5. 3D Scanning and Printing

This week i have undergone briefly to learn on additive and subtractive manuafacturing with their advantages and disadvantages, working principles, Comparisons between FDM and SLA printers availabe at our lab. I have designed a chain link initailly and designed Hinge box using fusion 360 as my instructors gave feedbacks that the chain links may be made subtractively and 3D printed them using PRUSA MK3S 3D prrinter.

I have experienced using the KIRI Engine app as 3D scanning software in my mobile phone and scanned the object.

1. Group Assignment

• Test the design rules for your 3D Printer(s).

Group assignment link is here!

I have learned on how to consider and interpret the results of design rules with the PRUSA MK3S, Bambu Lab X-1 and Formlabs 3D printers from this group assginment.This will help me to keep in mind the design rules that accounts for the available 3D printers at our lab.

2. Individual Assignment

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

About 3D Printing and Scanning and their working principle.

This week is all about 3D Printing and Scanning. I will brief you what what are 3D printing and Scanning.

3D Printing

It is the process of making three dimensional object from a digital file. It is also known as additive manufacturing.

Working Principle of 3D Printing

A user can start designing a 3D model using any 3D softwares or dowmload from open source library and do slicing using slicer, making it ready for the 3D printer. It is the followed by exporting G-codes and saving its file in STL format and feed the file to the printer via USB/Wi-Fi/SB card and giving commands to print.However, i will be showing the detailed examples below in our group assignments and individal assignment as well.

Types of 3D Printing Technologies & Processes

*Six types:* 

1. Vat Photopolymerisation(SLA)
2. Material Jetting
3. Binder Jetting
4. Material Extrusion(FDM)
5. Powder Bed Fusion
6. Directed Energy Deposition

But i want to brief on SLA and FDM.

*SLA*
- stands for Stereolithography

- falls under Vat Photopolymerisation.

- uses a container filled with photopolymer resin where the resin is hardened with a UV light source.

- SLA was invented in 1986 by Charles.

*FDM*
- stands for Fused Deposition Modeling.

- workes using a plastic filament supplied through a nozzle by heating to certain temperatures and deposit layer wise horizontally/vertically ob bed.

For learn more details on 3D printing and its types, please go to my reference link here

Comparison Between FDM & SLA:

Disclaimer: image source from here

3D Scanning and how it works

It is a technique for creating digital 3D models of objects, structures, environments and even people by collecting data about their shapes nd appearance. ED scanners uses a sensor to measure distance between camera and object and identify 3D points, forming a point cloud. These point clouds are meshed to turn into a 3D model. Scanning can be also done using smart phones with softwares like Scaniverse. *For detailed learning on 3D Scanning, visit my reference link here.

For 3D Scanning, i used Kiri Engine. It is the 3D Scanning app with can work with smart phones.I downloaded the Kiri Engine from the playstore in phone and required the sign-up with the email.

I clicked on (+) icon and choosed “Photo Scan” and choosed “Take Photos”.

I have choosed a object from our lab below to scan.

Next, i placed my object on the rotating tool, and started to move slowly by clicking images upto 100 numbers from various positions and angles.I did settings for polygon counts, texture resolution, and file format.After that cliched on “Upload”

After finishing Upload, it started to go “Queuing” which took some time with processing.

It started downloading the processed file and i used ‘crop’ icon to edit and delate the unwanted parts using rotating & Move Boundary adjustments.

After that, click to ‘Generate a new model’ which started editing and clicked ‘Export’.

Folowed to click on ‘upgrade to Pro’ and export it by clicking on ‘Send’, where the file has been sent to my registerted E-mail.

I went to my E-mail and got the file and it was downloaded for further edit using 3D softwares.

Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing

Additive Manufacturing

It is an industrial computer controlled process that produces 3D objects by depositing materials in layers.It is commonly known as 3D printing.Its types listed under 3D Printing above. source reference link is here

Advantages and Disadvantages of Additive Manufacturing

source reference for pros and cons for additive manufacturing is here

Subtractive Manufacturing

It is the controlled machining processes dealing with the removal of object parts to create a new product. It types includes laser cutting, CNC machining, Abrading etc.

Advantages of Subtractive Manufacturing

• It applies to wide variety of materials.
• ideal for obtaining a smooth surface
• produces high accuracy with 0.025mm close tolerance.

Disadvantages of Subtractive Manufacturing

• waste materials are formed.
• takes more time than additive manufacturing process.

Differences between Additive and Subtractive Manufacturing

Reference link is here

1. Design and 3d Print Chain link using PRUSA MK3S 3D printer.

I have used Fusion 360 for this assignment as i am familiar with it.I have planned to design and print a chain link which i assume that it cannot be made by Subtractive manufacturing as it has joints that cannot be disassembled.

