3d printer for rapid prototyping at ifa hilo
TRANSCRIPT
3D printer for rapid prototyping at IfA Hilo
Luke McKay — UH IfA TechTalk Nov 2014
RepRap: self replicating rapid prototyping printer
KosselXL printerBased on Kossel (shown),
which is based on Rostock…
Full kit ~ $700 many versions available
Other options
MendelMax2 (and similar) XY stage + Z screws
~$1500 more precise ball screws,
more to go wrong
What does it print?
What does it print?
ABS - acrylonitrile butadiene styrene
terpolymer, petrochemical, stable
What does it print?
PLA - poly (lactic acid)/ polylactide
polyester, bioplastic, biodegradable
What does it print?
vs
How is it programmed?
Arduino Mega with Marlin firmware which interprets G-code, calculates
head paths, heater PID, serial comms
RAMPS board with stepper drivers, heater drivers, I/O
How is it programmed?
G-code generated by “slicing” program based
on STL file
How is it programmed?
STL file generated by CAD
AutoCAD, SolidWorks Blender, 3DStudio
OpenSCAD
In Action
In Action
In Action
Limitations?Large flat surfaces difficult
All shapes at risk of twisting
Thermoplastics with high CTE (70+ um/m K),
low strength bonds with substrate, low
strength and rigidity at high temps
Limitations?
ABS in particular…
Limitations?
* Low glass transition, melt temp (PLA) * Poor environmental tolerance (PLA) * Low stiffness (ABS) * Off-gassing during printing (ABS) * Brittle and expensive (CF-PLA) ??
Limitations?
* Difficult to get high level of repeatability * Fully automated process many steps away * Pitfalls in CAD -> STL -> G-code process
Potential
In Action
In Action