Open Source 3D printer with rigid aluminum casing. Looks greats, prints amazing. Low cost and assembled in couple of hours.
Read more
44
backers
£19,685
Replay with sound
Open Source 3D printer with rigid aluminum casing. Looks greats, prints amazing. Low cost and assembled in couple of hours.
About this project
LAUNCHED ON 05/04/2013 , lets get going :)
Read about Cyrus:
3Ders
Cyrus Website
Linux and Life
3Druck
TechCityNews
3Dprintingindustry
Teched
3Dprinter-World
3Dprinter.net
Why Cyrus printer:
Cyrus closes the gap between consumers and makers. The beautiful metallic black frame blends nicely into any interior, whether it being the office or at home. When I first started on this project I wanted a printer which had a large build envelope, expandable, multiple printheads, heated bed, operate it standalone. On top of all of this, it MUST look like something I would buy in store. And I believe with Cyrus I have achieved this. The only question remains... DOES IT BLEND? not yet...but you can strap a dremel on it ;)
It’s in the name:
3D printing belongs to the world and each person should be able to have access to it. From kids to entrepreneurs who have great ideas but cannot afford prototyping. With this philosophy in mind, I turned to the first(arguable) human rights charter, “The Cyrus Cylinder”, where the basic human rights is set in clay. I believe (like many others) 3D printing will become as essential as running water. Whether it's printing toys for kids, or operating it on solar power in a desert area and repairing essential parts which are nowhere near to be found.
On a personal note, I want to thank Qasim from Statiqdesigns for making this beautiful logo and for being patient with my eternal nagging.
Open Source:
Although I do get some credit for creating Cyrus, it belongs to everyone and not only me. I've designed it to be as much as possible open source to diminish the dependency of spare parts on 1 sole retailer, and more important... dependency on ME...it would be madness for someone in USA to order a set of stepper drivers from me and paying the double just to cover the shipping costs!
- The Extruder will be machined, tested by the QU-BD team in the USA
(Kickstarter)
- The frame is build out of the makerbeam system (Kickstarter)
- All of the screws/nuts are M3 size
- The LCD panel is created by (ReprapDiscount)
- The rods are 8mm thick steel rod
- Stepper motors are standard high torque nema 17
- Electronics is a modified RAMPS 1.4 which is open source
- All printed parts will become open source
- The XY movements are in a H-Belt configuration. There are others before me who have succesfully used the coreXY. CoreXY ,just to name one
If have left anyone out from the reprap community to be included in the list, please let me know :).
As you can see, there is NOTHING closed. All of the parts can be purchases worldwide with different reprap retailers!. Except for the casing. If some wish to build a Cyrus on their own after the kickstarter campaign, they can build the outer frame with makerbeams, and reinforce if needed with some DIY plates. Or if you got access to a CNC machine, you can machine the plates yourself.
Comparison:
Rewards:
I've chosen to provide the Cyrus as kit and assembled. All of the awards come with optional perks. You can add the LCD panel, second print head, heated bed if you want to. Or if you don't want to, just leave it out :).
After you're pledge, return to the main project page. You will now see a new button "manage your pledge" under the button "days to go". You can add the extra funds. I will be contacting each supporter.
I will start making tutorial videos the moment the Kickstarter goal is reached.
The early bird supporters get a extra discount for jumping in and supporting the project at early stage
All of the rewards are excluding shipping, each destination is different and different pricing. It would be unfair to charge someone in Italy the same shipping price as someone in Australia. Check the FAQ section to see how much the shipping will be for you and add this on top of your pledge.
T-Shirt perks:
Maybe you already own a 3D printer, or just supported another 3D printer project on kickstarter, You can still support the project with the T-shirt perk. You will get a cool T-shirt with the Cyrus logo on it. ( the same I wear in the video :) ) . It's simple, classy and good quality. And you will also be on the wall of fame on the website between the list of supporters.
Cyrus the Great Perk:
- You will receive Cyrus fully loaded with Dual Extruder, Heated bed and
LCD panel.
