WEEK 05 3D Scanning & Printing

•G•R•O•U•P• •A•S•S•I•G•N•M•E•N•T•

All group assignments can be found on the official website of FAB LAB BENFICA

3D PRINTER’S PARAMETRICS & SLICERS:

For my 3D printing tasks, I used two different printers and their corresponding slicers.

PRUSA i3 MK3 & PrusaSlicer

The Prusa i3 MK3 is a reliable and widely-used FDM printer known for its precision and open-source design. I prepared the print files using PrusaSlicer, which allows control over parameters such as layer height, infill density, print speed, and support structures. The slicer converts the 3D model (usually in .STL format) into G-code instructions the printer can follow.

BAMBU LAB A1 mini & Bambu Studio

I also worked with the Bambu Lab A1 mini, a compact, high-speed printer with automatic calibration and multi-color printing capabilities. Its slicer, Bambu Studio, provides an intuitive interface for adjusting print settings like temperature, speed, and build plate adhesion. Both slicers include preview tools to simulate the print process and help optimize the outcome.

TESTS

I found this open-source model, coming from Kickstarter and Autodesk, that is meant to provide with a standard test to assess 3D printer performance. Download from here

I used standard settings to compare the outcome

• PRUSA

  

• BAMBU

  

RESULTS

SUMMARY:

The printing time of Bambu was amazing, It was half the time of Prusa and to be honest the quality of the print seems better- specially in the upper spikes and in bridges. But also the filament for Prusa was a bit older and I should have printed it in a solid colour for better comparison.

I’ll compare now extreme bridging in both printers. Downloaded from here

• PRUSA

  

  

  

  

  

• BAMBU

  

  

  

  

  

COMPARISON:

Since Bambu printer was so fast let me reduce the speed for better comparison

SUMMARY:

This test is very extreme. The bridge has 15cm of length so each printer failed, but I have to admit Bambu won again.

As the final two tests I used Bambu because of the speed

I printed this cute spider to see more of the fine bridging as well with the final sphere finishing. Download from here

The bridging went quite well and it seems to be very stable and resistant.

I wanted to see more of the finishing and slope printing as we can see in the top part of the spider, so I checked this model: Downloaded from here and here’s the result

This test demonstrates how the angle of a slope influences the staircasing effect in 3D prints. Staircasing occurs when layered printing creates small step-like formations instead of smooth curves, a common challenge in additive manufacturing.

The design features nine different angle pairings (each summing to 90°), ranging from 5° and 85°. This allows you to determine which angle best reduces the staircasing effect on sloped surfaces.

Once you've identified the optimal angle, you can position curved models accordingly to achieve a more uniform and natural appearance. Alternatively, printing multiple calibration models at varying layer heights can help you find the best setting for minimizing staircasing.

•I•N•D•I•V•I•D•U•A•L• •A•S•S•I•G•N•M•E•N•T•

3D MODEL OF THE CAT’S BUTTON

I tried new features in Fusion360: FROM MODELING I learned it from this tutorials

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYLJyOuDKmo
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3HsWz-5-Pw

And here’s my first look of the remote button:

PRINTS

I Printed the bottom part on Bambu and the middle one on Prusa. I wanted to see other types of infill

While setting up the print of the button itself I checked out this video about infills and their strengths

I chose GYROID infill I stopped the print to take a picture and then continued without any problem.

RESIN PRINTER

For the paw-shaped part of the button I tried a resin printer.

I tested the Uniformation GK Two, a resin (LCD) 3D printer designed for high-detail prints, especially useful in applications like miniatures or dental models. For slicing, I used Chitubox, a slicer specifically made for resin printers. Chitubox allows fine control over layer thickness, exposure time, lift speed, and supports generation. It slices the model into layers and prepares a file the printer can read, optimizing for both print quality and successful adhesion to the build plate.

I used flexible resin

I used standard settings for this specific resin called X23

Printing preparation:

I removed the container from the printer and poured the old resin back to the bottle. Next I cleaned it with a rubber spatula and alcohol

I placed it back and added the new X23 flexible resin. Closed the lid and pressed print on the touchscreen.

Unfortunately nothing came out…

Before printing again I mixed the resin and removed any hard pieces from the container and I scraped and cleaned the upper plate as well

I modified settings few times unfortunately each print failed. I don’t understand exactly why, because the error is very random. Sometimes the print is not attached at all, sometimes the supports are not being printed. I tried to change the position of the print as well as changing the placement on the printing plate (thinking that maybe light is broken in this specific zone) but nothing worked. I adjusted setting for longer light exposure to hold better but each print failed anyways so there was no more point of trying

Here are some pictures and the settings from the one that was closest to be well done:

3D SCAN

For my 3D scan I used Luma 3D App form smartphones form lumalabs

The app is very intuitive and says all the steps you need to follow to scan a 3D object

I scanned my water bottle and here’s the outcome:

FILES:

3D MODELS

• PAW.zip
• BUTTON.stl
• BASE.stl

•C•H•E•C•K•L•I•S•T•

Group assignment:

• Test the design rules for your 3D printer(s)
• Document your work on the group work page and reflect on your individual page what you learned about characteristics of your printer(s)

Individual assignment:

• Design and 3D print an object (small, few cm3, limited by printer time) that could not be easily made subtractively
• 3D scan an object (and optionally print it)

Learning outcomes:

• Identify the advantages and limitations of 3D printing
• Apply design methods and production processes to show your understanding of 3D printing.
• Demonstrate how scanning technology can be used to digitize object(s)

Have you answered these questions?

• Linked to the group assignment page
• Explained what you learned from testing the 3D printers
• Documented how you designed and 3D printed your object and explained why it could not be easily made subtractively
• Documented how you scanned an object
• Included your original design files for 3D printing
• Included your hero shots