Open Source Hardware - From Fibers to Fabric¶

Research¶

This week we dove into the world of machines. I especially love this week because it carries the spirit of hacking with it.

Textiles and machines are quite interrelated. I mean, one of my favorite facts is that computers were indeed inspired by traditional looms and weaving.

If you want more of the history of the jacquard loom and how it relates to modern computing, here's a cool article!.

Ada Lovelace, a mathematician and writer, had a great hand in the latter work.

I like the idea of combining textiles, traditional industrial machines and tools, and new technology. I mean, that's the whole point of Fabricademy! :D

One of the works explored this week that stood out to me was Jos Klarenbeek's Hack the Heritage project wherein he hacks an analog loom with digital technology and programs the loom to have more complex and unorthodox patterns.

Weaving, knitting, or printing data on textiles is something that's been a sort of recent obsession of mine.

There's also this very interesting work by Pablo Cazares wherein he hacks a traditional typewriter and converts into a loom. Which then poses so many possibilities which include weaving a letter or weaving poetry. The possibilities are endless!

I love exploring textiles and specifically e-textiles + sustainability. Eldy Lazaro, a former Fabricademy student and CU Boulder PhD candidate, produced this Desktop Biofibers Spinning Machine for applications in biodegradable smart textiles. I actually saw this machine while it was still in-progress in Michael Rivera's lab! Also here's the paper!

Desktop Biofibers Spinning Machine — Biofibers Spinning Machine, Eldy Lazaro

I would also like to point out that Open Source Hardware is a supremely important topic I hold very near and dear to my heart and would like to encourage its proliferation across the world. Please check out the Open Source Hardware Association or OSHWA. I'm a member and they also have a conference every year! :)

Ideation¶

I had several ideas for this week - I wanted to explore making a 3D printing pen, a loom from scratch, a paper making machine, a textile making machine from a synthesizer, etc. I don't know!

It's also important to note that the machine this week was to allow us to explore making tools or equipment we might need to use for our final project. Not necessarily but a thing to keep in mind nearing the end of the weekly topics.

While I'm not settled on a final project just yet, I made it a point this year to hack machines since I'd like to step more into the foray of not only textiles and design but electrical engineering. I hope to continue doing that in my studies next year!

Well, this week took quite a turn in that I was not only taken with all the machines I could make but overwhelmed with which one to choose. If that wasn't already obvious.

I thought at the start of this week of building a CNC machine from scratch but it is pricey. I'm trying to save for materials I'll need to buy for the final project. ANYWAY I got really inspired by CNC pen drawing machines. Specifically this work done by a artist Arnaud Pfeffer posted by Anastasia in the Mattermost channel.

Arnuad Pfeffer's Work — Pen Plotting Art by Arnaud Pfeffer

OKAY OKAY so my goal is to hack my friend's 3D printer (an Ender 3) to turn into a pen plotter.

Here are a couple sketches I mocked up. I even toyed with the idea of having a soft gripper be the pen holder but I think that might need more time than I have.

Idea Sketches — My Initial Sketches Using a Red Pencil I found

Weekly Assignment

Research and document existing fabrication methods, machines and industries, add references, tutorials and sketches of the hardware you will make
Document the process of designing the files for your machine/machine-hack/tool and its fabrication including the assembly process
Document the schematic and the software source code (if any)
Document the parts and how to make your tool or machine
Document your BOM (Bill of materials): electronics, materials, their amount, etcetera (with references of the components)
Upload your 3D model and CAM files (if any)
Design, create and document a final outcome, a sample project of your process
Make a small video of the machine
Create an interface for controling your machine (extra credit)

What You'll Need

3D Printer
CAD Software - Fusion360
Inkscape
PLA and TPU Filament
Marker/Art Pens
Paper (to draw on!)
Miscellaneous materials that depend on what machine you want to make! :)

Hacking Ender 3 3D Printer into a CNC Pen Machine¶

Bill of Materials (BoM)¶

For this project, honestly, it's not a very involved BoM. Regardless, here it is!

Qty	Description	Unit Price	Link	Notes
1	Ender 3 3D Printer	$179.99	Link	Use your local hobby 3D printer @ your FabLab if you can!
1	PLA Filament	$22.94	Link	Any color you'd like!
1	TPU Filament	$23.99	Link	If you want to explore printing with TPU instead!
8	M4x20 Screws	$9.99	Link	Set of screws and hex nuts!
8	M4 Hex Nuts	-	-	Included in above item!
2	Art Markers	$2.49	At your local art store!	Buy online or in-person

The 3D Printer¶

Here's my friend's Ender 3 printer, once again making another appearance :) My focus is on the printer nozzle, since I'm designing and 3D printing a pen holder/adapter for the plotter.

Designing a Pen Holder on Fusion360¶

Okay so I made several designs. Not all of them, I feel, are as efficient as I'd like but here they are regardless! I designed a pen holder to be screwed on top of the existing printer nozzle housing and one wherein you remove the housing and nozzle itself. Two options depending on your needs/preference!

I went with an idea where you can adjust the screws from 4 sides, almost acting like a spindle clamp on a CNC machine that holds the bit in place while milling. The smallest diameter it can clamp to is 9mm and the largeest is maybe about 15mm.

Pen Adapter V1 — With Extruder Housing On

Pen Adapter V2 — Taking Extruder Housing Off

I don't think I'll be making some kind of pneumatic actuator to hold the pen with air pressure, but I made a mold anyway that, if the aforementioned clamp still let's the pen slip, I want to use this silicone piece to adhere to the pen and prevent slipping.

I ended up going with the following design. It hangs on to the larger screw on the Ender 3.

3D Printing the Parts¶

I printed my parts at 40% density. I set the heat bed temperature to 50C and the filament temperature to 210C.

Everything else remained the same by default for PLA filament on CURA. I had some overhang on my parts so I did check the for Support Material but set support density at 10%, just so I wouldn't have such a hard time to removing it from my actual print.

Printing these kinds of parts does create the potential for overhang. Overhang is a part of the design that's not making contact with the bed and has no structural support underneath it. Make sure when you print overhang prints, you situate models with the largest surface making contact with the bed, level the bed evenly, and print a brim.

Installing the Pen Adapter¶

Inkscape Designs to Plot¶

Use the three backticks to separate code.

// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
  // initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
  pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}

// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
  digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);    // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
  delay(1000);                       // wait for a second
}

Configuring Inkscape Files into .gcode Files¶

3D Pen Plotter Settings for Ender 3¶

Final Product! - Moving and Grooving¶

Time to remove the 3D printer innards to make way for the pen adapter.
Disable 3D printer settings.
Download and install Inkscape extension.

Files¶

References¶

Video: Hacking an Ender 3 Printer to become a CNC Pen Plotter
Instructables on Hacking an Ender 3
Building Plotters from scratch (which I hope to do when I have a bigger budget!)