can-fly

Essentially, Hex imitates the movement of the smartphone or a tablet in the air. In addition, traditional throttle, elevator, aileron, rudder control systems can be used to operate your Hex.

ATtiny85 ISP!



Designed by Ben Escobedo, the open source ATtiny85 ISP! can probably best be described as a breakout prototyping board for Atmel’s ATtiny85/45/25 lineup.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rullywowr/attiny85-isp-shrink-your-arduino-projects-with-eas?ref=live

The project’s goal? Allowing Makers to take advantage of the ATtiny85 chip’s potential, while using the familiar Arduino IDE and harnessing the super awesome support from the Arduino community.

Agent Smartwatch



Atmel’s SAM4S and tinyAVR MCUs are inside the Agent smartwatch which raised well over a million dollars on the crowdfunding website.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/secretlabs/agent-the-worlds-smartest-watch

The next-gen smartwatch offers brand-new technology, world-class developer tools, unparalleled battery life and Qi wireless charging.

Blinky Tape



BlinkyTape – powered by Atmel’s ATmega32U4 – is a portable LED strip with 60 pixels and an integrated USB-programmable light processor.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/740956622/blinkytape-the-led-strip-reinvented

Additional key specs include 32KB Flash memory, 2.5KB RAM, 1KB EEPROM, a micro USB connector for power and data, as well as an on-board micro switch for interactive applications.

Vega Edge



Made of laser-cut leather, the Atmel-powered, Arduino-based Edge is a wearable light that snaps securely onto your clothing with the help of four strong neodymium magnets.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/868814363/vega-edge

You can wear it discreetly by day or brightly at night with your winter coat, cardigan, hood, scarf, handbag, collar, pocket, belt, or wherever you’d like a touch of light.

The Open Enigma Project

Designed by the ST-Geotronics crew, the Open Enigma (M4) Project – powered by an Atmel-based Arduino Mega (ATmega1280) – first surfaced towards the end of 2013.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/438986934/the-open-enigma-project

When it went live on Kickstarter, the Open Engima successfully raised over $62,000, facilitating the implementation of several important stretch goals.

Skirmos: Open Source Laser Tag

Skirmos is an open source, versatile laser tag system that features an ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU), Arduino bootloader, color LCD screen (acts as a realtime HUD) and an infrared LED.

Skirmos currently offers a trio of preset gametypes: basic, free-for-all and team slayer. However, the platform is ultimately expected to boast an almost unlimited number of gametypes.

OSCAR: Open Screen Adapter



OSCAR is a super high resolution 9.7″ screen with an Atmel-powered (ATmega32u4) adapter that allows users to easily link the display to their PC, Mac or Linux machine.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1859884318/oscar-the-open-screen-adapter?ref=live

The board is Arduino compatible ,which makes modifying the behavior easy, as all the software and hardware is open source.

DigiX

DigiX is an Atmel-based development board (AT91SAM3X8E) with WiFi and Mesh networking, Audio, USB OTG, microSD and 99 i/o pins.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/digistump/digix-the-ultimate-arduino-compatible-board-with-w?ref=live

The DigiX was designed to be a dev board ready for any project – with no compromises.

Reactor Core – Arduino/AVR Programmer, DIY Soldering Kit



The Reactor Core is a hardware programming platform for Arduino boards and stand-alone AVR-based microcontrollers (MCUs).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1257390142/reactor-core-arduino-avr-programmer-diy-soldering?ref=live

Designed by Frank Fox, the Reactor Core is powered by Atmel’s ATmega328P MCU and an FT232R for USB to serial communication.

King’s Assembly Mouse

Solid Art Labs recently debuted the King’s Assembly – a unique device that packs a high-precision laser mouse, full mechanical keyboard and an analog joystick into a single platform.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/70308014/kings-assembly-a-computer-mouse-full-of-awesome

Atmel’s AT90USB128 MCU powers this three-in-one mouse. Key features include 30 keys for each hand, finger key rows angled for fast access and a two-axis analog joystick for each thumb.

