This Insane Six-Axis 3D Printer Even Works On Curved Surfaces

This Insane Six-Axis 3D Printer Even Works On Curved Surfaces


Still upset about breaking the handle on your favourite mug? A 3D printer can make it as good as new, and thanks to researchers at the University of Southern California, the process is even easier now since they’ve developed a printer that can build directly on curved surfaces.

The most common 3D printer design on the market has a print head with just three axes of movement, which means the printer and the table have to remain perfectly flat and stable at all times. But with six axes of movement, the print head on this creation works on angled and even curved surfaces, meaning a replacement handle could be printed directly onto a mug.

The catch, of course, is that the printer involves far more components than the models offered by companies like Makerbot, which means they’ll be expensive to build and maintain. So if and when they’re perfected and made ready for primetime, they’ll likely only be affordable to companies in need of rapid prototyping systems, or those who intend to turn an immediate profit. In other words, don’t expect Makerbot to release a six-axis model anytime soon. [Fabbaloo via Boing Boing]

This Insane Six-Axis 3D Printer Even Works On Curved Surfaces


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

It’s the most popular NBN speed in Australia for a reason. Here are the cheapest plans available.

At Gizmodo, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.