A 3D printer that can easily travel with you is probably not an everyday necessity for most people, but it was for Emmanuel Adetutu. So, he decided to design and build his own compact 3D printer that only sacrificed the machine’s footprint, but none of the print quality. The TeeBotMax is a completely open source 3D printer and all of the files are now available online, so you can build your own.
The TeeBotMax is based off of several RepRap-style 3D printers and his own first attempt at an open source collapsible fabricator is the TeeBot. When his friends began asking if they could have their own versions, only bigger, Adetutu obliged and the TeeBotMax was born.
The TeeBotMax is a pretty simple build, for experienced Makers, that requires five stepper motors, RepRap compatible electronics, a 12-volt power supply, and various rods, bearings and pulleys. It’s a basic RepRap machine at heart and uses all standard and readily available parts. There are even places where you can purchase the standard 3D printer components as a complete RepRap kit.
You can see the TeeBoxMax in action here:
When fully assembled, the printer is about 19.6in x 15.74in x 20.86in (500mm x 400mm x 530mm) with a respectable build volume of 7.87in x 7.87in x 9.84in (200mm x 200mm x 250mm) and a heated bed. When folded up, the TeeBotMax is 19.6in x 15.74in x 7.08in (500mm x 400mm x 180mm), only weighs about 15 pounds (7kg), and should easily fit in any medium sized suitcase.
This is a pretty cool little portable 3D printer that packs away easily and neatly, but looks as though it produces some pretty high quality prints. The print resolution is 0.1mm, using a 0.4mm j head nozzle and manages a print speed of 120mm/s. The TeeBotMax can use any standard ABS or PLA 3D printing materials, accommodating either 3mm or 1.75mm filament.
While Adetutu initially created the TeeMax as a travelling 3D printer, its ability to fold away is a nice feature for people with little storage space or living in a small apartment. You can download Adetutu’s complete in-depth build plans here, or use the walkthrough that he’s posted on his blog. The STL files for the 3D printed parts are located on Github as free downloads, and he has uploaded all of the build information to the RepRap Wiki.
