Tools

Polargraph

A 2000x1800mm large-format plotter, hardware and software both custom built, with every mechanical part 3D printed.

The Polargraph is a large-format plotter designed and built end to end, hardware and software included, to draw on a 2000 x 1800mm surface. Every mechanical part is 3D printed, a choice that keeps manufacturing cheap and maintenance simple, with no dependence on specialist parts. The whole thing folds down and slides on a rail, so the machine can travel and set up quickly from one place to the next.

The plotter head hanging from its two belts, mid-way through a field of blue waves.

The controller box clamped to the top rail, cables running out towards each motor.

The whole machine on the wall: a rail, two motors and a weighted head over the sheet.

A large black drawing of overlapping lobes in fine crosshatch, the head still hanging over it.

Finished drawing in black ink: symmetrical loops filled with dense mesh, a belt entering top left.

The driver board in its case, the printed lid lifted off on a paint-spattered bench.

OP3N GRAPH Modular Screen