To round this out… an Intermediate Adventure
During the last two weeks, I’ve been working in the OEDK Maker Bar creating an impossible object. Because I chose the intermediate difficulty, the printed piece “Bitcoin on the Blockchain” was an object found on Thingiverse (See Attached) and printed using both FDM and SLA printing formats. After choosing this object and having it improved as verifiably impossible to print, I started the process of the fabrication…
Precarious Planning to Print
To start this process, I modified the original file from Thingiverse to fit accurately inside the gumball capsule. To do so, 3DPrinterOS’s slicer was utilized to scale it down to (0.2) of its original scale (As the original piece was meant to be worn). Furthermore, a version of the print that was only the chain was utilized in these test printing so as to not wait filament and decrease time spent between prototyping settings.
Successful Chain Only Test Print
After slicing and scaling, one raft and non-raft FDM prints were conducted. In these prints, one failed due to it not having a raft to be printed upon and not adhering correctly to the bed, but the raft piece printed successfully.
Printed Piece Configuration with Supports
Following these successes, the piece was printed using black filament FDM 3D Printing and configured to piece multiple of the same piece on one print. As shown, the piece was able to successfully print for the project utilizing the supports and capable of fitting within the allocated gumball. Furthermore, the piece was capable of acting as chains and could freely move without breaking after post-processing and removing the supports for the chains.
Non-Post Processed FDM Piece
Post-Processed FDM Pieces
Fitted Bitcoin Piece within Capsule
Failing at SLA Initially to Fight for Success Eventually
Following the successful FDM printing, the .stl for the piece was uploaded to Butterfly to Resin Print on the FormLabs printer. To make the most of the resin printer as adding additional files does not compromise the time spent printing, myself and 4 other classmates, as shown, all printed our pieces together.
Myself and other Classmates Resin Print File Configuration
Myself and other Classmates Resin Prints
After these pieces printed, only three of my classmates pieces printed successfully while mine did not. The bitcoin that’s attached and planted in the middle did not print whatsoever and thus was a failed print.
Initial Failed Resin Print
The piece was modified in Butterfly to change the support locations and reprinted once again. And once again the central bitcoin pendant was lost after printing, so the file was modified for a third time and reprinted once again. On this third print, however, the piece successfully printed and was able to move forward into the post processing process. After washing and curing the piece, not only were the aesthetic aspirations of the piece maintained, the functional aspirations of the piece held up as well. As shown, the resin print set correctly and was able to act, and fit, as a fully functional SLA print of the “Bitcoin on the Blockchain” piece.
Washed but not Cured Resin Piece
Resin Piece curing alongside Brian Bishara’s Piece
Washed & Cured Final SLA Piece
With this, however, both pieces and the project were now finished!
Relevant Review
Room for improvement on the next 3D-PrintingProject
- Configuring 3D Printers more effectively
- As shown in the process, all of my FDM pieces were printed in one large piece. This increased the time spent printing exponentially and increased the chance for a failed print during the process. Utilizing more printers would both decrease the printing time and allow for more rapid development.
- Using different 3D Printing processes in the future
- While fun to use both FDM & SLA printing, I would like to experiment with other forms of 3D Printing to see how they work and affect the processing and post-processing of pieces
Despite these complications and setbacks, I enjoyed the 3D-Printing Process and look forward to 3D Printing more into the future on new projects!
Costly Costs
- Materials
- 56.70g of Black PLA Filament: $1.13
- 11g of Grey SLA Resin (~0.03$/g): $0.33
- Time
- 5 Hours at Texas Minimum Wage ($7.25): $36.25
- Overhead
- Estimate: $15
Total Cost of 3D Printing & Post-Processing: $52.71
Since my last project, I more efficiently post processed to clean out the piece more clearly and improve the design aesthetic considerably. For next time, I’ll use these post processing skill design to create an even more improved aesthetic for my next design!
