For this 3D printing assignment, I focused on one of the most unique aspects of 3D printed products: the interlocking feature. I did not realize before that 3D printing can actually accomplish such complicated tasks which traditional manufacturing techniques could not achieve.

The part I found on thingiverse was a triad gyroscope, it has four degrees of freedom and each four pieces could rotate and turn individually. Below is a picture of the CAD file.

After filling out form in wet lab and uploading the file to computer, I started the printing this part (I slightly enlarged the part to make it easier to be handled).

Once the Dimension SST 768 printer started working, I noticed the black support structure was printed first printed and then the actual job was printed in white.

The whole job took 5 hours and then I dunked it into the tank. The support structure dissolved in the solution after several hours.

And I came back the next day to take it out. The gyroscope was nicely printed. If you look closely, you could see the traces of printing paths since it was a Fused-deposition Modeling job, but overall it worked pretty well. It was a great demonstration of 3D printer’s ability in creating interlocking structures.

The internal rings turns but sometimes a bit too rigid. I figured it would work better in the future as it starts to worn out.
Here is a link to the file page on Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1213821