flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

A robotic arm can 3D print, etch, solder, and carve from a desktop

BIM and Information Technology

A robotic arm can 3D print, etch, solder, and carve from a desktop

It’s not just a 3D printer. The creators say Makerarm can also etch, solder, and put icing on cake.


By Adilla Menayang, Assistant Digital Editor | October 19, 2015
A robotic arm can 3D print, etch, solder, and carve from a desktop

The device has an arm with a 180-degree sweep and 10 inches of Z-travel, cantilevered on a column that mounts to a work surface. Photo courtesy of Makerarm via Kickstarter

Usually, 3D printers available for the average consumer come in a box. But Core 77 reports that entrepreneur Zaib Husain and engineer Azam Shahani have come up with a prototype called Makerarm that goes against the boxed expectation.

Their device has an arm with a 180-degree sweep and 10 inches of Z-travel, cantilevered on a column that mounts to a work surface. The arm can reach up to 16 inches.

But calling the device a desktop 3D printer will be an understatement. In the project’s Kickstarter video, we learn that Makerarm can solder, level, carve, etch, cut sheets, engrave plastic and leather, carve wood, and even feed your fish, to name a few. Perhaps the icing on the cake is Makerarm’s ability to, well, put icing on cake.

The plethora of activities is thanks to changeable tool heads that can be fastened to the arm, such as a screw fastening head, laser engraving head, 3D printing head, and foam cutting head.

The creators argue that Makerarm can be a solution to creators that don’t have a lot of access to every tool, machine, or material that is too expensive, and instead have them all in one desktop robotic arm.

So far, the project has raised $197,229 of its $349,750 goal with the help of 181 backers, and it has 22 days to go.

 

Related Stories

| May 24, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: Applying machine learning to building design, Daniel Davis, WeWork

Daniel Davis offers a glimpse into the world at WeWork, and how his team is rethinking workplace design with the help of machine learning tools.

| May 24, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: Learning from Silicon Valley - Using SaaS to automate AEC, Sean Parham, Aditazz

Sean Parham shares how Aditazz is shaking up the traditional design and construction approaches by applying lessons from the tech world.

| May 24, 2017

Accelerate Live! talk: The data-driven future for AEC, Nathan Miller, Proving Ground

In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! (May 11, 2017, Chicago), Nathan Miller presents his vision of a data-driven future for the business of design.

Big Data | May 24, 2017

Data literacy: Your data-driven advantage starts with your people

All too often, the narrative of what it takes to be ‘data-driven’ focuses on methods for collecting, synthesizing, and visualizing data.

AEC Tech | May 23, 2017

A funny thing may happen on the way to AI

As AI proves safe, big business will want to reduce overhead.

Building Technology | May 5, 2017

Tips for designing and building with bathroom pods

Advancements in building technology and ongoing concerns about labor shortages make prefabrication options such as bathrooms pods primed for an awakening.

BIM and Information Technology | Apr 24, 2017

Reconciling design energy models with real world results

Clark Nexsen’s Brian Turner explores the benefits and challenges of energy modeling and discusses how design firms can implement standards for the highest possible accuracy.

BIM and Information Technology | Apr 17, 2017

BIM: What do owners want?

Now more than ever, owners are becoming extremely focused on leveraging BIM to deliver their projects.

Sustainable Design and Construction | Apr 5, 2017

A new app brings precision to designing a building for higher performance

PlanIt Impact's sustainability scoring is based on myriad government and research data.

BIM and Information Technology | Mar 28, 2017

Digital tools accelerated the design and renovation of one contractor’s new office building

One shortcut: sending shop drawings created from laser scans directly to a wood panel fabricator.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Great Solutions

41 Great Solutions for architects, engineers, and contractors

AI ChatBots, ambient computing, floating MRIs, low-carbon cement, sunshine on demand, next-generation top-down construction. These and 35 other innovations make up our 2024 Great Solutions Report, which highlights fresh ideas and innovations from leading architecture, engineering, and construction firms.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021