- The Cyrus logo will be "pimped" with official swarovski gems.
- You will get the cool T-shirt displayed above.
- You will be named on the wall of fame on the website.
- You will get a early version of the Bluetooth dongle.
- Worldwide shipping included
Pictures:
Cyrus and behind the "Scenes"
Risks and challenges
I've designed cyrus in a way that it does not rely on 1 company to deliver the parts.
- The electronics will be provided by a a reliable reprap supplier
- The mechanics will be supplied by makerbeam europe.
- The extruder, heated bed, some NEMA motors will be supplied by QU-BD.
It's reliable, good service and over 1000 current users of their extruders and
counting.
However there are some challenges. The plates are CNC machined by myself. and depending on how well the campaign goes, I will machine the plates myself. If the number of kits outgrows my capability, I will choose a external company to machine the plates at a early stage.
I have already and received quotes from the relevant suppliers, some like the makerbeam and qu-bd have been kept in the loop from the beginning, others have delivered samples for me to test the prototype on like the electronics and LCD panel. The aluminium plates are locally purchased to prevent possible delays.
From A to Z once funds are released.
1) Collect data from the supporters, chosen rewards, address, contact etc to
keep everyone in the loop, and regulary update the campaign page
2) confirm and place the order with makerbeam, qu-bd, aluminium plates etc
3) Send out the T-Shirt rewards
4) create video tutorials for the kit awards
5) Assemble a printer farm for fast printing the plastic parts
6) Package a sample printer and send it to myself to make sure the
packaging is adequate to protect the printer.
7) Send out the rewards
8) activate the support forum on cyrusprinter.com
FAQ
-
The LCD controller allows you operate the 3D printer standalone. This means you can just plug the printer in any random room. You then generate the GCODE on your computer or any computer in the house of office, and place this on the SDcard. You can put the SD card in the LCD controller and start the print job.
Other benefits of a LCD controller are you can change the firmware settings/move axis/preheat the heated bed.
the LCD controller is beneficial, but not necessary.
-
Shipping destination is divided into 2 categories: Europe and Rest of the world (inc USA )
Europe: 45,- pounds
Rest of the world (inc USA): 99,- poundsThe shipping is with Track&Trace, Insured and signature is needed when delivered.
-
The kit will come with everything you need to assemble it, nuts, screws, heatsink glue etc etc. only thing you need is some hex/philips screwdrivers, and off course some plastic
-
You need 3 kinds of software: Modelling, Slicer and interface.
You can use whatever program you want aslong as STL format is supported. Google sketchup, autodesk, solidworks etc just to name a few
The STL file needs to be sliced into a acceptable GCODE which Cyrus can understand. All of the sample pictures in the campaign have been sliced with Slic3r program. Slic3r is open source, free, strong community support, regulary updated and fast.
Now you got your GCODE, the last piece of software is the interface software, this allows you to communicate with the printer and send commands and printjobs to it.
I use pronterface myself, it looks very neat and the GUI is straightforward and learning curve is maybe 10minutes. Pronterface is available for free as a package with Slic3r built in.This is my personal set-up, there are other modelling, slicer and interface program available, both free ones and paid ones. Check out the reprap page for more on this.
-
An heated bed is an interesting option if you want to print ABS plastic with it. ABS tends to warp, and larger objects will even crack during print. An heated bed minimizes the chance of curling. It is also beneficial to have when printing Nylon.
If you only want to print PLA plastic (most people use this), then you won't be needing a heated bed.
-
Dual extruder is also an option.This allows you to print in either 2 colours, or in 2 different materials. You can print the object in one material, while printing the support in other material. This allows you to clean the part better afterwords.
Dual colour printing is still in early development in reprap community, but it is very interesting for people who want to print in 2 different materials. Dual extruder does not make it print faster, but because of the extra load, I think you would need to slow it down actually for quality print.
Support this project
Funding period
- (35 days)