Growing up, pretty much every one of us has played with Legos, building nearly anything our hearts desired. With that said, these plastic little bricks were not exactly structurally sound. Yes, it’s true, we have seen some pretty incredible objects built out of Legos, and in fact we have even seen 3D printers constructed out of the little plastic bricks, but ultimately plastics which snap together are not exactly something you can rely upon.
With the maker movement in full swing, there is no doubt that the appetite for new tools for constructing anything from robotics to 3D printers to other types of machinery is strong. One company, called UberBlox, wants to cater to these individuals who are seeking a new, more robust form of “making”.
“We want to give the maker movement a fantastic product that can change the way makers imagine and build their dream machine projects such as 3D printers, smart systems and robotics,” stated Marcel Deer, Director of Marketing for UberBlox. “One that can grow around a supporting community that would help improve it, helping us add new components, sub-assemblies, and sub-systems.”
Think of UberBlox as Legos on steroids. It’s a metal construction set and prototyping system able to be used for the building of rigid structures which are able to integrate electronic components. The metal bricks are able to connect to one another using a simple, yet extremely strong, single-connector locking mechanism. The company believes that their system would be the perfect tool for the construction of 3D printers, pick-and-place and CNC machines as well as other robotic devices.
“The possibilities of creating projects with UberBlox™ are limitless,” explained Deer to 3DPrint.com. “We have created an electro-mechanical building and construction system that could be reconfigurable, modular, strong, and quick and easy to use. Our control components are built around popular boards such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi. With UberBlox™ you simply come up with an idea and start assembling parts, everything lining up for you automatically. This is much like plastic building blocks, but now with much more strength and rigidity. Throw in an entire sub-system of related components and sub-assemblies and you can create some truly awesome machines.”
Although UberBlox are not created solely for the construction of 3D printers, the company is certainly not shy about the fact that one of the main applications for these blocks are machines such as 3D printers. In fact, they even show a couple different types of printers within their promo video that we have posted below. This includes a Cartesian-based, as well as Delta-based 3D printer, and a number of other machines. Without a doubt, these little blocks will certainly open up the possibilities that makers have when designing new 3D printers, whether for end use, or for prototyping only.
UberBlox is a system which could certainly take off quite quickly, and once it does, the possibilities that could come about seem endless, as new components for the system emerge . The company plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign in February in order to bring their idea to reality. Let us know your thoughts on these tiny metal bricks in the UberBlox forum thread on 3DPB.com.
