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Library Makerspaces Bring Technology to the Public

Libraries are some of my favorite places, and I know I’m not alone in that sentiment. The obvious reason for that is that they’re full of books, but they’re so much more than that, too. They’re quiet places of respite, while simultaneously being places that embrace community. And the rise of technology hasn’t diminished their relevance at all – quite the opposite, actually. Libraries have always been the first access point to new technology for a lot of people. I can actually remember using the Internet for the first time at my school library, opening up a browser window and not having any idea how to navigate past the library’s home page. That’s kind of laughable to think about now, but how many people had that same experience as their first exposure to the Internet?

Similarly, many people experienced 3D printing for the first time at a library. More and more libraries, both school and community ones, are beginning to offer access to 3D printers – and sometimes full makerspaces. The Kearney Public Library in Nebraska recently added a makerspace as part of its public offerings, and the staff are excited to open it to the community.

“A lot of people won’t have these things in their homes,” said Technology Librarian Beth Rosenthal. “These are things they can use to be creative and make new things. Our goal is to make a place to be creative.”

Those things include a 3D printer, Adobe Creative Cloud software and a Cricut Maker.

“Another station will include a machine for saving VHS tapes to a digital format,” Rosenthal said. “We also have a sewing machine that will do embroidery work, a button maker and some fun machines that we thought people might make use of.”

Personally, I think access to a machine that transfers VHS tapes to digital format is a brilliant idea, and one that many people will be thrilled to take advantage of. How many people have old videotapes – of weddings, first birthday parties, championship games, etc. – lying around their houses gathering dust, waiting for the day that their owners finally get around to finding someone who can digitize them? The makerspace gives these people the opportunity to do it themselves – and that’s one of the great purposes of a makerspace: giving people tools to do things and make things for themselves.

“In this society, we mostly just consume,” said Rosenthal. “We hope to see patrons explore and discover. People do that in the library anyway; they are studying and writing and doing things here. This space will take it to another level. We do crafting programs here but this space will be more self sufficient for people. We’ll give them a space to explore. We like to think of the quote by Albert Einstein, ‘Creativity is intelligence having fun.’ We want an outlet for people to explore in a new way.”

On January 10th, people can come to a free open house to explore the makerspace from 4:30 to 7:30 PM. There is currently only one 3D printer, but Rosenthal hopes to get more if there is an enthusiastic response to the first one. Patrons will bring in files of things that they want 3D printed, and staff will handle the actual printing while the patrons watch a live stream online if they choose.

The Kearney library is far from being alone in offering a makerspace, and that’s a wonderful thing. Many people who have gone on to start businesses and do incredible things with 3D printing point to community makerspaces as their first exposure to the technology, so there’s no question that these places are valuable. Just as library access has helped people to find jobs, register to vote, learn to read, manage their taxes, it’s also allowing them to discover and become familiar with some of the most important new technology out there – and there’s no telling where that might lead.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

 

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Why young businesses need prototypes

Prototyping is an important process for businesses that make things. Without prototypes, many parts, products and machinery would be difficult to make, difficult to test and may not work as they are supposed to. Prototyping is the all-important midway point between concept and manufacturing, used to ensure that a designer’s vision can, in fact, be turned into reality.

Although prototypes are used by companies of all shapes and sizes, they represent a particularly important part of the development process for young businesses. For young businesses, a successful prototype can be the difference between success and failure.

3ERP, an international prototyping specialist based in Guangdong Province, China, has created countless prototypes for young businesses, and can provide a high-level prototyping service whatever the need.

What is a prototype?

A prototype is, in short, a preliminary version of a thing. It is more than a concept but less than a finished product. It is an early-stage iteration of something that fulfills some purpose, but that isn’t intended to be sold in shops or be permanently utilized for its end purpose.

A prototype electronic device, for example, might contain most of the features of the finished product, but be missing certain aesthetic touches or complex features. A prototype engine may be made from a cheaper metal than the metal chosen for the racetrack-ready vehicle. It may not even need to work.

In general, prototypes serve some kind of behind-the-scenes function. They allow the companies who make them to carry out physical refinements, testing, evaluation and marketing in a way that designs on a piece of paper would not.

What kinds of prototype are there?

Not all prototypes serve the same purpose, and it is very important to distinguish between the different kinds. Some prototypes are simply supposed to look like a finished product; others need to function as a finished product. Businesses decide which kind of prototype they need depending on their product and the stage of the development process they are at.

Looks-like prototype

A looks-like prototype is exactly what it sounds like. Rather than attempt to mimic the function of a product, a looks-like prototype is made simply to visually represent something. Looks-like prototypes therefore do not need to contain internal detailing or functionality, and need not be subject to the most costly manufacturing processes or materials.

While this kind of prototype can’t undergo physical or functional testing, it has other very important uses. For example, a looks-like prototype can be used for market research: businesses can present their looks-like prototype to potential customers, asking for feedback on the appearance of the product.

Functional prototype 

A functional prototype (or works-like prototype) is more than just a visual aid. Although such a prototype will differ to a finished product in various ways, it is designed to mimic the functional role of the product it represents. This means that if the product must, for example, bear a load or perform a motorized function, the functional prototype must be able to do those things to the same degree as the finished product.

By creating a functional prototype, businesses can achieve several things. For one, they can carry out extensive testing on the prototype to ascertain whether their product will be fit for use. This also means the engineers can experiment with functional modifications on the prototype, adapting the product as testing reveals new facts about it.

A functional prototype does not always need to be aesthetically pleasing. However, some businesses will choose to make a hybrid prototype that combines the aesthetic features of a looks-like prototype with the functional aspects of a functional prototype.

