Why this tutorial?

Research in Embedded system

Custom hardware custom enclosure
System deployments novel solutions

Is 3D printing is a tool that can empower our

research?

3D printing is becoming
very popular

Different technologies
Fused Deposition
Modeling (FDM)
Creates models by
heating and extruding a
flament of plastic
material
Materials: PLA, ABS
(diameter

Different technologies
Stereolitography
Produces models by
tracing a beam of UV
light over a
photosensitive pool of
liquid. Over time the part
is lowered into the bath.
Very expensive resin

Different technologies
Selective Laser Sintering
(SLS)
Similar to
stereolithography
replacing the UV light with
a laser and a vat of liquid
with a powdered base.
From stainless steel to
gold, ceramic, rubber and
plastic (stainless steel
costs ~ $10/cm3)

Different technologies
Solar Sinter Project
Use the sun rays instead
of a laser

Different technologies
Laminated Object
Manufacturing (LOM)
Machines cut and glue
thousands of sheets of
material together to form
solids, sometimes with
standard A4 paper.
STAPPLES

Printing size
Small

Big

Green technology?
Filabot
A 3D plastic extrusion
system for mostly any
type of recyclable
plastic, to make usable
3D printing filament by
grinding, melting,
extruding the plastic
filament.

What can be printed?

Organs (organovo.com)

Food (Choc Creator)

Music instruments (kalimba)
Furniture (lamps)

Clothing and shoes

Optics (from Disney
Research)

What can be printed?

Velcro
The velcro is printed with
0.3mm ABS with a MK6
extruder on a Makerbot.

What can be printed?

Flexible grids
Done with a Grasshopper
defnition that used the
grid components to
create a set of flexible
triangular, square, and
hexagonal grids.

What WE can print?

Enclosure

Replacement parts
Data

How we create a 3D
model?
3D scanning

Generation
Fractal
Scripting
From Data

Existing shapes
Thingverse.com
Parametric design

Design tools
Design
Blender
Rhino

Sketchup
Open JS cad

Slice (Slic3r)

Control the printer

(Pronterface)

Design problems
Support material

Errors in the 3D model

(normals)
Printer setting (speed &
temperature)
Shifting
Resolution vs. Time
Layer orientation

Our equipment
Reprap (Prusa Mendel)
Opensource
Based on arduino

Printable parts

Slic3r and Pronterface

Opensource
Multiplatform
Pre-configured +/-

Tool chain

Modeler

OpenScad
OpenJScad
Tinkercad
Sketchup
Blender
.

stl

Slicer

Slic3r
.

gcode

Printer
driver

Pronterface
Repetier
.