Product 2: Additive Manufacturing Apparatus, Patent Pending

This month's product development had a twisty path with several false starts. It started by "kicking off some deeper research into robotic joints for use in an adaptable robotic arm that can spray or otherwise deposit material propelled by my newly minted PrecisionFlow 1743 pump!"

There are some awesome joints out there and I considered pursuing an adapted cycloidal or harmonic gear pictured below. Both of these were developed for the power transfer needed in high ratio, low backlash systems and use different forms of off-center rotation between components. They are fascinating mechanisms, and if you're interested in robotics, definitely take a look.

The robotic rubber hit the road over a weekend hackathon with Ezra and Karl, a couple of my best friends in Minnesota. The mission brief was to start the design and build of an animatronic puppet for later use in stop action film. We experimented with a number of motors, including an impressively tiny stepper motor (props to Ezra for successfully welding the leads under a magnifying glass, pictured). Tip for a great time: reach out to friends that you've got a shared nerd pursuit with and meet up for a weekend mission.

The weekend was a blast, however, I realized that developing a new robotic joint wasn't a space I am ready to add solid innovation, as I've got a lot to learn in the state of the art. The best I had to offer was a tiny gimbal joint that may be useful in the shoulder joint in this animatronic project.

An unexpected benefit of the road trip to MN was inspiration for printable accessories for my new truck! Ford had pitched their FITS system of 3D printable accessorizing the new Maverick to those of us in the market for small trucks. I took the bait and got my hybrid Maverick in early 2024. I found some existing products on Kickstarter, printed them, made posts and connections in the Maverick Truck owners community, and also looked up products on Amazon to get a sense of what people are making.

Though I made some friends in the forum, printable Maverick products turned out to be another dead end for me. I realized that working in a high competition, low price point, consumer space doesn't look fun. There were some amazon reviews railing on very minor durability issues which seemed to come from user error, and with "price gouging sellers" over a difference of $6. I also, read through some experiences of printed product designs being stolen and reprinted by both competing Etsy sellers and Chinese manufactures. At least for me, it seemed like the best option would be to share my designs for free and avoid entry into low margin, commodity priced products.

If you happen to have a Maverick, you're welcome to my designs in STL and easily editable STEP file format for free here--all it costs is a free subscription to this site 😃

Having burnt through half the month, I decided to come back to an invention I had designed and prototyped a few months ago relating to robotic additive manufacturing systems. Combining this invention with what I learned in Joel Gotkin's patent drafting class, I fine tuned, and wrote up this invention as a patent! Just barely making my own "launch" deadline by submitting the 48 page, tediously detailed patent, with the $364 filing fee to our United States Patent and Trademark Office at 11:03pm on 10/1/2024!

Wish me luck as my invention in the application goes from patent pending, to examined, to (hopefully) patented, and enters the public domain over the next 18 months:

END EFFECTOR APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING WITH IN SITU MATERIAL DEPOSITION AND CURING

To wrap this month's post here are a few of the lessons I'm taking away:

1. Embrace Goals, but Know When to Pivot: It's generative to dive deep into new areas of interest, and time bound goals can be very useful to motivate action and achievement. It can also be crucial to recognize when an idea isn't ready or right for you. Don’t be afraid to pivot when a project no longer meets your needs.
2. Collaborate for Inspiration and Growth: Working with friends/peers in a shared pursuit can bring unexpected insights and motivation. Even if the original goal isn't met, collaboration can lead to new ideas, not to mention fun eating out, goofing off, and playing cards.
3. Be Cautious with High-Competition Markets: Entering consumer markets, especially low-margin ones, can be tricky. Consider whether the effort is worth the return and if the space aligns with your long-term goals. You don't owe a market weeks to years of your life developing something that may never meet your needs– listen to your instincts when you feel the warning signs.