If it’s possible to 3D print limbs, shoes, underwear, guitars, fetus and bikinis, can you 3D print a lawn mower that is genuinely capable of mowing the lawn?
Yes, you can, if you’re either a 3D printing whiz like Hans Fouche, or a DIY’er who downloads some instructions for 3D printed lawn mowers from Andreas Haeuser.
This is awesome news if you love sitting in the shed playing with gadgets but hate sweating it out in the heat on your push mower.
So, check it out below. The 3D printed lawn mower could be just the DIY project for you!
Hans Fouche’s 3D Printed Lawn Mower
Hans Fouche is a South African who has been 3D printing for more than 19 years. He gained some 3D printing notoriety on the web in 2014 when he developed a garage-sized 3D printer capable of printing very large objects at speeds which were leaps and bounds ahead of other 3D printers available on the market.
In January 2015, 3DPrint.com reported that Fouche used his Cheetah 3D printer, which is capable of these extraordinary high speeds, to print a working (yes, it really will cut your grass) lawn mower. The only parts of the mower which were not 3D printed were the motor, the blade, the handle (including the switch), and the shafts for the wheels. Print times for the individual pieces were as follows:
- 4 wheels 45 min / wheel (blue) – 180 min
- Thin top fan cover wheel (blue) – 10 min
- Frame incorporating the stone guard (red) – 190 min
- Top cover (yellow) – 70 min
- Motor cover (gold) – 90 min
- Total print time – 9 Hours
Here’s the 3D printed lawn mower that Hans built:
And here’s the huge and super-fast Cheetah 3D printer that Hans used to 3D print his white, push mower in the video. His company, Fouche 3D Printing, plans to eventually sell these large Cheetah 3D printers – which feature an incredible build volume of 1000mm x 1000mm x 1000mm – for about US$11,000.
The Cheetah 3D Printer which printed Hans’ 3D printed lawn mower (Image credit: Fouche3dprinting.com)
How to DIY a Robotic, 3D Printed Lawn Mower
If you’re a bit of a self-taught 3D printing guru, you might not need instructions on how to 3D print a lawn mower. But if you’d like to save yourself some time and download some “how to” project instructions – so you can build your own robotic lawn mower at a fraction of the cost of a retail one – you’re in luck, thanks to Andreas Haeuser.
Andreas is a German aeronautical engineer based with over 25 years of experience and is well known in DIY RepRap circles. He dedicates his spare time to designing and 3D printing innovative and accessible life hacks, as cheaply as possible.
Andreas designed a 3D printed robotic lawnmower (or “ardumower”) that works on the same principles of a commercial robotic lawnmower, whereby it drives in the inner space of a “boundary wire fence” (BWF). If it comes close to the BWF, it stops, turns and then it goes on mowing your lawn continuously. Andreas notes that if your lawn is bigger than 500m², you might need a second battery or to print a second ardumower.
The ardumower is driven by 12V geared motors and features a cutting disc (220 mm diameter) powered by a 12V DC motor. All of the power is provided by a rechargeable 12V NiMH or 11,1V LiPo batteries.
If you’re feeling adventurous and would like to build your own 3D printed lawn mower, you can buy Andreas’ construction manual for less than $20 here.
Iron Man Robert Downey Jr delivers a 3D printed bionic arm
If you missed this tear-jerker of a video in March 2015, it really is a must-see.
Albert Manero (a college student who builds and donates low-cost, 3D-printed bionic limbs to children around the globe), surprises Alex (a seven year old youngster who loves superheroes), with a visit from Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.
Downey Jr delivers Alex a new bionic arm as part of the #CollectiveProject. A true inspiration for what can be achieved with 3D printing.
So, good luck with your DIY 3D printed lawnmower project!
Let us know how you go?