Originally shared by Sébastien Mischler (skarab)
Acrylic prototype of #iTopie reprap before Steel version by @Grey_Christoforo .
Why not stop here?
Because Acrylic does not support vibration over time.
@Sebastien_Mischler I’ve found that most people aren’t doing acrylic correctly anyhow. Turns out, the appropriate procedure for doing laser cut acrylic, is to laser cut…and then anneal the freshly cut acrylic in an oven for some hours. The laser essentially work-hardens the plastic, and can cause the areas around a laser cut piece to fracture easier than they should. With the appropriate geometry, acrylic can hold up nicely for a personal printer. However, steel (while heavy) might be worth doing if the plan is for a business to be started around the design.