Portable e-NABLE Lab Proposal
Kyle Reeser
Public
Seen by 94
Documentation deliverable can be found here.
An update on this proposal can be found here.
I'm Kyle Reeser (and I'm this close to a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering). I've built and used 3D bioprinters and other desktop 3D printers of my own design in graduate school for the past five years.
This summer I'm working with Jon Schull and Skip Meetze in the Rochester Enable Lab.
Inspired by Jon's recent post about the e-NABLE Half-Bakery, I propose to adapt a Creality Ender-3 Pro 3D printer to fit into a suitcase, as well as provide the suitcase with all crucial functionality and materials to create the most widely used e-NABLE prosthetic designs in the field.
The portable e-NABLE lab will incorporate a Raspberry Pi and touch screen for basic CAD model manipulation, model slicing, printer control, and remote operation (if a Wifi connection is available). An SD card will be loaded with the most commonly used e-NABLE hand designs.
The whole portable e-NABLE lab should cost less than one thousand dollars in materials and will be open-source for the e-NABLE community. The one I build could become a loaner!
A Google Doc detailing the proposal can be found here.
Poll Created Mon 24 Jun 2019 11:45PM
Portable e-NABLE Lab Closed Mon 8 Jul 2019 11:01PM
Responding "Agree" provides EnableFund funding for the Portable e-NABLE Lab Proposal.
Results
| Results | Option | % of points | Voters | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Agree | 73.9% | 17 |
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| Abstain | 13.0% | 3 |
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| Disagree | 13.0% | 3 |
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| Block | 0.0% | 0 | ||
| Undecided | 0% | 120 |
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23 of 143 people have participated (16%)
Bob Rieger
Tue 25 Jun 2019 2:11PM
I fully AGREE with the Summer internship, but I don't agree with linking the portable field printer. I feel the work in Africa does not depend on the availability of the printer, and it could be tried, and debugged much more easily closer to home. If the printer is decoupled from the Rwanda internship then I would Agree with the internship portion.
Bob Rieger
Tue 25 Jun 2019 2:15PM
While the concept of a portable field printer is interesting, is it really needed? Do you have any data which supports and details the opportunity if such a printer were available?
Jon Schull
Tue 25 Jun 2019 3:06PM
I think this would be a great thing for makerfaires, e-NABLE missions, and others who want to get up to speed quickly. (Kyle is about to add the idea that the Ender SD card and the Raspberry Pi would be pre-stocked with e-NABLE models, and a dashboard-HTML page with links to relevant websites and resources.
Leland Green
Wed 26 Jun 2019 12:16PM
Would still like to see calculations for battery wattage and runtime, also a optional solar panel.
You might want to follow the model of Makergear. They also use a Raspberry Pi as the controller/web server and then have a Rambo board for the electronics. (I have not looked at the Creality Pro shown in your documents. So it may be self-sufficient without the RPi?)
Anyway, great idea and best of luck!
Sandra Dermisek
Thu 27 Jun 2019 4:54AM
Of course I would like to see as many people as possible getting an e-NABLE hand and also in Africa. But I think that many chapters have good use for such a portable 3d printer kit. I think chapters should be able to raise money for there own printers (in a portable or not) and materials.
I don't think that the e-NABLE funds money should be invested in these kind of equipements.
I rather see this go into new developments or general management projects. Things that benefits the whole community.
Theo
Fri 28 Jun 2019 7:01AM
Although the idea is nice and fun (and a number of folding 3D printers already exist out there, including open source like the FoldaRap), I do not believe it is doable in a couple of weeks, and not sure of the purpose it would serve.
Some basic yet key numbers are missing that could prouve the viability of the concept :
How long would a battery last ?
What would be the weight of the case + battery + printer ?
Everton Lins
Fri 28 Jun 2019 6:39PM
Hello @kylereeser!
My concern is about the practical use of the deliverable.
Technically, you don't need a folding printer, if you need to go to the printing site with a car. And if the kit weighs 18kg, you will need a car, or other transportation.
1. Why choose this printer over a "normal" one if you need a car for transportation/use?
2. What is the main difference between this project and the FoldaRap project (http://tiny.cc/7o5y8y) that can validate a new project?
Fricis Pirtnieks
Thu 4 Jul 2019 7:31PM
I like the idea, that such equipment could be inrepracable for educational purposes. Most desktop printers are either fragile or fully metal cloacked which results in bulk and expences to travel with.
Bob Rieger
Thu 4 Jul 2019 9:05PM
While the concept of a portable field printer is interesting, is it really needed? Do you have any data which supports and details the opportunity if such a printer were available?