This was the most interesting project that I’ve worked on thus far in ENGI210. 3D printing my project through PLA printing was intriguing, but the most exciting part of the project was getting to use the new SLS FormLab Powder printer.

Process

I began this project by picking a lizard design off Thingiverse (Image 1), and scaling it down to 65% in order for it to fit in the capsule. From there, I printed 3 iterations of the design on the Prusa machine. These designs (Image 2) were not complicated to print, and did not require any edits on my part beyond scaling. The only challenging part was removing the supports, which took time and patience to remove without damaging the object.

  

                  Image 1: Thingiverse File                                                 Image 2: Prusa Prints

The more interesting and complicated part of this project was using the SLS FormLab Powder Printer. It was exciting because not many people at the OEDK have used it, and the resulting lizard was very cool. I began, with the help of an OEDK technician, by uploading multiple prints to the printer, and setting it up following the instructions provided. This included checking the powder levels, the temperature sensor, and adding the box that the powder forms in. The print took about 3 hours, relatively fast considering there were 6 complicated designs. After letting it cool for about 2 hours, we transferred the box to the post-processing machine, where we used a vacuum and brush to remove all the excess powder (Image 3). The resulting lizard print was detailed, very smooth, and much sturdier than the PLA print. The final powder lizard print is shown in Image 4-5, and both of the prints are shown in Image 6-7.

Image 3: Post Processing Prints

  

                                                                  Images 4-5: SLS Print

  

                                                           Images 6-7: Print Comparisons

Successes & Failures

The main successes of this project is in picking my design, something that was complicated but able to be printed, and the success of my SLS prints. One example of an area in my project that was lacking was the tail of the PLA printed lizard. It was very fragile, and hard to remove from the supports, so I’m not sure how durable it is. The other main failure is that the design, while long, can be bunched up and become very small. There was a lot of room left in the container, and a larger model would have fixed some fragility issues.

Cost

• Prusa prints: $0.36 x 3: $1.08
• FormLab prints: $1.32 x 2: $1.64
• 4 hours of labor x $10/hour: $40
• Total: $42.72