Aleph Objects, Inc. was a small manufacturing company based in Loveland,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. Their business model focused around the development of

open-source hardware Open-source hardware (OSH, OSHW) consists of physical artifact (software development), artifacts of technology designed and offered by the open-design movement. Both free and open-source software (FOSS) and open-source hardware are created by th ...

for

3D printing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

with full support for

free and open-source software Free and open-source software (FOSS) is software available under a license that grants users the right to use, modify, and distribute the software modified or not to everyone free of charge. FOSS is an inclusive umbrella term encompassing free ...

LulzBot

The company is most well known for its LulzBot 3D printer product line, which although using some extruded aluminum railing and other mass-production components still remains true to

RepRap RepRap (a contraction of ''replicating rapid prototyper'') is a project to develop low-cost 3D printers that can print most of their own components. As open designs, all of the designs produced by the project are released under a free software l ...

principles by having many components 3D printable. Due to its fully

open source hardware Open-source hardware (OSH, OSHW) consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered by the open-design movement. Both free and open-source software (FOSS) and open-source hardware are created by this open-source culture movemen ...

and

open source software Open-source software (OSS) is Software, computer software that is released under a Open-source license, license in which the copyright holder grants users the rights to use, study, change, and Software distribution, distribute the software an ...

design, the LulzBot Taz 6 has received "Respects Your Freedom" certification from the

Free Software Foundation The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Richard Stallman on October 4, 1985. The organisation supports the free software movement, with the organization's preference for software being distributed ...

. In addition, the Lulzbot printers are often used in open-source tool chains on open source projects. For example, Superior Enzymes used a LulzBot TAZ in fabricating an open source

photometer A photometer is an instrument that measures the strength of electromagnetic radiation in the range from ultraviolet to infrared and including the visible spectrum. Most photometers convert light into an electric current using a photoresistor, ...

for

nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...

testing. Similarly, Lulzbot 3D printers are used in projects to create low-cost prosthetic hands. Due in a large part to relative ease of maintenance and use, Lulzbot printers are one of several desktop 3D printers have been recommended for libraries by reviewers. In its 2014 ''Ultimate Guide to 3D Printing'' special issue,

Make Magazine ''Make'' (stylized as ''Make:'' or ''MAKE:'') is an American magazine published since February 2005 which focuses on do it yourself (DIY) projects for individuals and groups, involving computers, electronics, metalworking, robotics, woodworking a ...

awarded the Lulzbot TAZ "best documentation" of all the hobbyist-grade 3D printers that were tested. The TAZ 4 was released in early 2014 with several key improvements to the TAZ platform to make it more robust and capable. This included a newly engineered drive rod system, redesigned y-axis heated bed mounts, a 400 W power supply, and a fully assembled electronics case that would allow compatibility with subsequently released dual extruders. Its release was met with reviews praising its new engineering. The TAZ 5 was also rated higher than any other 3D printer on 3D Forged's list of best 3D printers. On June 15, 2014, a film crew from the Canadian-produced television show ''

How It's Made ''How It's Made'' (''Comment c'est fait'' in French) was a Canadian documentary television series which focuses on how everyday items are being made. It premiered on January 6, 2001 on the Discovery Channel/USA Network in Canada and the Scien ...

'' visited the company's headquarters in Loveland, Colorado. There, they filmed a segment featuring the LulzBot TAZ 4 3D printer, which aired in an episode of ''How It's Made'' on

The Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It initi ...

in 2015. On May 17, 2016, LulzBot released the TAZ 6, which featured such upgrades as, automated bed-leveling, automated nozzle cleaning, and an enclosed power supply, as well as improved firmware, support for new filament materials, a better heat sink, and more. In 3DForged.com's review of the TAZ 6, Brent Hale called the TAZ 6 "the best overall 3D printer I have ever used." However it was the less expensive model, the LulzBot Mini 2 that was named Best Intermediate Printer of the Year for 2019 by Tom's Guide. The Mediahq agreed, naming the Lulzbot Mini 2 the best 3D printer for enthusiasts in 2019. LulzBot expanded its innovation in the field of 3D printing by using

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...

, as collagen makes up every single tissue in the human body. In summer 2019,

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

created a functional 3D printed human heart tissue utilizing LulzBot's "FRESH" process. In October 2019, due to cash flow problems, the company laid off 91 out of its 113 employees. In November 2019, Aleph Objects announced that all of its assets have been acquired by Fargo Additive Manufacturing Equipment 3D (FAME 3D). Lulzbot AO-100.jpg, Lulzbot AO-100 LulzBot Mini 3D Printer.jpg, LulzBot Mini Taz 4 3D Printer (14212758178).jpg, Lulzbot Taz 4 Taz 5 3D Printer (16929006905).jpg, Lulzbot Taz 5

Other products

Aleph Object's business is focused around their line of 3D printers, as such, they also sell plastic filament, printer accessories, and replacement parts.

References

3D printer companies Loveland, Colorado Manufacturing companies based in Colorado Fused filament fabrication {{US-manufacturing-company-stub

LulzBot

Other products

See also

References