Innholdsfortegnelse for 4th Edition i 3D Make And Print

It’s astounding to think that up until just a few years ago, the idea of being able to print out any real, physical object you could imagine – all safely at home – was mostly considered the stuff of science fiction. Though the earliest 3D printing technologies can be traced back to 1986, when the first patent was issued for an SLA apparatus invented by Charles Hull, it was not until January 2009 that the first commercially available consumer 3D printer, the BfB RapMan, was put up for sale. The move was like the start of an avalanche. Soon, projects like Z Corp’s Spectrum Z510, RepRap and MakerBot’s Cupcake CNC kit began to change the world for good. 3D printers could be bought to use in anyone’s living room or…

Stereolithography (SLA) and Digital Light Projection (DLP) printers are both similar in that they use a liquid resin to make their parts. Because they make their parts from a liquid, you are able to get a significantly finer print and can get some parts that go down to incredibly fine details – some so fine that you would need a microscope to fully appreciate them. They actually print by shining UV light at the resin for long enough to turn harden, in what is called the curing stage. The cured resin is sometimes still a little soft depending on how long it was exposed to UV light while in the printer, and shorter print times can affect rigidity. Because UV light is all around us, the models can be left…

Don’t be too ambitious for your first print. Start with something simple as this will help you understand your particular printer, as well as identify if there are any problems. If you have built your printer yourself this is particularly important as there are many things that need to be calibrated. Once your prints look the way you want them to (you can download calibration prints to use as a benchmark), you can then move on to more complicated designs. “You need to crawl before you can walk so don’t jump into something complicated. Build up gradually – this way you will get to know your particular printer” You need to crawl before you can walk, though, so don’t jump into something massively complicated straight away. Build up gradually –…

Free models for 3D printing are abundant nowadays and are offered by a large number of online retailers. Sites such as iMakr’s MyMiniFactory, 3dprinter.net and TurboSquid offer a massive range, and even premium model sites such as CGTrader now offer a solid range of free, easy-to-download STL files for you to download and print at your leisure. Now, we shouldn’t have to tell you that the quality of free models on these websites varies quite a bit, but generally speaking you’re extremely likely to find whatever you’re after, whether it be household items and practical utensils to jewellery, figurines and ornaments. It’s quite hard to go wrong – simply visit the site of your choice, search for something you want and download the file. Always double check that the file…

Imagine spending many hours crafting a beautiful piece of furniture and then leaving it bare. If you left it with just the original work in its natural state, it would not looked finished and would be half the object it has the potential to be. For all of the talk and hype surrounding 3D printing, finishing is rarely mentioned, but it remains a hugely important part of the creation process. From the initial inception to the very final stages, finishing should be considered. It is integral to how well the object will be received. You will need to think about sealing, bonding, painting, sanding and other stages of finishing your product during the idea formation. You need not be concerned that finishing the object will be too difficult. Many of…

Printer used MakerBot Replicator 2 App name SolidWorks Filament used PLA, 325 g Complexity In this tutorial we are going to show you how to create and 3D-print a prop, which will include moving parts. Creating an object that incorporates moving parts can be tricky but is often a lot more rewarding. It encourages you to explore the limits of what your 3D printer is capable of and at the end of it you’ll have a finished product, ready to take to your next Comic Con! Be prepared for a bit of trial and error when designing objects with multiple components that fit together; making sure that all your parts have the correct scales and tolerances can involve a bit of work, particularly if you want them to fit together…

Want to print a museum-quality dinosaur skull but just realised that you only have neon green filament left? No need to fret – it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to put your creative vision on hold. It just means that you need to get a little bit more inventive with your finishing techniques, and with these tips and tutorials from MyMiniFactory’s very own post-processing team, who have years of experience in painting and finishing prints to a high standard, enhancing the finish of 3D prints has never been easier. We are going to reveal the professional tricks for creating metal effects for cosplay weapons, stone effects for sculptures, furry effects for cute creatures and much, much more. No background in model making or fine art is required; anyone can…

Due to its ease of production, non-destructive process and high-quality results, 3D scanning is a process that is already being applied to multiple industries. It’s difficult to avoid the technology that has been so heavily featured in the media in recent times; it has been used in the production of prosthetics and bodily organs in the medical industry, CGI in the video game, film and entertainment industries, as well as used in the documentation and archiving of cultural artifacts. 3D scanning is the process of analysing an object or an environment through its form, dimensions and colour. By gathering this data it is possible to create accurate representations of an object. There are various methods in which objects can be scanned, from hand-held real-time to infrared and contact – these…

