Alex – re:3D | Life-Sized Affordable 3D Printing

Josie Torres Rojas – My Summer Internship at re:3D

As a rising senior, this past summer was the time for me to explore possible paths to pursue after my high school career. Thanks to my experience at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders – a STEM-centered 6th-12th grade school – I learned to love problem solving and designing solutions creatively. Through projects ranging from modeling a tiny tool box to building a huge shed, I explored engineering in an immersive, rather than just theoretical, way. When I applied to become an intern from the City of Austin in hopes of getting more hands-on experience, I was placed in the Get Ready! program. I was then thrilled to find out I’d be working closely with re:3D, a 3D printer manufacturer here in Austin.

When I arrived on my first day, I got to meet Michael Pregill, the Ambassador at re:3D who served as my mentor. He introduced me to the company and shared the powerful mission and history that drives their work. I had my first stand-up circle with the staff too; in this daily ritual, everyone shares what they plan to accomplish for the day and updates the team on important matters. As I got a tour of re:3D’s headquarters, I got to see many gems that highlight how unique this company is: the goats Molly and Sally, the six-acre property (complete with disc golf), the shop and machinery, and all the different 3D printed models the company has made over the years. Currently, a major goal is to make re:3D into a fully interactive space for tours. Though it was a very information-intensive day, I enjoyed getting to know the spectacular vision the re:3D team has for their future here at the Austin headquarters and across the globe.

Josie Torres Summer Internship - Open Source Alley

Josie Torres Summer Internship - Open Source Alley2

With my background knowledge of the CAD program OnShape, we thought my internship would be a great opportunity for me to learn to use Fusion 360, another CAD program, as well. With this in mind, we planned for me to design and make some organizer units for 3D-printed items to be stored in Open Source Alley, the archive of printed objects in the company headquarters. The specific items I was organizing were 3D-printed parts that were formerly used in the printers manufactured by re:3D but that were now obsolete, replaced by updated, improved versions. Making the organizer units required me to carefully measure for dimension and tolerance using tools such as the caliper. Sometimes, we just needed some luck too. When I tried to assemble one of the storage units, I printed the wrong support strut for it so it was much too wobbly. After I gave up on it and was about to print some more pieces, I glanced to my right and saw four extra support struts from a previous attempt. They fit very snugly so there it was – my first completed organizer!

Josie Torres Summer Internship - Organizers

Josie Torres Summer Internship - Organizers2

I also spent significant time working on inventory in the operations department. While some larger components simply get hand counted, I was taught to also use a special scale with a calibrated counting function for counting smaller items like bolts. By weighing a sample of ten pieces, the scale determines the weight of an individual piece and so one can determine the number of units in a container by weighing the whole thing. This scale function makes it possible to complete the job so much more efficiently.

In order to help me become familiar with Fusion, Michael taught me to navigate the commands and compare design processes in this software side-by-side with Onshape, the CAD program I already knew. One strategy I learned for creating organizers for parts was to model the components as dummies in an array and building the storage unit around them; I then subtracted the dummy parts from the storage unit after scaling them up slightly to account for fit. When I was just observing demos the process seemed slow, but once I started designing hands-on, I was able to develop my own design process.

As we started to get the OSA project rolling, we worked with the Sales & Marketing 3D printer (MarketingBot) to practice printing, specifically by printing a classic re:3D rocket so I could become acquainted with the printer’s features. After we ran into some technical issues, I learned how to calibrate the dual extruders of the 3D printer using a touch-off gauge, which allows for precision measurement of the distance between the metal extruder nozzles and the print bed. This is necessary for adjusting the printer properly because the metal extruder nozzles expand when heated, which affect the precision of the print. I wasn’t familiar with this tool at all, so learning this process was a rewarding experience, even if it was caused by a problem we had run into. I also learned the tricky process of adjusting the Z height by raising or lowering the print bed.

Josie Torres Summer Internship - Marketing Bot

Josie Torres Summer Internship - Marketing Bot2

Although most of my days were spent on a specific task like doing inventory, designing organizers in CAD, or working in operations, often some intriguing side quest would arise and capture my attention. One day, I observed as Justin Turner (re:3D’s Contract Print Ninja!), Mike Pujols-Vázquez (re:3D’s 3D Designer, visiting from the company outpost in Puerto Rico!), and Michael were trained on using a high-precision Creaform 3D scanner. It was interesting to see how people with different backgrounds problem-solved collaboratively by brainstorming and going through lots of trial and error. I loved seeing how eventually they got the device to scan an object and create a 3D model through laser sensors calculating the varying distance from the laser source to the item’s surface (I’ll be investing in one of these once funds are secured…) On another occasion, we went to the Highland campus of Austin Community College for a tour of their CNC (Computer Numerical Control) training facility and learned about their manufacturing education program. Having mostly worked with 3D printing (a form of additive manufacturing), seeing how these huge machines mill and shape metal and other materials (a form of subtractive manufacturing) presented another way I might create things by pursuing an engineering career.

As I continued to learn about this innovative company, I got to see older print projects displayed around headquarters (always a great conversation starter) such as the 3D-printed Iron Man helmet made by Product Development Engineer Domenic Cordova! It was so fascinating, having built-in mechanics to open up the face plate and expand the chin protection while I was wearing it, leaving me curious as to how I would make my own version of it. Never having interacted with a large-format 3D printer much before, I got the opportunity to undergo Gigabot maintenance training with Taylor Boutté and Jake Celmo, re:3D’s resident customer support experts. They taught me how to track maintenance routines for the printer, a new habit they wanted to encourage both here at re:3D and with their customers as well due to the importance of regularly calibrating the bots to ensure accurate print results (especially in the context of the scientific research the R&D department here does).

Since the company uses components made by other manufacturers, quality control is a vital part of the assembly process I got to see. Cheyena Davis, the head of operations, uses precision gauges to ensure that the manufacturers that do CNC work to produce metal printer components for re:3D maintain the required dimensions of those components very accurately.

One of my tasks that helped me understand re:3D’s global reach was helping to audit the representation of the worldwide distribution of Gigabots and other printers on the conference room map, where the locations and distribution density of re:3D’s tech is shown through different colored map pins. First, we worked on securing parts of the map that were falling off; then we tried to determine that there weren’t any pins missing using the interactive map on the company website. Seeing all the locations to which re:3D has delivered their printers is not only impressive, but inspiring.

Besides all the skills and tips I learned as a 3D printing pro-in-training, I learned many aspects of efficient project management in the workplace. Michael taught me the basics of digital asset management, the methods and best practices for organizing and preserving digital information and specific digital resources such as images and the CAD files necessary for 3D printing. We carefully organized the STL files, preview images, and hi-res pictures of each finished part we produced; this is a skill I now use as I document my senior year Engineering Capstone project! We made it a habit to make checklists for tasks in order of what we needed to prioritize, which was mostly queuing up prints and designing label plates.

Although it is a company that is divided into several different spheres (R&D and Engineering, Sales and Marketing, Ops, the Recreate It project, etc.), collaboration is encouraged by monthly all-hands meetings in which Samantha reviews what each sphere is doing and needs to prioritize, as well as recognizing each sphere’s accomplishments and goals. Attending one, I quickly understood the function of all hands in promoting both the communication and the accountability required to get things done. Samantha also took the time to reflect on how things have been this past year, especially the slow progress of settling into the Austin headquarters. I loved getting to see all the amazing things the company is working so hard on and where they are headed in the future.

On my last day at re:3d (for now), I delivered my end of internship presentation to several members of the team. I was able to share a brief summary of all the things I had gotten to see in my time here. Afterwards, I received a lot of great advice about what to consider as I shop for colleges – for example, how does the school approach engineering as a discipline (is it more hands-on or more theoretical)? I told them about my school’s mission to get women into STEM fields and the types of activities I had participated in that exposed me to design and problem-solving. They encouraged me to pursue engineering not just because I am good at math or science, but rather because I have an itch to creatively conquer any challenge. Though I only got to spend six weeks at re:3D, I have spent a lot of time reflecting on all of the incredible things I’ve gotten to see and do here. What I’ve learned here, how I overcame challenges when designing, and all the different perspectives from the manufacturing industry I saw, have all significantly impacted my future plans for what I will pursue in college for a career in engineering. Having completed over a dozen organizers for a few of the many archived 3D printer components and documented my experiences here as well as assisting in various tasks like maintenance and inventory, I believe that I’ve left a mark on re:3D’s growing community just as they’ve left a mark on my growth as a curious student, leader, and innovator.

Josie Torres Rojas

Blog Post Author

Commanding Klipper: From Simple Tweaks to Complex Automation

Overview

At our August 2025 FGF User Group meeting, our software engineer Mitchell Mashburn gave a live presentation on how to use Klipper macros, command templates, and shell commands to unlock new levels of customization on your bot. If you weren’t able to attend, or if you’d like a written walkthrough to follow along with the video, this article is for you. This article is written for beginners as well as advanced users. We’ll use analogies, step-by-step examples, and ready-to-copy macros so you can experiment right away. By the end, you’ll have the knowledge to not only understand the macros in Mitchell’s demo, but also build your own custom routines to make your Gigabot truly yours. Be sure to tune into all future FGF talks and sign up here today!

Tools Needed

Computer/Laptop
Ethernet Cable (optional)
Keyboard (optional)

Best Option

Networked Printer (recommended): If your bot is on your local network, simply open a browser on your laptop or computer and go to the printer’s address (e.g., gigabot.local). This gives you direct access to Moonraker, where you can easily open and edit the macros.cfg file.

Second Option

Direct Ethernet Connection: If your printer isn’t networked, you can still connect a computer directly to the Raspberry Pi using an Ethernet cable and treat it like a local device. Follow our guide on how to complete this here: How to Connect a Computer to the Raspberry Pi over an Ethernet Cable as a Local Device.

Third Option

USB Keyboard: If neither option is available, you can plug a USB keyboard directly into the touchscreen.

Note: This is only relevant to Gigabots operating with an Archimajor board, this tutorial is not suitable for Marlin bot users

What is Klipper?

Explanation of Klipper Ecosystem

Klipper is the firmware that powers your printer, handling the precise, real-time control of motors, heaters, and sensors on your bot. But Klipper is just one part of a larger ecosystem. Alongside it, Moonraker serves as the application programming interface (or API) that connects Klipper to the outside world and Mainsail provides the web-based interface you use to run your printer. All of these components are aptly named to draw comparison to a sailing ship: Klipper is a named after a 19th century vessel originally built for speed; Moonraker is a light sail that is built into the top of the mast to improve speed; and Mainsail is the principal sail of the ship.

In practice, these three parts constantly communicate with each other. Your browser runs Mainsail, which talks to Moonraker on the Raspberry Pi. Moonraker acts as the middleman, translating your clicks and commands into actions Klipper understands. Klipper itself runs partly on the Pi and partly on the printer’s control board, where it translates those instructions into actual motor steps and temperature adjustments.

