We are deep in the design space of melt zones and thermal gradients this week. In the pic is today's test rig using a composite of brass and stainless to test if there is a broader, more uniform gradient along the barrel, with a focused heat source at the nozzle. The nozzle looks like it is doing what we need, but the brass barrel worked too well and ended up melting the whole load of pellets when we bumped the nozzle to 240C.

In other news, our revised USB interface firmware is shaping up to not require any drivers across all platforms, so really will be a simple install or even just an executable program.

This week, we are working towards getting the system together as soon as possible. It looks like we have some progress in smoothing out the output from the pellet extruder, so we will be in a good position to feed it through the print head soon. 

The photo is of the prototype power board that has the power socket, switch, and fuse on it, and distributes power to the main board. 

We may also be moving to our new site this week, so there may be a new look coming. For those that have registered for updates here, you will need to create an account on the new site, but this will also be the home for support for the MakiBox with integrated forum and everything.

For those that missed the Hangout, check out either the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrKKl6tiD70

Or you can read Ross's summary if you don't have two hours to spare.

http://savorywatt.com/2012/10/13/makibox-hangout-2-summary/

This time you will have to hop to G+ to check out the Update Awesomnes - because lately Posterous & our DNS don't go together :(

G+ Pellet Extruder Filament Output