d.i.d. or Deep Ink Diver is an open source scalable pen plotter which you can build yourself using a 3D printed housing. The pen plotter has been designed to provide an easy to build, affordable pen plotter made specifically for vector-based graphics, enabling you to transform digital content into a pen and ink artwork. It’s creator explains a little more about the design of the pen plotter and its inspiration.
“From a precise pen made for technical drawing, to big markers used for graffiti; the way printing is perceived on paper is not bound anymore to the restrictions of a cartridge. The material on which it is printed now also has a role by himself: the roughness of the paper is not hidden by the inkjet but emphasized by the pen that physically touches the paper and travels on it.”
“The main difference between printing with a normal printer and d.i.d. is that the machine is able to follow vectors as paths in the same way that a CNC router does. This allows to create graphics that are more fluid and overhaul more defined and vivid on paper.
The materials and electronics used for the plotter are all standard and easy to source. The main frame is made of aluminum extrusion and 3d printed connections. The motors are all standard nema 17 stepper-motors and a single sg-90 servo motor. Everything is driven by a cheap Arduino Uno control board that handles the transition from g-code to movement. Furthermore, the software used to create g-code, Inkscape, is opensource as well.”
To create your very own Arduino powered scalable pen plotter jump over to the Thingiverse website for more information on the Deep Ink Diver and its construction process.
Source: AB : Thingiverse