Klipper Commands

Simple Macros

Klipper lets you write macros, which is essentially a shortcut that behaves like a built-in gcode command. Macros can be simple or complex, and they can even reach outside the printer to talk to Linux or the internet. To get started, navigate to the side bar and click the wrench (“machine”) icon. Next, find the folder that says “macros. cfg” and click to open.

How do I write my first macro?

Now we will move on to an example macro that we can try out in our Macros.cfg folder. The following example is of a MOVE_SEQUENCE macro that will first home the bot and then send it to 3 different coordinate points on the bed. If you are new to macros, it’s best to sandbox them first. Sandboxing means prefixing each line with M118, which prints the command to the console instead of moving the printer. This way, you can confirm the expected behavior on your touchscreen or in the terminal before running it live.

Mitchell illustrates this in the video with the following MOVE_SEQUENCE example (feel free to copy and paste the following code block into your macros.cfg folder):

					[gcode_macro MOVE_SEQUENCE]
gcode:
  M118 G28 ;home all
  M118 G1 X345 Y630 ;move to coordinates (345, 630)
  M118 G1 X20 Y300 ;move to coordinates (20, 300)
  M118 G1 X50 Y550 ;move to coordinates (50, 550)

Once you are satisfied with the logic, click save and restart Klipper to load the changes into the firmware. Next, go to Interface Settings → <>Macros in Mainsail, where you can create a new group (click ADD GROUP) or add your macro to an existing group (click EDIT to add to an existing group) so it appears as a clickable button.

From here, you can either click the button on Mainsail directly or enter the name in the console to run it directly.

Macros can also be integrated directly into your slicer workflow by placing their names in the Start/End Gcode fields, or by using a post-processing script to insert them automatically at certain points (such as before supports or at a layer change). When you’re ready to move from testing to execution, simply remove the M118 lines and the printer will then carry out the actual moves or temperature changes as written. Essentially, macros are the core of customization. Let’s go beyond “what they look like” into how they work and how you can think about them.

Complex Command Templates

Objects

Klipper also gives you access to deeper objects inside the firmware. These objects let you read, monitor, and even act on real-time data from your printer. Think of them as variables you can call directly in macros or commands to expand what your printer can “know” about itself. To demonstrate how this works in practice, Mitchell shared a simple macro called TEMP_READ. This macro queries the extruder object and prints both the live temperature and the current target setpoint directly to the console or screen:

Mitchell’s TEMP_READ object macro:

					# ----- Objects------------------------------------------------
[gcode_macro TEMP_READ]
gcode:
  M118 Metering Zone Temperature: (printer.extruder.temperature) 
  M118 Metering Zone Target: {printer.extruder.target}

When run, this macro will display two lines in your terminal. One showing the actual reading from the hotend, and one showing the target temperature the printer is trying to reach. It’s a quick way to check if you’re on track without manually looking through graphs.

Conditionals

With Klipper you can add conditionals, which let your printer make decisions on the fly without directly instructing it to do so each time. Think of conditionals like “if/else” statements in programming: if this is true, do that… otherwise, do something else. Below is a simple example Mitchell created that checks whether the number you imputed is greater than 4:

Mitchell’s CONDITIONALS macro template:

					[gcode_macro CONDITIONALS]
gcode:
    {% set input = params.INPUT|default(5)|int %}
    {% if input > 4 %}
    RESPOND TYPE=echo MSG='Success'
    {% else %}
    RESPOND TYPE=error MSG='Fail'
    {% endif %}

The input value is treated as a parameter, which means you can pass a number when running the macro (for example, CONDITIONALS INPUT=3 or CONDITIONALS INPUT=6). If you don’t provide anything, Klipper automatically uses the default value of 5. The macro then checks that number: if it’s greater than 4, you’ll see “Success” in the console; if it’s 4 or less, it will respond with “Fail.” This is a simple way to show how decision-making works inside Klipper.

Now let’s look at Mitchell’s example for conditionals when applied to a special use-case in Klipper: Preparing the printer for PETG printing. Instead of hard-coding temperature commands every time, you can use conditionals to check whether your extruders are already at the correct temperature for PETG printing.

Mitchell’s PREPARE_PETG macro template:

					[gcode_macro PREPARE_PETG]
gcode:
    {% set metering_zone = printer.extruder.target %}
    {% set transition_zone = printer.extruder1.target %}
    {% set feed_zone = printer.extruder2.target %}

    {% if metering_zone != 220 and transition_zone != 210 and feed_zone != 190 %}
    M118 M109 S220 T0
    M118 M109 S210 T1
    M118 M109 S190 T2
    {% else %}
    M118 Heaters at correct target temperature ...
    {% endif %}

    {% if "xyz" not in printer.toolhead.homed_axes %}
    M118 Printer not homed, homing all now ...
    G28
    {% else %}
    M118 Printer already homed, skipping ...
    {% endif %}

In this example, three variables are created to represent the target temperatures for each extruder zone. The macro then compares those values against the desired PETG setpoints of 220, 210, and 190. If any of the zones aren’t at the correct temperature, it sends commands to heat them up; if they’re already correct, it simply reports back. After that, the macro checks whether the printer is homed. If it isn’t, it runs a full homing sequence, but if the axes are already homed, it skips the step. This way, the printer avoids wasting time by reheating to the same temperature or repeating homing unnecessarily, and instead makes a decision based on its current state.

Loops

In standard gcode, every instruction is written line by line, which means that if you want an action to repeat you would normally have to copy and paste the same commands over and over again. In Klipper macros, you can use Jinja2 template logic to make that repetition happen automatically. A loop ({% for … %}) tells Klipper: run the following block multiple times, once for each value in a sequence.

Mitchell’s LOOPS macro template:

					[gcode_macro LOOPS]
gcode:
    {% set count = 10 %}
    {% for i in range(count) %}
    M118 {i}
    G4 P1000
    {% endfor %}

In this example, when you click the LOOPS macro it prints numbers 0–9 to the console, pausing for one second (G4 P1000) between each line. It’s a simple way to see how loops expand repeated commands without writing them out manually.

Now let’s take a look at Mitchell’s next loop example applied to an actual macro for a nozzle wiping procedure, where the nozzle moves back and forth across the bed to clear off any oozing filament before a print starts.

Mitchell’s NOZZLE_WIPE macro template:

					[gcode_macro NOZZLE_WIPE]
gcode:
    G91
    {% set wipe_count = 4 %}
    {% for _ in range(wipe_count) %}
    M118 G1 X10
    G4 P500
    M118 G1 X-10
    G4 P500
    {% endfor %}

In this case, the macro first switches the printer into relative motion mode with G91, which tells the printer that all future moves should be interpreted as offsets from the current position rather than absolute coordinates. A variable called wipe_count is then defined as being set to 4, so the loop will run four times. Inside the loop, the nozzle is instructed to move +10 mm in the X direction, pause for half a second (G4 P500), move -10 mm back to its starting point, and pause again. Each cycle completes one full wipe, and the loop repeats this process until all four wipes are finished. By changing the value of wipe_count, you can quickly adjust how many back-and-forth passes the nozzle will make without editing the gcode itself.

Another way loops can be applied is through parameterized helper macros that handle calculations you’d otherwise need to do manually. Mitchell demonstrates this with the EXTRUDER_ROTATION macro. Instead of hand-calculating extrusion distances every time you want to adjust the value, this macro reads your calibrated rotation distance and automatically works out the math using the RPM and revolutions you provide.

Mitchell’s EXTRUDER_ROTATION macro template:

					# ----- Extruder Revolutions / RPM Example
# Note: you will need to set a gear_ratio in your [extruder] config
[gcode_macro EXTRUDER_ROTATION]
gcode:
    {% set revolutions = params.REVOLUTIONS|default(1)|float %}
    {% set rpm = params.RPM|default(10)|int %}
    {% set rotation_distance = printer.configfile.settings.extruder.rotation_distance %}
    M118 G1 E{revolutions * rotation_distance} F(rpm * rotation_distance * 60]

This helper macro takes parameters for REVOLUTIONS and RPM so you don’t have to calculate extrusion distances by hand. When you run it in Mainsail, input boxes for REVOLUTIONS and RPM will appear. For example, if you enter into both input boxes: revolutions = 2 and RPM = 12, this will rotate the extruder two full turns at 12 RPM. Behind the scenes, the macro figures out two things: how much filament to push and how fast to push it. It multiplies your extruder’s calibrated rotation_distance by the number of turns to get the extrusion length (the E value). Then it takes the requested RPM, multiplies it by the same rotation_distance, and multiplies by 60 to convert from rotations per second into rotations per minute for the feedrate (the F value). This gives you one complete G1 command without doing any math yourself.

Shell Commands/API Requests

In normal macros, Klipper executes gcode strictly in order: one line finishes before the next begins. That means if you have a huge macro, the printer will stay put until it’s done. Shell commands solve this by letting you offload work to Linux (your Raspberry Pi), so the printer can keep moving. Mitchell explains that this makes it possible to drip-feed long or slow tasks to the Pi instead of stuffing them into gcode, or even bridge Klipper to anything your operating system can reach (such as files, web APIs, or custom scripts.)

Mitchell’s HELLO_WORLD shell command template:

					# ----- Shell Commands
[gcode_shell_command run_script]
command: python /home/pi/hello_world.py
timeout: 30.0
verbose: True

[gcode_macro HELLO_WORLD]
gcode:
    RUN_SHELL_COMMAND CMD=run_script

[gcode_shell_command run_script] defines a reusable command called run_script. This tells Klipper exactly what Linux should do—in this case, run the Python script located at /home/pi/hello_world.py. The timeout: 30.0 line means Klipper will only allow the script to run for 30 seconds before force-killing it, preventing a frozen or runaway process. The verbose: True option makes Klipper print the script’s output to the console, which is very helpful for debugging purposes. Finally, [gcode_macro HELLO_WORLD] is the macro you can run from Mainsail/Fluidd or the console. When triggered, it executes RUN_SHELL_COMMAND CMD=run_script, which hands the task off to Linux. The Pi runs the script, prints the message to your console, and then finishes—without ever blocking your printer’s motion queue.

Post Requests (API Requests)

Shell commands also allow Klipper to talk to web APIs using POST requests. POST requests are used to send data or trigger an action. For example, you might want your printer to send a webhook every time a layer changes so you get a notification in Discord, Slack, or Home Assistant.

Mitchell’s POST_REQUEST shell command template:

					# ----- Post Requests
[gcode_shell_command post_request]
command: python /home/pi/post_request.py
timeout: 1.0
verbose: False

[gcode_macro POST_REQUEST]
gcode:
    RUN_SHELL_COMMAND CMD=post_request

This setup defines a shell command called post_request that runs a Python script whenever it’s called. When you run POST_REQUEST in Mainsail or the console, Klipper looks up this definition and tells the Pi to execute python /home/pi/post_request.py. The timeout is set to 1.0 because a POST request usually completes in a fraction of a second. If it takes longer than one second, Klipper cancels it automatically to keep the system responsive and avoid piling up stuck processes. The verbose: False option keeps your console clean by hiding the raw response from the server (though you could set it to True while debugging). In practice, this lets you trigger actions outside the printer all while your print keeps running uninterrupted.

