Getting Started with MakerBot by Bre Pettis, Anna Kaziunas France, and Jay Shergill Copyright © 2013 Bre Pettis. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472. O’Reilly books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are also available for most titles (http://my.safaribooksonline.com). For more infor- mation, contact our corporate/institutional sales department: 800-998-9938 or [email protected]. Editor: Brian Jepson Production Editor: Kristen Borg Technical Editors: Jenny Lawton, Anthony Moschella, and Justin Day Cover Designer: Randy Comer Interior Designer: Ron Bilodeau and Edie Freedman Illustrator: Marc de Vinck December 2012: First Edition Revision History for the First Edition: 2012-12-07 First release See http://oreilly.com/catalog/errata.csp?isbn=9781449338657 for release details. Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O’Reilly logo are registered trade- marks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. and related trade dress are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly Me- dia, Inc., was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. ISBN: 978-1-449-33865-7 LSI Contents Preface. vii 1/Introduction. 1 How Does a MakerBot Work?. 1 The MakerBot Cupcake CNC, Thing-O-Matic, and Replicator Series. 2 What Can a MakerBot Make?. 3 2/The House That MakerBot Built. 5 Make a Better Mousetrap: Inventing Things with a MakerBot. 6 No, Really, Make a Better Mousetrap. 7 With This Thing, I Thee…. 8 MakerBot in the Bathroom. 9 MakerBot in the Kitchen. 10 Close the Door/Open the Door. 12 Project Shellter. 14 Your MakerBot-Enabled Closeup. 15 Bounce Back From a Bear Attack. 18 Moving Physical Objects into the Thingiverse. 19 What Will You Make?. 20 3/Growing Up with MakerBot. 23 MakerBot Heroes. 23 MakerBots in the Classroom. 28 Middle School Technology Club MakerBot Build. 30 First MakerBot Projects for Kids. 30 4/Before You Get a MakerBot. 33 Think About What You Will Replicate. 33 Connect with the MakerBot Community. 35 Become Familiar with the Necessary Software. 35 Prepare Your Home. 36 Prepare an Area for Your Bot. 36 iii Social Implications. 36 5/Meet the MakerBot Replicator 2. 39 Capabilities. 39 Facts and Figures. 39 The Frame. 42 The Gantry. 44 The Extruder. 46 The Electronics. 46 Evolution of the MakerBot Design. 47 6/Getting Started Printing. 49 The LCD Panel. 50 Leveling Your Build Platform. 51 The Leveling Process. 52 Loading Filament into the Extruder. 54 Your First Prints. 61 Making from MakerWare. 62 Installing MakerWare. 62 Thingiverse to Thing. 63 Making the Object in MakerWare. 66 Advanced Settings. 70 Troubleshooting. 72 Maintenance. 73 7/Your First 10 Things to MakerBot. 75 Hello, World. 75 Getting a Little More Fancy. 76 Something Tall. 76 A Little Something for Your Bot. 77 Multi-Part Printing, Part 1. 78 Multi-Part Printing, Part 2. 78 Overhangs. 79 Your Own Personal Army. 80 A Parametric Model. 80 Art. 81 You’re Ready to Create. 82 8/Designing for the MakerBot. 83 General Design Considerations. 83 Equipment Capabilities. 83 iv Contents Overhangs. 84 Water Tight. 86 Corner Warping. 86 Friction Fit and Moving Parts. 86 Designing a Part to Be Dimensionally Accurate. 87 Surface Finishing. 87 How Large? Thinking Outside the Bot. 88 Material Strength. ..