Siert Wijnia may be the CEO of a globally-renowned 3D printer manufacturing company today, but just eight years ago, his life couldn’t have been more different. A skilled mechanical engineer, he’d been working in a more managerial role at a firm that built large refineries for oil giants like Shell and BP. “I was thinking, what am I doing here?” Wijnia begins. “It didn’t feel totally right for me – it’s just ending natural resources and not going to the next stage by thinking of new ways to do stuff instead. One day I thought, I can’t change this business but I have a choice in what I do.” Luckily for Wijnia, it was just then that a brand new type of workplace had begun to spring up in towns…

There’s no need to worry if this is going to be your first time creating a 3D model – we have got plenty here to get you started! The very kind folk over at MyMiniFactory have shared a full hundred of their best 3D models with you, which you can download from FileSilo right now. Covering everything from fun figurines and desktop gadgets to working mechanisms, artistic sculptures and useful household items, there’s a great range for you to explore. Learn more about MyMiniFactory over on page 108. Turn to page 144 for more details…

3D printing has become a hot topic recently and many people are beginning to realise the benefits and possibilities that it has to offer. With more people looking to take the leap and invest in, or start using one, it seems pertinent to address the questions of what exactly a 3D printer is and does. 3D printing is the process of building something layer by layer. It doesn’t matter which form of 3D printing or which technology is being used, this fundamental principle stays constant. There is a general misconception that all 3D printers are the same thing – this is not the case at all. Each printer and process will come with their own challenges and key principles that need to be followed to get the best out of…

Plaster printers use a plaster powder which is covered with a binding agent, normally water, in order to create the solid object. They use the same technology as a normal 2D colour printer to draw out each layer in turn, and in some cases the printer uses a very similar nozzle to the ones found in your desktop printer at home, as they are able to print on a flat plane in full colour. As plaster printers are powder-based, like SLS printers, the parts are self-supported and therefore you are able to make significantly more complicated shapes with them. A dye is also added through the binding agent, which allows the printer to make parts in full colour. For a while this was the only way that you could 3D…

FILAMENT MAINTENANCE There are a few essential things to keep in mind when handling and storing your filament. Make sure that once you have opened your filament, you store it somewhere cool, dry and free of dust. The printer’s extruder is very sensitive and as such even small bits of dust can lead to clogging. Dust will accumulate on your filament over time if it is left in the open. Prevent this by keeping it covered. Filament can also become twisted if not cared for properly. Make sure that when you are loading and unloading a spool of filament that you are very careful not to let it unwrap and start tangling. This can lead to a lot of wasted filament. UNDER EXTRUDING OR NOT EXTRUDING AT ALL Generally these…

While there’s a huge amount of free models available online, and a massive community that continues to churn them out, you might want to consider actually making your own models for 3D printing. The prospect of doing so may put you off immediately, but 3D modelling can be an extremely rewarding process, and creating your own models will encourage you to join some of the fantastic maker networks out there where you can share your designs with other enthusiasts and receive feedback. To create a 3D model you’ll require some 3D software. This is another area where you are legitimately spoilt for choice, as there are hundreds of different applications available that allow you to create 3D models and export them in a file format that’s suitable for 3D printing.…

Printer used Makerbot Replicator 2 App name SketchUp Filament used PLA, 18 g Complexity If you own a smartphone, it’s highly likely that you have bought a case to either protect your phone or make it look good (or both!). But have you ever considered modelling your own case? We’re going to reveal how to use SketchUp to create a case for an iPhone 6, which you can then customise and 3D-print. SketchUp is a quick and easy way to create customised 3D models, and being able to create your own case ensures you have complete control over how your phone looks. What’s more, these steps will only take a couple of hours. The beauty of 3D printing is that you can create an infinite variety of objects and designs…

Printer used Makerbot Replicator 2 App used ZBrush Filament used PLA Complexity For this tutorial you will be learning how to take your scan and clean it up so that it is ready for 3D printing. Nine times out of ten you get a scan that is messy, so knowing how to clean things up is a great skill to have because you will want to ensure that you get as much accuracy and as little noise as possible in your model. Here we are going to focus on sculpting a 3D-scanned bust in ZBrush by importing the messy broken scan and re-working the model. We’ll also look at how to capture final details using some of the reference images that you took later in the scanning process – you…