Get Requests (API Requests)

A GET request is the simplest type of API request. It’s used when you just want to ask for information from a server without changing anything. You enter your request URL into your browser’s address bar, and the server replies with data.

Mitchell’s GET Request Example:

http://<printer-name>.local/printer/objects/query?extruder

OR

http://<IP Address>/printer/objects/query?extruder

http://<printer-name>.local → the network address of your printer’s Pi (replace <printer-name> with whatever your system uses, like gigabot.local).

/printer/objects/query → the Moonraker API endpoint that lets you ask about printer objects (extruder, bed, fans, sensors, etc.).

?extruder → this is the query part of the URL that tells Moonraker to retrieve information about the extruder

This is what the resultant page would look like:

At timestamp 104802s, the extruder is holding steady at 232.7 °C with a target of 230 °C, using about 26% heater power. Extrusion is allowed, pressure advance is set to 0.11, smoothing time is 0.04 seconds, and there’s no active motion queue data.

Conclusion

We’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible with Klipper macros, objects, conditionals, loops, and shell commands. If you’d like to dive deeper, be sure to tune in to the remainder of Mitchell’s FGF User Group talk, where he walks through additional Arduino–Klipper examples and real-world implementation use cases.

And as always, if you have any questions about getting started or customizing your own workflows, don’t hesitate to reach out to the re:3D Customer Support team at support@re3d.org. To keep learning and stay connected, be sure to check out and join all future FGF talks.

Taylor Boutte

Blog Post Author

Introducing the re:3D Engineering and R&D Team!

If you’ve followed our blog posts over the last months or even years, you’ve seen some of the amazing work our team here at re:3D does in engineering, design, and other departments. But who are the amazing teammates who are hard at work here in Austin (and elsewhere) pushing the boundaries of 3D printing day in and day out? Over the next few months, we’ll be publishing a series of blog posts highlighting and recognizing our great teammates who develop, design, build, and support our bots, starting with the engineering and R&D team!

PATRICK

Patrick Ferrell is Senior Engineer here at re:3D. His main role is to lead some of our important advanced R&D initiatives for NASA and the Department of Defense, as well as supporting development for other ongoing projects. He’s worn a number of different hats here at the company, having joined in 2020 developing outreach curricula and then transitioning into engineering roles, becoming Senior Engineer in 2022. But Patrick’s history with re:3D goes back even further–he’s actually worked with Gigabot since 2014, when he established and ran the pioneering public makerspace at the Clear Lake City County Freeman Branch Library in Houston! There, he maintained and used their original Gigabot assembled at the library from a kit, not realizing that one day he would work for the company that made it and support the future development of Gigabot technology.

Among his projects, Patrick is excited about working with NASA on a prototype system to recycle packing foam into printed material in space: the Gigabot XS, a miniature granulator/printer system to be used in low-G or zero-G environments. He has also led development of a 5-axis thermoset printer to print TPS (Thermal Protection System) materials onto spacecraft structures to protect them during atmospheric entry. In his spare time, Patrick is an aficionado of stringed instruments–and, an engineer to the end, Patrick not only enjoys playing these instruments, but actually builds them as well.

WILL

Will Drakas is one of re:3D’s hardware engineers, focusing most of his time on developing and executing prototype designs and implementing iterative changes to our tech in response to team and user feedback. He is currently assisting Patrick Ferrell on our major contracts with NASA and the U.S. military, though his duties often shift in response to changing project needs. He initially joined the team to work with Patrick on the NASA AMTPS and then took on the Gigabot XS project as well. Most recently, he’s built a large prototype FGF (Fused Granulate Fabrication) printer, a next-level Terabot X for prospective military use in the field.

Will has been at re:3D for two years, joining the team after completing his engineering degree at Purdue University. He is a lifelong engineer and builder, as well as a hardcore 3D printing enthusiast–he actually built his first custom 3D printer in high school, and is currently working on another custom printer design in his spare time! He most appreciates the opportunities for on-the-job learning re:3D offers him; for example, he is pursuing an expert level certification in SolidWorks this year.

ERIC

Eric Gohl is the newest member of the engineering team, joining re:3D as Hardware Engineer in spring 2025. Eric comes to our Austin HQ from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he completed his degree in mechanical engineering. Eric is actually a third generation mechanical engineer!

Eric’s professional trajectory into engineering was sparked by an early interest in robotics and inventing; for example, in college he designed a device that uses machine learning (and a water jet) to repel squirrels from encroaching on bird feeders. As he’s begun to settle in here on the re:3D team, he’s assisted Patrick and Will with various aspects of their major ongoing projects–designing a magazine for Gigabot XS that loads foam feedstock into the printer and an automatic granulate feedstock loader for the oversized FGF printer. Eric’s interests are varied; he is a fitness buff, a freediving enthusiast, and–as some of us have come to find out–an avid (and dangerously competitive) disc golfer.

CHARLOTTE

Charlotte Craff is Project Manager here at re:3D, having started out in the Ambassador role in 2019. Like many of our teammates, Charlotte came to the company out of a passion for 3D printing and its potential, rather than starting out with a background in engineering. With a dual education in computer science and performing arts, Charlotte worked in the latter field as a production manager for many years before first encountering the world of 3D printing–ironically, by learning to use the GB2 at the branch library in Houston that Patrick Ferrell once supported.

Charlotte’s current role is as co–principal investigator and project manager of ReCreateIt, an NSF Convergence Accelerator funded project initiated in 2022. This project is implementing an ambitious plan to enable communities to divert plastic waste from landfill and manufacture durable household goods from such waste at the local level. Charlotte coordinates teams located at re:3D, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and several universities in the ReCreateIt project, which has placed a re:3D Gigalab (a portable manufacturing module) at the Austin ReStore. The Gigalab will enable a small but dedicated team at the ReStore to sort, process, and recycle discarded bins and totes made of polypropylene and other nuisance plastics into attractive, usable goods instead of consigning this material to landfill. Charlotte’s enthusiastic about the future of the ReCreateIt project, making a more sustainable future possible one plastic bin at a time! (Fun fact: Charlotte enjoys hiking and backpacking, and can teach you how to start a fire without matches.)

CHRIS

Chris Hong is the re:3D R&D Engineer working with the ReCreateIt project. He spends much of his time developing a process by which waste plastics can be productively and reliably 3D printed and upcycled. Chris has been involved in 3D printing since he was an undergraduate student at Rice University.

While earning his Master’s degree at the University of Texas-Austin, Chris became part of the ReCreateIt project under the guidance of Prof. Caroline Seepersad (formerly UT and now Georgia Tech, leading their team of researchers working on the interactive design component of RecreateIt). Chris is excited about the potential of the ReCreateIt project to have a real, tangible effect on communities in Austin and beyond as the use of re:3D’s FGF technology is scaled up and the model of harnessing, processing, and redeploying waste plastic for the consumer market is further developed. He looks forward to a time when the Austin ReStore’s Gigalab is able to produce a wide range of products, including home goods and furniture, and the technology can be shared with new markets.

MITCHELL

Mitchell Mashburn joined the re:3D team in early 2023, right before the company’s move from Houston to Austin. As our resident Software Engineer, Mitchell has a wide-ranging role, managing full stack development for Gigabot tech, from front-end user interface elements to back-end applications. He has worked to optimize and update existing software applications; developed new applications; branched out to provide customer support and company IT support; and often helps out with aspects of hardware development as well.

A computer science graduate of Troy University in Alabama, Mitchell’s initial interest in 3D printing stemmed from a single class on 3D modeling; this led to an opportunity to work at his school’s 3D printing lab. A mentor’s connection to the company led Mitchell to discover re:3D, and he joined our team right out of college. Among his current projects, Mitchell is supporting development of the next version of Gigabot, particularly a mesh compensation feature; implementing improvements to our printers’ user interface to allow for greater personalization; and designing the circuit board of our prototype large format Terabot X. His proudest achievement at re:3D is his creation of the web application Helm, a fleet management software that would allow unitary control of a Gigabot print farm.

DOMENIC

Domenic Cordova heads product development at re:3D, helping to improve existing company tech and pave the way for the rollout of new products in the future. After earning his BS in physics at Southwestern University, Domenic began a Master’s program in mechanical engineering at UT Austin. He first came to re:3D as an intern last year while working on his Master’s, and has joined the team full time now that he has completed his program. He is now working on designing, prototyping, and implementing improvements as Gigabot 5 and Gigabot X3 are prepared for public release.

Domenic has focused in particular on the mesh compensation system for Gigabot X that uses a beacon sensor to map the print bed and allows the printer to adjust to maintain a consistent Z layer height. Another process he has spent significant time on is part cooling, which allows for faster and more complex printing because filament solidifies and deposits faster. Domenic loves the more academic aspects of his job–he especially enjoys research–and how he’s been able to turn his curiosity about how things work into a full time job.

Michael Pregill

Blog Post Author

engineering Research and Development

Engineering Updates – Thermocouples, Hot Ends, and 3D Printing Research

This is called the “Engineering” Update, but it’s really a reflection of all the work going on at re:3D – engineering, R&D, customer service, operations and everyone else included. As our company ethos begins, “We are a team…”, and that team has been working hard to solve problems for our customers, improve the performance of our products and contribute to the body of knowledge within our additive manufacturing industry. Here are a few snapshots of what’s been happening at re:3D since our last post.

The Gigabot FFF (Filament) Platform

MCU Thermocouple Errors

For the past couple of years, an intermittent problem would pop up on the Gigabot 4 (and GigabotX 2) printers related to the thermocouples. Sometimes the printer would throw an “MCU shutdown: Thermocouple reader error” fault during the bootup cycle (Figure 1). There were some arcane incantations that could be performed to sometimes clear the fault in any given instance, but ultimately, better grounding of the extruder seemed to solve the problem. Recently the error started showing up again, potentially delaying product shipments. So the engineering team put intense focus on investigating the cause of the error.

re:3D’s uses the Archimajor 3D printer motherboard from US manufacturer UltiMachine (South Pittsburg, Tennessee). The Archim boards use a MAX31856 chip from Maxim Integrated to amplify and digitize the input signals from the thermocouples, and it was this chip that was throwing the pesky error. Buried in an obscure Maxim FAQ was a cryptic comment about shunting the negative lead of the thermocouple input to ground to improve performance. The engineering team tried it out (Figure 2), and this has reliably prevented the error from occurring. re:3D now has a field-fix available for service technicians to use when encountering this issue on customer machines and is also working with UltiMachine to incorporate this feature into future versions of the motherboard.

Terabot Hot End Conversion

re:3D has a long history of designing and testing extruders and hot ends, always looking for ways to push more plastic to print faster. (OG members of the re:3D community might remember the early “Mondo” hot end prototype.) To keep up with its larger build volume (915 x 915 x 1000mm), re:3D’s Terabot filament printers have been shipping with “20 Series” hot ends, which have a larger heater block to increase the residence time of the plastic within the heat zone and speed the melting process (Figure 3). However, testing has shown that with the proper slicer and configuration settings, re:3D’s standard hot ends perform equally well and are less prone to occasional inconsistent flow or leaking at the nozzle.

