adam's notes

3-D Printer Imaging Process & Maintenance

  • 3-D print process builds a solid object from successive layers of material
    • material is typically some sort of plastic
      • but some can work with rubber, carbon fiber, or metal alloys
  • has very different use cases to printing to paper
    • most widely used in manufacturing
      • create proof-of-concept working models from designs

3-D Printer Imaging Process

  • imaging process begins with either:
    • a scan of an existing object
    • creating a design using 3-D modeling software
  • end up with a 3-D model created in software and saved to a 3-D model format
  • model is rendered into discrete horizontal layers or slices
    • slicing software might be contained in the 3-D modeling software or within the 3-D printer
    • result is a print job specifying how each layer in the finished object is to be deposited
  • sliced model is then fed to the 3-D printer
    • over a USB or Wi-Fi connection
    • or by an SD card containing the file
  • printer then melts a filament and extrudes it onto the build surface, creating layer upon layer based on the slices
  • extruder (and sometimes the build bed) is moved as needed on X/Y/Z axes to create the build

3-D Printer Components

  • several types of 3-D printers:
    • Fused filament fabrication (FFF)
      • aka, fused deposition modeling (FDM)
      • lays down layers of filament at a high temperature
      • As layers are extruded, adjacent layers are allowed to cool and bond together before additional layers are added to the object
      • main components in an FDM 3-D printer are:
        • Print bed / build plate
          • flat glass plate onto which the material is extruded
          • usually heated to prevent the material from warping
          • must be leveled for each print job
            • is usually automated, but cheaper printer models require manual calibration
          • important that the printer frame be strong and rigid enough to keep the bed as stable as possible
          • Any vibration will result in poor-quality printing
        • Bed/build surface
          • sheet placed onto the base plate to hold the object in position while printing but also allow its removal on completion
          • bed surface material may need to be matched to the filament material for best results
        • Extruder
          • equivalent of a print head in an inkjet
          • motor in the extruder draws filament from the “cold end” through to the nozzle (or “hot end”), where it is melted and squirted onto the object
          • Different-size nozzles can be fitted to the extruder
        • Gears/motors/motion control
          • enable precise positioning of the extruder
        • Fan
          • cools the melted plastic where necessary to shape the object correctly
    • printer must be installed in a suitable environment
      • stable, vibration-free floor and dust-free, humidity-controlled surroundings will ensure best results

Filament

  • “ink” for a 3-D printer is supplied as a spool of filament
    • provided in a diameter of either 1.75 mm or 3 mm
    • use various filament materials
      • two popular plastics:
        • polylactic acid (PLA)
        • acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)
    • can use a range of filament types, but it is best to check compatibility if a specific “exotic” is required for a project
      • Each material operates at different extruder and print-bed temperatures
  • To change a filament:
    • extruder must be heated to the appropriate temperature
    • Pull as much of the old filament out as possible
    • push the new filament through
    • Do not start printing until all the old filament has been pushed out
  • Filament spools require careful storage once opened
    • kept free from heat and humidity

Resin and Other 3-D Printer Types

  • two other common types of 3-D printer
    • use different materials than filament
    • Stereolithography (SLA)
      • uses liquid plastic resin or photopolymer to create objects which are cured using an ultraviolet laser
      • Excess photopolymer is stored in a tank under the print bed
      • print bed lowers into the tank as the object is created
      • liquid solvent removes uncured polymer after the model is finished
    • Selective laser sintering (SLS)
      • fuses layers together using a pulse laser
      • object is created from a powder and lowered into a tank as each layer is added
      • powder can be plastic or metal

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