Developed by Michigan Technological University as part of their America Makes project, Doctoral candidate Bas Wijnen wrote and released Franklin, a new open-source, web-based 3D controller that allows users to control their 3-D printer from a web-connected device.
This advance was part of an America Makes project, the additive manufacturing (AM) applied research and development (R&D) project on “Metal Alloys and Novel Ultra-Low-Cost 3D Weld Printing Platform for Rapid Prototyping and Production,” to develop low-cost 3-D metal printers. In 2016, the project demonstrated metal printing for under $1200—a significant savings compared with existing methods.
“This open-source software, Franklin, enables a user to control their 3D printer or any other 3D device from any web connected device – a cell phone, tablet, or laptop from anywhere in the world.” says Joshua Pearce, Michigan Tech professor in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. Using its custom protocol, Franklin also enables printing to continue even if the connection is temporarily lost, a common problem when using low-cost welders to print steel and aluminium.
Learn more about the project on the America Makes website.