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3D printing and scanning

Week objectives :

  • Linked to the group assignment page
  • Explained what you learned from testing th
  • Documented how you designed and made
  • Documented how you scanned and prepar
  • Included your original design files for 3D pr
  • Included your hero shots

We have the chance to have 3 key prototyping technology available in the fablab : - Some conventionnal 3D printer (FDM) - Advanced SLA 3D printer for precise parts and models - A 3D Scanner (Kinect based)

3D Printing is very popular nowadays because it is one of the most available and affordable home prototyping machine. Most of fablab and makers use mainly FDM printers because it is convenient,cheap and flexible to lots of application. However, Conventionnal 3D printer have lots of limitation : the precision, the speed and the material…

It is possible to take advantages of each manufacturing technique to design a complex system. As I will need both machine for my final project, I will explain here how I used SLA and FDM printers.

I your interested about the history of hobbyist 3D printing, I recommend watching the video below :

Group Assignement

Unfortunatelty we had to repair the fablab machines during the assignement. The lab printers had several problems. First the were covered with sawdust leading to adhesion problems (The lab moved a lot during lockdown). Dust also cause damage to hotend fan. Which leaded to extrusion problem and clogged extruder. With the help of Sylvain, we replaced fans and fixed extruders. Then, we were good to go and started our first print… Lot’s of the first attempt failed. Not because of the humans operating with extreme precision but mainly because the Alfawise U20 and U30 are very bad at printing reliably. The success rate on these machines is pretty low… But they have one advantages, if the part should fail, it will ! This provide the insurance of success when the first layer does print correctly…

We started the journey by printing this test on all of our printers.

For the assignement, I characterize my own machines since the lab ones weren’t ready. Please continue reading this site to know more about it.


Last update: June 26, 2022