3D printing is also called additive manufacturing because it works by adding new material, as opposed to a computercontrolled lathe or laser cutter, which removes it. The earliest system, called stereolithography, dates back to 1986 and uses a resin that hardens on exposure to ultra-violet light. The printer scans a beam of UV light over the surface of a bath of the resin to create a thin layer of plastic. The model is then sunk slightly into the bath so that the laser can add a new layer on top. Selective laser sintering (SLS) works in a similar way to print with metal. The printer shakes a thin layer of metal powder onto the print bed and a high-power laser fuses the powder at certain points to create solid metal.…

SLS printing will get you a superior surface finish and a high level of accuracy. SLS machines will normally run around a 0.1 mm layer resolution and the melting process means that the layer lines on the prints are hardly noticeable as each layer blends with the one beneath. The printer is much more accurate in terms of tolerances too – parts that are produced are normally accurate to the CAD file within 0.1 mm. This means it is very similar to the tolerances that can be found from a part that is mass produced from a method like silicone injection. Many people use SLS printing to test their designs before they go into production. INSTANT RESULTS SLS is also able to produce parts that work straight off the printer…

Modelling a 3D object is the very first stage of what is called the 3D pipeline. You don’t need to worry about this terminology too much, but essentially it is the stage that allows you to block out the object that you are designing, decide on its size and shape, and then add more intricate details before printing. It’s a crucial stage of 3D printing – after all, without a 3D model you certainly won’t be getting a 3D print! It might sound a little complicated, but generally speaking it can be a very simple process. You’re essentially playing with shapes on a computer screen and making sure they’re suitable for printing, before exporting your geometry in a compatible file format. Of course, it is vital that you choose the…

Choosing the right software to model potential 3D prints with is a surprisingly personal decision, with different software packages, slicers, and even plug-ins to choose from at a wide variety of price points. If budget is a major factor in your decision, Blender or SketchUp are great, free options. Your personal style should also be a factor. Anyone interested in modelling hard surface designs to print to very accurate levels should take a look at software better for CAD such as SolidWorks; but those more interested in organic-looking designs would be better suited to 3D sculpting packages like ZBrush or Sculptris. Whether you’re modelling an organic character or a mechanically complex vehicle model that needs all the right tolerances, taking a 3D digital design from software to printer requires a…

3D scanner A device that uses lasers to ‘record’ the state of a physical object and render it digitally in 3D, enabling it to be printed ABS Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene is a commonly used non-biodegradable thermoplastic polymer Computer-Aided Design CAD techniques and software that allow a designer to virtually model an object in 3D Extruder The part of the 3D printer that melts and extrudes the filament through a hot end Filament The material (usually plastic) extruded to print the object Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) FDM is a technique of 3D printing and is a trademark of Stratasys, so the equivalent term of FFF is often used instead Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) The process of building an object from bottom to top by extruding filament, a different technique from FDM…

Printer used MakerBot Replicator 2 App name Rhino Filament used BronzeFill, WoodFill Complexity It is easy to get so caught up in creating the actual shape of a model that you neglect to consider the surface. With some subjects, it is the surface that holds all of the character, such as textured organic materials or glistening metallic objects. Using this tutorial you will learn how to surface model using Rhino as well as how to print with alternative materials like BronzeFill and WoodFill. We will be making a mecha-style model of a rhino head, though the techniques that we’ll use here can be applied to any model and are a good introduction to the type of surface modelling that is achievable within Rhino. We will be modelling surfaces and creating…

For more information, feel free to get in touch: info@myminifactory.com So now you’ve had a chance to learn design for 3D printing from some of the experts over at MyMiniFactory, why not show off your work and get involved! If you’re toying with the idea of having your work 3D-printed, this is a great way to get started. MyMiniFactory test-prints every object uploaded to the site – this is to ensure printability, meaning that users don’t waste time and filament when printing designs from the platform. MyMiniFactory constantly welcomes new designers and would love to see you get involved! MyMiniFactory adheres to open source content creation and distribution models. All 3D files are available for anyone to freely download, edit and then re-upload. Through this method, users are encouraged to…