Week 5

I started 3D scanning using the 123D Catch app (by Autodesk) with my iPhone and decided to scan the Layered Chair.

The app is very friendly and easy to use. I had to take 18 pictures from 18 different angles and then 6 more from a higher angle.

Processing takes a lot of time. The app uploads the pictures and analyzes for more than an hour. You can see my final scan HERE

With 3D printing I wanted to make something that can't be made in a different. I started by printing a test model of a tree that I downloaded from Thingiverse. The special thing about this model is that it can be printed with no support.

The retraction settings was set too low and I ended up with lots of thin strings of material between the branches of the tree. I used a cutter and hot air to remove them and smooth the tree.

I used Rhino to design a simple ball trapped in a cube. I made two versions with different space between the ball and cube, 2mm and 3mm they both turned out good.

Using Cura I changed the retraction distance to 4 mm to avoid the small threads I had on the tree with my first print. With that design I can't risk having them because they will connect the ball with the cube in places I can't reach.

The auto support made by Cura turned to be good and it was not too hard to separate the ball from the cube.

I made another design that doesn't need support. This time the space between the ball and cube is 1mm and the space between the parts was too thin and they stuck together.

3D printing is an additive method that can make any of various processes used to make a three-dimensional object. I personally like the idea of trapped parts and that there is no other technology to manufacture them other than 3D printing.