3D Scanning And Printing¶

This weeks goal was to test the design rules of our 3D printers as a group and individually design, document, and 3D print a small object that cannot be manufactured subtractively, as well as 3D scan an object.

3D printing¶

3D printing (additive manufacturing) is a process where objects are built layer by layer from digital 3D models.
Instead of removing material like in milling or cutting, the material is added only where it is needed.

The first commercial 3D printing technology was developed in 1984 by Chuck Hull. He invented stereolithography (SLA). In 1986 he founded 3D Systems, which was one of the first companies producing 3D printers.

In the 2000s, 3D printing became more accessible. And today companies like Prusa Research and Bambu Lab produce highly reliable and user-friendly desktop 3D printers.

Prusa advantages are the open source mindset, their reliability and the community support. Bambu Lab advantages are the very high printing speed, automatic calibration and good multi-color systems.

With additive manufacturing complex internal channels, moving parts printed in place and organic shapes are possible and there is nearly no material wasted. One major limitation in FDM printing is gravity.
If some structures overhang greater than about 45° , support structures are generated.

Energy-Aware Manufacturing¶

Compared to some subtractive processes, additive manufacturing can reduce material waste.
Overall sustainability depends on energy consumption, material type, machine efficiency, and part design.

In FDM printing energy is mainly used for:

heating the nozzle (200 °C for PLA)
heating the print bed (around 60 °C)
stepper motors for movement
control electronics

The Bambu Lab X1 Carbon (wich I used for this weeks projects) has a maximum power rating of 1100 W at 220 V. However, this peak power is only reached during heat-up. During normal printing, power consumption is typically around 120–200 W depending on temperatures and movement. Even small design decisions that reduce printing time lower energy consumption and therefore decrease actual production costs. Most modern 3D printing programs, however, calculate the price based solely on material usage.

Sustainability in 3D printing means designing lightweight but strong structures while avoiding unnecessary supports. Reducing material use (or better using recyclable materials like PLA) and minimizing the print time is crucial.

Printable materials¶

material	typical applications	cost (~ €/kg)	Challenges and special characteristics
PLA (Polylactic Acid)	Prototypes, visual models, educational use	20–35 €	Very easy to print, low warping, biodegradable, low heat resistance (~60°C), brittle
ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene)	Functional parts, housings, mechanical components	20–40 €	Warping risk, requires heated bed, emits fumes, stronger than PLA
PETG (Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol)	Functional parts, brackets, containers	25–50 €	Tough and durable, good layer adhesion, stringing possible, sticks strongly to print bed
TPU / TPE (Flexible materials)	Seals, flexible joints, phone cases	30–60 €	Flexible, slow printing required, can cause extrusion issues
Nylon (PA)	Gears, wear-resistant parts, mechanical components	50–90 €	Very strong and durable, absorbs moisture easily, high printing temperature required
Polycarbonate (PC)	Heat-resistant technical parts	60–100 €	High strength, high temperature resistance, strong warping tendency
ASA	Outdoor parts, UV-exposed components	30–60 €	UV-resistant, similar to ABS but more weather stable
HIPS	Support material (for ABS), lightweight parts	25–40 €	Dissolvable in limonene, moderate mechanical strength
Carbon Fiber Filled (PLA/ABS/PETG)	Lightweight stiff structural parts	50–120 €	Abrasive to nozzle (needs hardened steel), high stiffness, lower flexibility
Glass Fiber Filled	Structural reinforced parts	50–120 €	Abrasive, strong and stiff, rough surface finish
Wood-Filled PLA	Decorative parts, visual models	25–50 €	Wood-like appearance, may clog nozzle, mainly aesthetic use
Metal-Filled PLA	Decorative heavy-looking parts	40–90 €	Abrasive, heavy, mostly aesthetic purpose
PC-ABS / PC Blends	Strong technical enclosures	70–120 €	High temperature required, good impact resistance
PVA (Water-Soluble)	Support material for complex prints	50–90 €	Water soluble, absorbs moisture quickly, must be stored dry
PEEK / PEI (ULTEM)	Aerospace, medical, high-performance engineering	300–800 €	Extremely high temperature printing (>350°C), industrial printers required

Due to low printing temperatures and the costs PLA is the most used material.

