Stallman

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Stallman

Release status: working

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Description
Stallman is designed by a dreamer.
License
Author
Contributors
Based-on
Categories
CAD Models
External Link

I really like the idea of the core developer of naming their printers according to evolutionary biologist,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RepRap_Project#History

I want to somehow follow this tradition and here is an explanation for the name of this printer.

I see the RepRap project as an evolution of the GNU project, all free licences started there and without GNU no Linux and probably no RepRap too..., so I decided to name this printer Stallman

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Stallman

to honor to the men who started the free software movement: Richard Matthew Stallman (RMS) that we can never thanks too much for that decision.

I would like to stress the fact that he (RMS) does not endorse this printer, it is just my way to honor him. Why I am greateful to him and to the people at the reprap project you will undestand it below. I asked permission before naming this printer, because I believe in the philosophy that is more polite like this instead of doing and ask for forgiveness later.

This printer is new in a sense that you can actually go and cut it without editing the dxf unlike other designs I found and there is a calibration file that I never found in any source for dxf that is useful to check the tollerances of the laser, is it an original idea?

I used my knowledge and the possibility given by the landraces of the RepRap projects and free software style licences to have fun, while learning something new and now giving back the evolution of my thoughts to the community, will this printer evolve? Time will say.

It has been tested and used in the last year so is not an untested new design and I can safely say that it evolved from the Kirby. Is it better then a Prusa? It is faster to assembly due to the laser cut parts. I tried to keep as many printed part as possible without slowing down to much the assembly part, because I personally dislike spending too much time on it. The first time I assembled it I was pretty pleased on how fast it went. Y motor support is strong enough not to bend unlike other laser cut design I saw. Printing quality depends mostly by software, firmware and hotend but compared to my Prusa i2, Mendelmax and another nameless printer I have noticed no lowering in printing quality.

I have an high school diploma in languages pretty far from being taught how to do anything with a pc or manually, but it has been thanks to licences like the GPL that I could educate myself a little more and for free. This printer is the result of me learning while having fun and now wanting to give back to the community something. Nothing special just a tribute to RMS.

A special thanks to all the people that make free software and free hardware possible.

What can you learn by making a 3D printer from scratch? 2D and 3D cad for example, I enjoyed learning (still a noob) openscad and had fun using librecad.

Engraving the name of the printer instead of cutting it, is probably a wiser choice.

I choose the 5mm option because at least here in Europe fablab can easily cut 5mm acrilic not more, is strong enough does the job and is fablab friendly.

Italia-tricolore.png
Made in Italy. Because it is hardware, the latest design, that was modified to be easier to assemble, was not cutted due to budget, so whoever cut it and assemble it first has the first Stallman 3D printer debut revision. Felt stupid waiting for updating just because I can't have it immediately. Let me know if you cut one, I would like to see it.

I need to thanks Paride e Spalla of the Free Sofware User Group of Padova and Il Moro de Muran for helping me out figuring out how to wire the electronics some long time ago, I was noober then now. Thanks also to Pinguo always of the FSUG of Padova for helping me with the git.

See you at Idiopolis @ ccc

https://idiopolis.org/index.php/Idiopolis


Infobox info icon.svg.png Video & Books

this is a 9 minutes video of Stallman talking about why the free software movement was started and other interesting topics, italian subtitles.

https://youtu.be/b3uX5XwdN_8

I would be very happy if you watch and listen to that video.

Here you can legally download for free two books from Stallman:

Free Sofware Free Society

Free As In Freedom

If you never read them you probably should give them at least a peek.

Another nice book is "Small Is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered", by E. F. Schumacher

 


Specifications

Stallman Specifications
Plastic Parts (inc. Extruder) 12
Laser cutted parts. 20
Controller Electronics Almost all RepRap
Printing Size 200 x 200 x ??
Motors 5 x 0.9 NEMA 17 Stepper
Frame Material 5mm Acrilic
Frame Manufacture Laser Cutter, CNC, Water Jet
Pro Fast and easy assembly
Con Pro Free Software

Development

The development of the Stallman is hosted on github: https://github.com/1up3d/Stallman

History

Decided I needed to do something cool with my life took a wrong turn, ended up on reprap.org now nerdier then before :)

Printed Parts

You can actually use any X axe from, I believe, any variant of the Prusa I3.

Frame

This frame is designed to be manufactured through the use of a Laser cutter, WaterJet, or CNC Mill / Router Table.

I have put gnu.org and fsf.org on two tops part of the frame as part of the tribute. It would be nice if you leave them there.

Electronics

I personally like the Ramps 1.3 or 1.4 with an Arduino Original.

Stepper Motors

The Stallman uses, including the extruder, 5 0.9 degrees NEMA17 stepper motors. Two of these motors, the Z axis motors, are connected to the same stepper driver of the electronics. If using Wade's Extruder, its stepper motor needs a minimum holding torque of 40Ncm (0.4Nm). More information can be found on the Stepper Motor page.

Controller Electronics

About any RepRap controller works for the Stallman. Required features: 4 stepper drivers, 1 thermistor input and 1 heater output for the extruder and optionally another thermistor/heater pair for the heated bed. Choosing the best one for your printer is mostly a matter of taste. For comparisons, see List of electronics, Comparison of Electronics and Alternative Electronics.

Heated Bed

The Stallman uses a Heated Bed which allows for better printing of PLA.

  • MK3 heating bed, aluminum plate thickness of 3 mm, uniform heating, fast, back has good heat preservation, but the MK1 works just fine especially for PLA.

PCB HEATBED.jpg

Filament Holder

There are two pieces in the files that serve as a filament holder, it could be better but you can print one easily.

Suggested software for the printer

Skeinforge as slicer, because it's the best, just like openscad .

Printrun as talker

Marlin as firmware

Free Software

A friend of mine once told me that free software is like the organic non gmo equivalent in the virtual world, so what the non free linux is? The organic gmo? Referring to the blobs of non free software on some distro.

Software used for this project

http://librecad.org

http://openscad.org

http://gimp.org

http://libreoffice.org

Free software song

http://www.gnu.org/music/free-software-song.en.html

I think I probably first found it in a Trisquel OS

Maybe you don't know that you can find a complete list of free software OS, that has a different philosophy from open source software, here

http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-distros.html