Can We Talk Tools for the "Maker Market"?

[evlttwin]

I've got the 3d printer that was mentioned in this thread. To add on about fusion360. Fusion 360 does let you 3d print things, but it also works for CNC machines where you can cut wood/metal/ any material you want.

Yep, and amazingly it's free. Pretty awesome of Autodesk to do that.

And there are a ton of How To videos on Youtube for people to learn how design their ideas. Just one video a day goes a long way.

 

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[Legend]

https://makezine.com/

Makezine is the top of the rabbit hole. Makers have been around for quite some time. There are even "maker spaces" where people gather resources to have different machines in a social community.

I was going to buy this before reading TMF - I still might later, but for personal use.
- Glowforge - the 3D laser printer

 

[Lex DeVille]

Makezine is the top of the rabbit hole. Makers have been around for quite some time. There are even "maker spaces" where people gather resources to have different machines in a social community.

I was going to buy this before reading TMF - I still might later, but for personal use.
- Glowforge - the 3D laser printer

I just bought one. If you do it let me know and I'll send a discount code. They give me a bonus in materials if I share and depending the model you get it's at least $100 off.

 

[evlttwin]

I just bought one. If you do it let me know and I'll send a discount code. They give me a bonus in materials if I share and depending the model you get it's at least $100 off.


View attachment 22756

What do you plan to make on that?

 

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[Lex DeVille]

What do you plan to make on that?

I got a million ideas, starting with this...

 

[evlttwin]

I got a million ideas, starting with this...

I will personally come to your house and draw that on your pie if you just give me the 4 grand instead.

 

[Andy Black]

wood filament from hatchbox:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01092XXD4/?tag=tff-amazonparser-20

Wuh? Wood filament? Speechless...

 

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[evlttwin]

MIT team develops 3D printer that's 10x faster than comparable 3D printers

 

[Bryan S]

Is there a freelance platform for makers?

The closest thing I found was Etsy, but you can't post a job and let makers come to you (as far as I can tell). Seems like a potential "next big thing" in freelancing. Where can I go to just post what I want and have someone pitch me on their services?

"I need a leather worker to create 50 custom leather shark laser key chains. If that's you, please send past samples and your price."

Is this a thing yet or is this an opportunity?

I imagine you could just contact a seller on etsy that does the closest thing to what you want and ask for your specifics.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I imagine you could just contact a seller on etsy that does the closest thing to what you want and ask for your specifics.

It's an option, but I want people to come to me. If I have to go to them then I waste time searching, sending messages, and hoping they can do what I need. If I do all of that and it turns out they can't, or if they don't even respond, then I've wasted time for nothing.

If people come to me, then I only speak to those who said they can do the job to my exact specifications. Plus I only get people who need the job bad enough that they are willing to fight for it.

 

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[Bryan S]

It's an option, but I want people to come to me. If I have to go to them then I waste time searching, sending them a message, and hoping they can do what I need. If I do all of that and it turns out they can't, or if they don't even respond, then I've wasted time for nothing.

If people come to me, then I only speak to those who said they can do the job to my exact specifications. Plus I only get people who need the job bad enough that they are willing to fight for it.

I'm not suggesting it wouldn't work, but typically the people that can accomplish these things are already operating businesses. Now I would like to extrapolate on your idea a little bit. I would find great utility in a website that allowed bidding on peoples ideas. It would be similar to what we're doing now and a bidder could go through and purchase licensing rights to your idea. It would obviously be well documented so there's no way for anyone to steal the idea.

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

Also in the maker department, xacto knives, glues, electronics such as arduino and servo motors when dealing with robotics which is a hobby of mine, though I'm shit at making robots. So the things that not only make the parts for makers, but the things that help them make the parts better or hold them together. Just another shovel standpoint.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

It would obviously be well documented so there's no way for anyone to steal the idea.

That won't stop people from stealing the idea. If the idea is sitting in the public domain, people will steal it. And if things escalate, only then the lawyers/judges decide.

We have a section on the inside called Ideas Needing Execution (INEs) and we do something similar. But once the idea is posted, anyone can use it. Purchasing the idea only makes the idea disappear so no one else can review it.

 

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[G-Man]

OPPORTUNITY

Anyone know of an affordable machine for making corrugated boxes?

Would love to control my packaging instead of paying crazy prices for U.S. or playing guessing games with China. I like this idea because it's a service most crafters and makers need.

All I've found so far were industrial size machines that need a full-size warehouse or manufacturing facility and a team of people to operate. On the sourcing websites they go for $20,000 up to $500,000 or more.

Plus it seems like you need several different machines to complete the process. This could make a good Kickstarter project if someone could figure it out. Here's what a smaller machine looks like. Not exactly small-space friendly. Definitely not wallet friendly.

I've wondered about this myself - and it's hard for me to imagine downsizing, and I think any cost savings would be blown out the window because you need to be able to buy that raw corrugate material in huge amounts.

