DIY Functional LEGO 3D Printer Build Which Is Super Cheap To Make

Many innovations are born out of necessity, and this is such a great example. Most people who can’t afford a 3D printer right now will be happy to wait until the prices come down more. But for some people, the idea of waiting is not good enough. Matthew Krueger is a student who was ready to experience 3D printing now, so he built his own functional LEGO 3D printer for himself. He had all the necessary LEGO bricks in his stash, so he built it without spending any money.

Although he didn’t have to spend any money on the parts, he did have to manually program every move. In other words, don’t mistake the fact that this project is cheap for it being easy. He was up for the challenge though, and the result is nothing short of amazing. It’s called the LEGObot.

It is a NXT-powered LEGO 3D printer that he modeled after the original Makerbot. Of course, it’s not as sophisticated as a regular 3D printer. For example, a traditional 3D printer prints with plastic. This LEGObot prints with hot glue (the extruder was made with a hot glue gun that he had on hand).

Matthew has currently working with someone who might be able to help him turn this into a more sophisticated LEGO 3D printer. However, even if it stays the way it is, it’s an incredible build that I think will impress even the most hardcore 3D printing and LEGO geeks.

Matthew has been working on this LEGO 3D printer for about a year. You can click over to LEGObot 3D Printer on Instructables to read more about it. The instructions, files and programs he used are all right there on Instructables. You can also check out this short interview he did with Gizmag. It’s one thing to create something with LEGO bricks. It’s an entirely different thing to create something out of LEGO bricks that has never been created before. Inspiring!

DIY Functional LEGO 3D Printer Build

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Via: [Design Taxi]