Open source

约书亚·皮尔斯(Joshua Pearce)博士的新开源“ Cerberus” Can 3D Print Pekk,价格为1000美元

一个团队由Michigan Technological University’s Joshua Pearce, known for his work in open-source 3D printing, have released the design plans for a low-cost, high-temperature open-source FDM printer.

称为'Cerberus’, the three-headed machine can be built for less than $1000 and is capable of printing a number of high-performance materials such as PEKK and Ultem/PEI. As it stands, the self-replicating system is compatible with just one 500°C热台,其他两个选项将很快发布。

The frame of the Cerberus. Image via Joshua Pearce.
The frame of the Cerberus. Image via Joshua Pearce.

3D printing reusable PPE

2020年对于大多数制造商的world have been putting their 3D printers to use by producing PPE to combat global shortages. The issue is: these PPE parts are often only used once before being discarded. Thermal, oven-based sterilization is generally not feasible for FDM-printed components due to low deformation and melting temperatures, so there is indeed a need for low-cost, high-temperature materials (and machines capable of extruding these materials).

While there are several high-performance printers on the market, the high costs associated with them make them inaccessible to the average hobbyist. In fact,NASA has previously modified a commercially-available Lulzbot Tazto fill this very gap, designing a delta-style high temperature extrusion machine. Pearce now aims to build on this work with the newly developed cartesian-style Cerberus.

The Cerberus 3D printing a PEKK face mask. Photo via Joshua Pearce.
The Cerberus 3D printing a PEKK face mask. Photo via Joshua Pearce.

The open-source Cerberus 3D printer

Running down the reported capabilities of the machine, it certainly delivers in the value-for-money department. AnE3Dheated bed capable of 200°C, coupled with aV6 all-metal hotendpacking an impressive 500°C, enables printing with even the most notoriously-difficult engineering filaments. The closed-off printing chamber features a 1kW space heater core running on mains voltage for a rapid start-up.

The frame is cleverly designed so that all of the low operating temperature electronics – such as the motors – are placed outside of the heated chamber, also eliminating the need for an abundance of individual cooling fans. Furthermore, there is the potential for dual extrusion modifications and automatic bed leveling through the integration of a probe.

Having performed tensile tests on parts printed on the machine, Pearce reports an average tensile strength of 77.5MPa for the PEKK (390°C)和80.5MPA的Ultem/PEI(380°C)。As a proof of concept, an open-source face mask was then printed in PEKK and placed in an oven at 120°C for 30 minutes.

The test piece was successful and showed no observable deformation, with the specification sheet stating it should be operational until 150°C. The material can also be annealed to increase the maximum operational temperature to 260°C – more than hot enough to achieve full sterilization.

烤箱灭菌后3D打印的北京面膜。通过约书亚·皮尔斯(Joshua Pearce)的照片。
烤箱灭菌后3D打印的北京面膜。通过约书亚·皮尔斯(Joshua Pearce)的照片。

The open-source files for the Cerberus can bedownloaded here.Further details of the printer and its setup can be found in the paper titled ‘Open source high-temperature RepRap for 3-D printing heat-sterilizable PPE and other applications’. It is co-authored by诺亚Skrzypczak, Nagendra Tanikella,约书亚Pearce.

Pearce, often regarded as an ‘open-source champion’, has a number of similar projects under his belt. Just this summer, he developed anopen source, computer vision-based software algorithmcapable of print failure detection and correction.Leveraging just a single camera pointed at the build plate, the code tracks – layer by layer – any printing errors that appear on the printed part. Last year, Pearce also made his open-source3D printing course免费在线获得,并指出他的一个目标是“成为传奇”。

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Featured image shows the frame of the Cerberus. Image via Joshua Pearce.