3D Printing & 3D Scanning 🖨️📡
🔬 Understanding Additive Manufacturing
Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, is a process of creating three-dimensional objects by adding material layer by layer. Unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing, which involves cutting away material from a solid block, additive manufacturing builds objects from the ground up using digital 3D models. This allows for greater design freedom, reduced material waste, and customization that would otherwise be difficult to achieve with conventional methods. It is widely used in prototyping, industrial production, medical applications, and even consumer products.
🏭 Our FabLab's 3D Printing Arsenal
We are lucky to have both SLA (Stereolithography) and FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) printers in our FabLab. These two types of 3D printing technologies cater to different needs and applications, each with its strengths and weaknesses.
Creality Ender 3 S1 pro and Creality Ender 3 V3 KE
| Type | How it Works | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLA 🏆 | Uses a laser to cure liquid resin layer by layer into a solid object | High detail, smooth finish, ideal for intricate designs | Resin is expensive, messy cleanup, post-processing requires UV curing |
| FDM 🔥 | Extrudes melted filament through a heated nozzle to build objects layer by layer | Affordable, widely accessible, easier to post-process | Lower resolution, visible layer lines, limited material strength |
🛠️ Testing Our Printers
Before diving into our projects, we ran a test print to evaluate the design rules of our 3D printers. This test helps understand the limitations and capabilities of the machines, ensuring we can optimize our designs accordingly. The test print included: - Printing at different angles 🏹 to test overhang stability - Bridging gaps 🌉 to see how well the printer can create horizontal spans without support - Testing slots & tolerance 🧩 to measure precision and fitment of interlocking parts - Assessing the ability to print fine details and intricate geometries 👀
Once we had these parameters in place, it was time to move on to our weekly assignment!
🕶️ Shadow Casting: From Spider-Sense to Bat-Signal
I was fascinated by the concept of shadow projection, where a 3D-printed object can cast a specific shadow when illuminated. I came across a 3D-printed eagle lamp that casts its own wings when lit up. That sparked an idea! 💡
Original Inspiration
🕷️ The Spider-Sense Lamp (that never saw the light of day 🥲)
Idea: A Miles Morales Spider-Man head that: - Projects his spidey sense when switched on ⚡, creating an iconic comic-book effect - Has glowing eyes that act as a night light, making it both decorative and functional 🌙
References for the Spiderman lamp
Process: - Downloaded a Miles Morales 3D model 🎭 and imported it into Blender - Isolated the head from the full-body model and solidified it to prepare for modifications 🏗️ - Transferred the model to Fusion 360 to add slots and cuts for embedding LED lights
Reality Check: - The head’s complex geometry made it extremely difficult to modify without distorting the details 🤯
- Manipulating the structure to allow for proper light projection turned out to be a major challenge
Yes! Even I could comprehend this
- Instead of forcing a solution, I did what any sane person would do—switched universes to DC. 🦇
🦇 The Desktop Bat-Signal (Now, we're talking! ⚡)
The Bat-Signal is used to summon Batman, guiding him exactly where to go. Similarly, my Desktop Storage Bat-Signal will always guide me to my pendrives, SD cards, and other small essentials that seem to disappear into the abyss of my desk drawer. 🕵️♂️
🔨 The Design Process
- Researched and gathered references to ensure the Bat-Signal looked authentic 🖼️
Inspiration for the Bat-Signal
- Combined my own design ideas with existing Batman aesthetics to create a unique version 🎨
- Used Fusion 360 to model the signal, breaking it down into 5 separate parts for easier printing ⚙️
- Measured everything carefully with a ruler to ensure practical dimensions 📏
- Exported the final design as an STL file and sliced it in Creality Print ✂️
- Loaded the file into the 3D printer and left it running overnight 🌙
Printer load out
🔧 Challenges & Fixes
| Challenge | What Went Wrong? | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Warped Base 📏 | Slight deformation during printing due to heat variations | Sanded down the inner lid for a perfect fit 🏜️ |
| Bolt Size Mismatch 🔩 | The holes were too small for the bolts I had | Used a drill to widen them 🛠️, adding an extra assembly step |
🎨 Final Touches
- Assembled the parts carefully to ensure everything fit securely 🔗
- Spray-painted it black 🖤 to match the classic Bat-Signal aesthetic
- Added a Bat Symbol cutout at the front 🦇 to allow light projection
- Found a suitable light source to make the projection as clear as possible 🔦
Final assembly
Created a swivel mechanism that lets me rotate and adjust the lamps in any direction.
🔮 Future Improvements
- Designing a modular fixture so different lenses can be swapped out to change the projection 🔄 (but that’s a challenge for another day... 🤷♂️)
Just for fun
I also printed a toy that I designed in CAD week.
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🧐 3D Scanning: Fun with EinScan & Kiri Engine
3D scanning was wildly entertaining – from scanning random objects around the lab to even scanning my own face! 🤯
🏗️ Using EinScan HD Pro (Handheld Scanner)
✅ Pros: - Produces extremely detailed scans 🔬 - The software provides intuitive prompts and tracking markers to make the process easier 🧠
❌ Cons: - Requires tracking markers for best accuracy 🎯 - Bulky and expensive compared to phone-based scanning 😅
📱 Using Kiri Engine (Phone Scanner)
✅ Pros: - Completely portable – scan anything, anywhere, anytime 📲 - No additional equipment needed, making it super convenient 💰
❌ Cons: - Lower accuracy, struggles with fine details ⚠️ - Doesn’t work well with reflective or dark surfaces 🖤
Final Verdict:
| Feature | EinScan HD Pro (Handheld) | Kiri Engine (Phone) |
|---|---|---|
| Portability | ❌ Bulky | ✅ Fits in pocket |
| Detail & Accuracy | ✅ High | ❌ Lower |
| Ease of Use | ✅ Intuitive | ✅ Super easy |
| Cost | ❌ Expensive | ✅ Free |
🔍 Final Thoughts
This week was packed with learning, troubleshooting, and fun discoveries. From switching superhero universes to scanning street signs, the journey was anything but boring. Looking forward to scanning more weird and wonderful objects in the coming weeks! 🚀
Design files
SpiderMan Head
Batman Logo
BatSignal Box
BatSignal Cylinder
BatSignal Stand
BatSignal Disc