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THIS OPEN-SOURCE MACHINE SWAPS ITS OWN TOOLS MID-JOB - PRINTING, PLOTTING, PIPETTING

One frame that swaps between 3D printing, pen plotting and liquid handling - mid-job, with no human touching the machine.

by Machine Agency, University of Washington

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

WorkshopScience

Built with3D printing

difficulty
●●●●●
time
two weekends plus calibration
license
CC-BY-4.0
repo
repo STABLE620 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

Jubilee is a research-grade motion platform that parks one tool and picks up another without human intervention. It was designed by Joshua Vasquez at the Machine Agency lab at the University of Washington and is used for multi-material printing, pen plotting and lab automation such as light liquid handling. The frame is about 1,350-1,400 dollars in self-sourced parts and the default extruder tool about 200 dollars each. Most fabricated parts are 3D printed, but the bed plate, crossbar and toolchanger lock must be machined (the BOM explains how to get them made cheaply). Tools dock on E3D-style tool plates and are clamped by a torque-sensing lock, and the bed is kinematically coupled with three-point auto-tramming. The docs assume you know Duet firmware; if you have never edited a config.g file, budget time for that. The repo has been quiet since 2024, but the wiki and Discord carry the community. If you want an extensible tool changer that labs actually use, this is it.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —Full CAD for the frame in SolidWorks and STEP, STL/DXF fabrication exports, a BOM spreadsheet, and Duet config files in the repo.
  • —Assembly guide exists as a wiki, with photos and cross-references to each build step.
  • —Tool designs (extruders, a passive pen tool and a base tool template) live in the main repository's tools folder; community tools beyond these are documented to varying degrees.
  • —No single turnkey kit — you source every part yourself from the BOM and print the frame components.
  • —Released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 — fully open for commercial use.
  • —The latest release is V2.2.2 (October 2021) and the repository was last updated in May 2024; the README points to Discord for build support.

Parts to buy

8 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Aluminium extrusionFind
  • Linear railsFind
  • Duet controllerFind
  • Stepper motorsFind
  • BeltsFind
  • PSU and the bed hardwareFind
  • Machined bed plateFind
  • Crossbar and toolchanger lockFind

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Can I build this?

PrintMost frame parts, tool plates and carriages are printed (designed to minimise supports); the bed plate, crossbar and toolchanger lock are machined instead.
BuyAluminium extrusion, linear rails, a Duet controller, stepper motors, belts, a PSU and the bed hardware, plus the machined bed plate, crossbar and toolchanger lock - everything is listed in the project's BOM spreadsheet.
ToolsA 3D printer for the printed parts, access to machining (or a machining service) for the bed plate, crossbar and lock, hex keys, wire crimping tools and basic electronics tools.
SkillsIntermediate 3D printing, basic electronics and wiring, comfortable with Duet firmware configuration — this is not a first build.
TimeTwo weekends for the frame if everything goes smoothly, plus a day per tool head, plus calibration time — budget three weekends realistically.
Costabout 1,350-1,400 dollars for the frame in self-sourced parts, not including tools; the default extruder tool adds about 200 dollars each. See the BOM spreadsheet for the breakdown.
SafetyMains voltage for the PSU and heated bed. If you add a laser tool head or a Dremel spindle, those bring their own risks — goggles and fume extraction required.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

Jubilee: An Extensible Machine for Multi-Tool Fabrication

The lab's own overview of Jubilee; the README also links a 1-hour talk by designer Joshua Vasquez.

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Gallery

cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net
mswiseman.github.io

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Read the assembly instructions on the Jubilee wiki (The wiki is the only structured build guide — start there before ordering parts.)
  2. 2.Check the BOM and source your parts(The BOM spreadsheet lists every purchased part and how to get the machined parts made - verify availability before ordering.)
  3. 3.Print the frame components(STLs are in the repo's fabrication_exports folders; the wiki lists the printed part numbers. Get the three machined parts ordered in parallel.)
  4. 4.Join the Discord for build support(The community is active and has solved most of the traps — ask before you guess.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Tool-changing depends on carefully set up tool posts and tool offsets: tools dock on E3D-style tool plates and are clamped by a torque-sensing lock, and every tool needs its offset calibrated. Expect a session of tuning before tool swaps are repeatable.
  • There is no official kit - you source every part from the BOM yourself, and three parts (bed plate, crossbar, toolchanger lock) must be machined. Some parts go out of stock, so budget time for finding equivalents.
  • The docs assume you know Duet firmware. If you have never configured a Duet board or edited a config.g file, the learning curve is real — this is not plug-and-play.
  • Each tool head is its own small build with its own parts and assembly notes. The official extruder and pen tools are in the main repository's tools folder; community tools vary in how well they are documented, so check yours before you commit to it.
  • It is a big machine with a 300 x 300 x 300 mm build volume and 409 mm of tool rack space, so plan bench space - and remember that the bed plate, crossbar and toolchanger lock have to be machined, not printed.
  • If you add a heated bed for 3D printing or a spindle for milling, you are adding mains voltage and mechanical hazards — plan for proper wiring, fusing, and enclosure before you power it on.

Can I buy a kit?

No official kit - you source the parts from the BOM, print most of the frame parts and have three parts machined.

What tool heads are available?

The main repo includes extruder tools, a passive pen tool and a base tool template to design your own. Out of the box Jubilee is set up for multi-material printing and pen plotting; the team also reports success with light liquid handling and camera image stitching, and the community has built further tools.

How repeatable is the tool change?

The project does not publish a single repeatability number, but the wiki says Jubilee has been cycle-tested through thousands of tool changes. In practice, repeatability depends on how well you set up the tool posts and calibrate each tool's offsets.

Can I use a different motion controller?

The repo ships RepRapFirmware config files for Duet 2 and Duet 3 boards, and the tool-changing logic lives in those GCode macros. Other controllers or firmware (e.g. Klipper) would mean porting that logic yourself.

What is the biggest limitation?

Speed. The frame is optimised for precision and repeatability, not for fast printing or fast pipetting. If you are racing, this is not the machine.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

About 600 stars, and the same machine prints, plots and handles well plates. What would you put on the build plate first: printing, pipetting, or something else?

CompareeTEAM2mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the repository was last updated in May 2024, but the project lives on through its wiki and Discord, which the README points to for build support. The repo holds Solidworks and STEP files, fabrication exports, step-by-step assembly PDFs and Duet config files; the wiki's assembly instructions and BOM are the best place to start. Jubilee does automatic tool changing with E3D-compatible tool plates and has a kinematically coupled bed plate with three-point auto-tramming. Out of the box it is set up for multimaterial printing and pen plotting, and well-plate bed plates in the repo show the lab-automation side. The docs assume you know Duet firmware; if you have never edited a config.g file, budget time for that learning curve before you order parts. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Machine Agency, University of Washington

Jubilee was designed by Joshua Vasquez at the Machine Agency lab at the University of Washington, led by Nadya Peek. The lab researches digital fabrication, automation and modular hardware, and Jubilee is certified open-source hardware under CC BY 4.0.

GitHub Web

Star the project on GitHub

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  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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