3d « Wes Thomas Design Journal

January 2, 2012

Some objects I’ve printed

posted by wes at 4:04 pm

These models are all printed in ABS (common injection molding material – same as the material LEGO uses), but I also have a spool of PLA (plant-based, often made in USA) that I’ve been experimenting with.

I did not design any of these, they are all user contributions from the popular 3D content site Thingiverse

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Depending on which manufacturer you order your plastic from and how much you order, your plastic won’t always come on a spool. Most sites will indicate if the product is spooled or not, so make sure to check so you know what to expect.

If you do order plastic that is not spooled, it can be a real pain to work with. You have to constantly keep an eye on it and help feed it in properly so your extruder motor can handle it and allow it to properly feed through as you run your print. To solve this issue, Thingiverse user randyy made a filament holder with files included for clips that the filament feeds through as it enters the machine. This allows for a seamless, smooth print that you don’t have to constantly watch and intervene.

The cool thing about collaborative sites like Thingiverse is that people see designs like this and help to improve them. RotoScan made several modifications to the original design and released this heavy duty filament holder & guide that I printed out for my filament;

Source file: Heavy Duty Printable Filament Spool with TOM Filament Guides

This whistle works! Since I don’t currently have 2 extruders I don’t have the option of using support material (this would allow large overhangs and printing objects inside of objects). That means the “ball” inside this whistle doesn’t float – it is attached to one of the walls but protrudes into the cavity enough to allow for a perfect, loud whistle every time;

Source file: Whistle

Source file: Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza

Check out this bracelet design by Thingiverse user emmett. It is printed with thin walls which allows it to stretch and expand to fit around your hand as you put it onto your wrist.

Source file: Stretchy Bracelet

There are a lot of printable upgrades for your personal 3D printer available on Thingiverse such as this one to remove dust on the plastic filament as it enters the extruder;

Source file: Mk7 Filament Dust Remover

I accidentally broke a friend’s bottle opener the other week, so I printed a replacement from a file uploaded to Thingiverse

Source file: Pocket Coin-Op Bottle Opener

Here’s a minimal, straightforward toilet paper holder – I added some words wrapped around it for fun and mounted it in our bathroom

Source file: Toilet Paper Roll Holder (slightly modified with added words)

3D Printing,design
tags: 3d, 3D print, 3D printing, ABS, DIY, makerbot, PLA

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Hobbyist 3D Printing

posted by wes at 2:56 pm

It’s a great time to get into the world of 3D printing on the hobbyist level. There are tons of companies offering relatively inexpensive kits with all the parts you’d need to build a fully functional FDM style 3D printer. These are the type that operate by heating a thermoplastic (generally either ABS or PLA right now) and then extruding it through a nozzle onto a build platform. As it does this, each axis is moving according to a 3D CAD file. By controlling the movement of the nozzle/ bed and simultaneously controlling the plastic coming out of the extruder, these machines will build a three dimensional plastic part that is accurate to the 3D file inputted into the software.

I hope I didn’t lose too many people on that explanation. For a growing number of people, that is pretty basic information about these printers. However, it is still not fully adapted by the masses, which is why it is currently in the hobbyist phase. These 3D printer kits are getting cheaper and more reliable each day. There are huge communities of smart, helpful people that are testing, troubleshooting, and contributing knowledge to these projects.

Many of the kits are open source, which allows knowledge to be shared amongst anyone interested. Open source basically means that the “source” (original backend work to create final product) is openly revealed and provided to anyone who wants it, free of charge. Open source is common in software development and has led to awesome, well-rounded products due to the immense knowledge being contributed and reviewed by anyone interested.

Last October I ordered a 3D printer kit from one of the better known personal 3D printer kit companies, Makerbot Industries. Their newest model is called the Thing-O-Matic and I got the kit of parts to build it for about $1200 USD directly from their online store.

