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BUILD A 3D PRINTER THAT USES AN INKJET CARTRIDGE AND POWDER

An inkjet cartridge, a layer of powder, and liquid binder — no supports, no melted plastic, and it prints ceramics, sand, gypsum, sugar and metals.

by Yvo de Haas

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

WorkshopOpen-hardware

difficulty
●●●●●
time
several weekends
license
CC BY-SA
repo
repo FINISHED0 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

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COMPAREE VERDICT

Oasis 3DP is an open-source binder jetting printer — the same fundamental process used in lab machines that start near 100,000 dollars. It spreads a thin layer of powder, an HP45 inkjet cartridge sprays liquid binder onto the cross-section, the bed drops, and the cycle repeats. The loose powder supports the part, so overhangs print without supports and you dig the finished object out at the end. The build volume is 84 mm diameter by 100 mm tall, the printhead runs 600 DPI across 300 nozzles, and the aluminium extrusion frame has room for up to five printheads or a 200 mm cube. The process works with gypsum, sand, ceramics, sugar and metals. The files are comprehensive and the licence is open. The single thing most likely to go wrong is expecting a plug-and-play experience. This is a prototype platform. Yvo de Haas, who built it, calls it that explicitly, and has said some builders hit problems. You will spend time calibrating the printhead, tuning binder mixtures, and getting the powder spreading mechanism to behave. If you want to experiment with a process that almost no one has access to outside of industrial labs, this is the only open-source path. If you want a second 3D printer that just works, this is not it.

NOT IN THE REPO

  • —Full make package (41 MB) contains electronics files, 3D files, drawings, software, BOM spreadsheet, 3D PDF assembly guide and source files.
  • —Files are on Hackaday.io and downloadable without registration.
  • —Licence is Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike (CC BY-SA), which permits commercial use with attribution and share-alike.
  • —This is a prototype platform for experimenting with the process, not a polished kit. The author has said openly that some people ran into difficulties building it.
  • —No video walkthrough or official build guide document beyond the files and 3D PDF assembly.
  • —Powder handling, inkjet printhead calibration, and binder formulation are all experimental parts of the process.

Can I build this?

PrintFrame parts, powder spreading mechanism components, printhead carriage, and enclosure panels — full 3D files in the make package.
BuyHP45 inkjet cartridge, aluminium extrusion for the frame, stepper motors, linear rails, electronics (controller board, drivers), powder material (gypsum to start), liquid binder, build platform components, and enclosure materials. Full BOM spreadsheet included.
Tools3D printer (to print the parts), soldering iron, basic hand tools, electronics workbench for assembly and calibration, and a clean space for powder handling.
SkillsHigh. You are building a machine no one else is selling as a kit, calibrating an inkjet printhead for a non-standard application, and tuning powder-binder chemistry. Mechanical assembly is intermediate, but getting reliable prints is expert-level troubleshooting.
TimeSeveral weekends minimum. Mechanical assembly is perhaps a weekend, but expect many more hours tuning the printhead, binder formulation, and powder spreading. First successful print will take longer than first power-on.
Cost$$$ — the HP45 cartridge is inexpensive (under $20), but aluminium extrusion, linear rails, electronics, and enclosure materials add up. Budget $500–800 for a basic build, more if you upgrade components or add multiple printheads. Commercial binder jet machines start near $100,000, so this is still a fraction, but it is not a cheap weekend project.

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

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Start here

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

  1. 1.Download the make package from Hackaday.io (The project page links to the Hackaday.io files. The 41 MB package contains electronics, 3D files, drawings, software, BOM spreadsheet, 3D PDF assembly guide, and source files.)
  2. 2.Read the 3D PDF assembly guide and review the BOM(The 3D PDF shows the full assembly. Go through the BOM spreadsheet and confirm you can source every part before you start printing frame components.)
  3. 3.Print the frame and mechanism parts(You need a working FDM printer to make the parts for this one. Print the frame components, powder spreading mechanism, and printhead carriage first.)
  4. 4.Assemble the mechanical frame and electronics(Follow the 3D PDF. The aluminium extrusion frame goes together like a CoreXY, but the powder handling mechanism is unique and will take tuning.)
  5. 5.Calibrate the HP45 printhead and test binder deposition(This is where the experimental part begins. You are running an inkjet cartridge outside its designed application. Expect iteration on nozzle alignment, binder viscosity, and drop timing.)

