Rostock Prisma

A derivative of Johann's Rostock but using 80/20 1010 T-Slotted aluminum instead of smooth SS rods. The extruded aluminum provide support for the prism structure.

Video: http://youtu.be/STc54aOQdK4


The goal for my derivative of the Johann’s Rostock was to build a simpler, lighter and more robust structure. I decided to use extruded aluminum since it’s quite strong, readily available, and relatively inexpensive. A piece of 80/20 10 SERIES 1010 1" X 1" T-SLOTTED EXTRUSION x 72" (1828.8mm) sells for $19 in Amazon.com. I was also inclined to use aluminum given that I have previous experience building and fabricating with this material (I built an all aluminum airplane in my garage).

Gone are all the wood parts, and the stainless steel rods. I kept the idea of using as many 3D printed parts as possible, since I had easy access to a friend’s Prusa Mendel printer. I am a software developer; hence it was easy for me to learn OpenSCAD to design my own parts. I tried