Dear Reprap community,
My name is Mathijs and I'm a Design Engineering student from The Netherlands. For my graduation project I'm developing a concept for customizable shoes through digital fabrication. I'm a reprap newbie... so please be kind.
As my final project I have chosen to print shoes with a modified Reprap (Prusa Mendel v2 which I just finished building). I want to replace the normal Y-axis with a rotational axis centered under the x/y assembly on which a last shape (shoe/foot shape) is mounted. The physical modifications for this axis is not really a problem. But getting the software side to work is a bigger challenge.
I can take a few different approaches:
I. Translating a 3D model of the last into a height map on which I can then project the pattern I'd want to print. Sort of "unfolding" the shape of the
shoes in relation to the angle of the axis.
II. Modifying the egg-bot software to include a Z-axis because the current eggbot system relies on a spring/gravity
III. Figure out how a CNC-lathe works and try to modify such a system (but this is actually also a 2-axis machine)
I've added a rendering of the setup I'm thinking of now and some pictures of hand-made models of what the shoes should look like in the end
Any tips/advice is welcome because I really don't know where to start...
Kind regards,
Mathijs