To improve overall performance and reliability, Terabots will now be supplied with standard hot ends. This is a minor engineering change, and the Customer Service team has developed a simple and easy-to-install upgrade kit that requires no major modifications to existing Terabot platforms. The Customer Service team is looking for initial Beta Testers for the Terabot hot end conversion kits. If you are interested, you can read more about re:3D’s Beta Testing Program below.

The GigabotX FGF (Pellet) Platform

There has been progress on both GBX part cooling and GBX bed mesh compensation, but the Gigaboss leading those efforts is busy finishing his master’s thesis, so you’ll have to hold off until next time for a written update. Don’t worry – it’ll be worth the wait.

Software Improvements

re:Bugger

This spring semester, re:3D has been pleased to host Yasseen Hilal, who is studying computer science at the University of Texas, as a software engineering intern. Yasseen took on the task of developing a printer debugging tool for use in the field. The re:Bugger (Figure 4) simply plugs into a Gigabot 4, Terabot 4 or GigabotX 2 via a network cable, then through a simple and intuitive interface reads the available log files to detect errors and provide possible solutions. Log files and performance graphs can be easily exported from the printer onto a USB drive for later review, and the re:Bugger also allows users to flash the latest printer firmware onto the Raspberry Pi without needing network access. This all helps reduce printer downtime.

Yasseen did a great job on his project, and the re:3D team wishes him all the best on his future endeavours.

Bed Mesh Compensation

There was recent feedback on accuracy and standard operation being manually intensive. Updates have since been made on the mesh compensation workflow which will now carry out a startup procedure to automatically calibrate the Z offset, tram the Z lead screws, and adaptively probe only the area where the part is printing.

This new workflow is meant to keep manual efforts to a minimum during calibration. This procedure is written into Klipper as a comprehensive macro and can be called at the beginning of a print using a single line of Gcode in the slicer.
This master macro approach makes usage simple for the end user while also ensuring accurate and standardized results. There are also optional advanced parameters for users who want to fine tune and experiment with values.

Procedures:
Prime the extruder
Clean the nozzle for accurate offset calibration and probing
Model calibration
Z offset Calibration
Z tilt calibration
Adaptive probing

We are actively seeking feedback through our beta testing program, and encourage new testers to contribute their insights to further refine and improve this workflow. You can learn more about re:3D’s Beat Tester Program below.

Helm

Work also continues on Helm, the printer fleet management software under development at re:3D. There have been some minor changes under the hood since the last update, but the most obvious improvement is the user interface – it’s cleaner and easier for casual operators to use (Figure 5). This is an open-source project, and you can try the application yourself, report problems, contribute, or follow progress here: Helm on GitHub.

Beta Testing Programs

As an open source company, re:3D celebrates collaboration with our community of users, customers and vendors. Historically, select new changes or features were offered to existing customers for ‘beta testing’ as part of re:3D’s internal engineering process. The Beta Testing Program has since evolved and become more formalized with contributions from engineering, customer service and sales and marketing. An application form is now available on the re:3D website here where you can apply to be a beta tester through the following steps:

1. Choose Your Desired Beta Product/Software

Read a short summary of available beta products with how it will improve the Gigabot user experience. Ideally, applicants will have non-modified printers so that the performance improvements of the beta products can be accurately assessed.

2. Sign Up

Fill out a Google Form to express your interest in beta testing the selected product for which you’d like to be considered.

3. Confirm Acceptance

A notification email will be sent to confirm your selection as a beta tester. This will include a beta tester release agreement, a defined testing period, steps on how to submit feedback, and a link to the Forum for updates on these products. Invoicing and delivery information will also be requested, then the beta products will be shipped.

4. Begin Testing

An Instructional Guide with detailed installation instructions and troubleshooting tips will be provided with the beta products.

A Google Form will be sent to beta testers no less than monthly for each product to solicit feedback and recommendations.

5. Be a proud GigaTester!

For now, there are two beta test products available for consideration:

Bed Mesh Compensation (Gigabot 4 only)
Terabot Hot End Conversion (Terabot family)

Watch for these additional beta testing opportunities in the coming weeks:

Bed Mesh Compensation (GigabotX 2 only)
Feedstock Crammer (GigabotX family)
1.75mm Filament Conversion Kit (Gigabot / Terabot family)
GBX Part Cooling (GigabotX family)

R&D Programs

Though there has been recent turmoil and uncertainty in the news about federal research grants, re:3D continues to support R&D contracts for the Department of Defense (DOD), NASA, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Some of those projects went along on re:3D’s recent trip to Hawai’i, but the others have been making progress too!

ReCreateIt (NSF)

ReCreateIt is a multinational initiative led by re:3D, with a goal to transform waste plastic into valuable products through 3D-printing and community-led design. To achieve this mission, re:3D is collaborating with the Austin Habitat for Humanity ReStore, where a Gigalab was designed and delivered in December 2024. Since its delivery, the Gigalab has been outfitted with a granulator, pellet/flake dryer, a GBX2 XLT, all necessary mechanical and electrical tools, and personal protective equipment. The long-term goals of the ReCreateIt Gigalab is to recycle and reuse over 10,000 lbs of local plastic waste over its lifetime while being a net-zero energy manufacturing lab.

Compared to other Gigalabs, the ReCreateIt Gigalab will feature various additional sensors that monitor temperature, humidity, emissions, particulate matter, and energy usage. The sensors will allow the team to construct a comprehensive model of the Gigalab system and quantitatively assess the environmental impact of the Gigalab and the recycling efforts. This data may also provide the re:3D team with insights that may spur redesigns and improvements of future Gigalabs towards more energy-efficient and sustainable systems.

To support daily operations, three Gigalab associates have joined the team to collect and sort incoming waste plastics, and to operate the machinery that processes and prints with the recycled materials. The re:3D team is actively mentoring the associates to enable them to operate and troubleshoot the Gigalab equipment safely and autonomously (Figure 6).

There have also been advancements in 3D printing with recycled polypropylene (PP) — the second most used commodity plastic in the world. In fact, the vases shown in Figure 7 below are printed from 100% recycled PP, which were originally storage bins collected at the ReStore that were destined for the landfill. While there still are challenges to scale up into furniture pieces such as end tables or stools, achieving successful and functional parts using 100% recycled material, without any additives or blending agents, is a significant milestone in sustainable manufacturing.

To showcase the progress on the project to the public and local media, the ReStore and re:3D teams co-hosted a soft opening at the ReStore on April 19. Well over a hundred curious customers stopped by to take a look at a large array of printed parts made from recycled materials. Attendees were invited to share their ideas for future products, offer feedback on existing prints, and learn more about the environmental and social impact of the initiative. The majority of visitors also expressed major interest in the behind-the-scenes of the project and participated in tours of the Gigalab, where they got a first hand look at the recycling and manufacturing process including the GBX2 in motion.

If you’re in the Austin area, stop by the ReStore at 500 W. Ben White Blvd where you can check out the prints in person, buy a piece printed from recycled waste and directly participate in the circular economy yourself.

“Bigger, Better, Faster” FGF (DOD/US Army)

The large FGF printer being developed under a US Army SBIR R&D award has come a long way since the last update. The frame is complete, and the linear motion components – including ball screw actuators and servo motors – are installed and commissioned (Figure 9(a&b)). Another major change from re:3D’s traditional build style is the use of a separate HMI (human-machine interface) and control pedestal (Figure 9(a&c)), rather than having an electrical box and touchscreen interface mounted directly to the printer’s frame. Not only does this change allow for the room needed for added servo motor controllers and power supplies, it makes the electrical and control components more accessible for service. Having a full computer built into the HMI pedestal will allow users to access third-party software when necessary for servo motor diagnostics, along with providing opportunities for performing CAD and slicing tasks at the same workstation as the printer operation, without requiring network access – which is not available or desirable in some situations.

After commissioning and initial tuning, the printer’s extruder was finally tested. This is a novel and exciting new design from Dr. David Kazmer’s group at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, who are collaborating with re:3D on this effort. After a few hiccups caused PLA to thermally degrade inside the barrel, DynaPurge became the first material extruded through this system. As shown in Figure 10, the first extrusion looks like – well, you know. But it’s a first extrusion nonetheless, and the team is excited for the rapid progress of this project.

Additively Manufactured Thermal Protection Systems (NASA)

re:3D’s R&D team designed and built a 5-axis printer to deposit ablative foam materials onto non-planar surfaces. This has been done before using robotic arms, but this is a unique design based on a gantry system, intended to investigate the economy of a different kinematic approach to conformal printing. The frame and x, y and z axes systems are similar to re:3D’s Terabot printer. But to add the extra degrees of freedom, the extruder (a ViscoTec volumetric deposition pump) rotates about the Y-axis, and the whole bridge rail rotates about the X-axis (Figure 11(a&b)).

Rather than adapt the Archimajor motherboard for 5-axis control, re:3D collaborated with the Siemens team at the Charlotte Advanced Technology Collaboration Hub (CATCH) to implement an advanced industrial control system. The CATCH team helped identify appropriate servo motors and control hardware for the printer, and also provided training both at a partner solution provider’s site in Houston and at their own Machine Tools facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

For the final touches and commissioning of the printer, the system was sent to Bobby Cole and his team at Think-PLC in Lexington, North Carolina. Think-PLC is a Siemens Solution Partner, and Bobby is highly regarded in the world of industrial controls and automation for his work with machine builders and manufacturers, and re:3D’s experience bears this out. Think-PLC identified and corrected some deficiencies in the AMTPS printer after they received it, then worked to understand the system requirements and implement control kinematics to achieve optimal performance within the limitations of the printer’s mechanical design. It has been great working with them and watching the printer come to life (Figure 12). The AMTPS printer will soon be returning to re:3D in Austin for the installation of the deposition system and the beginning of print testing.

Another collaborator on this project is Addiguru, a software company that specializes in in-situ monitoring technologies for additive manufacturing processes. While re:3D is designing a mounting system for multiple cameras to monitor the deposition of the TPS foam onto the substrate (Figure 13), Addiguru is developing the software to measure the width of the extrusion and flag excessive variances in volumetric deposition in real time. Although it won’t be implemented within the scope of this effort, future work on this project could incorporate Addiguru’s software to provide feedback into the Siemens system for closed-loop control of the deposition process.

Water Bottle Granulation (DOE)

The collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) continues with a focus on separating the recycled PET (rPET) flake from granulated water bottles out of the flake/water slurry coming from the granulator. ORNL is procuring a hydrocyclone for the separation step. Hydrocyclones produce opposing vortices within a chamber which force large, heavy particles out through a reject port and lift lighter fines and liquid out through the overflow. The physics of hydrocyclones is quite interesting and watching YouTube videos about them can easily burn a couple of hours from your day.

