Rob Patrick Project 3: 3D Printer


Design and Planning 

Project number three began with a Fusion sample tutorial, which demonstrated how to design for 3D printer fabrication using the Sculpt feature.  As the name implies, sculpt is a design process similar to sculpting with actual clay.  Design happens by manipulating the object through a series of pushes and pulls of contoured surfaces.  Watching the tutorial taught me the fundamental movements to design.  No real constraints were provided in the assignment other than keeping the object within a 2"x2"x2" volume so that the print time would be limited.  A 3D printer is an additive process which creates an object by layers upon layers of very thin heated and softened plastic fiber.  The fiber is released onto the 'bed', using a continuous left-right movement reminiscent of the old dot matrix printer.  For my project, I decided to shape an aircraft prototype similar to the SR-71 Blackbird spy plane.  

Execution

Following the tutorial, I replicated several of the design techniques and completed my aircraft design in Fusion.  From there, the file had to be converted, or 'sliced' into a .gcode file to be read by the printer.  Once the recommended settings were entered, the Prusa 3D printer went to work.  At this point there's nothing more to do other than to watch and wait.  My initial print had to be aborted when the airplane lost its grip on the bed and started moving around.  I later learned that the bed temperature was not as warm as it needed to be to heat the plastic and hold it in place.  Once corrected, the printer worked flawlessly and completed the model effortlessly and within fifteen minutes.  Lastly, the excess skirting of plastic had to be removed and the project was then complete.

Outcomes

This project was relatively basic from design through execution.  Having practiced with the tutorial sample in Fusion, I was able to complete my design in little time and with no issues.  I was limited at times when I couldn't place the contours where they were needed to achieve the desired results.  I assume that given more experience with the software, more control would be attainable.  As mentioned, there was a problem during printing, and I'm not sure if it was caused by the .gcode or the printer itself.  Once manual adjustments were made on the printer, the bed warmed to the required temperature and completed the project on the second attempt.













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