Pre-production prototype

While looks-like and functional prototypes tend to be made relatively early in the development process, pre-production prototypes tend to be made — as the name suggests — when the product is nearing completion.

Prototypes of this sort are usually created to test for any further problems that may arise during production. Because of this, pre-production prototypes are usually made using the same materials and manufacturing processes that will be used during production.

A pre-production prototype can also be used to acquire the necessary certifications for the manufactured product.

Why are prototypes important for young businesses?

Prototypes are particularly important for young businesses. Although established companies must also create prototypes for their parts and products, there is perhaps greater pressure on new companies to make preliminary versions of their creations before jumping off the deep end.

To see why prototypes are so valuable for startups and young companies, let’s first look at the advantages of looks-like prototypes and why they are particularly important for businesses in their infancy.

For startups, one of the most important routes to success — more important than simply having good ideas — is raising money. Without financial backing, it can be virtually impossible to introduce a product to the market. To acquire financial backing, startups must present their product to potential investors, venture capitalists, angels and other such figures. They must be persuasive, they must demonstrate the value of their product and they must be able to seal a deal.

But startups can expect far better results from these encounters if they can physically demonstrate their product. A looks-like prototype can be infinitely more effective than a slide show or lecture, since it allows the potential investor to hold the ‘product’ in their hands.

That’s not to say that young businesses should forego functional prototypes. Although all businesses need to ensure that their products work properly, startups who are launching one of their first products arguably have more at stake: put out a device or machine that doesn’t do the job, and the company could ruin its reputation before it has a chance to make amends.

Functional prototypes are essential for ironing out any problems with a product long before it goes to market. The more thorough the prototype, the greater the chances of removing any lingering flaws.

How can 3ERP help?

With expertise in a range of prototyping services, 3ERP is able to create all kinds of prototypes for young businesses. Its professional finishing services are perfect for looks-like prototypes, while its diverse arsenal of machinery allows for functional prototypes of all varieties.

More importantly, 3ERP understands the importance of communication, and will always strive to help inexperienced companies get the most out of their prototypes.

Not sure where to start? Get in touch with 3ERP and take the first step toward the perfect prototype.

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Russian Firm Additive Solutions Offers Precision Metal 3D Printers and Variety of Services

A close look at the beam used in Additive Solutions 3D printers

We hear quite a lot about 3D printing research coming out of Russia, but less about Russian 3D printing companies. It’s always interesting to learn about new companies in locations that haven’t been hotbeds of 3D printing so far. Additive Solutions is, according to its website, the first company in Russia to “offer integrated systems on the market of additive technologies.” Not only does the company manufacture 3D printers, it provides comprehensive services to clients as well. Additive Solutions’ offerings include various 3D printer models, Stratum software, metal powders, research, technology development, consulting, service, spare parts, and training in various programs.

“Our main know-how is the fusion of products with a non-Gaussian beam, which is the standard solution in the field of additive technologies,” Dmitry Grachev, Additive Solutions CTO, told 3DPrint.com. “Due to this solution, the fusion of metal powder is carried out by a beam with a distribution according to the type of reverse Gauss, which increases the fusion area without overheating. This solution allows us to increase productivity by 20%, relative to other 3D printers.”

Typical 3D printer beam distribution

The solution developed by Additive Solutions has a more uniform structure than typical metal 3D printers, which allows for more effective melting of the metal powder. This results in fewer internal stresses. The company also claims a 99.6% density in 316L for example.

Additive Solutions offers five different 3D printer models, which include:

  • D130, the most basic of the company’s 3D printers, designed for the production of small, highly precise parts
  • D250, a high-performance 3D printer suitable for mass production of medium-sized parts
  • D500, a more advanced 3D printer created for mass production of larger parts
  • S800, the company’s largest 3D printer
  • D130, designed for medical 3D printing

Additive Solutions also functions as a service bureau, producing metal 3D printed parts for a variety of applications from medical to automotive. In addition, the company provides research and development services, from the technical proposal stage all the way to working prototypes.

The additive manufacturing market is beginning to open up in Russia, with companies like Additive Solutions leading the way. While there isn’t an overwhelming number of companies offering 3D printing services, the country certainly isn’t a 3D printing dead zone; some impressive things have been accomplished in Russia so far. Last year, a group of Russian companies worked together to 3D print a residential house in Yaroslavl, and the Russian town of Stupino is home to Apis Cor’s 3D printed house, completed in 24 hours.

Russia’s space program has also been employing 3D printing, and a significant amount of additive manufacturing research has been coming out of the country as well, from new materials to bioprinting and even complex neural networks for metal 3D printing. To keep these new developments coming, there is a need for a strong market in 3D printers and 3D printing services, which are exactly what Additive Solutions plans to continue providing as Russia’s 3D printing industry further unfolds.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

 

 

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3D Printing News Briefs: December 30, 2018

In this week’s abbreviated 3D Printing News Briefs, we’ve got a story on a new type of 3D printing that makes it easy to 3D print small objects, and a distinguished professor gives a TEDx talk about the importance of interdisciplinary research. Wrapping things up, we’ve got a video about an amazing 3D printed 1/6 scale vehicle model.

Shrinking 3D Printer

A schematic of the Alice in Wonderland image that was etched and shrunk in the 3D shrinking printer. [Image: Ed Boyden et al.]