Once the rPET flake is separated from the water it must be dried, and re:3D has been studying the efficacy of desiccant drying on wet flake. A sample of granulated water bottles was soaked in water overnight, then dried in an industrial recirculating desiccant dryer at 70°C. The moisture content of the flake was measured using gravimetric analysis (i.e., loss on drying) at multiple steps throughout the process. As shown in Figure 14, as little as three hours is required to dry the flake back to its original, equilibrium condition, and an additional three hours may be sufficient to dry the flake sufficiently for immediate extrusion processing (below 200 PPM). These results are consistent with re:3D’s previous tests on “Drying rPET Water Bottle Flake”.

It’s a bit of a chore to collect, edit and format the information and photos telling re:3D’s behind-the-scenes technical stories, but it’s also incredibly fulfilling to be able to share the good work going on here and appreciate the cool factor in what we get to do every day. All in all, it’s worth the time.

Thanks for reading along, and as always… Happy Printing!

Patrick, Chris, Mitchell, Taylor

Blog Post Authors

3d printing Beta Program Engineering Updates firmware gigabot gigabotX Hardware Open Source Pellet Extrusion Research and Development Software sustainability

A Year of #FreePrintFriday Open-source Designs by re:3D

When we set up the Gigalab in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, alongside our neighbors and partners at Engine-4 Foundation, we weren’t just building a container lab. We were planting a seed, an idea that digital fabrication should be for everyone, and that creative tools should serve the people around us.

So we started small. One design, every Friday. Free. Useful. Sometimes funny. Sometimes experimental. Always open.

What started as a small weekly gesture quickly grew into something bigger, a rolling catalog of open-source designs, community responses, and whimsical one-offs that anyone can download, print, and build on. While we’ll be highlighting a few of our favorite moments here, there are plenty more where these came from. So if something catches your eye, or if you’re just curious, we invite you to dive into the rest of our #FreePrintFriday designs on Thingiverse and Cults3D.

Big Bots, Big Ideas

Inside the Gigalab, we’ve also been putting our large-format GigabotX printers to work. Many of our favorite designs showcase how recycled plastic and local fabrication can do so much more:

The Flowform Stool

Lumina Astra Lamp

Extension Cable Wrap

Manta G1

Our 3D printable kite experiment. Still very much a work in progress, but easily one of the most fun things we’ve ever designed. Building something that’s meant to flex, fly, and occasionally crash (gracefully) has pushed us to think differently about material use, weight, and structure—all while showcasing the beauty of recycled 3D printing.

Collaborations with Our Local Community

Working alongside our neighbors at Engine-4 Foundation has been core to Gigalab’s mission. Many of the ideas we’ve printed came directly from conversations at Engine-4 with Co-Founder, Luis Torres, whether it was a passing comment, a workshop brainstorm, or someone pointing at a problem and asking, “Can we 3D print a fix for that?”

Some standout collabs include:

Hydro Rocket

Garden Picker

Drone Care Package Adaptor

The drone care package hook, a collaboration with both Engine-4 Foundation and the Municipio of Bayamón, used in earthquake simulations to deliver supplies via agricultural drones.

More on the simulation from Puerto Rican local news:
Primera Hora | Telemundo

These kinds of projects remind us that when we design with our community, we design with purpose.

Culture, Celebrated in Layers

Some of my proudest open-source designs that connect with my Puertorrican identity:

Artificial Coqui

Three Kings ornament

Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño

Our photogrammetry model of the Monumento al Jíbaro Puertorriqueño, scanned, modeled, and shared to honor Puerto Rican heritage in a tangible way.

These designs always spark conversation, everything from an “aw” to an “I want one” to someone recognizing their own story in it, saying, “I used to drive past that monument every day. The view was breathtaking.”

Designed for People

The most personal of our projects came through the Rotationplasty Prosthetic leg shell designs.

It started with a visit. Wilfredo Rodriguez and his daughter Emily came to Engine-4 with a bold question: could we design something that didn’t just cover for her unique rotationplasty prosthetic leg, but make it look and feel amazing? Something Emily could wear with confidence, something that felt like hers.

We scanned her leg using photogrammetry, modeled around it with Rhino and Fusion 360, and started prototyping with rPETG, Nylon, and TPU. Eventually, we found the right balance, lightweight, flexible, and durable enough for everyday life. The final shell was finished with automotive-grade paint for a smooth, protective finish.

But the story didn’t stop there.

Left is the back of Emily’s cover, middle is daniels cover and right is Emely and Anya
Emily’s friends Anya and Daniel, all the way in Boston, got scanned too. We designed and printed their custom shells right here at the Gigalab in Puerto Rico, and sent them north, each one uniquely shaped and styled for them.
This wasn’t just about aesthetics. It was about saying, with a smile, “I want that leg”

Creative Chaos at Haystack

Located on the rugged coast of Deer Isle, Maine, Haystack Mountain School of Craft is a legendary space where artists, designers, and thinkers come together to push creative boundaries. We were lucky enough to be invited to spend a week there with the GigabotX 2 XLT for Haystack Labs, joining a wild mix of tinkerers and craftspeople for a creative tech residency.

At Haystack, we experimented with University of Maine’s wood pulp PLA feedstock, tested out sculptural forms, tricky overhangs, and parametric designs that challenged our printers and our imaginations. We had the pleasure of learning with Shelby Doyle, AIA, an Associate Professor of Architecture at Iowa State University and co-founder of the ISU Computation & Construction Lab. Her expertise in digital fabrication and design-build education brought valuable insights to our explorations, pushing the boundaries of what we could achieve with recycled materials and large-format 3D printing.

But one of our favorite prints? A five-mug coffee caddy we designed because we were too lazy to take our mugs back to the kitchen one by one. Turns out the kitchen staff liked it too as it’s a recurring problem!

Functional Tools, Fun Fixes

A lot of our most downloaded open-source designs are little things that solve specific, everyday problems stuff that just makes life smoother:

Macbook Cable Reel Case

Flexi Pocket Phone Stand

Oval Lock Cable Ties

Inspired by SSgt Hart during our Gigalab demo at Cannon Air Force Base, she needed a better way to manage cables, had a great idea, sketch it out for us and we helped turn that need into a print anyone can use!

Wormhole Whistle

These weren’t built for retail. They were built for daily use, most came to life in under an hour, sparked by someone asking, “Hey, can you print something for this?” or even just a playful thought like, “What if we 3D print a whistle?”

A Year of Creative Response

Over the past year, we’ve shared over 50 open-source designs. Some are silly. Some are super niche. Some are actually really useful. Most are a little of all three.

What they all have in common is this: they came from the community, and they’re going back to the community. Free. Open. Ready to print.

Whether it’s a bookmark, a birdhouse, or a prosthetic leg cover, every design came from a simple idea: listen, learn, make, and share.

We believe 3D printing isn’t just a trend. It’s a tool for local problem solving, education, expression, and play. That’s why we do #FreePrintFriday .

So what’s next?

We’ve still got a backlog of unreleased prints. Expect more cultural remixes, more functional tools, more weird stuff. Maybe even more community collabs!

Got an idea? Shere it with us by filling out our #FreePrintFriday form, we’d love to hear it!

Here’s to another year of printing what matters (and what’s fun). See you Friday and happy printing!

– Michael C. Pujols Vázquez and re:3D team

Michael C. Pujols Vázquez

Blog Post Author

3d printing Digital fabrication FreePrintFriday gigabotX Gigalab Large-format 3D printing Open source design Puerto Rico

re:3D Goes to Hawai’i

re:3D is a proud and active member of America Makes, an organization which works to accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing (AM) and supports global U.S. manufacturing competitiveness as one of nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MIIs) operated by the Department of Defense (DOD). re:3D was invited by America Makes to join them in their expo booth at the 2025 Pacific Operational Science and Technology (POST) conference, recently held in Honolulu, Hawai’i. POST, hosted by the National Defense Industry Association, provides a venue for collaboration between the DOD, academia and industry to address challenges within the Indo-Pacific theater.

During the expo, re:3D displayed and demonstrated a system under development for NASA to convert logistics waste into articles of need in space, along with discussing the company’s several Gigalab projects. (You can read a bit more about those projects in a previous blog post here.) There was a positive response to these projects with good feedback and some new contacts and references to follow up with for future collaborations. The America Makes team, including their representatives at POST, Ed Herderick and Kimberly Gibson, were fantastic partners and hosts.

Also sharing the booth was another America Makes member company, Craitor. The team at Craitor has worked closely with units across service branches to develop an expeditionary 3D printer capable of operating in extreme environmental conditions. Their FieldFab printer can keep printing while being violently jostled in the back of a moving truck, caught in a -40°C blizzard or drenched in a tropical monsoon. Their booth display has the FieldFab mounted on a wobble-table so you can kick the printer while it’s running – something we’ve probably all wanted to do at one time or another. It was great meeting Eric Shnell, Dan Valdes and Will Landry at the event. The re:3D team wishes them all continued success.

Midweek, after the expo was over, Kimberly Gibson arranged for re:3D to visit Min Plastics & Supply, a family-owned sheet plastics distributor and custom manufacturing company. Andrew and Aaron Min were gracious hosts and discussed possibilities for recycling drops and swarth from their manufacturing processes and using additive for creating custom sign mounts, skylights and tooling. Manufacturing and distributing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has a whole range of challenges and opportunities to explore, and we look forward to further discussions with the Min Plastics family.

re:3D was also honored to be selected as a demonstrator for the POST Field Experimentation (POST FX), held at the end of the conference at the Marine Corps Base Hawai’i, Kane’ohe Bay. The purpose of POST FX is for demonstrators (mostly government organizations, military units and private companies) to demonstrate technologies or capabilities which support the Indo-Pacific area of responsibility, including priorities for advanced manufacturing and contested logistics which are addressed by re:3D’s Gigalabs and other point-of-need tools using recycled materials. We shipped a granulator and a GigabotX printer to Hawai’i for the POST FX event and demonstrated printing mini drone bodies from reclaimed drones. “Drones from Drones” was an attractive concept to the attendees who stopped by to observe and learn more, including Mr. Michael Holthe – Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering.

While in Hawai’i, we were obligated to do a little sight-seeing, and of course we went to a luau. Mike is never one to stop working, so he took the opportunity during the show to scan a large tiki near the stage at the Aloha Tower in Honolulu. He cleaned it up and posted it for all to share and print as his weekly “Free Print Friday” on Thingiverse. You can find the model file here. Mike also scanned the anchor from the USS Arizona on display at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial and has it published here.

The island of O’ahu presented jaw-dropping views everywhere, and the people there really do have a special ‘aloha spirit’, all of which made the looong plane ride worth it. It’s no wonder that Hawai’i is such a popular vacation destination.

Until next time, Happy Travels and Happy Printing.

Patrick Ferrell & Mike Pujols

Blog Post Author

#Drones #event #Hawai’i #Honolulu #PacificOperationalScienceandTechnology 3dprinting

Engineering Updates – 3D Printing, Part Cooling, Firmware and More!

re:3D was on the move last year – literally. But the crew has settled into the new Austin facility with a continued passion for tackling the challenges of additive manufacturing. New faces have joined the Engineering and R&D Teams, and they have all been making impressive progress during the sometimes messy results of a relocation. This is a long-overdue look at some of their recent work.

