Reader Input
Thoughts, tips, and musings from readers like you.Page 08
Make: Volume 48 – Fab Factory
Presenting the Ultimate Guide to Desktop Fabrication. With 39 machines tested and reviewed, this issue will help you find your next 3D printer, CNC, or vinyl cutter. In this issue, you’ll:
- Find great things to make on a CNC router or laser cutter
- Learn all about the cool materials you can use in a 3d printer
- See some fantastic endmills to use in your CNC machining projects
- Build your own DIY clock, drip coffee stand, and mechanical iris
ON THE COVER: Lulzbot’s Taz 5 melted our minds with its high scores, great documentation, and open specs.
Table of Contents
COLUMNS
Beautiful Obsessives
Rafe Needleman
Make:’s new Editor-in-Chief Rafe Needleman talks about the delightfully obsessive qualities of master Makers.Page 10
Maker Pro Q&A: Dan Shapiro
DC Denison
Glowforge’s CEO believes a laser cutter should live beside your 3D printer.Page 11
PROJECTS
6 Awesome Things to 3D Print
Make: Editors
Start your printers — these projects are amazing and the 3D files are free.Page 12
TechFab Fusion
Mike Senese and Nathan Hurst
Anouk Wipprecht’s 21st-century fashion melds technology with a healthy dose of physicality.Page 13
11 Rad Things to CNC
Make: Editors
Fire up a CNC router or laser cutter to make these impressive, freely shared projects.Page 14
Supersized 7-Segment Clock
Matt Stultz
3D print this desktop LED clock with jumbo digits that glow from within.Page 16
CNC Drip Coffee Stand
Vishal Talwar
Use a robo-router to build this handsome pourover station for brewing your custom cuppa. Page 20
CNC Mechanical Iris
Caleb Kraft
Create this beautiful, eye-opening portal with your CNC or laser cutter.Page 22
REVIEWS
FILAMENT PRINTER REVIEWS
Taz 5 28; Printrbot Play 30; Ultimaker 2 Extended, Ultimaker 2 Go 32; LulzBot Mini 34; Zortrax M200 36; 3D Idea Builder 37; Printrbot Simple 38; Bukito 39; Da Vinci 1.0 Jr. 40; Rostock Max v2 41; Up Box, Afinia H800 42; Fusion3 F306 43; PowerSpec Ultra 44; Polar3D 45; IdeaPrinter F100 45; BeeInSchool 46; M3D Micro 46Page see above
RESIN PRINTER REVIEWS
Form 2 49; Nobel 1.0 50; Titan 1 51 LittleRP 52Page see above
CNC REVIEWS
Crawlbot 60; Nomad 883 62; Shapeoko 3 64; X-Carve 66; ShopBot Desktop 68; Printrbot CNC 69; Othermill 70; Carvey 71Page see above
VINYL CUTTER REVIEWS
Silhouette Cameo 77; Silhouette Portrait 78; MH871-MK2 78Page see above
SPECIAL SECTION
Fab Factory
Matt Stultz
Everything you need to know about desktop manufacturing.Page 24
How We Tested
Kacie Hultgren
Scientific comparison of nine different test designs lets us rank the capabilities of 19 FDM-type 3D printers.Page 27
Fabulous Filaments
Spencer Zawasky
Why use regular PLA or ABS when so many exotic alternatives abound?Page 47
The Rise of Resin
Matt Stultz
With new machines and new materials, light-curing SLA-type 3D printers come of age. Page 48
CNC and 3DP Software Glossary
John Abella
Making sense of all the fabrication acronyms.Page 54
A RepRap Family Tree
Chandi Campbell
Get to know the original open-source desktop 3D printers that started it all.Page 56
Subtractive Fabrication Steps Up
Luis Rodriguez
Eight portable CNC mills and routers, tested and reviewed.Page 58
Essential End Mills for CNC Machining
Luis Rodriguez
These useful cutting bits will get you going on most starter projects.Page 72
Laser Cutters
Matt Stultz and Kacie Hultgren
Here’s how to get started with the hottest tool for Makers.Page 73
Buying Your First Laser Cutter
Kacie Hultgren and Matt Stultz
These three entry-level options will have you beaming.Page 74
Why You Need a Vinyl Cutter
Matt Griffin
It’s your new digifab addiction (even if you don’t know it yet).Page 76
Ones to Watch
Caleb Kraft
These sleek machines are poised to change 3D printing.Page 79
Fab Factory Shootout: The Results
From educational favorites to portable powerhouses, these are the notable machines from our tests and reviews.Page 81
TOOLBOX
2015 Holiday Gift Guide
Mike Senese
The best tools and toys for the ones you love.Page 90