A team of researchers from MIT, Harvard, and the Pfizer Internal Medicine Research Unit in Cambridge, Massachusetts recently published a paper, titled “3D nanofabrication by volumetric deposition and controlled shrinkage of patterned scaffolds,” in the Science journal about their innovative new method of shrinking 3D printing, which makes it easy to 3D print very small objects. A technique called implosion fabrication 3D prints an object, then shrinks it down to the required size. The shrinking 3D printer can work with different materials, such as quantum dots, metals, and DNA, and can also fabricate complicated shapes like microscopic linked chains as well.

MIT researcher Ed Boyden, one of the co-authors of the paper, developed the shrinking 3D printing method by thinking of reversing a process where brain tissue is expanded so it’s possible to see its finer structure. The team found that they could shrink a structure by about 8,000 times in multiple tests, and proved its viability by etching a structure of Alice in Wonderland and shrinking it down to 50 nanometers from 1 cubic millimeter. The research team believes that their shrinking 3D printers could be used to make small, high resolution optical lenses for driving cars, though the possibilities for this technology are practically endless.

TEDx on Interdisciplinary Research

Distinguished Professor Dietmar W. Hutmacher, the director of the Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the Australian Research Council Training Centre in Additive Biomanufacturing at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), is an inventor, educator, biomedical engineer, and intellectual property creator, and has been responsible for multiple breakthroughs in bioprinting. He recently gave a talk at a TEDx event about the importance of interdisciplinary research as it applies to regenerative medicine, which works to help patients with damaged tissues due to disease or accident. Prof Hutmacher himself has converted a bone tissue engineering concept all the way from the lab to clinical application involving in vitro experiments, preclinical studies, and clinical trials, and in the TEDx talk discussed how “one walks the talk to orchestrate an interdisciplinary team” where everyone can share knowledge and naturally learn the important required competencies. He presented a patient case of a young father’s long bone defect, where his interdisciplinary research team was made up of clinicians, engineers, material scientists, molecular and cell biologists, polymer chemists, and veterinary surgeons.

“In regenerative medicine there is a great move to introduce interdisciplinarity in the research programs, as well as in the scholarships,” DProf Hutmacher said in the YouTube video. “However, most of the teams are rather doing multidisciplinary research, which does not lead to what we have done in the past moving a bone tissue engineering concept into the clinic.”

To see the rest of DProf Hutmacher’s TEDx talk, check out the video below:

1/6 Scale Model of 1961 Dodge D100

Over the years, we’ve seen some pretty cool 3D printed vehicle models that have been both scaled up and scaled down, but I think this one takes the cake: a highly detailed, 1/6 scale model of a 1961 Dodge D100 truck, created by maker Konstantin Bogdanov. Including filming, the project took him a year to complete, and Bogdanov writes that the YouTube video he created is more of a project diary, though it can also be used as a tutorial.

Using a blueprint of the Dodge, Bogdanov modeled the cab of the truck in Blender and 3D printed it out of polyamide; additional materials used to build the model include aluminum foil, Styrene rods, plywood, artificial leather, and acrylic paint. His 44 minute YouTube video shows some of the modeling work, and then moves on to the nitty gritty details of building all the separate pieces of the truck model, from the doors and fenders to the chassis and grille, and finally assembling everything before painting and weathering the model. Plus, at about the 2:06 minute mark, Bogdanov’s adorable cat makes its first of multiple appearances in the video! If you’re interested in making your own 1/6 scale model of the 1961 Dodge D100 truck, you can download the STL files for both the four motor mount and the tractor wheels. Check out the video for more details.

Discuss these stories and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts in the Facebook comments below.

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MIT Researchers Discuss the Evolution of Their Glass 3D Printer

Researchers at MIT were among the first to 3D print glass, creating the G3DP machine a few years ago to create intricate glass structures. Last year, they scaled up the project with G3DP2, a platform that enabled them to 3D print glass on an architectural scale. Now these researchers have documented their work on G3DP2 in a paper entitled “Additive Manufacturing of Transparent Glass Structures.“

The researchers had two main goals in the development of G3DP2:

  • Develop an industrial-scale molten glass feedstock 3D printer by extending the research previously conducted at MIT, enhancing the material properties and range of products that could be produced.
  • Develop an architectural-scale 3D-printed glass structure to evaluate the practical capabilities of the new system in an industrial production.

The new platform, they explain, was designed as a two-part vertical assembly: an upper, stationary thermal module with a digitally integrated three-zone heating control system regulating glass flow and a lower, motion module with a four-axis CNC system that moves the print bed.

“In this architecture, the thermal energy applied to the heating system was decoupled from the mechanical load of the motion system,” the researchers state. “This allowed for improved durability of both systems through careful consideration of material properties and detailed analysis of constituent parts supporting each separate module. Still, critical focus was given to the print head itself, situated at the interface between the modules and requiring the highest thermal and mechanical performance from its material choice.”

The researchers describe the upgrades they made that turned G3DP into G3DP2, one of the fastest 3D printers in the world, independent of material. Their objectives were increased speed and scale as well as improved reliability and repeatability, and they achieved all four. Several tests were conducted, beginning with using pens to evaluate motion, then moving on to actual 3D printing. The researchers discuss how to understand and control the behavior of the 3D printed glass, as well as the specifications, engineering and control of the platform.

Once G3DP2 was completed, the researchers used it to 3D print three-meter-tall glass columns for the Lexus “Yet” exhibition at Milan Design Week 2017. The columns consisted of 15 unique 3D printed glass components that were assembled vertically with “thin silicone film joinery and steel post-tensioning systems to ensure vertical stability.” Each column contained a mobile LED light module set on a linear motion system, with the intersection of the moving light rays and the morphology of the glass structures creating a beautiful light show as well as a demonstration of the capabilities of MIT’s 3D glass printer.