The Gigabot FFF (Filament) 3D Printing Platform

Early last year there was a company-wide exploration of how and why ‘filament grinding’ was affecting our customers. Follow-up work has focused on cooling methods – both for the extruder mechanism and for part cooling. Improvements in cooling the extruder heat break reduces filament softening (i.e., “heat creep”) in low-temperature materials such as PLA which is a contributing factor to grinding and ultimately print failure. Other thermo-mechanical properties of the extruder are being evaluated as well, with the goal of better thermal management of the filament for more reliable extrusion. Upgrades to part cooling are also being tested. For many thermoplastics, the goal is to extrude above a certain temperature and let the polymer bond to the previously deposited layer (if there is one), and then solidify to maintain the desired geometry as the nozzle travels onward. The rate at which the plastic hardens affects how fast the nozzle can travel without compromising the quality of the print. Often, by appropriately cooling the extruded plastic with forced air, the plastic still bonds, but the geometry is rapidly set and the nozzle can travel faster – ultimately completing the print more quickly. Rapid setting of the polymer also allows for improved performance when printing bridges or overhangs.

With a new approach to thermal management, small, square axial fans are still used to cool the extruder heat sinks, but radial blower fans are used to provide higher-velocity air at the nozzle tip for part cooling (Figure 1, left and center). With this approach, unsupported overhangs of up to 70° are achieved before scoring “poor” using standard overhang print tests. Print speed can also be dramatically increased. The cooling upgrade allowed a standard 3DBenchy model [1] to be printed in 32 minutes with good quality (Figure 1, right) – down from 70 minutes.

New Gigabot extruder cooling design render

The Engineering Team is also responding to the re:3D user community’s request for a conversion kit to use 1.75mm filament on their Gigabot printers. The new dual-extruder design has been extensively tested on multiple materials internally and will be sent to external beta testers soon.

The GigabotX FGF (Pellet) 3D Printing Platform

Product development on the GigabotX (GBX) in recent months has been focused on a mount for a bed sensor to incorporate bed mesh compensation software correction, along with an implementation of part cooling for the GBX extruder. Bed mesh compensation will be performed with the same eddy current sensor now under beta test on the Gigabot filament machines, but the design challenge is to create a mechanically stiff mount at the end of the long extruder system. As part of this mount, cooling fans and ducting are being incorporated to provide forced-air part cooling. The reasons for part cooling are described above, but with the larger bead sizes on the GBX, the thermal mass of the extrusion is generally larger, and the need for part cooling is even more critical – especially for bridging and overhangs. It can also promote easier breakaway of support material from the print.

With the part cooling design now under test (Figure 2), PLA is bridging over 40mm with minimal drooping (Figure 3, left) and able to create acceptable bridges and spans over 100mm (Figure 3, right). Overhangs are also improved, and support structures more easily break away by hand, leaving clean parting surfaces.

Experimental mount for bed sensor on GBX extruder

3D printing 60mm unsupported bridging part cooling on GBX

At the other end of the extruder, improvements are underway to improve the reliability and consistency of material throughput. The extruder motor is connected to the extrusion screw through a jaw coupler, which uses a polymer spider interface between two hubs. If overheated or over-torqued, this spider can become deformed, potentially affecting extruder performance. This style of couple also allows for undesirable axial motion of the extruder screw. A new disc coupler is being tested with good results (Figure 4).

Throughput problems can also be caused when the feedstock (pellets or flake) bridges within the input to the extruder. This material bridging (buildup, jamming, etc) introduces inconsistencies to the flow of material into the extruder which results in underextrusion.

This is more pronounced when using feedstock with irregular morphology and low apparent density (e.g. granulated water bottles), which do not pack tightly or flow well into the extruder under gravity alone.

To address this, over 40 versions of a “crammer” that actively feeds material into the extruder have been tested over the years, with the current version called the “beta” crammer (Figure 5). This crammer successfully reduced inconsistencies in the extrusion rate, successfully printing rPET flake at the same rate as rPET pellet. While the crammer showed great potential for printing with irregular flake, unfortunately material bridging still happened upstream from the crammer (at the hopper-hose and hose-barb connections). To take full advantage of the crammer’s abilities, it is important to design a system to reliably resolve material bridging in the feed tube.

The most important recent design change to the crammer has been to the feedstock hose clamping mechanism. The tubing was originally connected using a metal hose barb and a worm gear hose clamp, similar to garden hoses. Because the hose barb fits inside the hose, the diameter of the feed path decreases at the interface, creating a stepped region that is very prone to material buildup. To address this issue, the hose barb has been replaced with two printed parts that secure the hose from the outside using screws (Figure 6). The new hose clamp design has been tested for well over 100 hours, and showed zero cases of material bridging with all pellets and most flake feedstocks. The flakes that still showed some trouble, including granulated plastic ID cards and shredded water bottles, had particularly irregular morphology due to its original thin thickness.

For feedstocks with more extreme morphologies, multiple solutions have been considered, including fluidized beds and vibration motors.

The fluidized bed system designed by Dr. Christopher Pannier’s team at the University of Michigan-Dearborn [1] sends compressed air upstream from the feed throat (Figures 7 and 8). With the right combination of air pressure and flow rate, it is possible to create an environment where solid particles behave like a fluid – a “fluidized bed”. Under this condition, flakes can flow freely through the path without building up on top of each other. Dr. Pannier’s team has tested this system to identify appropriate combinations of air pressure, air flow rate, and duty cycle that produce ideal fluidized bed conditions. However, as of today, only one material of controlled sizes (granulated rPLA, sifted 2~3mm) has been tested. To replicate similar results and identify combinations of parameters for other materials and feedstock morphologies, extensive testing is required.

Another option to reduce bridging is simply attaching one or more motors to the feed tube, generating vibrations or impact to remove buildups. There have been previous investigations into this solution at re:3D between 2021 and 2022, but the team faced issues including vibration-induced fatigue failures in wires and the printed feed throat. Eventually, this idea was abandoned as the team started to focus on the development of the crammer, which increased the throughput of the machine considerably. The vibration motor system helped with the consistency in extrusion rate by breaking up material buildup, but had little to no effect on the extrusion throughput. The vibration motor system could potentially be a great partner for the current crammer system, as they complement each other and address separate issues. The vibration motor system is not only a simple and cheap implementation, but also does not require major modifications to existing parts.

In a recent re-investigation of the vibration motor system, the motor was mounted directly onto the hose – independent from the extruder body or the crammer – such that the vibrations do not affect other systems negatively. Because constant operation of the motor may cause overheating and also accelerate vibration-induced fatigue, the motor was operated with a duty cycle using custom G-code or external python scripts. Quick testing showed promise, as even short bursts successfully broke up any material buildup along the hose. While no quantitative tests were conducted, the effect of vibrations were easily visible through the transparent feed tubing and also on the printed parts that lacked telltale signs of bridging-induced underextrusion (Figure 9). For the vibration motor system to be implemented, it will require a more robust mount design that reduces the noise (currently 50-60 dB) and secures the motor while sustaining vibrations over an extended period of printing time.

For now, a few minor tweaks to the ‘beta’ crammer have resulted in reliable and consistent extrusion performance for most feedstock materials and morphologies. But it’s good to have experience with additional options should the need for additional bridging mitigation arise.

Software Improvements

The software team at re:3D is incredible. Their most recent work to improve customer experience with the Gigabot and GigabotX printers includes bed mesh compensation, the new Klipper stack V0.5.0, improved print recovery, and a new web application: Helm.

Mesh Compensation Enhancements

Reliable printing requires reliable, high-quality first-layers. One key factor to a successful first layer is proper bed leveling, or more properly, bed tramming. Manually leveling the large print beds on the Gigabot and GigabotX printers might take a bit of practice, but the system does remain stable – until heat is applied. When materials (especially metals) heat up, they tend to expand. Depending on the mechanical constraints on the object, its shape will change. In the case of a flat metal plate with fixed constraints as shown in Figure 10, heating a print bed can cause bowling or warping at these elevated temperatures. No matter how much you try to “level” the bed, the print nozzle will not remain a constant distance from the bed surface without active correction.

Enter “mesh compensation”. In this method, a map, or mesh, of the now-warped bed is measured with a sensor. This heightmap (Figure 11) can then be used in a mathematical algorithm to correct for changes in distance between the nozzle tip and the bed surface, and the firmware will automatically adjust the z-axis height to maintain the appropriate “height”, leading to improved first-layer adhesion, consistency and overall quality.

The team has been working hard to perfect mesh compensation to ensure it’s ready for release. An eddy current scanner was selected for its high precision, performance, and rapid data collection. Despite the clear benefits, the scanner’s reliability was a concern for users. Disconnections during a print would trigger an error and cause the print to fail, as the scanner is recognized as a main control unit (MCU), and Klipper naturally shuts down when an MCU is unresponsive or disconnected. During initial beta testing, about 33% of machines experienced these disconnections, which was consistent with in-house testing.

The software team conducted thorough investigations with the manufacturer and explored how Klipper handles MCUs – ultimately deciding to implement a feature in Klipper to declare and allow non-critical MCUs. This change prevents print stoppage if a disconnection occurs, as the scanner is not essential during an ongoing print. After this adjustment there were significant improvements in testing. This enhancement ensures that mesh compensation is not only accurate but also reliable, laying the groundwork for its upcoming release.

Klipper Stack V0.5.0

The release of Klipper stack V0.5.0 was delayed in 2024 due to the move but is now available to download from re:3D’s Github repository. This update introduces fine-tuning for machine parameters, new features, and fixes for existing issues. Currently, the process involves building the operating system, configuring dependencies, and settings, and then creating a copy of the entire OS, which is compressed into an image file for SD card deployment. This method is slow and cumbersome, requiring a near-perfect system state before imaging.

While the Klipper configurations are stored in a GitHub repository, allowing remote updates for machine configurations, system component updates are not possible remotely. V0.5.0 extends the ability to modify certain components, but system-wide modifications remain out of reach. The best approach may be a shift to variant creation of the distribution that grants total control over the OS and its dependencies. This would enable nightly builds and allow every system component to be modified remotely.

Improved Print Recovery

There has also been a lot of work improving the print recovery workflow. The current recovery tool, while useful, requires manual efforts and often results in noticeable layer artifacts. The new method, which is native to the Klipper stack, is fully autonomous and more accurate. It monitors a print in progress, constantly recording the current position of the G-code file by byte. If a stoppage occurs due to an error or other causes, the file is automatically copied and parsed to the exact last G-code line, while preserving the start G-code. This ensures that the print resumes exactly where it left off without creating a layer artifact. This new print recovery feature will significantly reduce the need for manual intervention, making the printing process smoother and more reliable.

The only caveat is that this method doesn’t cover power interruptions. To recover from a power outage, an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) would be required to send a signal to the printer’s Raspberry Pi, triggering a script when a power failure is detected.

