3D Printer Swarming
Imagine a weekend workshop:
- 100 3D printers built
- Each printer prints dome parts overnight. These are both tubes and corners, and facing so the dome is enclosed and watertight.
- 100 kg dome is created
- People design stuff on Day 2, and print overnight.
- Day 3 - people assemble the dome, then we donate it as a practical useful item to a community center or as an art piece for the city
Contents
Calculations
- 1" PVC pipe equivalent - 3' long - about 1 lb [1]
- 2v dome - [2] - 8' radius dome requires 65 pieces - so 65 printers printing 1lb overnight, to make a 10 foot diameter dome where sides are about 2.75' and 3' long.
- 1 lb of plastic is $8. Compare to off-shelf PVC - 1" is $4 for 10' length - so it is much more cost effective to buy the PVC and use 3D printed hacksaws to cut.
Example
- 25' diameter:
Strut 'A' length : 4.36 Strut 'B' length : 5.04 Strut 'C' length : 5.15 Diameter : 25.00
30 lengths of 'A' size struts 40 lengths of 'B' size struts 50 lengths of 'C' size struts
About 120x5=600 = 60 sticks at $4=$240 in PVC
6 five way hubs 25 six way hubs 15 four way hubs - around the base of the dome.
46 hubs. We can definitely print the hubs.
1 lb of connector allowance - see STL and real example.