“In the future, combining the advantages of this AM technology with the multitude of unique material properties of glass such as transparency, strength, and chemical stability, we may start to see new archetypes of multifunctional building blocks,” the researchers conclude. “Transparent and hollow-section glass tubes simultaneously act as an heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, performing as structure and vasculatures at the same time at building scale, through which synthetic and biological mediums circulate and react to incoming sunlight and surrounding temperature, passively regulating the building while illuminating the interior space as if they were a dynamic stained glass—embodying the fundamental shift in the notion of glass in architecture from human centric toward a symbiosis between human, inhuman, and the built environment.”

Authors of the paper include Chikara Inamura, Michael Stern, Daniel Lizardo, Peter Houk and Neri Oxman.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

 

 

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Long Term Home Review of Ultimaker’s New S5 Professional 3D Printer

At Hannover Messe this past April, desktop 3D printing leader Ultimaker introduced its first new 3D printer in two years – the S5, an expansion to its professional 3D printer portfolio. Ultimaker reseller Dynamism showcased the new S5 at RAPID + TCT that same month, as did Ultimaker itself. The desktop system, with a 330 x 240 x 300 mm build volume, has all kinds of great features, including dual extrusion, an intuitive touchscreen integrated into the front panel, and an enclosed front with tinted glass doors…so imagine my excitement when I learned that Dynamism would be shipping me a review unit!

Full disclosure – while I’ve completed 3D prints before at Dayton’s 3D printing bar, this would be my first time setting up and operating a 3D printer all on my own. So when the gigantic box, and a smaller one of extra filament, arrived on my porch, I was a little…okay, a lot…intimidated. In fact, I was so concerned about not having anything pull focus from the unboxing and set-up process that the gigantic carton just sat in my dining room for a few days until the opportune moment. At 3DPrint.com we do not charge money for reviews. This is my own experience and my own opinion.

I’ll say this – the S5 was extremely well packaged. I was amazed at the sheer amount of used packing material I had at the end of the process, but also not surprised; I was dealing with precious cargo, after all. Another thing I will say, with complete honesty, is that while I write about technology all day every day, handling it is not my personal forte. So the fact that I was able to get this machine out of the box and set up with relatively few hiccups means that anyone can. The provided instructions were easy to follow, and if I needed more information, I just checked out the Ultimaker Resources.


The S5 came with a test print and a box of hardware accessories and tools, including two print cores, several nozzle covers, the glass build plate, a 2 mm Hex screwdriver, a glue stick, spool holder with a material guide, XY calibration sheets, a power cable, and a USB drive. The 3D printer also came with Tough PLA and PVA support material, the latter of which I am in love with…but more on that later.

Keeping my cats and dogs away!

I found it fairly straightforward to set up most of the hardware, but I had a bit of trouble using the clips to secure the Bowden tubes; however, I think that was more user error than anything else. I had no issues installing the Cura software, or updating the firmware once the 3D printer was fully up and running, though it took me a couple of tries to get the 3D printer to connect to my WiFi. While there were no problems loading the materials, I had a harder time installing the BB 0.4 print core. I think this was mainly due to the fact that I was so insanely aware of just how expensive this machine was and was treating it with kid gloves, and a firmer hand is sometimes required when installing hardware. Luckily, the more I used the 3D printer, the more comfortable I became.

Speaking of actually using the 3D printer, when the time finally came to test it out, I got a little too excited and forgot about a very important step: calibration. I very quickly realized that there was a problem, as the print was stringing and not adhering to the build plate, even though I’d applied a thin layer of glue, and stopped the job about three minutes in. While I was sad that my first print was far from a resounding success, I resolved to make it right.

I again waited a bit to try calibrating the S5, partly because I was busy but mainly because I was intimidated by it all over again. But once I took the time to sit down and figure it out, the calibration sheet that came with the 3D printer was a breeze to use, and I was on my way once again, ready to try 3D printing something that wasn’t just the calibration grid of straight lines.

My first successful attempt was one of the two sample prints that came on the included USB drive, which printed very quickly. I love the intuitive touchscreen on the front of the S5 – it’s very user-friendly, and I quickly figured out how to pull up a rough image of what the print would look like once it was complete, so I’d know that it was printing correctly. Once I pried the tiny print off of the plate (a very easy task thanks to a layer of glue underneath), I put it in a small container of water and let it sit overnight, so I could see how long it took to dissolve the PVA support structures.

I loved the Ultimaker water soluble PVA. It was just so easy – pop the print in water and let the material work its magic. It’s possible to simply crunch and pull the supports off by hand as well, but the immediate effect wasn’t as clean. Obviously, the larger and more complicated the prints were, the longer I had to let them sit in water, and I learned that unless I felt like getting gummy residue stuck to my fingers, it was best to just wait until the supports had 100% completely dissolved. It was also a little tough cleaning the build plate, as the PVA sort of bonded with the glue and became hard to scrub off. But I followed the advice of the Dynamism team and got a soft, non-abrasive sponge to help with this task.



My next two prints were included Cura files: a star trophy and a rocket ship. Both of these were fairly straightforward prints, and gave me a chance to try out an extra form of bed adhesion with the addition of a brim; I can tell you now I much prefer a skirt, but I figured I would just give it a shot.

The first print I completed that wasn’t already included in Cura or the USB drive was a Harry Potter Logo by Cults3D user 3DNaow, which turned out great. It’s definitely my favorite 3D print from this review, mostly because I love Harry Potter. Because I majorly scaled it down, the print took a lot less time to complete as well.

