Non planar 3D printing tool changing macchines work in progress;

I need to make a little bit of history here;

Some 10-12 years ago when I went into 3D printing I bumped in some immense limitations both in materials and in processing capacity of technology at hobby level prices on the market.

I knew materials will improve in a few years and it happen, from using fishing line 1.75 or 3 mm we got to have 3D printing filaments invented for just that like PLA, plus access to ABS and Nylons etc. Now the materials palette on the markets is immense in comparison.

Machines wise I was trying to sort out the need for printing supports issue since I could not eliminate them, so I went 2 ways simultaneously, one was dual printing head so I can use as supports a different material that would not stick well to the printed part hence easy to remove, but that idea went nowhere because others with real capitals in their bank jumped on it and flooded the markets cheaply, so I just used their products instead (not happy about their engineering quality, but it was cheap)

The other thing I was working on was tool changer machine, that was the obvious solution anyway, enabling in theory an infinite numbers of tools if you could place them on the rack.

E3D Ltd in Uk beat me to that since they had the cash and machines, but they went American style, they made a very good mechanical concept, a barebone firmware and barebone slicer adaptations, hoping the community would hop in to build things up... but they sold that for 5000 USD a piece in kit with 200 hours of putting it together.

They flopped commercially because of that.

After them nobody tried to bring one to the market until last year Prusa and now Ultimaker, but Prusa flopped because they went E3D LTD way, 5000 USD a piece roughly and firmware and slicer plagued with holes the size of my fist, so they flopped too, Ultimaker came under 800USD, probably will end up after launch next year around 1000, and that will go the Bambulab way selling millions of units and getting copied by just about anybody, Creality and Bambulab leading the charge in my opinion.

I still use my toolchanger system for myself thou I do have in property also an E3D Ltd tool changer too, solid machine.

My tool changer was to be made on the very cheap compared, but still very solid and repeatable, using dove tail locking system.

And this is part one of my work of 3D printing machines improving, part two is that same machine must be ready to do non planar printing to eliminate the need for supports especially for the places that would end up so enclosed that removing supports would be a big pain in the arse, and to dramaticalluy improve layer adhesion by overlapping layers also in the Z axis.

So I am onto my Rumba project of a multiaxis 3D printer, with a Tango printing head toolchanger, in parallel I work on the Ballerina line of multiaxis and the Bollero line of multiaxis, all of them have different base of creating multiaxis and while their potential overlaps on some 60% of the time, for the 40% remaining they are capable of things each individually that the others are not capable of, hence excellent at a certain type of activity while sucks at another type of activity.

All of them will incorporate willingly the Tango printing head.

I tried selling the STL files so other people can print them and make their own here:

https://3dmential.com/

Without much success I must say, since I have no budget for big marketing campaigns.

The idea was others will use them and start creating software for them be it to move them or to slice for them.

Meanwhile I partnered with a very good software engineer specialized in moving industrial multi-axis machines that invents and creates not only software but also PCB and the like, he is helping me out with moving my machines, at least minimally.

We also undertake other projects together for money, we need to somehow pay the bills.

I am now working on 5 to 9 axis machines ANYBODY can make at home by cannibalizing some old Chinese 3D printer you have or can buy second hand for cheap plus the parts you prinnt from my STL files and some more bearings, stepper motors and belts to make your own multiaxiss non planar printing machine like mine, but I lack software and slicing capacity for them.

As 12 years ago I knew there will be a huge market for dual heat-sinkheads and for toolchangers; I know for 10 years that when the multi-axis tech will hit the market will make billions in sales in one year alone.

But to make that happen I need capitals to put together a team to refine the designs, and redesign everything also for plastic injection molding too, for that is the cheapest way to bring them to the public, than put together the machines needed to do exactly that in a country outside the conflict zones (No China, Pakistan, India, Russia, US or UK or EU, Ukraine, Israel or Egypt, etc.) and make a few thousands to send around for testing, arousing appetite among tinkerers internatioanlly, making software coders consider the option of patching slicers and firmware for them.

That would kick the ball rolling and make us a tad richer in the coming years.

Let me know your thoughts on this.