One common theme amongst 3D printers is that most of them print layer by layer. The printing is normally started on a flat build platform and grows from there. This is limiting though since with this limitation you would not be able to do things such as build a design around a curved platform or on an irregular surface. This 6 Axis prototype 3D printer changed that by giving the depositing head freedom to move in 6 axis of motion. Of course this would increase the complexity of the printer and the end cost but could this be where all 3D printers are in 5 years? I have heard that some of the basic 3D printers with the standard flat stage and XY print movement can be a pain to calibrate, I wonder how much more dificult it would be to calibrate a 6 axis system?
Via Hacked Gadgets.
That’s why you have powder 3D printers…
This would be useful if you wanted to build a continuous-filament fiber-reinforced composite, though. I notice the video shows only a single layer starting, not actually building up a volume.
They show printing on the surface of a bottle, but fail to rotate the bottle. The ability to rotate the surface would have been nice. Which leads to the question: how important is the surface platform you build on, to the final product?