This project was not as challenging as other projects, and I seemed to have the most trouble choosing an impossible object. Most of the objects I thought were impossible were not because they could be made from a mold, the pieces didn’t move, or it simply was not complicated enough. Some of these designs included a Jordan IV (didn’t work because it could be created from a mold), an ornament, and a flower (not complicated enough).

I settled on an egg that has swirls and gaps that could be recreated on the 3d printer.

After picking an object, scaling, and printing, the most challenging part was removing the supports from the printed object as I did not run into any problems while printing. Luckily, there were many tools available to remove the supports. I really enjoyed this project as I haven’t used a 3d printer since high school. I was able to find a design I was happy with and create a cool project for someone to get from the gumball machine. One surprising factor was the 3d printing software. I really liked that it showed how much time it would take to print, in addition to the cost of the print.

Cost Analysis:

• Labor
  • $20/hour for 3 hours
  • 25 minutes to print each piece (25*5 ~ 2 hours)
  • total: 5 hours total – $100
• 3D Printing
  • $.07 per print –> $.35 of material
  • $175 rental for 1 week
• TOTAL: $275.35