I’m going to take a moment here to rave about the remote monitoring. I didn’t download the app, but I did not have the S5 set up in my office. I live in an older Cape Cod house, and my office is in the half story upstairs, which doesn’t have great ventilation. So I decided it would be better to put the 3D printer on a table in my dining room, which is in a much more open part of the house. But this meant that I couldn’t keep my eye on it during the day. Having the option to monitor my print jobs from upstairs, thanks to Cura and the camera located above the auto-leveling bed, provided me with peace of mind.

I would have called this adorable Low Poly T-rex by Thingiverse user slavikk my favorite, had I not screwed it up so badly. I had been messing around in the custom settings in Cura, just to try and put the system through its paces by changing up things like the infill and layer height, and I somehow managed to change the support material from Extruder 2 – the Natural PVA – to Extruder 1 – the Tough PLA. It took me about a quarter of the way into the print to realize my mistake, and by then it was too late. So this dino is still pretty cute, but I think he will be much better-looking when I take the time to get an X-Acto knife and cut away the black supports from the front.

In completing my small collection of low poly animals from Thingiverse, I chose to 3D print a Low Poly Cat – another print by slavikk – and a Low Poly Stanford Bunny by johnny6. I put both the cat and the bunny on the build plate at the same time for a 7.5 hour print. This is where things started to get a little rocky.



About four hours in, an error message popped up on the touchscreen: “One material appears to be empty. Please change it to a new material to continue printing.” I wasn’t home (this became the only time I left the house during a print job) and my husband texted me about it, but said that it didn’t appear that the filament was empty. Once I got home and took a look, it was definitely very obvious that neither filament was empty, so I just took a shot in the dark and pressed ‘Ok’ below the error message to confirm that I had changed to a new material, even though I hadn’t, just to see if it would start up again.

I got lucky and the prints resumed…for about 20 minutes. Then, the same thing happened again, I tried the same fix, and things continued on, though the support material was looking pretty stringy. About an hour later, the connection went out and I lost the monitor view upstairs, but the S5 just kept rolling along.



My next print was an STL file that the Dynamism team had sent me of a generic sample spare part, which took about 15 hours to print, with no supports, when scaled to 100%. It was a good illustration of just how important professional 3D printers, like the S5, can be for businesses in need of prototypes or models. The level of quality and accuracy of the prints produced on the S5 is just stellar, in my opinion. Maybe you should take my opinion with a grain of salt, because as I noted earlier, I’m not an expert on using 3D printers, but that’s up to you.

Realizing that not a single one of the items I’d 3D printed so far were at all useful, I  went back to Thingiverse and found this batman earphones holder by itlaor, which quickly printed without any supports and is now being used by my husband, with great appreciation, to keep his earbuds from getting tangled up all the time.

I also decided to 3D print this very detailed Eagle Sculpture by Thingiverse user 3DWP for my husband, who is an Eagle Scout and has a small collection of eagle figurines and sculptures. With this one, I couldn’t get my computer upstairs to connect to the 3D printer downstairs. I turned the WiFi off on both the computer and the printer and then immediately back on, and still nothing. So in the interest of saving time, I simply saved the STL file to the USB drive and printed it that way. About 10 hours in to the 16.5 hour print, I got the same error message I’d received with the low poly animals, and “fixed” it the same way. It seemed to only occur on prints with PVA supports for some reason.

I enjoyed trying out the Ultimaker S5 3D printer from Dynamism. I had it for far longer than I planned, but thoroughly enjoyed using it. What I knew already from writing about this technology daily, and have now had the chance to truly experience for myself, is that 3D printing takes time, which is something I don’t always have in the evenings – I do a decent amount of church and theatre volunteer work. So I kept searching for quick print jobs to try with the S5 because I just do not often have 15-24 hours where I am at my house the entire time. But as for the quality and ease of use – that was top notch.

The Ultimaker S5 is available for purchase on the Dynamism website starting at $5,995.

Discuss this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughts below.

[Images taken by Sarah Saunders for 3DPrint.com]

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3D Printing Industry Review of the Year February 2018

Following January’s vision of the year ahead, February 2018 was a month of 3D printer releases. In this month, Stratasys shared material details of its upcoming metal 3D printer, and HP expanded its range of Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) systems to include full color 3D printers. This month, we also marked the 20th anniversary of SOLIDWORKS World, […]
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Paul Benning Chief Technologist 3D Printing at HP Predicts 3D Printing Developments in 2019

Paul Benning is the 3D Print and Microfluidics Chief Technologist at HP. Before that he was an HP Fellow and the Chief Technologist of their imaging and printing division. He’s a noted expert in nanotech, microfluidics, and inkjet with a Ph.D. in Material Science. I’m really impressed with the caliber of people at HP and the amount of thought that they put into their technology and all of the aspects that surround their technology. I, therefore, jumped at the chance to interview Paul about some key trends for 2019. I’m glad that we got to learn that HP is able to print circuits on its machines and that they’re going to be incorporating machine learning into manufacturing. I’m also glad that Paul’s predictions are firmly rooted in practice science and manufacturing and not in “dream a little dream” blah blah like so many predictions.

Machine learning could significantly reduce scrap rates in 3D printing, is this something you would expect to happen in the near term?

I expect machine learning to escalate innovation in the manufacturing industry in the coming year. As machine learning is integrated more into 3D printers and control systems around the world, engineers and designers will be able to receive information about the temperature of the machine, what the powder looks like, binding agents used, image data and final part geometries. All of this information will aid in reducing scrap rates and ensure the parts produced are concise and fully functional.

