Things to be done

Please add anything you can think of to this list. Put your WikiName next to anything you want to work on (more than one person can work on something, but please can we make good use of Subversion in that case, if not always).

• Produce PrintingMaterials
• Design a platform that can be raised and lowered (VikOlliver). Status: Functional prototype
• Design a Screw-driven Linear Axis using minimal components (VikOlliver). Status: Functional prototype
• Design a Screw-driven Linear Stage using minimal components (VikOlliver). Status: Functional prototype
• RepStrap: Build a minimal capability bootstrapping printer using readily available, low cost, off-the-shelf parts (SimonMcAuliffe). Status: a long way to go
• PIC-based PIC programmer (unallocated). Status: not started
• Thermoplastic feedstock extruder^? (ForrestHiggs). Status: in progress
• Research high temperature materials for use by a RepRap. Status: brainstorming.
• Design a slip deposition head^? for ceramics and sintered metals. Status: preliminary work - Adrian has designed a peristaltic pump, as mentioned on reprap.blogspot.com.
• Design a DC digital servomotor as a possible improvement on stepper motors for RepRap. (AdrianBowyer)
• Build and maintain http://objects.reprap.org, our user community and input file site. (SebastienBailard) Status: Any day now.
• Design OpticalSensorBasedLinearSlides^? that use photoetched linear strips and Hamamatsu P5587 photoreflector chips for postioning and feedback control over our three axes. Status: brainstorming.
• Design a LaserScanningHead^?. See Andrew Lewis and Mitch Hughes's work at http://splinescan.co.uk/ . They are designing a rotary-table, laser, and digital-camera based solution, but may also work with us to do a bolt-onto-a-reprap ScanningHead^? as well. (Andrew Lewis, Mitch Hughes, Sebastien Bailard) Also see extremely preliminary work here: http://www.dubsen.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/RepRapLaserScanningHead Status: Andrew Lewis has done quite a bit, and may write it up soon.
• Find DigitalCameraBasedObjectDigitalization^? software, released under an open source license. This is software which would take as input multiple photographs of an object, and spit out a 3D file describing the object.(SebastienBailard) Status: Surfing the web quite a bit, and emailing some CompSci^? professors.
• BulkFillHead^?. We want to put down plastic faster than the 0.5 mm zozzle can do it, and may design a wider-orifice-nozzle. This would complicate our machine a bit, but would speed up our SelfReplicationRate^?. Status: VikOlliver has two heads. Correction: His second machine, "Zaphod", has two heads. Disclaimer: To the extent of the rest of the group's knowledge, VikOlliver is human, and only has one head.

Features - These are things we will want a RepRap to do, but don't directly lead to our goal of self-replication. They are not our first priority right now.

• Design a FiveColorHead^? that deposits colored material along with virgin, uncolored plastic. Status: Later.
• 0.1 mm nozzle. We're currently using a 0.5 mm orifice. A 0.1 mm orifice would be useful to print small objects or large objects with a good finish, but will be very slow, and is not useful for self-replication. Status: Later.
• Settle the StepperMotorsOrServoMotors^? debate. Status: Need hard numbers on stepper motor prices.
• RotaryToolMount^?: This would take a rotary tool, such as a Dremel, and turn the RepRap into a milling machine. Status: Maybe never - Rotary tools are heavy, vibrate, and require quite a bit of lateral force to push the cutting head into the workpiece. This would require a heavier, stronger RepRap with stronger motors. This would in turn be more expensive, more bulky, and would replicate more slowly. It may be better to design a dedicated milling machine we can fabricate with a RepRap.

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