This assignment challenged us to create an “impossible” object that could only be easily created by 3D printing from thingiverse.com. There were dozens of interesting objects but I finally decided to choose three interlocking rings. This was actually my second choice as I couldn’t do the first one because it said that it was going to take 4 hours to print just one piece.
I downloaded the file and imported it to the 3DPrinterOS cloud and scaled the piece down to half it size to ensure it would fit in the casing. For this assignment we had to use two different materials PLA and SLA.
1. Printing with PLA – Prusa Printers
Once my file was imported into the 3DPrinterOS cloud software I used the the settings from Figure 1, with the option of autogenerating support checked. The support that was added to my object looked something like Figure 2. Then, I sent it to the Ludaprints printer and waited for 1h. The result was great as it printed perfectly on my first try.
Figure 1: 3D-printing settings Figure 2: Object with supports
I repeated this process three more times. These other pieces printed great as well, but one of them broke while I was taking out the supports because there were too many. I forgot to take a picture of this piece but you can imagine how it looked ;P. At least I had three pieces so far, and only two more to go to complete the assignment.
2. Printing with SLA – Formlab Printers
As I had to use another material for the assignment, I decided to do the two remaining parts with the resin printer which uses SLA. The resin print went much better and smoother than the PLA prints. I uploaded the same file to PreForm on the OEDK computers to print on the Form 2 using the Grey resin and duplicated the piece so both pieces could be printed at the same time. It took 2 hours to print both pieces. Once that was done, I placed it in the wash for 20 minutes before removing the supports. After talking with Fernando, I decided not to cure the pieces and directly removed the supports which were much easier to remove than the ones of the PLA, Figure 3.
Figure 3: From left to right – SLA, SLA, PLA, PLA, PLA
It could sounds strange but my favorite part was taking out the supports of all the pieces. Even though it was the more time consuming part, I still found it very therapeutic 🙂
3. Cost Analysis:
Thanks to the software I can exactly know how much material I used to print my parts:
- PLA failed part: $0.12
- PLA successful parts (0.12×3): $0.36
- 2 Resin parts (grey resin costs $150/1L): 8mL = $1.20
- Labor ($20/hr) for editing and removing supports: total 30 mins = $10
- Time taken from printers (Rent cost of $1/hr): 6 hrs = $6
Total cost without including the printers cost is: $17.68
