83-year-old man and invent cheap 3D printing

3D printing (3D) is currently the most outstanding technology, but printer products are very expensive and uncommon to popular consumers. Hugh Lyman's invention changed this.

>>>Video: How to operate the yarn extruder "Lyman Filament Extruder II

Three-dimensional printing (3D) is not just a game for young people, 83-year-old Hugh Lyman has made a breakthrough in this area and won a $ 40,000 prize from entrepreneurs and businesses operating in the industry. 3D printing like the Maker Education Initiative, Inventables and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

Hugh Lyman (right) receives an award of $ 40,000
of the Desktop Factory Competition - (Photo: Time)

In his invention, Mr. Hugh Lyman used small plastic pellets at very low prices, melting them into high-cost long filament yarns (polyester fibers) and used as raw materials for 3D printers like MakerBot. forming products.

His filament extruder has helped create ever-cheaper materials for 3D printers.

According to Time, the idea is not derived from Mr. Luman himself. In May 2012, the team of inventors, including CEO Inventables Zach Kaplan and the Kauffman Foundation, initiated a Desktop Factory Competition, looking for a solution to transform high-cost filament yarns (nearly 10 times higher than plastic beads). The main requirement of the competition was high: inventors had to create an open source machine to convert plastic beads into filaments and components valued at no more than $ 250, ie VND 5.5 million.

Initially, Hugh Lyman participated in the first competition with Lyman Filament Extruder because of the creative joy and the idea of ​​the contest, the solution to replace the high price of 3D printing fiber. However, when participating in the competition in August 2012, his invention failed because it did not meet the factor "product price component not exceeding 250 USD" . Without giving up, the second generation Lyman Filament Extruder II came out after he improved, changing some components to reduce costs and succeeded.

The Lyman Filament Extruder II machine transformed small plastic pellets into a funnel into a filament with a heater. Molten plastic pellets are pressed into fibers, emerging through sprinklers and rolled up.

Lyman Filament Extruder II yarn extruder, transforms particles
plastic into filament yarn, 3D printing material - (Photo: Time)

Small invention, big step

To date, more than 12,000 people have downloaded Hugh Lyman's Lyman Filament Extruder. Lyman Filament Extruder II is open source, everyone can refer and improve to make the new generation better. Many people have created their own similar products, in which, a 3D printing company named Lulzbot also plans to sell an improved version.

Lyman said he is receiving many emails from around the world and is working to produce the third generation of products.

Time magazine identified this "homemade" invention that contributed significantly to the advancement of the 3D printing industry.

Time took a concrete example to illustrate this when calculating the printing cost of 392 flags with enough detail that normally required 1kg of plastic. The price of a single roll of filament yarn is about USD 50 (equivalent to VND 1.1 million), while buying 1kg of plastic beads and forming a filament yarn price of only about USD 10 (equivalent to VND 220,000). To print 392 flags need 25kg of plastic beads and each printed flag has a print price of only about 5 USD (nearly 110,000 VND).