Introducing Helm: A New Web Application for Printer Fleet Management

Managing multiple printers in the factory was becoming a challenge, so re:3D’s lead software engineer developed a simple script to query devices on the network and find connected printers. This script has now evolved into a full-fledged web application for printer fleet management, aptly named Helm. Helm offers many features to enhance monitoring and synchronous communication across the network.

Helm is similar to Mainsail in that it uses the Moonraker API to communicate with Klipper, but it automatically detects Klipper printers on the network and displays detailed, dynamic information on a single page (Figure 12).

Here are some of Helm’s key features:

Server hosted on the local network for multiple clients

Automatic network scanning to connect to printers

Status monitoring

Display of hostname, IP address, and firmware version

Dynamic monitoring of status, state messages, temperatures, and command responses

Multi-printer selection for command execution

File upload/deletion

Start/stop prints

List G-code files on a particular machine

List commands

Send G-code commands

Set temperatures

Cooldown heaters

Firmware restart

Emergency stop

Helm is still a work in progress, but it’s an open-source project and open to contributions. You can try the application yourself, report problems, contribute, or follow progress here: Helm on GitHub. Helm is designed to simplify printer management and will continue to evolve with input from the community, ensuring it meets the needs of users managing multiple printers.

R&D Programs

re:3D is proud to have a robust R&D program, sponsored in part through industry and government awards and contracts. Each of these could consume its own blog post (and perhaps someday will, disclosure rules permitting). For now, here’s a brief summary of recent and ongoing programs re:3D is engaged with through the Department of Defense, NASA, the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

re:3D Gigalabs (PRSRT, DOD, NSF)

One of the visions of re:3D’s founders was to provide a means of production to people in need, who could fabricate parts from local and salvaged materials. The Gigalab is a huge step towards fulfilling that vision. Within a modified 20-ft shipping container, the Gigalab Mobile Recycling Facility can contain all of the equipment required to break down waste plastics to use as feedstock for printing functional items with a GigabotX printer. Multiple variants of Gigalabs have now been fielded at four locations: the Engine-4 coworking lab in Bayamón, Puerto Rico; an Army Corp of Engineers facility at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri; Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico; the Austin Habitat for Humanity ReStore location in Austin, Texas (Figure 13).

interior of re:3D Gigalab at Engine 4 Puerto Rico

re:3D Gigalab with wind turbine at Cannon Air Force Base

You can learn more about re:3D’s Gigalab at Engine-4 in Puerto Rico in an earlier re:3D blog post here: October 2023. Last year’s highlights from the US Army and US Air Force Gigalab projects included logistics challenges, travel to Los Angeles to install a custom energy-management system and fabricating (and flying) small drones printed from recycled drones (Figure 14).

Crane installing wind turbine on re:3D Gigalab

re3D installation of a custom energy management system for the US Army Gigalabs

ReCreateIt (NSF)

ReCreateIt is a multinational collaboration led by re:3D to transform waste plastic into valuable products with 3D printing and community-led design. The Gigalab located at the Austin Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a part of this program, which is funded through the National Science Foundation’s Convergence Accelerator. In order to maximize the value of “trash-to-treasure” in converting waste thermoplastics collected at the ReStore into printed goods of value, re:3D now employs a polymer scientist dedicated to this project who will investigate and optimize the processing and printing parameters to best recycle plastics via material extrusion additive manufacturing (3D printing).

Recent success in 3D printing with recycled polypropylene (PP) is evidence of the benefit of having a polymer scientist on staff. PP is the second most widely produced plastic in the world, and is commonly used for consumer items, including storage bins, which are available in large numbers for recycling at the ReStore (Figure 15(left)). However, PP is commercially recycled at a rate of less than 5% – partly due to industrial processing and economic challenges. Additionally, as with all members of the polyolefin family of polymers, it is notoriously difficult to use as a feedstock in 3D printing, even in a neat or virgin state, let alone as recycled granulate. But the perseverance and dedication of the ReCreateIt team is paying off as evidenced by the printed vase in Figure 15(right), along with many other great successes.

ReCreatIt team sorting plastics for 3D printing

Low-SWaP Waste-to-Print System (NASA)

Remember the Gigalab – a converted 20-ft shipping container with the equipment to granulate plastics and print objects of use? Now imagine a similar system the size of a dorm refrigerator that uses half the power of a common space heater and is designed to work in space. This is the objective of a research contract re:3D was awarded through NASA for the Artemis Gateway program. The GigabotX has been repackaged into a low size, weight, and power (SWaP) version and integrated with a custom granulator (Figure 16(left). The system is intended to recycle packing foams which are necessary to protect payloads during liftoff, but are largely unnecessary once in space – or on the lunar or Martian surface. These foams can then be recycled for repair parts, construction materials or other items which would otherwise need to be delivered separately (at significant cost). The system isn’t ready for flight testing yet, but interim hardware demonstrations have already been performed for NASA on-site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

re:3D Low SWaP 3D printer and granulator system

tetrahedral dowel connector 3D printed from shipping foam

“Bigger, Better, Faster” FGF (US Army)

Building on the success of one of re:3D’s R&D contract with the US Army to demonstrate printing from waste in a Gigalab, sequential funding was secured to print bigger, better and faster – using a wider range of recycled materials as feedstock. This will still be a cartesian FGF printer built on an extrusion frame, but larger in footprint than re:3D’s TerabotX (Figure 17). The extrusions are larger and stiffer, and the design is more easily scalable in the length axis to accommodate future development goals. The bed will be stationary with better access from the front and back to aid print monitoring and removal. For motion control, stepper motors are being replaced with servo motors for improved speed and torque performance, and linear screws are replacing belt drives for translation. The standard ArchiMajor control board will still be used, but a custom breakout board has been designed in-house to provide servo motor control, and the Klipper GUI interface is getting an upgrade to better reflect the operation of an FGF printer.

re:3D is very pleased to collaborate with Dr. David Kazmer and his team at the University of Massachusetts Lowell to design, fabricate and optimize a new extruder with a novel screw for this project. The extruder length won’t change much from the existing GBX design, but the screw’s diameter will double and provide a very significant increase in throughput. Additional support is coming from the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC). They will be leading the effort to develop recycled biocompounds – that is, feedstock materials produced from recycled polymers and wood or paper waste. This is an exciting R&D project with many possibilities for cross-development into re:3D’s portfolio of standard printers and other collaborative opportunities.

Additively Manufactured Thermal Protection Systems (NASA)

When a spacecraft enters a planet’s atmosphere, friction generates extreme heat which can damage the craft and payload (human crew or otherwise). Thermal Protection Systems (TPS) are materials designed to insulate and dissipate that heat energy – often through charring and re-radiation. Under an R&D contract with NASA / Johnson Space Center, re:3D is developing a pilot manufacturing system to print TPS materials directly onto spacecraft heatshields and other structures. Dr. Brett Compton and Dr. Damiano Bacerella (University of Tennessee – Knoxville) are developing and testing a phenolic-based foam, which when cured at elevated temperatures forms a ceramic-like TPS structure (Figure 18(a)). re:3D, in turn, is designing and building a printer to deposit the foam onto a large, non-planar aluminum dish. This requires a 5-axis printer with advanced controls (Figure 18(b-c)). re:3D is collaborating with Siemens/CATCH on the industrial motion control system, and with Addiguru for deposition monitoring.

Besides the unique opportunity to work on #supercoolNASAstuff, this project is giving re:3D additional experience with new industrial control systems, 5-axis tool-path planning and printing thermoset materials. Thermosets differ from thermoplastics in that they start out in some fluid form and require heat to harden (rather than just melting and recooling, as do thermoplastics). This gained experience with thermosets will allow re:3D to provide new opportunities to work with customers on a wider range of material extrusion projects. The deposition monitoring system being spearheaded by Addiguru may also be modified for future inclusion in re:3D’s commercial products. Finally, this provided the R&D team a reason to purchase a large truck oven (Figure 18(d)) for curing the TPS foam after it is deposited onto the aluminum dish. It might also be for a dual-use on Pizza Fridays.

re:3D ViscoTec deposition head on multi axis mount

Water Bottle Granulation (DOE)

Through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, re:3D is partnering with Oak Ridge’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) to develop a low-cost and accessible granulator that can break down water bottles into appropriate flake (Figure 19(left)), even if they are still full of water. Collaborators at ORNL/MDF are also investigating the best ways to separate the different polymer components of the granulated water bottles (Figure 19(center, right)) so they don’t have to be pre-processed to remove the lids, safety rings and labels – often done manually in small-scale operations. Phase II of the project was approved in 2024.

re:3D plastic granulator for 3D printing

granulated water bottle into PET flake for 3D printing

granulated PP and PE water bottle lid and label into flake for 3D printing

This was a long post. But there was a lot to cover from last year, and it’s been awhile since an engineering update was posted to the blog. Thanks for sticking with it, and stay tuned for more (frequent) updates.

As always… Happy Printing!

References

[1] 3DBenchy.com
[2] Al Nabhani, D.; Kassab, A.; Habbal, O.; Mohanty, P.; Ayoub, G.; Pannier, C. Benchmarking the Tensile Properties of Polylactic Acid (PLA) Recycled Through Fused Granule Fabrication Additive Manufacturing. In Proceedings of the Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium, Austin, TX, USA, 14–16 August 2023. https://doi.org/10.26153/tsw/50919

Patrick Ferrell

Senior Engineer

GIGAPRIZE 2024 IS LIVE!

We Have a BIG Announcement!

Congratulations to our 2024 Gigaprize winner – OrthoAdditive Africa in Cape Town, South Africa! OrthoAdditive Africa’s mission is to overcome barriers to healthcare access for people living with disabilities through CAD and additive manufacturing technology. They propose to use the Gigabot 4 FFF 3D printer we will be sending them to prototype a range of seating, positioning, and mobility devices currently in development with their collaborators Shonaquip.

You can learn more about their plans for Gigabot in their video:

A huge shoutout goes out to all of the outstanding applicants for this year’s prize who are doing amazing things in their communities here in the US and abroad – Asmbly Makerspace, Black Sheep Food Initiative, the Citizens Archive of Pakistan, EveryShelter, SOC Films, and the Welman Project! Entry videos for all of this year’s amazing applicants can be viewed on a dedicated playlist on our YouTube channel here.

Thank you to our amazing panel of judges for taking time out of their busy schedules to evaluate the application videos and determine the winner of this year’s Gigaprize. Please make sure to sign up for our newsletter on our website to find out when the next Gigaprize is taking place!

THE FINALISTS

re3D Gigaprize 2024 - Orthoadditive Africa

WHAT IS THE GIGAPRIZE?

The Gigaprize is a competition re:3D runs to support other amazing individuals and groups committed to building community, one layer at a time. For every hundred printers we sell, we donate one Gigabot large-format, industrial filament 3D printer to an individual or organization that will use it for a good cause.

WHO ARE OUR JUDGES?