How do you see machine learning and 3D printing interact? 

In addition to being able to share more information than ever before with engineers and designers, the integration of machine learning and 3D printing delivers the capability to monitor a part in the field. People can follow the finished part into the world and see how it performs over its lifespan, tying the findings back to design configurations. Designers can uniquely peg every party and track them via a serial number, enabling real-time supply chain traceability.

Can machine learning be used to reduce part shrinkage for example? 

Yes, machine learning will be used to improve the process during development and to provide real-time feedback during part printing and this level of control will help to optimize all performance vectors including part shrink.  An even more significant impact of machine learning might be in more precisely predicting part shrink so that the design and process can pre-compensate for the predicted deformation producing a printed part with tighter tolerances. 

Do you really think that generative design will make designers faster? How? 

Absolutely. Generative design has the potential to make designers 10-100x faster by leveraging algorithms to discover every possible iteration of a solution. Engineers can create and simulate thousands of designs – including those that they’re unable to envision themselves – in a fraction of the time. The beauty of generative design is that engineers are no longer limited by their own imagination but can instead leverage artificial intelligence to co-create better products in a faster and more sustainable fashion.

To what extent will simulation improve generative design so that parts can be optimized?

By building in simulation and testing to the design process, engineers avoid expensive manufacturing re-works. This helps optimize parts by ensuring technology is an active participant in the design process, rather than simply reflecting actual finished designs.

Do you also expect toolpath optimization for particular geometries?

For Multi Jet Fusion and Metal Jet the “toolpath” is replaced by the printed pattern and decisions of where drops of each agent are placed.  I do expect that the drop placement patterns will be optimized for particular geometries to produce precise and mechanically strong parts.

And if we do how do we feed this information back into generative design software? 

Using information shared back from machine learning monitoring 3D printed parts in the field, designers and engineers can input real parameters into generative design software, such as product size or geometric dimensions, operating conditions, target weight, materials, manufacturing methods and CPU. The software then generates all the feasible designs and runs a performance analysis for each to determine the best ones for prototyping.

I’ve always found it rather tantalizing that with the HP 3D printing technology you could put lots of coatings on objects. With porosity and surface quality being so problematic for us, is coating parts something that you’re looking at? 

Yes, we are investigating coatings that are applied both as a post-print process and during print in multi-agent systems.  This voxel control capability will allow HP 3D printers to go beyond simple coatings to produce patterned surfaces – different coatings in different locations – and even enable materials control away from the surface, inside the part.

Can we expect circuits and conductive materials from HP 3D printing? 

We have demonstrated printed circuits at HP Labs and shown operational sensors like strain gauges.

With binder jetting metals won’t we always have a problem with part shrinkage? And won’t that always be terrible because shrinkage will vary due to part geometry and size? 

In any technology where we start with powders and create dense final parts there will be shrinkage as the open space between powder particles is consumed.  We can produce some quite complex geometries today and I expect that as we continue to learn our models will improve and we will provide design tools that work with predictable shrinkage and clever support strategies to provide the broadest design space.

How can you ensure that these parts have the right tolerances?

Well-characterized production machines that are operated using good process control methodologies will give high confidence in producing parts with the expected tolerances.  Advanced computational modeling and machine learning will help us automate the design process to get the best design quickly and will help automate the production tool setup and control processes so we build the best part every time.

What are some application areas for 3D printing that you see opening up?

We’ll see accelerated impact of digital manufacturing take hold in the form of production applications, particularly across the automotive, industrial and medical sectors. In the auto sector, we’ve seen an increased focus on developing production-grade materials for auto applications as 3D printing gravitates from prototyping to full production of final parts and products. Additionally, as new platforms such as electric vehicles enter mass production, HP Metal Jet is expected to be leveraged for applications such as the light weighting of fully safety-certified metal parts. Industrial 3D manufacturing also enables the automotive industry to produce applications in new ways that were previously impossible, along with the ability to design application-specific parts for individual systems or models.

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Interview with Mike Valentine on How BuildTak Was Invented

One of the biggest issues with desktop FDM 3D printers is layer adhesion. First layers are often deposited incorrectly and then the build fails. The part could deform, warp, fall over, become dislodged from the platform or become a leaning Tower of Pisa version of its intended self. Often you look back at your 3D printer with hope only to see the print head flailing about twirling filament like it is a marionette. Layer adhesion has been a problem since the very beginning of FDM printing. There are lots of causes that can be ameliorated by doing regular 3D printer maintenance and calibration but for many issues still remain. In that case are lots of different possible solutions depending on which materials you use and what platform you have. You could mix up gooey substances or use a spray to solve your problem. One of the most widely adopted solutions is to use BuildTak, a sheet that comfortably lets your build adhere to the platform. We noticed that BuildTak had opened European offices and was expanding into more products. So we thought it high time for 3DPrint.com to interview Mike Valentine a Co-Inventor of BuildTak about the company and the product.

What is BuildTak?

BuildTak is our flagship 3D print surface designed for desktop FDM 3D printers to provide stability in both 3D print adhesion and removal. It consists of a thin textured top surface and a high performing yet non-permanent adhesive on the lower surface. BuildTak is composed of high quality, heat-resistant raw materials that are designed to withstand the high temperatures of a typical FDM 3D printer. Following the global success of our BuildTak sheets and other ensuing products, the BuildTak brand has evolved into more of an ecosystem that prides itself on easing the overall process of 3D print adhesion and removal.

How does it work?

