please to be calling it the toeforge, so named for the eerie gripping precision some people have with their feet
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What sort of system is that? Must be fun to play with.
It’s the first 3D printer I built in 2007 from scratch, which I called HydraRaptor and became famous in the RepRap world because I blogged it all. http://hydraraptor.blogspot.co.uk/2007/03/chicken-and-egg.html
The XY table has ball screws and stepper motors with shaft encoders that give 6um steps. I got it on eBay for $400 but it was worth about ten times that. I think it comes from the semiconductor industry.
I first used it to make a very accurate milling machine and used that to make an extruder to make a 3D printer. From there I printed more 3D printers, used those to print parts that I sold all over world. I gave up my day job to make and sell 3D printer kits. Did that for three years and then retired early.
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Very cool!
You are like the godfather! Its an honor to be in your presence!
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Dr Adrian Bowyer is the man. It is thanks to him I got involved with 3D printers and RepRap is the reason they are now affordable. When I started in 2007 they were about £20K and upwards.
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I have been imagining what the last ten years have been like for you, being at the center of this movement. I would like to do a 3D printer or a milling machine, but it’s so hard to focus and choose which path. If there were a maker space in Missouri that advertised a 3D printer workshop where they had all the parts and we could come and assemble and build, I’d love to do the workshop. Once I get my own Glowforge though, I’ll be doing some machine with it. Thanks so much for all your participation. You bring an amazing perspective!
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