most 3D printers utilize stepper motors to manage the motion of the extruder head. If you might really print those motors it would be one more huge step toward self-replicating hardware. Now obviously [Chris Hawkins’] working 3d printed stepper motor wasn’t developed 100% with 3D printing, however the majority of the parts were. All that he had to add was the electronic driver pieces, magnets, wire, as well as a few nails.
The coils are made up of nails wrapped in magnet wire. The rotor is a 3D printed framework which accepts neodymium unusual earth magnets. The axle is directed which reduces the friction where it satisfies the cone-shaped support on either side of the frame. The IC on the upper right is a transistor array that facilitates changing the 20V driving the coils. The board on the lower right is a Digispark, which is an ATtiny85 breakout board that includes a USB edge connector for programming as well as a linear regulator which is exactly how he gets away with feeding 20V as the source.
Don’t miss the demo video after the break where you can see the motor stepping 7.5 degrees at a time.
