Our campaign is complete and we are now in production. As of today 6-23-13 we are about 1-2 weeks from opening up for printer presales. Please follow us on our website for updates!
mUVe 3D and the mUVe 1
Hello all, welcome to my IndieGoGo campaign. This has been a long time in the making and I'm thrilled to be at a place where I can take the next steps and bring the world a tried and true 3D printing technology, at a fraction of the price. I've never laid eyes on a commercial offering or kit for a laser based 3D printer that uses inexpensive linear motion. I hope that I can be the first to bring this idea to light and show that it really is possible. Based on what I have seen in the past few months, I think that this machine is going to be a real winner! So lets get this project moving forward and make it so that mass production is a real option.
My name is Dean Piper, I started mUVe 3D in January of 2013 with the intention of releasing and making/selling parts and kits for an open-source stereo-lithographic 3D printer. I have a true passion for 3D printing and hope to show that to all of you. I have worked with and built 3D printers for over 5 years. This entire project was done on in my spare time while working a full-time job, it doesn't feel much like work though. Its been something that I look forward to, and the more that I learn and unlock, the more interested and invested I become. 3D Printing is truly a wonderful technology and it deserves to be in as many hands as possible. It has become a mission of mine to make it affordable for everyone everywhere. So here I am today bringing you what I have created in hopes that you see the potential I do. I have been mulling the idea around in my head for over a year and a half now. Last fall I was finally at a place where I could start to spend my own money and begin prototyping. It has been difficult, and it has been incredibly expensive and taxing for my single income. I've learned a lot along the way and now can safely say that I have developed the technology. Not just that though, I've lined up the suppliers necessary to make sure that this idea can safely survive. I hope you like it!
The mUVe 1 Printer
![mUVe 1 Beta 3D Printer mUVe 1 Beta 3D Printer]()
Image: Yoda at 70% and 5% infill on Slic3r 0.9.8 with .1mm layer height.
Working prototype 405nm UV Laser Resin Curing 3D Printer, now ready to make kits!
Features:
● MicroRax frame making it modular and expandable, kit already designed with the MicroRax team.
● 8mm hardened steel linear rods and bearings for inexpensive smooth motion.
● 145mm x 145mm x 185mm X,Y,Z build space - Outside dimensions approx. 330mm x 330mm x 450mm or 12.75" x 12.75" X 18" it has a very small footprint!
● Standard RepRap Electronics, Marlin firmware required so far with many to come. Standard Cartesian control system.
● Laser Iris Diaphragm allows hugely scalable resolution, if you want .01mm then you can have it. Right now .1mm is tested and working.
● 20mW laser is relatively low power and safer than some alternatives. It's also upgradable up to 200mW on current electronics!
● Replaceable non-stick coating on durable glass ensures long reservoir life.
● Heated Reservoir
Why the mUVe 1, what makes it better?
It's Fast
● Printing hi-resoultion takes a long time so we "mUVe" at 300-600mm/s. That is about 5 times faster than most current top of the line FFF printers.
Replacement Parts are Easily Sourced and are Inexpensive
● No part costs more than $20 to make or replace, other than the reservoir at around $50 pre-assembled with non-stick surface. The 1/4" glass should last indefinitely, the non-stick coat can be replaced for around $10.
● Using 8mm linear motion means there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of suppliers for parts worldwide.
● MicroRax is highly popular and established and can support a large audience. It is also very inexpensive and parts can be purchased individually so there's no need to buy more than you need to replace.
● 3D printed parts cost less than $30 total in materials.
3D Print Difficult Items With Ease
● Because of the top down approach to printing there is much less restriction for overhang and high sloping angles on your parts.
● The adjustable size of the laser allows for very small details or fast printing. No more buying extruder nozzles to change extrusion or filament size, just adjust the iris, measure the output and go!
A Simpler Machine When Compared to FFF Printers
● No extruder heater cores to burn out or extruder insulators that melt and are irreparable. Only a $15 laser diode, a $4 laser driver, or an $18 reservoir heater. It's just simpler.
● No fans to cool sagging extruded plastic during your prints or keep extruder items from melting. We plan on having 1 fan to cool the electronics.
● No tedious Z-axis leveling process. The glass reservoir is flat and the frame is very square. Just make sure you don't bend anything :)
● While it is a kit for now, it is simpler and has fewer parts than most FFF printers. I do plan on offering pre-built options as soon as possible.
The mUVe 1 is relatively hardware agnostic. You can use just about whatever Arduino based controller as long as it supports the RepRap GCODE standards, you have the ability to address a fan or other accessory through code, and it supports Marlin firmware. I plan to support other firmwares as it is requested and there is time. I also plan to support SmoothieBoard and Smoothie which run on ARM. I already have a beta SmoothieBoard, I just need time to test. SmoothieBoard should give us automatic laser control down the road and allow incredibly fine details to be printed because of it, and all for about $120. It's a really great hardware design but it needs much more testing before it could be used here.