3D printing an object¶

I searched for a print in place bearing on Thingiverse.

best 3D-printable bearing by Bribo12 - 2017

Then I imported it to Bambu Studio and synced the infos for the selected printer.

I assigned black generic PLA to the model in the slicer.

The job takes about 30 min. I choose the printer “Curie” and started the job.

After a short break I went looking for the print and found this. I instantly stopped it.

I asked the 3D print area manager and last years FabAcademy student Julian Baßler for help (thank you!). First, he set the nozzle temperature to 200 °C.

And removed the material.

He cleaned the bed.

And even the LiDAR sensors lens. We started the job again and thought nothing could go wrong now.

After 30 min the outcome was this.

Julian decided to inspect the printer hardware and I switched to another printer. There was no black PLA so I switched to another color.

Designing an object¶

First I created a sketch in Autodesk Fusion.

I created a rectangle.

And another one, 20 mm smaller.

Then I added some circles with 10 mm diameter.

And extruded the outer border.

I duplicated and moved it.

And extruded the circles with operation type Join.

I added a base plate.

And the upper part.

Then I used the Sphere tool to create a body inside of the box.

With a diameter of 35 mm.

Then I positioned it so that it touched the base plate.

And saved the file.

I exported it as STL (only geometry).

And imported it to Bambu Studio.

And printed it with 5% infill.

This is the result.

Introduction 3D scanning¶

3D scanning is a process where the geometry of a real object is digitally captured and converted into a 3D model. Instead of designing an object in CAD, the physical object becomes the input for digital fabrication.

The basic idea is:
physical object → data capture → digital model → processing → fabrication or further analysis

Early 3D scanning technologies were developed in the 1960s–1980s for industrial measurement and reverse engineering.
Laser scanning systems became commercially available in the 1980s and 1990s and structured light scanning developed further in the 2000s.
Today, scanning is also possible with mobile devices using photogrammetry or LiDAR-based systems.

Laser triangulation
A laser line is projected onto the object and a camera observes the deformation of the line. From the angle difference, 3D coordinates are calculated.

Advantages:

High precision
Good for mechanical parts

Challenges:

Sensitive to reflective surfaces
Sensitive to dark materials

Structured light scanning
A light pattern is projected onto the object and cameras capture the deformation of the pattern. The software reconstructs the geometry.

Advantages:

Fast scanning
Good accuracy
High resolution

Challenges:

Sensitive to ambient light
Problems with transparent or glossy surfaces

Photogrammetry
Many photos are taken from different angles and the software reconstructs geometry from image matching.

Advantages:

Low cost
No special hardware needed

Challenges:

High computation effort
Depends strongly on lighting and texture

But 3D scanning, especially in industrial use cases, is not just “press button and done”.
There are a lot of challenges for example holes in the mesh, surface reflectivity, large file sizes or inaccuracies. It is a bridge between physical and digital systems, while supporting sustainability with reverse engineering broken parts instead of replacing full systems.

Energy consumption¶

In small-object scanning, energy consumption is mainly caused by the GPU-intensive mesh reconstruction. Therefore the desired resolution should be defined first. Reducing the amount of rescans or avoiding unnecessary computation time could save some energy, too.

3D scanning an object¶

Of course I had to scan a chess piece, because it is my favorite game.

I used the Einstar Vega to scan such a small object. It is an All-in-One-System with 2 modes. In HD-mode (100-350 mm distance) the resolution is quite good. The second mode offers faster and less detailed scanning with up to 1500 mm distance.
It is beginner friendly and with 32GB RAM also usable for medium big objects.