Introduction to 3 D Printing Nicholas Eastham University

Introduction to 3 D Printing Nicholas Eastham University of North Florida College of Education and Human Services

What is 3 d printing? How Does it Work? • 3 D printing is an additive fabrication technique • It was first introduced 30+ years ago in manufacturing & tooling applications • There a multitude of methods, but I use: • Fused Filament Fabrication • Objects are built precisely, layer by layer from melted filament until completion

FFF/FDM Process Simplified …It’s a Robotic Hot Glue Gun • Filament is heated & extruded through a nozzle which controls the flow of the material • Model is Sliced into thousands of layers (depending on designated layer height) & sent to the printer in the form of ZCode • Z-Code is the language which tells the printer where to navigate (x, y, z coordinates) and lay down material layers

Terminology • Layer Height – the height of each layer of material, the smaller the more fine detail • Shells/Perimeter – the outside shells or edges the printer draws around the object, the more shells the stronger the object is • Infill – 3 D printers make geometric shapes to build up the infill of objects, the most common is honeycomb. Infill percentage makes the honeycomb more or less dense. Less infill means a large, hollow honeycomb, more infill provides dense, tight honeycombing. • Supports – desktop 3 D printers are at the mercy of gravity when they produce objects. To alleviate overhang or ‘out in space’ issues, support structure can be automatically generated (or can produce manually for more customization) to build up alongside the actual object supporting it as it comes together. • Raft – a raft is a thin, flat platform automatically generated (or can produce manually for more customization) underneath an object to expand the surface area

Where is 3 d printing being utilized? • Engineering • Architecture • Education • Research • Manufacturing • Biomedical • Museum/Archival • Design • Fashion • Hobbyist applications …among many others!

Materials • • • PLA ABS Flexible Nylon PET/PETT Stainless steel, titanium Gold, Silver, Copper Wood polymer Carbon Fiber Bio Cement Food

Entering the Market • Model Libraries (Thingiverse, Grabcad) • Inexpensive Materials • Accessible Printers • Automatic software repairs (Netfabb) • Free Modeling tools, apps, and programs • Level of customization that was unreachable to most

Uses In Education • Hard to find/expensive components – anatomical models, bones/skeletons, discontinued lab equipment • Building molds or customized parts • Research - recreation of rare items, rebuilding of damaged pieces (with scanning), experimentation with materials, bio-medical applications • Physical representations of challenging or hypothetical concepts – math, chemistry, physics • Art and Design – prototypes of larger pieces, molds for casting

What others are doing • Scanning & Re-Printing rare objects (cuneiform tablets, pottery, artifacts) • Scanning Smithsonian, Louvre, and other museum pieces & making them available to the public for printing, examination, and handling • Making Custom prosthesis for humans & animals • Heart valves, skin, spine inserts, ear/nose/face implants and reconstruction

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Artistic Designs

Artistic Designs (https: //pinshape. com/blog/announcing-esun-print-contest-winners/)

Artistic Designs- Containers

Art in Action http: //www. 3 dsystems. co m/culinary/gallery http: //jadecromptoncera mics. blogspot. co. uk/2013/ 12/first-shape-test-invessel. html https: //3 dprint. com/38774/3 d-printed -slipcast-pieces/

Art in Action https: //www. shapeways. com/bl og/archives/1448 -how-to-makea-stamp-using-shapeways-3 dprinting-and-sugru. html http: //imgur. com/a/vs. Zs 4

Free 3 D Application for Beginners • http: //www. tinkercad. com • Autodesk has free software for education, but more complex to use

A Few Online Libraries for Designs Each has different business models: • Thingiverse http: //www. thingiverse. com • XYZ printing http: //us. gallery. xyzprinting. com/us_en/category/6/1/2/0 • Youmagine https: //www. youmagine. com/design_categories/education/designs • Pinshape https: //pinshape. com/ • NIH Print Exchange- http: //3 dprint. nih. gov/

Search Engines for Design Files • STL Finder http: //www. stlfinder. com/ • Yeggi http: //www. yeggi. com/

Convert Images to 3 D • Image to Lithophane: http: //3 dp. rocks/lithophane/ • Cura: https: //ultimaker. com/en/products/cura-software

Places to print • Local Library • Staples • UPS • Shapeways. com Send your own or buy designs • Make. XYZ. com Upload design to have someone in local maker community print (Direct Thingiverse link works too) • You 3 dit. com Send a file or pick a designer to model your idea. They print using a local 3 d printer. • Ponoko. com Send your own or buy designs. Wide range of printing options. • 3 dhubs. com Upload or get files. Locate local or regional 3 D printers. • University “Maker. Spaces” such as Penn State’s Space

Learn More • Low-cost 3 D Printing for Science, Education & Sustainable Development • Makerbot in the Classroom