I have a 3D printer that prints clay and made this little vase. I want to sell it on Etsy and thought it would be nice to make an animated GIF to show it off on all sides. Etsy, though, does not allow animated Gifs (maybe it is a good idea to limit there use). Facebook also seams to limit the use of animated GIFs. So, I am putting it here to see if it works.

And it works.

If you would like to see the vase look take a look at my Etsy shop.
The Vase: Copper Green and Blue Vase with dla
Gary's Shop of Neat Things


The pattern on the outside is based on a very simple diffusion limited aggregation algorithm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion-limited_aggregation) and created with a program that I wrote. Diffusion-limited_aggregation can be found in a variety of natural systems including mineral growth and electrical discharge, as well as others. The organic forms created may look like some types of seaweed or coral.

I was inspired by some other example of diffusion limited aggregation.
Bit Player is a blog by Brian Hayes that I like to check now and again. He has a bunch of interesting articles on math and science and new ways of looking at things. The banner at the top of the page is based on the DLA pattern.
Bit Player: An amateur’s outlook on computation and mathematics

Nervous Systems is a generative design studio creating, and selling some pretty amazing things based on algorithmically designed products and art. I think they are an example of the direction 3D printing can do a really good job. They have applications that allow customers to generate absolutely unique custom jewelry.
Nervous Systems

3D Clay Extruder

  My first 3D Printer 

a clay printer

I have been messing around for a while at the Brookside Cabinet Shop in Bethleham Connecticut and the Connecticut Hackerspace in Watertown Connecticut. It has been both educational and fun but I figure I had better start producing useful (or at least a little interesting) things before people start getting tired of hearing me talk. So, since the hackerspace has some machinery and the cabinet shop has machinery, well as materials, a giant CNC, and a new Pottery Shop (the 550 Gallery). I figured I should make a 3D printer, one that prints in clay.

First I looked around the web to see what others have done.

• Some reprap things:
  • Ceramic Extrusion
  • RepRap Powder Printer
  • David's Paste Extruder
• Universal Paste Extruder For 3D Printers by: RichRap at thingaverse.
• designboom: 3D ceramic printer"
• Brian Peters 3D Printed Bricks
  
• Israeli Student Develops Largest 3D Porcelain Printer 

There is some pretty good information out there. Some of the links are to powder type printers. They look promising but I have decided to work on a printer with an extrusion type printer.

This is what I have come up with.

 It is just a piece of 3/4" PVC stuck to a board and a screw with a plunger turned by a stepper (and a planetary gearbox I pulled out of a broken cordless rotary saw) to push the clay out a nozzle at the bottom of the PCV. The little stepper at the top of the picture on the right was a little to small and I borrowed a NEMA 23 motor to really get things to work.

The plunger was not quite tight enough in the PVC. You can see 2 or 3 inches of clay that slipped around the plunger in the picture on the left. So, I have added a hot glue gasket that works well.

Here are a few things I have made. Most of my work has been to make the hardware and I still have work to do to get the software end of things working.











I have also posted a video on Youtube (My 3D Printer in action). I hope to make some more improvements and post some more information about it soon. Enjoy.