![Gyroid Cube Before Cleaning and Final Cure Gyroid Cube Before Cleaning and Final Cure]()
After Printing and before cleaning, the Gyroid Cube printed very nicely at .1mm resolution. I was able to easily slide my X-Acto knife between the nubs that retain the individual cubes, the accuracy is excellent!
The companion software I wrote takes GCODE files and properly changes them to remove extrusion based information and place in laser control information, it also manages the "peel move." The peel portion is managed by addressing 2 motors separately and lifting one side of the Z axis at a time, therefore minimizing suction. What this all means is that you can use your current toolchain and get right into the action right now! I will also be releasing profiles for the popular slicing programs at the time of release to help folks get printing fast. The nice thing about a laser is that I can create a well tuned profile and it should work with a majority of machines without any changes. Something that can't be done much with FFF printers and their slicing profiles. That being said, this printer at this stage will be easiest for someone that has worked with 3D printing and open-source toolchains before. I don't feel that the mUVe 1 is harder to learn than open FFF printers however, had I started with one of these instead of an old Rep-Strap then my life would have been a whole lot easier.
With suppliers waiting and my idea 99% solidified it's time to start moving forward with intensity. The 3D printer market is changing every day and this idea should be a good bridgehead between FFF printers and SLA technology. It is my belief that both hold a place in rapid prototyping and with time the technology will prove its usefullness in its own right.
Current Printer Progress
With my testing I didn't want to jump the gun or make any announcements before I knew that I could solve all the problems associated with the technology. The biggest hurdle, and I'm sure anyone doing what I am will agree, is the coating that prevents the resin sticking to your reservoir. It is a delicate balance and unfortunately our modern technology has only yielded so many options for us.
As it stands I have tried 4 different reservoir coatings and had varying success......... I've removed this section for the update below.
The coatings tests are done and FEP/Teflon tape is the clear winner. It is holding up after over a week of being under resin, and survived well over a dozen prints. I have also been testing and tweaking my motor and pulley configurations. As of 4/2 I have a good motor and pulley combination to move forward with that is capable of over 800mm/s, too fast for our need but good for future upgrades! So this project is complete aside from laser cutting the case.
![Build Stage and Z Axis Build Stage and Z Axis]()
Printer Case
Right now I have a design decided on but have yet to really need a case. I ordered an 80 Watt professional laser cutter two weeks ago and it should arrive on the 10th, at that point I will finalize/cut the design and start production. Right now my printer sits next to a window that has blinds drawn all the time. Even with bright sunlight reflecting into the room I've never had an issue with the resin curing by being exposed. This is because the glass in our homes blocks a lot of the UV anyway. I presume that there are going to be bright environments were there is no choice, so there definitely is a need for a case. It just hasn't been too much of a concern because of my personal experience. In the end I don't know how required it really is, but there will be one.
What can be expected is a metal tray bottom with rubber feet, the printer will bolt solid to this tray making the already sturdy assemby very rigid. Corrugated plastic will be used for the wall material and the sides will be finger jointed together. The front and back of the case will have amber acrylic windows so the progress can be viewed at any time without danger. I will try and make a render but I am using simpler modeling tools that make it a bit harder. It won't be long until I cut one out for all to see, I already have all of the material.
You will still need laser safety goggles. I value my eyes and yours so please practice safety when using lasers. The focusing of the laser and the closing of the iris diaphragm is dangerous and the only time when you may accidentally look at an energized laser. We may consider doing this part ourselves to help people get started as it is pretty easy once you've done it once or twice. The process is rather simple though, and our instructions will help you through it should you need to recalibrate at any point.
Why can't I sell it now?
-I think the printer is too much of a beta still and it's too hard to judge just how well people will receive the technology. I can't afford to buy 10 kits worth parts only to have them sit. I've already bought 1 laser cutter, 2 all metal 3D printers, and many of the other tools I need to make kits. I can't support this any more than I have on my budget of 1. The results of this campaign should help dictate the future viability of this idea and this printer, as well as if there will be substantial enough demand for me to keep a busines surrounding it.
-It costs a lot of money to bulk order. Some may suggest doing a pre-sale on my website but I think that's a bad way to go about it for the first run. I am certianly considering that option for the first few "official" mUVe 1 runs, but as of now I think this is best. It will allow me to bulk buy items and save money for you and me. In the end it should mean that I am able to keep supplying kits and offer them on my website store without having to increase prices.
Image: Above you see two popular prints with the support base material still attached. The circular pattern is caused by the punched steel build plate. This can be removed with diagonal cutters, I also use a file to smooth the bottom. The process takes about 2 minutes. I intend to laser engrave a platform where none of this is needed and the part is simply removed from a flat surface, one sans extra support. The bust of the woman is printed at 30% scale taking just over two hours and Yoda is at 50% scale and took three and a half. Both with ten percent infill. I am adding faster motors and expect these times to drop dramatically.
