Some of you may be aware that I recently won an Objet 30 3D printer in a contest on instructables.com. I named the printer "Jarvis." Almost as soon as the installer finished showing me how to run it, I started making parts:
Oddly, that wasn't the first part I made. The first thing I did was a quick test print of all of the leg parts to see how they'd fit together:
Here's the miniature leg glued together:
Satisfied that I knew how the parts would work, I split the work between smaller, highly detailed parts that Jarvis could make and larger pieces with slightly fewer details that I could feed to Lopez the Robot Whittler.
So while Jarvis makes detailed bits like this hip pod:
Lopez makes some of the bigger parts like this shin:
The build envelope for Jarvis is a little under 12x6x6 inches, so there's a limit to the size of the parts I can have him make. He's ideal for things like the control flaps on the ankle:
But when it comes to things that aren't covered with small details, I go back to having Lopez cut them out of sheets of MDF. Here's the pieces for the right toe:
And here it is assembled and coated with epoxy prior to sanding and smoothing:
The weird part about this build is that it really feels like I'm not doing anything. I can't take credit for the 3D models (nor can I share anything about them), so it's all pretty much just a mechanical process.
In order to make the build something I'll feel good about, I'm planning on cramming as much electronic gadgetry into it as I possibly can. I've already started collecting servos and controllers, so you can look forward to all sorts of interesting moving parts on the finished suit. In the meantime, here's the milled out right leg:
Here's the printed right hand:
(I've since reprinted it in a slightly larger size.)
The neck:
(I'm going to mold this and pull a copy in latex to make it wearable.)
The pelvis parts:
Test fitting the Iron Diaper:
It should work just fine as long as I'm not wearing five layers of clothing and a belt under it.
The assembled pelvis:
Here's the first part of the helmet I've printed:
Here's a closeup shot: LINK
After much deliberation, I decided to make the Mk3 version of the suit. That way, once I've pulled molds of the parts, I'll basically be able to make the Mk 2 as well.
Stay tuned for more updates as I crank out additional pieces and parts. The goal is to wear the finished suit(s) to the premiere of Ironman 3. Wish me luck.
Oddly, that wasn't the first part I made. The first thing I did was a quick test print of all of the leg parts to see how they'd fit together:
Here's the miniature leg glued together:
Satisfied that I knew how the parts would work, I split the work between smaller, highly detailed parts that Jarvis could make and larger pieces with slightly fewer details that I could feed to Lopez the Robot Whittler.
So while Jarvis makes detailed bits like this hip pod:
Lopez makes some of the bigger parts like this shin:
The build envelope for Jarvis is a little under 12x6x6 inches, so there's a limit to the size of the parts I can have him make. He's ideal for things like the control flaps on the ankle:
But when it comes to things that aren't covered with small details, I go back to having Lopez cut them out of sheets of MDF. Here's the pieces for the right toe:
And here it is assembled and coated with epoxy prior to sanding and smoothing:
The weird part about this build is that it really feels like I'm not doing anything. I can't take credit for the 3D models (nor can I share anything about them), so it's all pretty much just a mechanical process.
In order to make the build something I'll feel good about, I'm planning on cramming as much electronic gadgetry into it as I possibly can. I've already started collecting servos and controllers, so you can look forward to all sorts of interesting moving parts on the finished suit. In the meantime, here's the milled out right leg:
Here's the printed right hand:
(I've since reprinted it in a slightly larger size.)
The neck:
(I'm going to mold this and pull a copy in latex to make it wearable.)
The pelvis parts:
Test fitting the Iron Diaper:
It should work just fine as long as I'm not wearing five layers of clothing and a belt under it.
The assembled pelvis:
Here's the first part of the helmet I've printed:
Here's a closeup shot: LINK
After much deliberation, I decided to make the Mk3 version of the suit. That way, once I've pulled molds of the parts, I'll basically be able to make the Mk 2 as well.
Stay tuned for more updates as I crank out additional pieces and parts. The goal is to wear the finished suit(s) to the premiere of Ironman 3. Wish me luck.
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