Pi-Bot

The Atmel-powered Pi-Bot (ATmega328) is a hands-on robotic learning platform for both students and professional engineers.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1158090852/pi-bot-the-next-great-tool-in-robotics-learning-pl?ref=category#

According to STEM Center USA CEO Melissa Jawaharlal, the team designed the Pi-Bot from the ground up to optimize functionality and ensure affordability.

Game Frame: The Art of Pixels



Game Frame – an Arduino-based grid of 256 ultra-bright LED pixels – was designed by Jeremy Williams to showcase pixel art and old school video games.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jerware/game-frame-the-art-of-pixels

As Williams notes, video game artists used to draw everything with a sheet of graph paper, a few colors and a couple of animation frames.

Robot Army Starter Kit

The Robot Army is a DIY Delta Robot kit powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328 microcontroller for the rapidly growing Maker community.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1984252088/robot-army-starter-kit?ref=footer

The kit includes all mechanical pieces in grey and neon yellow plastic (the yellow fluoresces under black light), spacers, brackets, ball bearings and hardware required for assembly. In addition, the kit is packed with electronic components, PCB and wire harnesses.

MicroSlice: Mini Laser Cutter & Engraver



The MicroSlice is a mini laser cutter and engraver.

The open source platform, powered by an Atmel-based Arduino Uno (ATmega328), is currently being promoted as a kit that takes approximately 15 hours to build.

uARM: Miniature Industrial Robot



This four-axis parallel-mechanism desktop robot arm is modeled after the ABB industrial PalletPack robot and is built around Atmel’s ATmega328 MCU which powers a custom board.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ufactory/uarm-put-a-miniature-industrial-robot-arm-on-your?ref=live

The uARM platform is constructed with acrylic or wood parts and fitted with standard RC hobby servos.

Smart Nixie Tube



The Smart Nixie Tube is an open source platform powered by Atmel’s versatile ATmega328p.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/popshields/smart-nixie-tube?ref=live

Designed by Tyler Nehowing, the platform is fully programmable using the unmodified Arduino IDE, as it appears as an Arduino Uno running at 16MHz/5V.

OpenBCI: An Open Source Brain-Computer Interface For Makers

OpenBCI – designed by Joel Murphy & Conor Russomanno – is a low-cost programmable open-source EEG platform that offers Makers easy access to their brainwaves. In addition to an ADS1299 IC, the OpenBCI is equipped with Atmel’s ATmega328 (+ Arduino’s latest bootloader).

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/openbci/openbci-an-open-source-brain-computer-interface-fo?ref=live

The project’s vision? 

”To realize the potential of the open-source movement to accelerate innovation in brain science through collaborative hardware and software development.”

White Bread Shield for Arduino

Mark Davidson recently designed an Atmel-powered (ATmega328) Arduino prototyping shield that can also be used as a stand-alone board for various DIY Maker projects.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1214533021/white-bread-shield-for-arduino?ref=live

Dubbed the “White Bread Shield,” the platform is compatible with Arduino Uno boards.

Hauntbox



The Hauntbox is a prop controller and automation machine that is browser-configured and open source.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1020117671/hauntbox

The ATmega2560-based platform allows Makers to easily automate inputs and outputs without the need for complex programming.

ControlLeo

ControLeo – designed by two retired Silicon Valley engineers – can probably best be described as a quad relay controller enclosed in a professional box.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1471240030/controleo-an-arduino-compatible-controller?ref=live

The platform is driven by Atmel’s ATmega32u4 paired with an Arduino Leonardo boot loader.

FEZ Medusa



FEZ Medusa is an open source hardware (OSHW) processor board powered by Atmel’s ATmega328P.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1359959821/an-arduino-compatible-electronic-building-block-sy?ref=search

Aptly described as “electronic building blocks” by the GHI Electronics crew, the Fez Medusa is designed to keep soldering irons optional with a comprehensive ecosystem of mainboards, sensors and control modules.

