Thames & Kosmos Code Gamer Experiment Manual page 63

CodeGamer
◀ A 3D printer at work
3D Printers
What good will the best electronics
and the greatest software do you
if you can't find an appropriate housing for your
project? This is where a recent maker solution comes in: 3D printers.
These are devices that are capable of printing out three-dimensional (3D) objects rather than just
two-dimensional (2D) images on paper. It may sound like science fiction, but it's very simple in
principle. You typically start with a plastic material rolled up like thread on a spool. This filament
is then heated to the melting point in a nozzle. In molten form, the plastic is computer-guided to a
certain location and then squirted out. The plastic then cools and hardens. Drop by drop, layer by
layer, even complicated and intricate structures can be built in this way.
Devices capable of doing this kind of thing have existed for a while, but it is only in the last few
years that they have become affordable for hobbyists.
By the way: The first test versions of the KosmoBits
controller were created in this way too!
▲ Filament for a 3D Printer
◀ Various 3D-printed prototypes from the CodeGamer development stages
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