Surprised no one has made a machine that makes paper box retail packages, you know prints, then cuts them?

If a guy wanted to make a quick and dirty box for, say, a candle, he could probably buy the paper stock, print it on a laser printer, then, experiment with his mom's Cricut to cut the box and etch the fold lines. After that it's just a little glue and some patience.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Looks like Amazon has tabletop kilns for casting precious metals for about $500. Not sure what all you can use something like this for, but I'm pretty sure you could make some really cool stuff (or at least melt some cool stuff).

 

[G-Man]

All this stuff brings out the 12 year old version of myself that built a backyard trebuchet.

I think we’re all makers until “education” drills it out of us.

 

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[Nackog]

This is a great thread!

Does anyone have any experience with 3d scanners? The idea that you can scan something, then model it and either 3d print it or cut it out of a block with a CNC mill unlocks all sorts of possibilities. I've done some searching and it seems like they can be purchased for less than $1000 for more basic desktop models (for small parts) and around $5k-$6k for ones that can scan large areas.

 

[evlttwin]

This is a great thread!

Does anyone have any experience with 3d scanners? The idea that you can scan something, then model it and either 3d print it or cut it out of a block with a CNC mill unlocks all sorts of possibilities. I've done some searching and it seems like they can be purchased for less than $1000 for more basic desktop models (for small parts) and around $5k-$6k for ones that can scan large areas.

The $30 3D scanner V7 updates by daveyclk

 

[Legend]

Looks like Amazon has tabletop kilns for casting precious metals for about $500. Not sure what all you can use something like this for, but I'm pretty sure you could make some really cool stuff (or at least melt some cool stuff).

@Lex DeVille - In the spirit of "making", you can also make your own ;-)

View: https://youtu.be/hHD10DjxM1g

 

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[YoungPadawan]

Is there a freelance platform for makers?

The closest thing I found was Etsy, but you can't post a job and let makers come to you (as far as I can tell). Seems like a potential "next big thing" in freelancing. Where can I go to just post what I want and have someone pitch me on their services?

"I need a leather worker to create 50 custom leather shark laser key chains. If that's you, please send past samples and your price."

Is this a thing yet or is this an opportunity?

I think there's something called "Makers Row" that does something like this.

 

[karakoram]

A DIY foundry could be used to cast jewelry like rings, broached , etc. You could get raw material (gold) from old, discarded PCBAs (printed circuit board assemblies).

Regarding the original topic:
Here's an idea given to me by another Maker: he designed a device (a PCBA) based on Arduino, for the IOT. It featured the ability to create a mesh network. He needed to assemble many hundreds of these PCBAs to meet his Indiegogo orders. He was going crazy trying to put these together by hand. They were all SMT components. He saw one of my 3D printers and asked me if they could be used to build a pick-and-place machine and the answer is yes. Programming it would be an investment though, as it has to work with PCB CAD systems.

 

[Evil_Jester]

I make my own electronics with arduino (open source hardware/software). You can literally make any robotic application or any electronics you can think of. A 10 minute youtube tutorial will show you whatever you want to build with a list of components to buy.

 

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[Hijena1]

Vaquform
Professional-grade thermoforming made compact, affordable and easy-to-use. Claims you can start manufacturing from home instead of just prototyping. It's in pre-order stage now.

Hot Foil Stamping Machine
This one comes thanks to a link @RazorCut sent me. I'm not sure on the quality, so I'd probably look for a better model. If anyone has a link to something more reliable even if it's a higher price, I'd like to see it.

Vaquform is awesome! Imagine what you can do with it.

I was just searching for a 3D printer thread. I know some guy who prints prototypes for companies or private people. I don't know what model he is using.

Very interesting are: Dental 3D printing and even Organs(its already here but I still can't imagine it)!

 

[Raitis]

Many of the nicer looking machines like the Cricut range, Glowforge some other displayed here are at a toy level even for makers. They are mainly meant to inspire you, get that gleam in the eyes and the dreams of making all the things. The reality is that they often lack in key areas like software and formats you can use, customizing the machine for your use, handling a wide range of materials.

The machines that really enabled maker scene to rise come from China in the form of lasers, printers, routers and other stuff that is 5X cheaper while still having the same or better specs as their western counterparts. Yes, the reliability is not exactly up there, but as makers we can sort that part out for the price.

And then, when those became cheap we started making other machines with the help of cheap 3D printed parts and alike. This was mostly enabled by open source projects out there.

I've been in the maker scene for a while, first as a hobby, then worked for a year in a commercial makerspace where I learned a load of useful skills and became the part of a wider maker community. Been building Coke peddling robots, been a part of a hardware campaign on Kickstarter and now I'm manufacturing hardware prototypes and customized products. If you need some help with stuff related to physical products and the machines used to make them - feel free to PM me or reply in thread if relevant. Will be glad to help.

