The Tantillus 3D Printer

Is a truly portable opensource 3D printer . Tantillus provides easy computer-less printing in a stunning beautiful small package. With the ability to reproduce its entire case Tantillus comes the closest any RepRap has become to being a self reproducing machine.

The designer of the Tantillus on youtube

Sublime and the Tantillus

Please click the link above to watch and see what you are going to build

Background information

The RepRap project was conceived in 2004 by Dr. Adrian Bowyer to build an opensource machine capable of making usable items in 3 dimensions and eventually be able to make complete copies of itself. Only a short time after the idea had been seeded the RepRap project was born. In the spring of 2007 the very first Replicating Rapid-prototyper was built at Bath University in the U.K. which started a landslide of development over the past 5 years to bring us to this point. Essentially we now have a desktop factory for your home capable of making replacement parts for all your broken toys, gadgets and remote controls missing battery covers.

Why is it needed

If your friends ever wanted parts or if you wanted to go to a maker faire you had to carry round an i3 or Makerbot which to me is sheer madness – each time you have to reset everything  , so portability was required and the  Tantillus was born to meet this need.

Features

• Compact case (240mm x 240mm x 300mm).
• Light weight (4kg with power supply).
• Capable of reproducing its entire case.
• Commonly-available parts.
• Computer-less printing via LCD screen and SD card.
• Mobile printing.
• High speeds of 300mm/s + are possible.
• High resolution printing (X/Y step resolution of 8 micron per step,  Z step resolution of 0.4 micron per step) minimum X/Y radius limited by nozzle diameter, Z resolution limited by the properties of the plastic being used.
• Quiet operation.
• Build area of 100mm x 100mm x 100mm.

What can it do

Most items available on Thingiverse fit on Tantillus’ build platform.

You can also design your own parts using a CAD package and also replicate all the parts and build another one!

It does not have a heated bed as a standard so printing with PLA is the best option.

Where can I get one?

Well unless you can find a ready built one somewhere online you will have to build it yourself and source all of the parts.

What you will need – without all of the specifics

• 1   –   Hardware kit
• 1   –   Acrylic parts kit
• 1   –   Printed parts kit
• 1   –   16×2 LCD screen.
• 1   –   SD card break out board.
• 1   –   20 click encoder.
• 2m –  10way rainbow ribbon cable.
• 4   –   1×4 2.54mm (0.100″) connectors.
• 2m –  14g zip black/red zip wire.
• 1   –   Roll of 8mm Kapton tape.
• 2   –   J-head hotends. 0.5mm and 0.35mm (0.5mm recommended to start, 0.35mm is for experienced users with patience)
• 4   –   Nema 17 stepper motors.
• 1   –   Electronics. (RAMPS)
• 4   –   Stepstick stepper drivers.
• 1   –   90watt laptop power supply.
• 1   –   Q type power connector for power supply.
• 30cm – Heat shrink tubing. (2.5mm and 3.5mm)
• 1   –   2gb SD card.
• 2   –   12v 40mm fans.
• 4   –   Crimp connectors for hotend.
• 1   –   3mm glass build surface.
• 1   –   Roll of 50mm 3M Scotch blue tape.
• 1   –   Hex keys for supplied hardware kit.

What do I do when I have all this stuff

Download this [download id=”939″] – This is the link to everything technical that I could find.

So you have all the hardware , the Laser cut frame , the 3D printed parts – if you cant get anything then reply on this blog as I am able to help you find what you need.

Time to sort out your workshop or work area

You will need some tools – this is what I feel is the minimum amount that you can get away with

• Utility knife

• Drill

• Sand paper

• A hex set in millimeters

• 13mm spanner

• Pliers

• Soldering Iron & Solder

• Wire Stripper

• Wire Cutters

• Wire Crimpers

• Assorted drill bits

• Tap and die set

Make sure your work area is clean and tidy  and safe to work in . Health and safety is of paramount importance.

Finally make sure you have somewher{e to go for help and guidance during your build.I would suggest the forum on here,your local hackerspace ,maybe good old Facebook and the guys on github.

 

So we are ready to get started – In part 2 we will be building a Tantillus