BuildTak adheres directly to the existing print bed of 3D printers and provides a stable printing surface for 3D prints by minimizing the chance of warping or shifting when printing, but still allowing for builds to be cleanly removed. There are 2 intentional features of our original BuildTak sheets that specifically contribute to the product’s success. First is the top surface texture that, when printing at the optimal nozzle height, allows for just the right amount of adhesion for the 3D prints, but still allowing for easy removal. The second is the high-quality adhesive we use, which performs extremely well on heated print beds. The best part is that when it’s time to remove and replace the BuildTak sheet, it will still come cleanly off the print bed leaving no residue behind, even after months of use.

How did you come to co-invent it?

While I wish I could say BuildTak was something we set out to achieve after years and years of R & D, it was not the case. Instead, like many inventions, our original BuildTak sheets were the indirect result of another experiment. I am the Vice President at Ideal Jacobs Corp in Maplewood, NJ, USA, where BuildTak sheets were developed and are still produced today. Our core business is commercial (2D) printing and manufacturing, serving many tech industries including telecom and now, of course, 3D printing. Back in April 2013, the company invested in a newly affordable desktop 3D printer for the office to use for prototyping. The company owner, Andrew Jacobs, runs the operation with a true entrepreneurial spirit and as a result is frequently looking to invent products that solve problems big and small. One of the many hats I wear for the company is to bring in new technology, and so I was tasked with the responsibility of learning how to use the 3D printer. The experience, as with many others who were new to 3D printing in 2013, was immediately frustrating.

The printer came with 5 sheets of polyimide tape, some ABS and several sample files to print. With a bit of tinkering (and some ABS slurries) I was able to get many of the easier sample parts to print, though they were still very difficult to remove from the print bed. And there was that infamous chain-link sample part that failed every time. One day, while tinkering, my boss brought me a collection of raw sheet material to experiment with to see what would happen if I 3D printed on top it. One of the goals he had in mind was to see if we could print Braille. Many of Ideal Jacobs’ products feature embossed Braille and the tooling can be quite expensive, making small runs and prototyping extremely inefficient from a cost standpoint. While experimenting with these new materials, I came to the realization that it was much easier to print on them than the polyimide. With a little more testing and fine-tuning I discovered that not only did the ABS prints adhere well to the material, they also removed from the new surface with very little fuss. The prints just peeled right off. It became clear that we were on to something, so I went back to that chainlink sample part – my nemesis – and gave it a shot on the new surface material. Sure enough, it printed successfully on the first try. Needless to say, I never went back to polyimide again and we now had a reliable office 3D printer.

With a little research, it did not take long to realize that our initial struggles with our 3D printer were not only common, but accepted as the norm. We saw an opportunity to present a new solution to the industry that could really help make the 3D printing experience a little more user friendly, and began testing/fine-tuning our material components for the best combination of texture and adhesive. By July 2013 we had the formula that is now our original BuildTak sheets. We manufactured some 11” x 11” samples and started circulating them at a 3D printing trade show in Chicago. Just about everyone we gave a sample to (including several major 3D printer manufacturers), came back to us within only a few weeks saying it was better than anything they were using and that they wanted more. Fast forward to 5 years later and I’m proud to say that our original BuildTak sheets are now an industry standard and sold all over the world.

What’s it been like to be in this business?

BuildTak has been going strong for 5+ years and I still find it extremely exciting and humbling. We feel very fortunate to have been able to come up with a much-needed solution at a time when the fast-growing 3D printing industry really needed it in order to take the market to the next level. Of course, working for a company like Ideal Jacobs Corp has everything to do with why and how we are able to achieve success in our BuildTak brand. The culture and vision that the owner has instituted in our company has taken us well into the 21st century. We love tinkering with new technologies and excel at solving problems on a day-to-day basis. With our resourceful team of 30+ employees at our NJ facility, we achieve a lot with a little. Even after 5 years of exponential growth, we are proud to say that BuildTak sheets are still produced 100% in the US.

Ideal Jacobs today has a global presence with various manufacturing locations in Asia and small sales offices in Belgium, Mexico, Canada and Thailand. In fact, Andrew’s daughter, Kayla Jacobs, now represents the 4th generation and for the last several years has been heavily involved in helping to expand the BuildTak brand to make it what it is today.

How long can I print with one BuildTak sheet?

Ah the million dollar question, to which I reply how long can you wear a pair of shoes? There are so many variables and exposure situations that could affect the wear and tear of the sheet, making this question nearly impossible to answer effectively. As with all 3D printing, the key to using our original BuildTak sheets is learning the optimal settings (nozzle height, printing temperatures, etc), which can be different from one material to the next and from printer to printer. I tell new BuildTak users all the time that the best thing they can do is to pretend they are using a 3D printer for the first time. Our happiest customers are the ones that use BuildTak on day one and learn how to use it the right way and just know that this is what works. Occasionally we will hear from a frustrated customer who undoubtedly went from printing directly on glass or polyimide to using BuildTak thinking all settings should stay the same and either printed the first layer too close and/or with too much smoosh resulting in an unpleasant first experience with BuildTak. While I cannot say for sure how long a BuildTak sheet will last for everyone, I can say that we do have power users out there who have achieved 1500+ hrs in printing on a single sheet.

For what materials is it suited?

PLA is by far the easiest material to print on our original BuildTak sheets, and people who print primarily with PLA tend to also get the most use of their BuildTak sheet. With that said, BuildTak often excels with materials that are known for warping. ABS and PC prints adhere extremely well to BuildTak – admittedly sometimes too well and the sheet wears out faster as a result. However, that’s a necessary trade-off with materials that would inevitably fail on any other bed surface. Other materials that work on BuildTak include: PVA, HIPS, PET+, Flexible (TPE) filaments.