As for the machines, here are some of those that are good enough to run small manufacturing runs while being cheap enough to buy and maintain:

• Lasers and CNC routers from China - look into G Weike - gwklaser.com
• Great CNC Routers in kit form from the US - cncrouterparts.com
• For larger sheet routing at a funny price point (at the cost of precision) - check out Maslow CNC
• A good first printer choice for those who want a machine that will work, but don't want to go well into 4 digits on it: Prusa MK3 from prusa3d.com. Chinese clones are likely cheaper, but they had to skimp on something.
• If you only want to laser engrave, look into LED lasers and you will cut the mess with laser tubes, mirrors and to an extent coolers.
• If you want to 3D print at home without any smell - try PETG plastic as PLA still smells. Bonus - PETG is easy to print and has phenomenal strength.
• Bonus: do yourself a favor and get some extra sharp blades for your breakaway knife. I prefer Olfa's ASBB (the black ones): 9mm Precision Ultra-Sharp Black Snap-off Blades, 10 pack (ABB-10B) | OLFA - Professional

Software:
CAD, CAM - Fusion360
Vector graphics: Inkscape (free), Adobe Illustrator (paid)
Print preparation: Slic3r (free), Simplify3D (paid)
PCB design: KiCad (free)

As for the box making machine and all that - getting custom cut boxes isn't that expensive where I live, but if you need just a few boxes - a laser cutter can do the job. I think there were layout generators software wise as that is the main time sink.

I could go on and on about all of this, but doubt anyone will read it. Hopefully this provided some value.

P. S. Not sure if applies for the pumpkin pie, but laser engraved cookies taste awful since the laser burns sugar. Laser engraved apples were okay though! Might make for a nice special touch for someone in the event business.

 

[rollerskates]

"I need a leather worker to create 50 custom leather shark laser key chains. If that's you, please send past samples and your price."

Is this a thing yet or is this an opportunity?

Etsy runs a weekly thread in the "Promos" section of their forums called "Post your custom item requests here". Alchemy was better, but like someone said, it was shut down.

One thing I like, that Tandy leather just came out with in a small version, is a clicker press:

Craftool Pro Clicker Press

For those who don't know what it is, it's like a big cookie cutter machine for leather shapes. For years, I've actually used a scrapbook die cutter called a Bigkick, because their dies can be used with leather, but you have to hand crank everything. I cannot tell you how many thousands of leather shapes I have manually cranked out on that thing. There are other versions out there, but this looks good for small scale desktop use. Would be a huge time saver! And speaking of selling shovels, it would be great for anyone who's looking to sell pre cut leather parts to other makers--that's a huge business.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

Here's something that is in the process of blowing my mind...

Apparently when you heat this clay up it becomes 99% silver.

Art Clay® Silver, low fire, slow dry formula. Sold per 10-gram pkg.

For Custom Metal Clay Designs
Art Clay is a soft, supple clay mixed with fine silver or gold precious metal powder to create one-of-a-kind custom jewelry. Art clay fires to 99.9% pure silver or 100% 22Kt gold. Shape the metal clay, let dry, fire and polish. The result is a quality piece of custom precious metal art.

 

[Lex DeVille]

Etsy runs a weekly thread in the "Promos" section of their forums called "Post your custom item requests here". Alchemy was better, but like someone said, it was shut down.

One thing I like, that Tandy leather just came out with in a small version, is a clicker press:

Craftool Pro Clicker Press

For those who don't know what it is, it's like a big cookie cutter machine for leather shapes. For years, I've actually used a scrapbook die cutter called a Bigkick, because their dies can be used with leather, but you have to hand crank everything. I cannot tell you how many thousands of leather shapes I have manually cranked out on that thing. There are other versions out there, but this looks good for small scale desktop use. Would be a huge time saver! And speaking of selling shovels, it would be great for anyone who's looking to sell pre cut leather parts to other makers--that's a huge business.

That looks super useful. Never considered how much of a pain it might be to cut hand crank leather slices. Sounds like a lot of work.

 

[JunkBoxJoey_JBJ]

...Maker Market...I was hoping we might have some "Makers" among us...What opportunities are there for tools or machines that haven't been scaled down yet?
Glowforge - Laser Engraver
Cricut - Cutting Machine
Carvey - Carving Machine

Ha! My brother searched "What can you do with old (insert appliance here)" last week because he was tired of seeing them on Craigslist and a ton of homemade items came up on DDG. He's making a plan to cut designs in them as a barn project and sell some things now known to me as "Maker Market" items.

Once again, great timing @LexDeVille

 

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[evlttwin]

 

[ZF Lee]

Anyone knows of wrapping machines? The kinds that you use to wrap furniture and goods before you put them in boxes for shipping?

I had to do F*cking ton of plastic-wrapping when helping to move house for family (so that the furniture won't be dirtied during shipping/renovation), but doing it by hand and shifting the furniture about was hard work!

I remember seeing wrapping machines at airports, but they were pretty big and would cost too much to be brought into personal/small biz usage. I would love to see a mini-version of a wrapping machine.