Although there are several companies and models being offered from different people, Makerbot was relatively inexpensive, has a very user-friendly appeal and therefore attracts a large community for support/troubleshooting help, and they’re doing a good job in the current hobbyist climate that these kits are in. They’re also behind the immensely helpful and popular site Thingiverse, which offers free 3D models (user-submitted) free to download and print at will.

Other good 3D printer kits are Ultimaker (known to be a faster machine) and MakerGear (great site for kits and parts/ extruders/ plastic/ etc.). These are just 2 other sites I was considering when making my purchase, but there are tons of companies with offerings. Check out this helpful post on the Fabbaloo blog for a list of some.

The grandfather of all these extrusion 3D printer kits is the Rep Rap Project. What an awesome initiative and project! There is a huge community constantly developing add-ons, updates, and improvements and helping to make personal-use 3D printing widely adapted and able to improve our quality of life. Imagine never having to go out to the store to buy simple things – just download or create them in 3D and click print.

I’m planning on starting my first RepRap build soon, and if anyone else is interested you should check out this awesome visual guide to the Prusa Mendel build. Very informative and detailed, I’ll definitely be referencing this as I build.

3D Printing,design
tags: 3d, 3D printing, DIY, FDM, hobby, hobbyist, makerbot

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July 7, 2009

Recent Work

posted by wes at 2:29 pm

Without giving too much away, I’d like to show some tasks I’ve been working on these past couple of weeks here at Postgreen. If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll probably be able to see more things as they develop.

Comments/suggestions/questions?

design,postgreen
tags: 3d, 3d modeling, basement, bathroom design, modeling, postgreen, rendering

Comments (0)

June 1, 2009

The Future of 3D Modeling

posted by wes at 4:11 pm

3D Modeling Program I most often use - Rhinoceros 4

Most 3D modeling programs tend to be a little bit too intimidating for people to attempt to learn. Not just skill-wise, but many of these programs are priced at ridiculously expensive retail costs. Who wants to pay a couple thousand dollars to get their hands on a program they don’t even know if they will use or enjoy? With Google’s SketchUp being released for free online, this type of 3D digital technology is no longer only for serious engineers, architects, designers, animators, and various other closely related professions.

Google SketchUp 7

It’s so easy to use – I used to think SketchUp served as a good stepping stone into more serious 3D modeling programs, but lately I’ve been shifting my point of view. The controls are easy and clearly understandable, and since it’s supported by Google, online help is always a click away. When we were first introduced to SketchUp in school last year, most of my colleagues scoffed at it. They blew it off as if it was some dumbed-down version of “real” modeling programs. Maybe so, but I think not. It is used professionally today, and it is supported on both Mac and Windows. I encourage anyone reading this that has in the past been intimidated by the idea to download and try Google SketchUp 7 for free today.

With Google Earth becoming such a big hit lately as well, SketchUp has the integrated feature for people to build models in 3D and instantly upload their designs into Google Earth for others to see and interact with. There also exists a 3D Warehouse that houses a plethora of models people created and shared with others – everything from houses to Ikea furniture. It makes me happy to see how much people are willing to share with one another for free, and I love the open-source feel of the whole thing.

Lego Digital Designer allows users (important to note the demographic – “kids”) to create out of digital Lego bricks any idea that they have come up with or drawn out. They can search through a slew of palettes provided by the software to find exactly which bricks they need for their creation. Once they spend a little bit of time modeling their idea in the digital realm, LEGO allows users to upload their designs to their website where they have a showroom feature. More importantly, they will gather the pieces, package them up, and send the creator their digital design in real life LEGO bricks. What?? Once I got over how cool this concept was, I became irritated that this wasn’t available in my younger days – LEGO was one of my favorite things to play with as a kid.

Lego Digital Designer

With programs like these two making their way out of engineering/ technical realms and into the average, every-day person’s homes, it is only a matter of time until you have motivated kids entering high school with the skills and mindset to create their ideas in a digital 3D space. This is both important for building technical skills and for harnessing creativity at an early age.

I’d love to hear other opinions about this topic, and as always I encourage you to leave questions, comments, or ongoing discussion right here.