Every once in a while a challenge comes along that we have to pass on to the GrabCAD community. The Desktop Factory Challenge is sponsored by Inventables, an online 'Inventor's store', the Kaufmann Foundation and Makerfaire, and the competition is hosted by iStart.org (not GrabCAD). The prize? A cool $40,000, plus a 3D printer, a Lasercutter and a milling machine. Whoa! I bet that got your attention!
The essential idea of the Desktop Factory Challenge is simple - design and build a machine that can melt down plastic pellets and product filament for FDM 3D printers to use. Filament is fairly expensive and supply and price is controlled by 3D printing firms, a problem that this challenge aims to resolve. Even as desktop 3D printing is changing everything, there are few cheap, consumer oriented machines that could carry out such a task. This is how you win.
The first team/person to build an open source filament extruder for less than $250*(calculation details below) in components can take ABS or PLA resin pellets, mix them with colorant, and extrude enough 1.75mm diameter +/- .05mm filament that can be wrapped on a 1kg spool. At Inventables we will verify the BOM posted matches the machine sent. We will order all the parts from suppliers and attempt to build it ourselves. We will then run the machine and verify it meets the criteria listed on the challenge. After we are done with the evaluation we will send the machine back if you wish.
There could be a million ways to do this - all that matters is that you can do it for $250 bucks (if all the parts were ordered in a bulk of 400) and that it works. This contest doesn't end until August 31st, 2012. First person to submit a design fulfills all the requirements wins everything! So if you have a great idea, get on it quick!
