Hello,
I would like to start a new collaborative project for the next printer. I choosed to call the project 'Nicola' after a man who worked hard for the Socializzation of the Enterprises, and was killed at the end of the WW2.
The goals of the self-replicating machine and personal fabrication are pretty close to the goals of the socializzation.
However, the machine must meet this requirements:
- simple to source parts (printed and vitamins)*;
- apart from printed parts, eeryone will be able to build the machin with very basic and simple tools;
- high rate of self-replication;
- cheap price (less than 200$/€ will be perfect)**;
- capable to print at least PLA and ABS;
- very good precision and repeatibility;
- good speed.
I have to explain something:
* please consider that some items are HARD TO FIND or even IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND in certain places; for examples, in the US you can buy sch40 PVC pipes and fittings for few bucks everywhere, but in Europe not (and in italy where I live, it's impossible); some pieces such as precision shafts can be quite hard and expensive to source.
** the key of the real third revolution is the acces to this technology. There are a lot of people which could do very much with the acces to those printers, but they can't afford the price. For example, I live in SOuth Italy and I am in a sort of vicious circle so that I don't have any money (any... don't speak about 400 or more euros) because I can't find a job and when I work they even don't pay me (I worked for SA Group for six months and they didn't paid me), or if someone pay me they pay very little (sometimes I work as DP or as Camera Operator and DP - yes, operator and DP at the same time... - and I receive 50€ for 8-10 hours of work, less than a third of the actual value...).
I feel very bad for this condition and I think that there are a lot of other people like me (and in those days a lot of them died in the sea while trying to reach Italy from Africa, and it happens very often).
I have some ideas... maybe the 'cross screw drive' (but I don't know how to easily and cheaply source the screw axis) or something like the LISA. I know that the design must be rid of linear shafts and linear bearings (and also the linear bearings obtained by arranging skate bearings, because of backlash).
Any idea?