You also have PEI sheets now?

Why yes we do! In the desktop 3D printing market today I would say most people are printing on either PEI or BuildTak (or one of our flattering imitators). You really don’t see blue tape or Kapton very much these days. PEI certainly has its place in this market, and many customers have been using PEI since they began printing. The problem we saw was that most PEI was being offered to consumers with a separate permanent adhesive sheet that users had to apply themselves. It works but if you’ve ever tried to remove a PEI sheet with with this adhesive then you know all about the residue it leaves behind and what a chore it can be to get that print bed clean again. We thought we could help by combining our tried-and-true BuildTak adhesive with a consistently high-quality PEI surface. Our users like to know that they are getting a top-quality product every time – not some mystery material they found though an internet search.

Did you make a spatula?

From the first day we started selling the original BuildTak sheets the same question kept popping up: what is the best tool for removing prints? In 2014 just about everyone was using a tool that was designed for some other purpose (putty knife, pallets knife, etc). Oftentimes the tools featured sharp corners which, if used improperly, could easily gouge the BuildTak sheet and wear it out faster. They were also dangerous for the users, and at that time you did not have to search very far to find a 3D printer owner who hadn’t at least once slipped with their removal tool and cut themselves. I started thinking about the problems with existing tools and came to the conclusion that the primary culprits were handle orientation and the angle at which the handle approached the finished print. I thought about a typical spatula and saw that the benefit of sliding a blade horizontally across the BuildTak sheet was much more effective at getting under the print in a way that did not dig into the BuildTak sheet. A typical spatula handle is not designed to push horizontally with adequate leverage – your hand would tend to slip off. So after many design concepts, which I prototyped with our in-house 3D printers, I finally concluded that an ergonomic vertical handle was the way to go. This design allowed the user to apply leverage under and across the bottom of a print with very little chance of one’s hand slipping off. The result is our BuildTak Spatula.

How does the Flex plate System work?

The BuildTak FlexPlate System enhances the existing print bed of a 3D printer. It features a magnetic mounting base and a specially-coated spring steel FlexPlate to be used with either BuildTak original, PEI, or your preferred printing surface. The magnetic base has an adhesive backing that permanently mounts to the existing print bed (usually glass or aluminum). Once the magnetic base is installed you just need to mount a sheet of your favorite print surface to the FlexPlate, adjust your nozzle height and start printing. Once your print is done you can remove the FlexPlate from its magnetic base and flex the plate. Assuming that the print is rigid, the flexed plate will force the print to separate from the print surface making the removal process much less of a hassle.

The clever use of a flexible steel plate with BuildTak was not originally our idea. One of the great things about the desktop 3D printing market is that it is fueled by its savvy maker community. Some of our early users brought this innovation to our attention – we had heard as far back as 2013 that people were adhering their BuildTak sheets to old road signs and using those as a print bed. After the successful release of the BuildTak Spatula I started to really focus on developing new innovations, and the steel plate concept was at the top of the list. The big challenge was finding a way to make the product universally compatible with and easy to install to the wide range of print beds out there. We could simply sell it with a handful of binder clips and hope for the best, but that felt like an unprofessional, half-developed product. We started testing magnetic options – “refrigerator magnet” sheets and some off-the-shelf rare earth magnets – but neither was sufficient in strength nor able to handle heated bed temps up to 110C without losing magnetism. So we had some high temperature magnets custom-made for our application and determined the optimal layout for each size of magnetic mounting base.

Will you solve other 3D printing problems?

We certainly hope so. Our goal is to continue to make the 3D experience more user-friendly and in turn more accessible to a broader community of users. It is my belief that someday 3D printers will become as common as inkjet printers. But in order for that to happen it really does need to become a ready-to-print solution, right out of the box. In the meantime, we will continue to come up with new ideas that help make existing 3D printers easy to use.

Our head of Business Development, Kayla Jacobs, has been working hard to ensure we never stay idle. As a result we have a few new tools and accessories in the final design stages and coming out in the next year. And as the market continues to expand the palette of printable materials we will look to stay at the forefront by offering new surface solutions.

What are your top 3D printing tips for beginners?

Never underestimate the need for a level print bed and find your printer’s optimal nozzle (Z) height for each material and bed surface you use. You will be surprised what a difference a fraction of a millimeter can make. Master the art of making precise incremental adjustments – your patience will pay dividends.

In many ways, successful 3D printing involves hitting a moving target. In other words, there are many fluctuating variables (material, room temperature, humidity, air flow, nozzle height, etc). Very few desktop 3D printers on the market today can 100% control all of these variables, so the best you can do is adopt solutions that help to minimize the fluctuations as best as possible and understand that the tweaking is never done.

Get your feet wet printing some vases and fidget spinners, but make it a point to learn 3D modeling. Only when you can design and model your own parts have you truly tapped into the power of 3D printing and what it can mean for the inventiveness and creativity in all of us. There are many free software programs available and plenty of online tutorials to go along with them. Before long you will be fixing things around the house or office with your newfound ability to manufacture custom solutions. Who knows, maybe your idea will become the next big thing.

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EnvisionTEC unveils One Vision – a Continuous Digital Light Manufacturing 3D printer

EnvisionTEC, a global 3D printer and materials manufacturer, has announced the release of its latest line of Continuous Digital Light Manufacturing (cDLM) systems, named the Envision One cDLM. With a focus on fast, accurate, and larger-scale additive manufacturing of flat surfaces, the Envision One cDLM will include two models: the Envision One cDLM Dental and […]