Intro
This assignment boiled down to two things:
- Find a 3D design deemed *impossible*
- Print 5 of them (using two different 3D printing methods)
Procedure
I began by going onto the thingiverse website and scrolling for longer than expected until I found a tesseract. A 3D representation of a 4D object, seems impossible enough right? However, this deemed to be close to impossible to actual print since it required to many supports that would be difficult to break off the print without damaging the piece. Therefore, I decided to look for another model and landed on an articulated slug:
Now that I had the design I wanted to use, I downloaded the stl file, uploaded it onto 3DPrinterOS and scaled it to be 90 mm in length (this was found through a trial and error process; this length is the most optimal to have the biggest slug that fits within the container deliverable).
I then sent this edited file to print by the use of FDM printers using FLA filament:
Finally for my 5th print, in meeting the use of two 3D printing methods, I printed the last slug using an SLA printer. This resulted in a slug that was unable to move. Its joints that enabled articulation fused together as a result of the curing process. Therefore, I made a smaller slug using the SLA printer so that it may fit in the containers we were given.
Reflection:
This project opened my eyes to the brilliance of 3D printers. They are neat tools that enable the rapid production of anything you can imagine that can translate to a 3D model. Furthermore, I never realized how easy it is print once you have a set up going like we do at the makerspace. I see myself using 3D printing methods to prototype in future projects and am excited to use them again. Hopefully, next time around I’ll have more experience using SLA printers as well as other types of printers.
Cost *excluding machine cost of printers*
Material: *4 FDM prints using FLA filament (4*$0.07) + 1 SLA print (1*~$5.00)
$5.28
Overhead Costs: *printing time, energy consumption *
~$20
Labor: *physical labor; post processing, downloading, uploading files, excluding printing time*
1 hr * $7.25 = $7.25
Total Cost: $32.53