What is the Money for?
-First and foremost, YOUR KITS! I need to assemble some kits and get them out to people. The more folks that are testing and working the faster we can all progress. I also need to purchase some kits and put them up for sale once all the campaign orders are filled. I plan to be a sustainable business so everyone has a chance at having inexpensive 3D printing.
-I may have to hire some people to manufacture kits. If demand proves to be high then I need to be able to scale quickly, and I will need help. Right now I don't have the funding to support any staff. This would be a step in the right direction.
-I have at least 3 more stereolithography related printer ideas and really would like to be able to follow them as well. Each one of them will further decrease costs, increase speed, or advance the technology. My first may be a conversion for the Rostock 3D printer, my idea will allow easy change between both FFF and SLA format printing. This all will of course require funding.
I never intend to close the source design or the source files on this project, it will always be open for all to use and change. I will share the entireity of the source as soon as I have finalized the design and have received all the materials for the first run of kits, and start shipping. The people putting themselves out there as I am deserve an early start. I intend to share all my projects freely moving forward as well. I believe in open source ideas and this is my way at starting to give back to that community.
Will We Sell Resin?
Absolutely! This is another area the money from this campaign will help. Resin is about $275 per gallon with shipping, at the gallon rate, if I were to buy 5 gallons the price would drop a bit. I hope to sell Resin at $75 per quart or $75 per ~950ml. I will also sell smaller quantities and at rates much lower than my supplier could/would, the smallest size they sell is gallon size.
![Solarez Resin Solarez Resin]()
There are several types of Resin and a couple Resin suppliers. With time I anticipate a large array of properties and colors as more experimentation takes place. Resins vary from slightly rubbery to very hard and can be mixed in most cases, the ones from Solarez can. There is a massive amount of room to create materials with special properties.
Right now we are using clear resin but the additives available can make the resin's properties vary greatly. I see a future where we keep a database of useful resin mixes for specific properties and colors. I have already tried white resin coloring and it looks really nice. I've also used Alumalite and it's makes it incredibly dense. Everything needs to be tested a bit more before I share the details. As soon as we have successfully tested resin colorings and additives we will begin offering them on site store as well.
Other Ways to Help
-I developed custom software for this machine but I can only develop so much on my own. Doing hardware and software development at the same time can be daunting. Especially when you are trying to setup a business so that other folks can actually get their hands on your work. Any interested people out there that think they could help progess things should contact me. Software is the main area that 3D printing needs the most help, anyone that thinks they have what it takes should definitely take on the challenge.
-Are you testing UV printers and resins at home too? Share your stories with us and let us know what has or hasn't worked for you. We are happy to share all of our successes and failures as well!
Future Plans
-International Shipping of resin is going to be complex due to the fact that it may not be able to be shipped via air travel in all cases. This means I can't give consistent or flat international shipping rates for resin. I would like to resolve this by any means possible.
-Software that doesn't require Windows, only about 500 lines of code need conversion. It needs to be done with something more useful and open, like Python.
-Faster, less expensive electronics. SmoothieBoard or PrintRBoard
-More Resin mixes and colorings, we will offer our recipes on our site so you can do it at home.
-Bigger Printers, we want to show that large format is achievable for little more investment. I think we can double the size for 50% or less additional cost. It just needs to be tested.
-Conversion kits for other open-source 3D printers, i.e. Rostock/Kossel.
-Develop the next generation, plans have already been made that don't follow any current printer designs or methods.
Myself and mUVe 3D The Company
I just wanted to give you all a little background into myself and what I have done and intend to do with this company. I think transparency is important these days and there are too few companies and company owners doing it. I think it's time to change that and I am willing to participate.
As a child I constantly fixed broken things and that desire still lives with me today. Through adolescence and into high school I got infinitely more interested, I was lucky and able to take electronics courses :). That drive to fix and improve has never stopped growing. Out of high school I joined the Air Force. There I ran large computer networks and managed Windows Domains, etc. While enlisted I started attending school and with time managed to get my Bachelors in Software Engineering. Near the end of school is when I started getting into 3D printing. After the Air Force, and up until now, I have supported a couple small companys' IT departments. I have also had the opportunity to see how several types of business work, including retail and manufacturing. I think all of this has added up and lent well to this project, and to my ability of making sure that I can make it live for all. Quite a few projects like this have shot too high out of the gate and in effect have shot themselves in the foot. I don't intend to let that happen here.
I very much belive in mUVe 3D, the mUVe 1, and what the future holds. There are some exciting projects that need to be tested and brought to light, with time I hope to make that happen. There are lots bright people out there that deserve to have more affordable 3D printers. It's been far too expensive for far too long. The more we leverage technology, the more exciting the future becomes.