An external team of impartial judges with a wide variety of experience and expertise will evaluate applications for the Gigaprize during the second half of December. Our stellar lineup this year includes:

Maria Arteaga

Talent and Workforce Development Coordinator

Opportunity Austin

Gus Berga

Artist

Luke Ellis

Account Executive

Indeed

Courtney Gallagher

CEO

EarthViews

Joe Laszlo

Head of Industry Insight & Engagement

Shoptalk

Jamie Mayes

LIFT Consultant

UT Austin Honors Program

Madelyn Morgan

Circular Economy Program Manager

City of Austin, TX

Ryan Murray

Management Consultant

McKinsey & Company

David Riley

Lead Instructor, Digital Modeling & Fabrication

IYRS

Zane Ross

Engagement Manager

America Makes/NCDMM

Pamela Szmara

Founder and CEO

Pamton 3D

THE GIGAPRIZE 2023 WINNER

Our 2023 Gigaprize winner was Brookwood in Georgetown! Their vision of empowering adults with special needs with the Gigabot 4 3D printer to create art and change lives earned them this recognition.

Michael pregill

Blog Post Author

Community Events Gigaprize giveaway

The Force is Strong with This Maker: Mike Ogrinz & His Life-Size 3D Printed Grogu

Mike Ogrinz is a maker through and through, deeply embedded in the re:3D community since backing the original Gigabot on Kickstarter in 2013. He originally purchased the Gigabot to 3D print the parts for his life-size replica of Robby the Robot. Over the years, Mike upgraded his Gigabot 2 to have a heated bed and dual-extruder capabilities. This has given Mike the ability to use the Gigabot for numerous projects, including making re:3D a life-size 3D printed Grogu (Baby Yoda) in exchange for our Series II All-Metal Body Extruder. You can read Mike’s blog post about how Grogu was created below, originally posted on his website, ogrinz.com.

I’ve had my Gigabot 3D printer for almost a decade now (wow) and every now and then the company behind it (re3D) have asked “Would you print something out for our in-house museum?” They’ve even offered to pay for the filament, shipping, etc. At one point, I *almost* sent them one of the spare heads from my Robby the Robot project, but the thought of all that sanding, priming, and painting scared me off.

Then a few months ago Jennifer from re3D reached out again. She asked if I’d be interested in making something, and even offered me some credit in their store. Well, I did have my eye on a set up fully-machined dual aluminum extruders as an upgrade for my Gigabot…. So I asked, “What would I have to make you in exchange for those parts?”

Jennifer almost immediately answered “Baby Yoda!” and the deal was struck. I figured with the filament cost probably coming in around $100, I was getting the better end of the deal. But of course, there was a lot of finish work required. And since Grogu has so many organic surfaces and details, it had to all be done by hand. I had to completely finish the replica too, which meant learning how to use an airbrush (well, it meant buying and airbrush and then learning how to use it). But I am extremely happy with how it came out. Now if I only could find the time to install those metal extruder mechanisms…

Grogu's 3D printed body on top of a Gigabot 3D printer platform

3D printed grogu with painted shadow details

3D printed Grogu on a sit playing an arcade Star Wars game

The 3D printed Grogu took 134 hours to print and used three rolls of PLA Silk filament.

The original Grogu file came from MarVin_Miniatures on Thingiverse. You can also follow them on Facebook, @MarVinMinis.

To learn more about Mike’s other projects click here. You can also check out Mike’s YouTube Channel, Ogrinz Labs, where he posts educational and informational videos on his awesome builds.

3D printed Grogu using the force to move a 3D model in the computer

Grogu with re3D's pellet and flake material storage

Grogu in front of a computer with a 3D model

Grogu on top of a table, in front of a box with screws

Jennifer Dennington

Blog Post Author

3D design 3D print 3d printer Baby Yoda Gigabot 3D printer Grogu

Reimagining Themed Experience Design with Large-Scale 3D Printing: UCF’s Domain Bizarre Project

In the highly competitive realm of themed experience design, standing out requires not only innovative concepts but also the ability to present those concepts in a compelling and tangible way. This was the challenge faced by our project team at the University of Central Florida’s (UCF) Themed Experience Master’s Program. Our project, “Domain Bizarre,” aimed to revolutionize the theme park experience with a queueless land design. Key to our success was the utilization of a large-scale 3D printed massing model, generously provided by re:3D Inc.

The Power of Large-Scale 3D Printing

In themed entertainment design, the devil is in the details. Traditional desktop 3D printers, while useful, often produce models that are too small to effectively convey the full scope and intricacy of a design. This is where re:3D Inc.’s large-scale 3D printing capabilities came into play, allowing us to create a 2ft x 2ft massing model of Domain Bizarre.

Why Printing BIG Matters

The ability to print a large model was crucial for several reasons:

Detailed Realism: Larger models capture finer details and provide a more realistic representation of our design. This level of detail is essential for themed entertainment, where every element contributes to the overall narrative and guest experience.
Comprehensive Visualization: A substantial model offers a more comprehensive view of the project, helping our team and the judges better understand spatial relationships, proportions, and the overall layout of Domain Bizarre.
Impactful Presentations: For our presentation, the large-scale model made a significant impact. It allowed the judges to truly grasp the scale and complexity of our design, enhancing their understanding and engagement.

Domain Bizarre: Concept to Reality

Domain Bizarre is a queueless land designed to be integrated into an existing theme park. Our goal was to create a seamless, immersive environment where guests could explore at their own pace without the constraints of traditional queues. Here’s how the large-scale 3D printed model facilitated this vision:

Design Breakdown: The 2ft x 2ft model allowed us to break down different areas of Domain Bizarre, illustrating how story beats unfolded across the land. We could clearly show where interactive elements, seating areas, and food stalls were ideally located.
Interactive Elements: By printing large, we could place and adjust interactive elements within the model, ensuring they fit seamlessly into the environment and contributed to the overall guest experience.
Optimized Layout: The detailed model helped us optimize the placement of various features, ensuring that every element—from food stalls to seating areas—was strategically placed to enhance the guest experience.

The Role of re:3D Inc.

While UCF’s Themed Experience Master’s Program provided the platform for our project, it was re:3D Inc. that made our vision a reality. Their Gigabot 3D printer allowed us to create a detailed, large-scale massing model that was pivotal to our presentation’s success. The ability to “print HUGE” provided a level of detail and realism that desktop models simply cannot achieve.

Presentation Impact

The impact of our large-scale model on the presentation was profound. Judges were able to see our world in a tangible form, allowing them to fully appreciate the intricacies and thoughtfulness of our design. The model’s size and detail made it easier for them to visualize how Domain Bizarre would function in real life, enhancing the overall effect of our presentation.

Conclusion

The successful presentation of Domain Bizarre demonstrates the critical role that large-scale 3D printing can play in themed experience design. By collaborating with re:3D Inc., our project team was able to create a compelling and detailed massing model that brought our vision to life. This experience underscores the importance of innovative presentation tools in the field of themed entertainment, paving the way for future projects to push the boundaries of creativity and design.

For our team, the journey of Domain Bizarre was not just about presenting a project; it was about pioneering new methods of visual storytelling and spatial design. With the help of re:3D Inc., we showcased how large-scale 3D printing can transform abstract concepts into tangible realities, setting a new standard for themed experience presentations.

Mike Strong

Blog Post Author

3d printing Gigabot 3D printer Rapid Prototyping Themed Park

Overview

Tools Needed

Best Option

Second Option

Third Option

What is Klipper?

Explanation of Klipper Ecosystem

Klipper Commands

Simple Macros

How do I write my first macro?

Watch Mitchell demonstrate the process on how to set up your first macro (Timestamp - 6:50)

Complex Command Templates

Objects

Watch Mitchell demonstrate the process on how to set up TEMP_READ macro (Timestamp - 10:49)

Conditionals

Watch Mitchell demonstrate the process on how to set up CONDITIONALS (Timestamp - 12:02)

Loops

Watch Mitchell demonstrate the process on how to set up LOOPS (Timestamp - 15:50)

Shell Commands/API Requests

Post Requests (API Requests)

Get Requests (API Requests)

Watch Mitchell demonstrate the process on how to set up Shell Commands and API Requests (Timestamp - 20:35)

Conclusion

PATRICK

WILL

ERIC

CHARLOTTE

CHRIS

MITCHELL

DOMENIC

The Gigabot FFF (Filament) Platform

MCU Thermocouple Errors

Terabot Hot End Conversion

Figure 3: Comparison of 20 Series hot ends (a) and standard hot ends (b) installed on a Terabot.

The GigabotX FGF (Pellet) Platform

Software Improvements

re:Bugger

Bed Mesh Compensation

Helm

Figure 5: Comparison of the HELM GUIs - older version on top, updated version on bottom.

Beta Testing Programs

R&D Programs

ReCreateIt (NSF)

Figure 8: ReCreateIt Soft Opening at the AHFH ReStore.

“Bigger, Better, Faster” FGF (DOD/US Army)

Figure 9: Printer frame with HMI/control pedestal (a); extruder mounted on z-axis actuator with temporary side hopper (b); inside view of HMI/control pedestal during initial wiring (c).

Figure 11: AMTPS printer axes definitions (a) and motor locations (b).

Water Bottle Granulation (DOE)

Big Bots, Big Ideas

Collaborations with Our Local Community

Culture, Celebrated in Layers

Designed for People

Creative Chaos at Haystack

Designed by Shelby Doyle and printed on GBX2 XLT

Functional Tools, Fun Fixes

A Year of Creative Response

So what’s next?

Polynessian tiki statue at the Aloha Tower plaza in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

Beaches. Lots of beaches.

Sunset at Waikiki Beach, Honolulu,Hawai’i.

Figure 1: New Gigabot extruder cooling design under test (a-B); 32-minute 3DBenchy printed using upgraded cooling (c).

Figure 2: Experimental mount for a bed sensor on the GBX extruder shown in green (a); GBX part cooling fans attached to the back of the extruder cover (b).

Figure 3: 60mm bridging with part cooling on a GBX (a); poor bridging and spanning without part cooling (b); good bridging and spanning over 100mm with part cooling (c).

Figure 4: New GBX disc coupling under evaluation.

Figure 5: Current ‘beta’ crammer design.

Figure 6. CAD image of new hose clamp design.

Figure 7: Fluidized bed system implemented on a GBX. (Image credit: Pannier, 2023)

Figure 8. Fluidized bed system configuration. (Image credit: Pannier, 2023)

Figure 9: Vibration motor attached to GBX feedtube (a); recycled polycarbonate prints without and with vibration motor activated (b).

Software Improvements

Mesh Compensation Enhancements

Figure 10: Depiction of thermally-induced deflection of a mechanically constrained bedplate.

Figure 11: Bed heightmap generated from the eddy current sensor and bed mesh compensation software.

Klipper Stack V0.5.0

Improved Print Recovery

Introducing Helm: A New Web Application for Printer Fleet Management

Figure 12: Helm dashboard.

R&D Programs

Figure 13: Gigalab at Engine-4 in Bayamón, PR (a-b); Fort Leonard Wood Gigalabs (c); Gigalabs with wind turbine power at Cannon Air Force Base (d).

ReCreateIt (NSF)