Christopher LoBello has quickly reached his Kickstarter goal for the Makeraser and Makelastic accessories for finishing 3D prints well ahead of schedule. Both products, which Mike introduced last year, give users tools to improve their 3D prints, especially with brittle material like PLA and can currently be acquired via the Kickstarter campaign, which has a couple of weeks left to run. The new accessories spawned from the desire to improve upon 3D prints and expand their function thus LoBello and his partner found new methods to smooth and plasticize their 3D prints with simple tools and a chemical mixture respectively. The Makeraser and Makelastic made their way to the World Makerfaire 2013 in New York City. The trek earned finalist recognition in the Pitch Your Prototype Competition and a swell of positive feedback.
Why the popularity? Well, as with many great discoveries, Chris happened upon a revelation while attempting to improve the smoothness and flexibility of his 3D prints. At first, Chris realized cotton balls soaked in acetone smoothed ABS prints. A more effective tool emerged when applied with a felt tipped pen and a scrapper. Now they could peel off their print and smooth it with ease. The Makeraser claims to touch up details on prints, seal holes or cracks for water-tight prints, prevent curling or warping of ABS or PLA prints, and act as a glue to combine smaller parts of prints.
For the plasticity, a compound of Ethyl lactate and other alcohols provided a soak that essentially turned prints as malleable as rubber. As a bonus, it appears the Ethyl lactate, common in fragrances, smells slightly of coconut. Therefore, the homemade “lab” can be a pleasant workspace. In order to maintain the plasticity, which can fade over a short time, it is important to apply a quick spray of off-the-shelf polyurethane.
Each of these accessories have astounding applications for 3D prints. The developers provide a list on their Kickstarter. Even though the pledge appears to have been met, the gifts associated with the levels of donation could be worth the investment, most notably for those printing with ABS and PLA material. It looks like a job well done and well worth the kickstart.
