The Process

Today, I set out to create some new, not-quite-furry companions – “flexi holding cats”, as creator 3D_flexseed calls them! We were tasked with creating 5 friends/impossible objects using two different 3D printing processes.I first chose to use the Bambu Studio Slicer and their X1 carbon printer (FDM) to make my first three kitties. After importing the .stl files downloaded from Thingiverse, I triplicated the cat and scaled them down to be 20 mm in length, which, I later realized, was WAY too small. I adjusted the layer height, wall density, and infill density settings to be 0.15mm, 1mm, and 15%, respectively. Luckily, my prints did not need any additional supports, so I went ahead and sent my first round of prints! To my pleasant surprise, the print length was only 20 minutes long (because they were tiny), so I waited for the print to conclude. As mentioned earlier, in approaching the printer, I saw the first printed kitties were incredibly small. In removing them from the plate, only one littermate made it out in one, delicate piece. After accidentally bisecting at the trunk in his wee hours of life, he now lives in the GMI space in front of the main TV (RIP).I returned to the OEDK for a second round of prints using the same FDM platform. This time, I scaled the prints to be 70% of the original size. Repeating the process, I sent the project off for printing. In returning, I saw three, perfectly-sized white kitties waiting for me.

 

I let them curl up in their gumball capsule homes while I went to print them some SLA siblings.

For this printing round, I chose to use the PreForm Slicer to print my SLA kitties. After importing the same file to the appropriate program, I duplicated the cat and scaled them to be 70% of the original size. I then allowed the program to automatically orient and create supports for my two kitties.

Once the print was set up, I selected the LavishPetrel FormLabs printer and clear v3 material. After confirming that the resin tank and cartridge matched the intended resin, I proceeded to print.

In returning a few hours later, I saw two clear kitties on their supports waiting for me, in dire need of a bath. I washed them of the leftover resin and broke them free from their [support] restraints. Unfortunately, only one kitty with viable, as the other appeared incompletely printed. For the one survivor, I led her to her gumball capsule home to curl up for the night beside her FDM siblings.

I returned to the 3D printing arena to print at least one more FDM kitten, but this time in a different color. Using the Bambu Studio Slicer and their X1 carbon printer, I printed 2 kittens out of grey PLA. They came out great, and now reside in their gumball capsules next to their 1 clear SLA-printed and 4 white FDM-printed siblings.

Before leaving, I made sure my workspace was as clean as I had found it. 

Reflection

The most difficult of this assignment was the scaling component, though after one print, it was easy to get an idea of how to adjust dimensions appropriately. I was strategic in selecting my impossible object so that there would be minimal issues with overhangs, as I recognized this could be potential source of headache. Also, as a beginner, it helped that the creation and formatting aspects of this process were taking care of for me, though in the future, I will invest more time into learning these skills. However, it is still nice to know Thingiverse and similar sites exist.

The SLA printer did not produce the results I thought it would. The prints were far less flexible and were pretty inconsistent between printed objects, especially compared to the FDM process I used. Also, removing the prints from the scaffolding was an additional, not insignificant step in processing these prints. I found using the small wire cutters in the OEDK helped remove a lot of the small fragments without too much trouble.

Things I would do next time:

• Try to use the FDM printers over the SLA – I suppose this depends on the object being printed and of course the assignment requirements, but this process was faster, requires less post-processing, and produce better, more consistent results. The pieces felt more durable/less fragile as well.
• Try different FDM machines, like Prusa – As a beginner, I stuck to Bambu considering it was the only program we received thorough walk-through instructions for use in the homework, however, it will be good to figure out how to use the other machines when I have more time in subsequent encounters.

Cost Estimate

Cost Type	Cost	Price	Source	Quantity	Total
Materials	White/Grey PLA   Resin	$13.99/spool   $157/1L	ELEGOO   FormLabs	0.05 spool 0.10 Liter	$0.70   $15.70
Labor	3D Printer Operator and Post-Processing Engineer (me)	$20/hr	Zip Recruiter	1 Hour	$20.00
	Prototyping Engineer (3D_flexseed)	$36 /hr	ZipRecruiter	1 Hour	$36.00
Overhead	3D Printer Access (Bambu and FormLabs)	Free for EDES students	OEDK	6 Hour	$0.00
				Total	$72.40

As I gain experience, production costs will minimally drop as the time required to set up the prints will shortens; I spent some amount of time familiarizing myself with the machines used in this process, and that time will decrease with experience. Additionally, once the prints are designed, they can be produced in mass, so this “prototyping engineer” cost will be spread out over more printed objects.