The DeltaMaker: Robot Meets 3D Printer

3D Printing & Imaging
The DeltaMaker: Robot Meets 3D Printer

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The DeltaMaker, a recent success on Kickstarter, is an elegant 3D Printer built on a delta robot platform. Delta robots have been used for picking and packaging applications in factories for decades, thanks to their impressive speed and agility. The DeltaMaker uses MakerSlide aluminum extrusions paired with Delrin v-wheels on bearings to move quicker than normal printers; the Z-axis isn’t limited by the low speed of a threaded rod, for example.

I spoke with Zack Monniger, DeltaMaker’s Mechanical Engineer, about their printer and delta robots in general:
 
Hi Zack! Can you tell me about what you do for the DeltaMaker team?
I have two distinct roles. Role 1 is the Mechanical Engineer of the group. So I’m in charge of maintaining the “virtual” version of the DeltaMaker and all of the detailed part design and drafting that goes along with that. As a result, I’m also kind of in charge of the BOM (by default) and putting some basic engineering documentation control procedures in effect.

Role 2 is the “business guy”. That’s the boring stuff that I don’t think anyone is too interested in.
 
Besides being more fun to watch, what are the advantages of using a Delta orientation for 3D printing?
From the mechanical design standpoint, you get some cool features with a delta. Designing a 3D Printer requires that you make trade-offs between mechanism speed (and print speed), mechanism accuracy, and the build envelope.

Essentially, you’re fighting a battle against momentum. The less the moving parts weigh, the better off you are. The DeltaMaker tries to get the best of both worlds. It uses a high-end linear motion system (built around MakerSlide aluminum extrusions), and minimizes the moving mass. This means we can address a large volume with the print head, and do it quickly.

Maker Slide
 
What are some challenges you face when building and designing a Delta machine, as opposed to a ‘normal’ cartesian machine?
In a lot of ways, the delta approach seems like a more natural fit. As discussed earlier, speed, accuracy, and build size are competing constraints with a 3D printer. When you watch videos of industrial delta’s in action, it’s pretty remarkable how fast and accurate the systems can be. So from a motion system standpoint, we feel like a rigidly built delta is a great platform for personal 3D Printing. If designed properly, its also very scalable (both smaller and larger).

From the software side, the Rostock project by Johan is a great enabler, as open-source firmware supports the “delta-space” conversion on the printer side. So with Marlin, Slic3r, and Repetier Host available as open-source software solutions, it lets new guys like us focus on making awesome hardware.
 
Are there any 3D Printed parts used in the printer?
We do not intend to ship production printers with any printed hardware – 3D Printing did its part, now we’re moving on to production hardware.
 
What are the speed and print size limitations of the DeltaMaker?
We’re optimizing for a 10″ diameter and 11″ build height. One of the great things about this design is the ability to scale in all directions. We’ve posted a video on YouTube (watch it below) with real-time motion up to 200 mm/s. We plan to push that further as we start swapping out printed parts with production hardware.

YouTube player

How much more complicated is it to setup and calibrate a delta bot?
Overall, the challenges are comparable to other systems. Auto-calibration is our plan and something we are currently working on. Unlike a cartesian machine, X,Y,Z are abstracted from your actual motion system. So while either system can be calibrated mechanically or in software, a delta mechanism seems like a more natural fit for a software calibration, so that’s something we are really focused on.
 
What excites you most about the future of 3D Printing?
I used 3D printing technology frequently as a design engineer working in industry over the last 10 years, but we mostly called it “rapid prototyping”. We had a lab with 2 or 3 guys and 3 or 4 big industrial machines supporting a large engineering workforce. The technology has been around for decades, advancing in the industrial space and being a great enabling technology for well capitalized businesses.

What excites me is the democratization of product development. The DeltaMaker, as a product, was enabled by low-cost 3D Printing. With mechanisms like Kickstarter in place, and enabling technologies like 3D Printing, a small team can get a product in front of consumers for a fraction of the cost it would have taken just a few years ago. You don’t need huge sums of capital to get something out and test the market.

YouTube player

DeltaMaker
DeltaMaker Homepage
Delta Robot Information

20 thoughts on “The DeltaMaker: Robot Meets 3D Printer

  1. Nehad says:

    Amazing :-D

  2. Dave says:

    Linear actuators, I suppose? Working vertically, in each upright post?
    It would be nice to see an over-all view of the ‘bot!

    Looks extremely promising!

    1. Eric Weinhoffer says:

      That’s a great question; I’m pretty sure they’re using belts to control each “post”. I added a large overall photo of the bot at the end :)

    2. clide says:

      They are belt and pulley driven with the motors on the bottom of the unit. Basically the same as the Rostock printer linked in the article but with Makerslide instead of the linear bearings.

  3. Ronald Monty Montemayor says:

    delta machine is not really necessary and already overkill for a FDM 3d printer, cartesian designs are cheaper and capable enough, but Delta will provide great entertainment, its fun to watch when a delta machine moves. I may try to build a delta machine someday.

  4. Daniel says:

    So is this going to be open source hardware ?

    1. Eric Weinhoffer says:

      Unfortunately, no; they’re keeping it closed. For an open-source Delta, check out the Rostock!

      1. Daniel says:

        kinda lame lets use all open source things available but we will make it closed? it seems to be more and more support for closed hardware that has been taken from open ideas and materials

      2. Robert says:

        That’s ridiculous – they seem to take every opportunity to put the words “open source” on their kickstarter page – the software toolchain is “open source” – the makerslide system is “open source – but never reveal that the design is not open source.

        So what exactly are they giving back to the open source community that they self-admittedly stand on the shoulders of?

  5. johnoly99 says:

    nothing,

    Google Kossel 3D printer
    Rostock
    Rostock MAX

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Eric is a Mechanical Engineer with interests in machining, mass manufacturing, product design and kinetic art. While not building things, he enjoys skiing, cycling, and juggling.

View more articles by Eric Weinhoffer

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