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Hints and tips for 3D printing

3D Printer Store — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 12:10:56 +0000

Products should have a minimal wall thickness of 1mm Take care when scaling models that the wall thickness is not reduced to below 1mm
Circular shapes acquire ‘flats’. This is may be useful where holes are required in which things must fit
Make sure you select the correct printer type when outputting
The selection of an appropriate chord length when exporting from Pro/DESKTOP to STL effects facet or step details. In Pro/ENGINEER set 0.00 in the dialogue box and the software will select the most suitable chord length
Grain direction (the way the product is printed) will effect whether it is stiff, or more springy
Just because Pro/DESKTOP can create a 3D model does not mean CatalystEX can create the correct slices – sometimes exporting as a STEP file and re-importing to Pro/DESKTOP corrects the model
Rounding of features cannot be done where material changes direction and has a radius of 0.5mm.
You cannot send whole assemblies to the 3D printer - send separate parts or it will create one fused product.
Wear on the platen effects adhesion of builds. The plastic gets shiny during the removal of parts.
Clearing out support material is very hard or impossible in complex parts, for example internal threads.
The build orientation effects the amount of support material and the build time.
Hollow objects may be better built with the hollow upwards, otherwise it will be filled with support material

3D Printer to Replicate Human Bones

3D Printer Store — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 12:20:33 +0000

With the help of their latest invention in science – a 3D printer, researchers managed to create the exact copy of a man’s thumb bones. The device can now be used to help surgeons restore damaged bones by creating their precise copies, which are made from the patient’s cells.

According to Christian Weinand of the Insel Hospital in Berne, Switzerland, who leads the team of scientists that replicated his thumb bone, theoretically it is possible to copy any bone. The scientist “grew” his substitute bones on the backs of laboratory mice. However, it is not always necessary to use a surrogate mouse. This is the case when a person, who lost a thumb, is able to replace it with his or her own toe. Currently surgeons are able to replace a thumb with the patient’s toe or by using bone fragments.

The new method implies a number of steps. Initially it is important to have a 3D image of the bone that is going to be copied. In case the bone has been damaged, one can create a mirror image of the bone’s intact twin. Afterwards the picture of the bone is inserted into a 3D inject printer that puts thin layers of a material (selected beforehand) on top of one another till the 3D object shows up.

The researcher filled their latest invention with tricalcium phosphate along with a type of polylactic acid. These are natural materials that persist in human body, informs NewScientist.

After successfully replicating a bone, the copy itself features small pores on its “scaffolds”. This is where bone cells can eventually settle, grow and then completely displace the biodegradable scaffold. Scientists removed CD117 cells from bone marrow that remained after hip-replacement surgical operations. These cells develop into primordial bone cells, also known as osteoblasts. The latter were syringed on top of the bone scaffolds in a gel that was created to nourish the CD117 cells as well as support them. In the final step, scientists sew scaffolds under the skin on the backs of laboratory mice. After 15 weeks the scaffold had turned into human bone.

Source: infoniac.com

Which 3D Printer Is Right For You?

3D Printer Store — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:43:12 +0000

When you are looking into purchasing a 3D printer, you will have a number of factors that you need to consider. The cost of the printer itself is just one important factor to keep in mind. You will also need to understand what you are going to be using this printer for and how sturdy you need the final products to rate. If you want to get a lot of use out of the prototypes that you are considering, you will need a printer which builds strong objects using lasting materials. This will require you to look at all of the qualifications which go into any given 3D printer.

The size of the printer itself is going to be another important factor to consider. The size of the unit will determine how large of a prototype it will be able to make, but it will also determine if you can fit the printer itself into the space that you have available. If the model is too large, you will have to pass on purchasing that one.

Another factor to consider will be the materials that the printer can work with. Some 3D printer can use different materials to construct the prototypes and if you are going to put together various types of objects, you will want to have this handy. All in all, there are a lot of factors you need to consider when buying a 3D printer, as you’ll want to make sure that you get the right one for your needs.

Rapid Prototyping As 3D Printing

3D Printer Store — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:40:24 +0000

When you are looking for the best way to make prototypes that you can use for a number of different purposes, you should look into everything that 3D printing will be able to offer. One of these printers can give you the ability to make quick and easy objects that you will be able to actually use, which turns this printer into a valuable tool to utilize. The people who will be able to make use of a 3D printer will not have to be specialists who understand how intricate pieces of fabrication technology. A 3D printer will be easy to use and as a result; can be utilized by anyone who has the resources to have one of these machines.

Granted, it will take time to learn the software which is going to help you use a 3D printer to make the objects you are after. Computer Assisted Design software is going to be important to learn so that you can build a virtual model of the prototype. You will also need to figure out what different materials are going to provide the best final product to come out of the printer, which will take some studying. Figuring out which printing techniques are best used will also be important and could determine the type of printer you get. In the end, though, this can be a great resource available to anyone looking to make physical objects from a computer design.

How Does a 3D Printer Make a Model?

3D Printer Store — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:37:21 +0000

When you are using a 3D printer to make an actual model of something, you may be curious about how your design goes from something on a computer screen to an object that you can pick up and hold. Understanding the steps that a 3D printer takes is extremely crucial if you want to grasp what the computer is actually doing. The following steps will give you a basic guide to what goes on.

The computer will first use software to make a model design in the language that the printer will use to craft the product. This Computer Aided Design software is essential to get a final product. That design will then be converted to STL or stereolithography format. This will tell the printer exactly what it needs to do to produce the object. The STL file will then be sliced, which means that it will be adjusted to fit inside of the printer model. During this phase, an auxiliary model will be made which can support the final 3D structure.

At this point, the object itself will actually begin to be created. It will be done layer by layer, adding minute parts of the object at a time until the final product has been shaped. Many different materials can be used during this segment. In the end, the final product will be finished off by cleaning the product and offering surface treatments which can make it functional.

Important Check List for 3D Printer Buyers

3D Printer Store — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:04:12 +0000

1. Machine Cost — Be sure to find out what you get in the basic price and what
more you’ll need to spend to get full functionality.

2. Initial Consumables Kit — Some companies rely on consumables as a major
revenue source. Be sure to understand what initial supply you’ll get and what it
will cost to supplement it.

3. On-going Consumables — This is really where total cost of ownership over a
period of time can make a huge difference and the right machine can save you
thousands of dollars.

4. Post Processing / Optional Equipment — If the 3d printer you are considering
requires additional equipment to function fully, be sure to identify the added costs for
purchase, operation and service.

5. Installation and Training — Systems vary widely in ease of use. Some 3d printers are more
or less plug and play — and can be easily operated by almost anyone. Others
require costly setup and extensive user training.

6. First Year Service — Some new 3d printers need little maintenance while others can
require a steady flow of break & fix activities.

7. Second Year Maintenance — Longer term maintenance can be much more costly. Be sure to determine this and check printer warranty provisions for coverage.

Source: www.zcorp.com

How can a 3D Printer create such smooth surface resolutions?

3D Printer Store — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:33:19 +0000

Simple, a 3D Printer grows layer after layer in very small slices of 6 ten thousands of an inch .0006″ and has the ability to deposit material with excellent precision.

Lets be clear; 3D Printing is Rapid Prototyping, but not all Rapid Prototyping systems are 3D Printers. A printer type rapid prototype system “jets” liquid material out of spray nozzles located in a block, laying down a 2-Dimensional bitmap, one on top of another at specified mechanical heights, or jets liquid out of the block into a material like a powder that absorbs the liquid and solidfies the powder into a hard bitmap image.

Source: www.kaiser3d.com