NAMES
3DP ESSENTIALS
LOCATION
CAM LAB AND PRINT FARM
DATE
ONGOING
DURATION ONLINE
20 min
DURATION PRACTICAL
20 min
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
RHINO BASICS
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
RHINOCEROS 7
LEARNING OUTCOMES
HOW TO PREPARE A FILE FOR 3D PRINTING AND USE OUR FDM PRINT FARM
CHALLENGE
SUGAR LUMP CHALLENGE
Many different technologies are used for 3D Printing; some build up the object melting powders together, and some use light to cure resins. These technologies exist within the Fabrication Lab. However, the printers you will start with are called FDM (Fused Deposition Modelling). They work by extruding plastic filament through a heated nozzle to melt the plastic and build up the Layers. The basic principle of 3D Printing is that it is an additive process, slicing a digital model into many layers and then physically printing those layers one after the other.
3D printers can reproduce complex digital models very accurately. They are easy to use, and we’ll teach you everything you need to know in this Essentials course. There are specific properties and requirements of the digital file that need to be understood before you start designing for 3D Printing. Below are the 5 things you need to know about printing.
1. YOU NEED A DIGITAL OBJECT TO PRINT A PHYSICAL OBJECT
3D printers work by taking a digital model of an object and slicing it into layers. The CAM software then converts each layer into what is called a tool path. This toolpath is then converted into a language the machine understands, this is called G-Code.
Terminology
CAM - Computer aided Manufacturing. This is software that converts a CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawing into language a CNC machine (Computer Numerical Control) understands, in our case a 3D Printer.
Tool Path - A curve that is created that can then be converted into a series of X, Y, Z cordinates for the CNC machine to understand.
G-Code - A language made up of instructions and coordinates that a CNC machine can follow.
Slicing
2. THE CORRECT TOOL FOR THE CORRECT SCALE
The greatest limitation of 3D Printing on the FDM Printers in the Print Farm is the scale that can be printed. The printers are suitable for printing component parts to fit within a larger project or small prototypes but if you want to print a house or a bike other technologies might be more suitable.
3. VOLUME
Not all geometry on a screen can be printed. The object has to have a volume to it. It can not be a curve or a single surface it must have thickness and can not be too thin.
Slicing
4. THE DIGITAL OBJECT MUST BE 'WATERTIGHT'
For the CAM software to run its algorithms and to convert the digital object into a tool path the object must be a single 'watertight' object. There can be no holes or gaps in the polygon mesh that makes up the .stl file.
Slicing
5. 'THEY', SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED TO REORIENTATE
As the filament is extruded as a hot liquid plastic it needs to sit on a previous layer to cool. If it does not this is called an overhang. Overhangs introduce certain design requirements. Sometimes the digital object needs to be reorientated. Sometimes it is best to split it up into various parts that will print more efficiently. If the object can not be printed in a way that resolves the issue of overhangs then the CAM software can build supports under the overhangs that are then manually removed once printed.
Slicing
FABRICATION LAB
University of Westminster
College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries
35 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5LS
Office@FabricationLab.London
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