1. Developing the 3DPrintMi DIY Printer
Hello, My name is Chris, one of the founders of The Printing Bay, a 3D printing studio in Waltham MA. If you want to know more about us, come check out our website….BUT today, I’m here to talk about a personal project of mine, the 3DPrintMi a DIY 3D printer.
Christopher Lau

2. Lack of documentation Difficult to assemble No tech support Expensive
I learned about 3Dprinters several years ago and decided that I wanted to build one. There are many different models available, and that if I wanted to build my own, I would have to track down the instructions, which were scattered in various websites and videos, and often incomplete. Tech support was essentially a chat room of 3d printing enthusiasts. The challenges I faced in building my first 3D Printer kit inspired me to design and build my own 3d printer that’s easy to assemble with easy to follow instructions. This printer is called the 3DPMI.
Lack of documentation
Difficult to assemble
No tech support
Expensive

3. Easy to build: Fewer parts and comprehensive instructions
If you’re familiar with 3D printing designs, you can see that the 3DPrintMi was influenced by my first printer, the PrintrBot.
Easy to build
During the development stage, I tried to simplify the printer design by reducing the number of parts needed. In order to improve the building experience, I put a lot of effort into creating instructions that were comprehensive and easy to follow.
Mostly printed parts
The primary goal for this printer was to incorporate the maximum number of printed parts. This also enables the printer to self replication. The printed parts are designed to be produced rapidly, efficiently and assembled easily. The current design is made of 60% of printed parts.
Affordable
The rest of the printer is made up of hardware that can be purchased at a local hardware store and once you add all the electronics, the cost of materials comes down to around $350.
Accessible
3DPrintMi was released under an open source license giving the public open access to the design files. This allows anyone to study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or hardware based on my design.
Easy to build: Fewer parts and comprehensive instructions
Mostly printed parts: 60% of printer is made of printed parts
Affordable: Cost of materials ~$350
Accessible: Open source

4. Evolution of the 3DPrintMi
Since developing the first 3Dprintmi, I’ve continued to improve the design to simplify and reduce costs. For example, as you can see in the picture, I redesigned the frame using different materials that have recently become popular.
First Design
Current Design

5. Thank You! Chris.g.lau@gmail.com
The Printing Bay 410 Moody Street Waltham, MA 02453