Hmmm. So, a post about this kick starter was just removed by it’s originator. I assume because it wasn’t received as well as they’d expected, I was in the process of writing a comment when it was taken down and because I like the sound of my own typing, I shall post it here instead. I’m keen to hear if others believe this is as bad an idea as I thought it was. My original comment pasted below.
I know I shouldn’t get into this but I feel compelled to do so.
The point I was making, (albeit in a lazy way) was that there are a plethora of metal box enclosures out there, manufactured in large volumes with useful 19 (or 21 inch) rackmount profiles, removable side panels, integrated power boards etc etc.
In my opinion, this problem has already been solved and you could have saved a lot of effort and probably made a lot more money by re-purposing a 21" chassis. You’d then have off the shelf access to removable side panels, slide out trays and so on without having to lift a finger. I think you’ve misread the market: pricing at the level you’ve chosen for I3, Mendel and UP! users that have probably only spent 2-3 time the enclosure price on their bots doesn’t scan, especially when they’d then have to install their own insulation, heaters, thermistors etc.
No one like having their ideas bagged and I try to see the value in anything folks put their time and enthusiasm into but I’m sorry, I just don’t think it’s got legs. Please feel free to post back to tell me how wrong I was if you hit your goals.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1045344246/maker-kase-universal-printer-cabinet
I felt the same when I saw the price tag. Looking at Kickstarter I don’t think this campaign will fly.
Wanting 85k investment tells me its a scam.
There’s real pricing to get a product to market and ripping off the consumer and this isn’t real.
@Ashley_Webster
I’d suggest you look at full height 19" network enclosures. They are made to be bolted down, often have integrated climate control, stacks of power, easilly mounted shelves etc etc.
Would you really use PCs? I’d think octopi or similar would be a better solution for a bot farm.
The kickstarter seems to up and running…
EDIT: Oh the post was removed. I missed that. Yeah I was looking for it…
I don’t think that wanting 85K as an investment means its a scam. Chances are that to make their design affordable + pay themselves for the work + pay for a place to assemble store and ship the product cost about that much. It’s a lofty goal though considering how small the niche is for their product currently. IMO it’s an ok idea at an ok price. It really should come with a PID control, heater and fan for their asking price. On top of that they really need to point out that if you printer uses any PLA parts that they might soften and warp. Another problem is that steppers need to stay cool to operate properly. Their design should incorporate some sort of fan system for the steppers. If someone can find something comparable and less expensive I would be interested in hearing about it.
Damnit, now I want to design an X/Y gantry that mounts in the top slot of a server cabinet and an adjustable Z axis that fits in the space below it. You could run one small (actually on the large side compared to common models available) printer in a 6u or 9u cabinet, or use one of those full-height ones for either a really tall printer or several shorter ones stacked on top of one another.
@James_Zatopa have you not ready this post @Tim_Rastall and others point out there’s network cases or even tool chests that with slight mods would work.
And if 85k isn’t a big amount for this project I’m sure a bank would lend the money.
They want no risk but want no investment. I’d say its 40k to much. Not even PCB manufactured products are ask as much as this.
State side shipping only…sort of says it all the rest of the world doesn’t exist so its a scam or a person with no idea and just a number.
But if you think different go ahead invest.
@Whosa_whatsis You also thinking of a corexy design with belts routed to the upper outside of the enclosure and a Z drive mounted under the floor? With bowden tubes of course so you have a reasonable chance of having all motors and active electronics outside of the, for patent purposes only potentially-possibly-as-a-user-afterthought, heated build volume.
@Whosa_whatsis Off you go then, let us know when it’s finished :). Just to stoke the fire: Cage nuts are normally M5, so you could happily insert tapped 2020 tslot between the vertical mounting profiles to build your gantry. Also the belt driven Z axis I’m using would scale very nicely (only using vslot or makerslide). Would be easily adapted to use synchromesh too. I’d go for an open frame style enclosure (link below) and use dibond to enclose the print volumes.
http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=AR204A
I should say, that those open frames are usually waaaay cheaper than fully enclosed racks, which is why I suggest them.
Actually, I was thinking of a self-contained coreXY unit, including electronics, in the formfactor of a single rack unit, plus the Z motor. Just connect a Z screw of the appropriate length and run a cable to the heated platform. Linear rods for the Z axis will be mounted to the chassis, and you can run multiple platforms on the same set of Z rods to stack multiple printers inside the same frame.
IKEA “Lack” table printer?
Nigel Dickinson I read the post, I am offering a differing viewpoint. I have bought cases for audio projects and other projects. They can be quite expensive when you start taking about the size of the Maker Kase. Personally I would DIY my own enclosure for that price. I do agree that 85K is WAY to high of a goal for kickstarter and if you needed that level of investment you should consider venture capital or angel investment. Good luck getting a bank to lend you money these days unless you already have a company that is operating in the black for the past ten years.
@James_Zatopa that is my whole point. And depends if you want it from flat packed or sold as built unit. If you can get a PC case for $40 some thing with no PSU or fans 4x bigger isn’t $250.