Rapid IoT prototyping with SODAQ

The Atmel-based SODAQ (ATmega328P) is a LEGO-like, plug-in, rapid prototyping board.

Simply put, the multi-feature microprocessor board allows both Makers and engineers to easily connect a wide variety of sensors and devices to the Internet.

Oscilloscope Watch

A Maker by the name of Gabriel Anzziani recently designed a rather impressive oscilloscope watch built around Atmel’s versatile ATxmega256A3U MCU.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/920064946/oscilloscope-watch

The device boasts all the trappings of a modern watch (time, calendar and alarm), along with all the features of the popular Xprotolab – oscilloscope, waveform generator, logic analyzer, protocol sniffer and frequency counter.

GPS Cookie

Developed by Richard Haberkern, the open source GPS Cookie is built around Atmel’s popular ATmega328P.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardhaberkern/gps-cookie-leaving-crumbs-wherever-it-goes

The Cookie’s compact form factor (available in two form factors, or shapes) makes it easy to carry, experiment with and expand.

Little Robot Friends



Little Robot Friends are both interactive and customizable, each with a unique and evolving personality.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aesthetec/little-robot-friends?ref=home_spotlight

According to Mark Argo of Aesthetec Studio, the Little ‘bot family is built around Atmel’s ATmega328P MCU. Each Little Robot is powered by two rechargeable AAA batteries and depending on the frequency of use, should last for weeks or months on a single charge.

Lumapad



The Lumapad is an open source, high intensity, 8000 lumen LED lighting system built around Atmel’s ATmega328P MCU and an (optional) electric IMP.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardhaberkern/open-source-ultra-bright-led-light-pad-with-wifi-a

According to project designer Richard Haberkern, 32 ultra-bright LEDs are positioned in a landscape array to provide bright, even and controllable lighting, drawing only 88 watts. Last, but certainly not least, a built in electronic dimmer makes the light intensity adjustable to fit just about any environment.

Delta Six Game Controller



The Delta Six mirrors the look of a modern military combat rifle, including real time aiming as well as a kickback sensation. The Atmel-powered, Arduino-based Delta Six was developed using IR sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes to provide unparalleled arcade experience.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/356540105/delta-six-a-new-kind-of-game-controller

The controller is compatible with Xbox 360, Play Station 3, and PC systems – and upgradeable for next-gen systems like Playstation 4.

Neko – A Color Field Oil Painter



Created by Laura Lippincott, Neko was brought to life with an Arduino Mega (Atmel ATmega1280), hobby parts and a 3D printer.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/painterbot/neko-a-color-field-oil-painter?ref=live

The ‘bot is currently being primed with color data in an attempt to make him more creative.

Smart Citizen Kit

Designed by Acrobotic, the Smart Citizen Kit is an open-source environmental monitoring platform powered by Atmel’s ATmega32U4.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/acrobotic/the-smart-citizen-kit-crowdsourced-environmental-m?ref=live

Dubbed the Ambient Board, the Kit hardware comprises two printed-circuit boards – an interchangeable daughterboard or shield, and an Arduino-compatible data-processing board. As the name suggests, it is equipped with sensors to measure air composition (CO and NO2), temperature, light intensity, sound levels and humidity.

Sparki – The Easy Robot for Everyone


Sparki is an easy to use Arduino-based robot (ATmega32u4RC) that offers a fun introduction to programming, electronics and robotics.

Although Sparki is simple enough for beginners, the ‘bot is packed with more than enough features to satisfy more experienced Makers.

Linkbot



Designed by Barobo, the Linkbot  is a modular robot platform powered by Atmel’s ATmega128RFA1 (running at 16MHz) that boasts 100oz-in (7.2 Kg-cm) of torque and a free-run speed of 300 deg/sec.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/barobo/linkbot-create-with-robots