I have gone through this youtube tutorial

Opened Fusion 360 and clicked on ‘New Component’ under “CREATE” and renamed component as my chain 1. Then clicked on ‘Sketch’ and selected top plane.

Now go to “CREATE” and choose ‘centet-to-center’ slot and to sketch with sloth length 20mm and width 15mm and click ‘finish sketch’.

Clicked ‘Sketch’ again and choosed ‘right plane’, followed by projecting the line.

Contructed hegagon of 3mm by selecting under ‘Polugon’ and click finish command.

I used ‘sweep’ command and choosed path and clicked ‘OK’.

Under ‘Modify’ choosed ‘move/copy’ command and drag 25mm to right.And rotate to fit in center.

Further, selected ‘Rectangular pattern’ and selected both bodies and dragged them to distance of 97.5mm and clicked ‘ok’.

To look like hanger to my chain links, i sketched a cylindrical ring which was extruded to 5mm and moved and rotated to align with the chains links.

Then i exported my design into STL format for slicing and 3D printing.

This printer is available in our lab. This printer was released in 2017.It is on eof the mostr popular medium sized 3D printer on the market. It is well known for their ease of use, good print quality, and enornous community support.

Technical Specification for PRUSA MK3S 3D printer

- Build Volume : 250mm(l) X 210mm(w) X 210mm(h)
- printer size : 520mmX540mmX480mm(lxwxh)
- weight 7kg
- Display: Monochrome LCD
- Drive type : FDM Direct(all metal)
- Fiament capacity: PLA,ABS,PETG,Nylon
- connectivity: SD card
- Drivers: TMC2130
- Build surface: Sprint steel PEI sheet
- Heating bed : YES
- nozzle diameter : 0.4m
- Maximum movement speed: 200mm/Sec.
- number of extruders: 1
- filament diameter : 1.75mm
- supported file types: STL, OBJ, M3F

Parts of PRUSA MK3S

*image source link from here For more details, go to our reference link here

Firstly, we have imported our downloaded STL file into PrusaSlicer.

Under Plater, did the following settings, with no supports and Infill as 20%. And kept my scale as 75%.

Then, I clicked on Slice now and followed by clicked to Export G-code.And saved it and tranfer to SD card as the printer supports SD card and took to the printer.

We have inserted SD card to its slot and from Home screen go to Select from SD card and choosed file and gave print command.

Lastly, i have removed the supporrts of my chain and cleaned my work area.

Design of Box with hinge and 3D Print

For this assignment, i have watch a tutorial from youtube and here is the Youtube link

I tried drawing a box with hinge and 3D print.

Firstly, i clicked on ‘CREATE’ and selected ‘Box’ followed by choosing top-plane.I have drawn to origin having 50mmX50mmX50mm box.

Next drawn the construction line and then drawn the circles for with these dimensions.

Drawn 2 lines tangent to the larger circle with 45 degree angles.

I have rotated using view cube and choosed ‘Mid-plane’ under “CONSTRUCT” and choosed top and bottom parts of the box.

Selected ‘Splitting Body’ under “MODIF” and select mid-plane as splitting tool and renamed the bodies as top aand bottom.

Choosed the bottom link, nuckle, pin and spaced between the nuckles and give the value of -9.5mm and click ‘ok’.

Select extrude and select linl, knuckle, pin and space and did these extrude settings.

Now choosed small center circle and select extrude and did following Extrude settings.

Select extrude again and select wing and outside ciecle and do the extrude settings.

To add shell to my box, i clicked on ‘Shell” and selected all the faces of the box with 3mm.

Now, turned off the bottom body and selected the center of knuckle.Followed by clicking the other side of knuckle center by turning on the bottom body.I did its settings and click to rotate.

I saved my design in STL format and imported in PrusaSlicer.I changed the print settings by giving support everywhere and infill as 20%.

Next i had to clicked on “Slice” and followed by clicking on “Export G-code”

Then i saved the file and took to 3D print in PRUSA MK3S 3D Printer.Switched on the Prusa MK3S 3D Printer and inserted the SD card to the slot.

Then using the LCD knob, choosed “Print from SD Card” and clicked to print.

Design files

1. Design file using 3D scanning(KIRI Engine) is here

2. Design file for chain using fusion 360 is here

3. Design file using Fusion 360 for hinge box is here

4. STL file for hinge box is here

This week was fun going to the design rules and learning 3D printing and scanning.I have not done any 3D scanning at my place and it gave me the basic knowledge.

I was worried as Instructors said that my first design can be produced by subtractive manufacturing. So i went to design Hinge Box.

Disclaimer : i have used chatGPT for some ideas and referred tutorials from youtube for the chain links and Hinge box