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Expecting a kit-like experience. This is a prototype platform. The author has said openly that some builders ran into difficulties. Budget time for troubleshooting that is not documented anywhere.
  • Underestimating the powder handling challenge. Spreading a perfectly flat, consistent layer of fine powder is harder than it looks. The mechanism needs tuning and the powder needs to be dry, uniform, and the right particle size.
  • Buying the wrong binder or powder. The chemistry matters. Gypsum is the easiest starting material, but you still need a binder that wets it properly and cures at a useful speed. The project does not specify a binder formulation, so you will experiment.
  • HP45 cartridge sourcing and shelf life. The HP45 is widely available and cheap, but old stock may have dried nozzles. Buy a spare or two.
  • Powder dust everywhere. The enclosure helps, but fine powder will migrate. This is not a machine you want running in a bedroom. A workshop or garage with good ventilation is the right environment.
  • No support community or active forum. The project is published and the files are complete, but there is no thriving Discord or forum for troubleshooting. You are on your own if something does not work.

What materials can it actually print?

Gypsum, sand, ceramics, sugar, and metals — anything that can be bound with a liquid and holds its shape afterward. Gypsum is the easiest starting point. Metals require a sintering oven afterward, which is not part of this build.

How strong are the printed parts?

That depends entirely on the material and binder. Gypsum parts are fragile until you infiltrate them with resin or another hardener. Sand-cast parts can be used as moulds. This is not a replacement for structural FDM or SLA prints unless you post-process them.

Can I scale it up to a bigger build volume?

Yes. The frame is aluminium extrusion and the design notes mention room for up to five printheads or a 200 mm cube. Scaling up means more powder to spread evenly, which makes the spreading mechanism harder to tune, but the architecture supports it.

What is the print resolution?

The HP45 runs 600 DPI across a 12.7 mm swath with 300 nozzles. Layer height depends on how thin you can spread the powder consistently — typically 100–200 microns. XY resolution is better than most FDM printers, but you will see layer lines in Z.

Do I need a curing oven?

Not for gypsum or ceramics that air-dry. For green parts that need sintering (like metal prints), yes, you need a kiln or sintering furnace, and that is outside the scope of this project. The $100,000 commercial systems include curing and powder recycling; this build does not.

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

Lab binder jetting machines start near $100,000 and you need an oven, powder recycling, and a service contract — this build is $500–800 in parts and prints gypsum, ceramics, sand, sugar, even metals if you have a kiln. What would you print first?

CompareeTEAM11d ago

Practical notes from our verification: the project page is on ytec3d.com and links to Hackaday.io for the file downloads (no registration required), the make package is 41 MB and contains everything listed (we checked), and the 3D PDF assembly guide is genuinely helpful — it is a proper exploded-view document, not a render. The one thing that surprised us is how openly Yvo states this is a prototype platform and that some builders hit problems. That honesty is rare and makes the project more credible, not less. The biggest trap is not a missing file or a wrong dimension — it is expecting this to work like a kit. It will not. Budget time for tuning the powder spreading mechanism, calibrating the printhead, and experimenting with binder formulations, because none of that is plug-and-play. If you go in knowing that, this is the only open-source path to a process almost no one outside of industrial labs has touched.

Yvo de Haas

Yvo de Haas publishes as ytec3d and built Oasis 3DP to bring binder jetting — a process normally locked behind six-figure lab machines — into the open-source world. He has been explicit that this is a prototype platform for experimentation, not a polished kit, and that honesty is why the project is useful.

Web

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  • 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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