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	==== Ultimaker ====		==== Ultimaker ====
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		+	'''Note:''' It hasn't been released yet but the videos suggest it's going to be wicked-fast.
	* Site: http://www.ultimaker.com/		* Site: http://www.ultimaker.com/

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Revision as of 13:38, 8 March 2011

Workshop Outline

What is 3D Printing?

• What is 3D?
  • 2D: Drawings, paintings.
  • 3D: Sculpture, things we use.

• What is Printing?
  • Depositing material. Paint, graphite, ink.

• What is 3D Printing?
  • Depositing material to make a 3D object.

• How does a 3D Printer work?
  • Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
    • Cost: Very High
    • Tech: High-power lasers fuse any meltable material, from plastics up to metals like titanium.
    • Advantages: Produce replacement parts on demand for your fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. Fused material might be recyclable.
    • Disadvantages: See Cost.
  • Ink-Jet Powder+Binder
    • Cost: Medium
    • Tech: Lays down layers of powder and "prints" the design using a glue-like binder.
    • Advantages: Can do colour. Model structures are self-supporting via unused powder. "Green" parts can be infused with materials from glue to molten metal to strengthen. Unused powder can be reused.
    • Disadvantages: "Green" parts are fragile. Hollow parts will trap binder if no exit holes are designed in. Fabricated objects may be difficult or impossible to recycle back into machine inputs.
  • Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
    • Cost: Low
    • Tech: An extruder head deposits melted material (like plastic) or pastes to build up an object layer-by-layer.
    • Advantages: Cheap. Can be completely hollow and air-tight. Can be vestment-cast with molten metal. Simple machine design. For thermoplastic and similar materials, fabricated objects can be melted back down and reused.
    • Disadvantages: Large overhangs require support material. Multiple colours and/or materials require complex multi-head extruder designs.

Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing

Design an Object

Introducing Google SketchUp

• Download: http://sketchup.google.com/

Basic Shapes

• Creating shapes
• Creating rulers for precision
• Snap to lines, shapes, rulers.

Useful Operations

• 2D to 3D
  • Extrude: the Pull operation.
• 3D Text
• 3D Boolean Operations

Troubleshooting

• When is a mesh not solid?
• Tricks to fixing meshes so they're solid.

Exporting

• STL
• Collada (DAE)

MeshLab Manipulations

• Download: http://www.meshlab.org/

• Checking models for manifoldness
• Basic fixing operations
• Basic scaling operations

NetFabb Tools

• Pointer to netfabb's online mesh repair: http://cloud.netfabb.com/
• Pointer to netfabb Studio Basic: http://www.netfabb.com/basic.php

Slicing Fabjects

ReplicatorG

• Download: http://replicat.org/

• Basic STL positioning and scaling operations.
• Hooks into Skeinforge (included).
  • Turn on skeinview
• Read the resulting GCode.

GCode Visualization (Optional)

• For Mac: http://www.pleasantsoftware.com/developer/pleasant3d/index.shtml

• For Blender GCode reader plug-in (all platforms): https://github.com/zignig/blender-gcode-reader

Printing to MakerBot Machines

• Print Direct
  • Cupcake: Only print direct for simple designs. The serial link bogs down too easily when there are lots of small movements as found in curves and circles.
  • Thing-O-Matic: No issues printing directly.
• Print Buffering to SD Card
  • Cupcake: Preferred over direct printing. Necessary for stand-alone operation.
  • Thing-O-Matic: Optional. Necessary for stand-alone operation.
• Print to File (aka SD Card in USB reader)
  • Cupcake: Faster than dumping data over serial link. Useful for preparing files for multiple "identical" machines.
  • Thing-O-Matic: Faster than dumping data over serial link. Useful for preparing files for multiple "identical" machines.

Printing to RepRap Machines

Paul add stuff here.

Using the ArtEngine MakerBot Cupcake

See http://artengine.ca/modlab/index.php/MakerBot

Resources

Design Flows on a Budget

Modelling Software

• 3DTin
  • Baby Steps
  • Site: http://3dtin.com/

• Google SketchUp
  • Layman's CAD
  • Site: http://sketchup.google.com/

• Blender
  • B(u)y the Book(s)
  • Site: http://blender.org/

• OpenSCAD
  • The Coder Way
  • Site: http://openscad.org/

Visualization, Assembly and Mesh Repair

• MeshLab
  • Site: http://www.meshlab.org/

• netfabb Studio and Cloud.
  • Site: http://www.netfabb.com/ and http://cloud.netfabb.com/

• Pleasant3D (Mac Only)
  • Site: http://www.pleasantsoftware.com/developer/pleasant3d/index.shtml

• Blender (STL and GCode Plugins)
  • Site: http://www.blender.org
  • GCode Plugin: https://github.com/zignig/blender-gcode-reader

Slice'n'Dice

• Skeinforge (Python based)
  • Cryptic but Necessary
  • Development and Stand-alone (outside ReplicatorG) Builds: http://fabmetheus.crsndoo.com/

• SuperSkein (Processing based)
  • Download: https://github.com/MaskedRetriever/SuperSkein
  • Not heavily developed.
  • Handy for experimental slicing, generating DXF slices for 2.5D modeling.

Printer Interfaces

• ReplicatorG
  • Site: http://replicat.org/

Models and Mash-Ups

• Thingiverse
  • http://www.thingiverse.com/

Printers

Open Source - Parent Projects

RepRap Project

• Site: http://reprap.org/
• Machines:
  • Darwin
  • Mendel
    • Prusa Mendel

Open Source Hardware - Commercial

MakerBot

• Site: http://www.makerbot.com/
• Machines:
  • Cupcake CNC
  • Thing-O-Matic

MakerGear

• Site: http://www.makergear.com/
• Machines:
  • Prusa Mendel Kit
  • Extruder upgrades for RepRap, RepStrap and CNC machines.

Ultimaker

Note: It hasn't been released yet but the videos suggest it's going to be wicked-fast.

• Site: http://www.ultimaker.com/
• Machines:
  • Protobox v1.0

3D Printing Services

• Ponoko
  • http://www.ponoko.com/

• Shapeways
  • http://www.shapeways.com/

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