tinkercad Archives - Perfect 3D Printing Filament

Make:able Challenge: Design & 3D Print Assistive Technology for the Disabled

Service bureau PrintLab is partnering with Autodesk for an exciting new competition for schools. The make:able challenge represents what should be a remarkable technological journey for students and teachers as they are invited to use either Tinkercad or Fusion 360 software (both options are products of Autodesk) and 3D printing to make free, assistive technology with the following directions:

“Design and make a product or prototype that improves the day-to-day life of someone who struggles with mobility in their hands.”

This comprehensive challenge—and learning experience for students—is centered around an online toolkit provided for students, including a teacher’s guide and accompanying lesson plans. Students are expected to team up into smaller groups and use the toolkit as a foundation for increasing their design skills, especially in 3D—with the use of Autodesk products. More importantly, though, the competition is designed to help them find meaning in their communities, whether locally or online, as well as learning about how individuals must cope with disabilities and can use assistive technology for a better quality of life.

Make:able toolkits also offer inspiration through the following:

Stories and example solutions
Worksheets and a variety of activities designed to encourage a human-centered approach and teach empathy
Methods for encouraging design-based thinking for creating concepts and opportunities
Directing students to tell their story through their work
Designing, 3D printing, testing, and making changes to products

“Having supported hundreds of schools with 3D printing curriculum, we have witnessed firsthand some amazing student talent across the globe,” said Jason Yeung, Co-Founder of PrintLab. “It is our belief that this talent should expand outside of the classroom and be put to use on real-world challenges that have a positive impact on society.”

The key behind PrintLab and Autodesk partnering was to create an integrative program for schools to help encourage students in design and 3D printing, highlighting their work in both digital and AM processes.

“By participating in the make:able challenge, students will experience The Future of Making to help design and make a better world,” said Steven Parkinson, Education Manager at Autodesk.

Students ages 18 and under are eligible to participate in the make:able challenge, to be included in the following types of educational courses:

Design and technology classes
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons
After-school programs
Workshops
Distance and remote learning opportunities

Teachers who register for the make:able program will receive challenge toolkits on September 1st. The teacher’s pack includes development resources and guided lesson plans. Entries are to be judged by a panel of experts in April 2021, with prizes including 3D printers for winning teams.

Challenges like make:able stress both the importance of using innovation and 3D printing to do good in the world, as well as the importance of STEM education for the younger generations. Many projects are designed to interest more girls in 3D printing—a powerful tool for STEM—as well as creating workshops and specific STEM apps for kids. Find out more here.

[Source / Images: PrintLab]

The post Make:able Challenge: Design & 3D Print Assistive Technology for the Disabled appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

3D printing industry news sliced: EOS, ExOne, Materialise, Essentium, Relativity Space, PrintLab, 3D Printz, and more

In this edition of Sliced, the 3D Printing Industry news digest, we cover the latest business developments, partnerships, and acquisitions across our industry. Today’s edition features updates on the 3D printing industries reaction to COVID-19, the latest software news, space launch agreements, industry partnerships and of course, the King of Belgium. Read on for the […]

3D Printing in Ophthalmology: Smartphone Slit-Lamp Adapter for Diagnostics

A trio of researchers from hospitals in Egypt and India recently published a paper, titled “Custom-made three-dimensional-printed adapter for smartphone slit-lamp photography,” about their work designing a custom 3D printed smartphone slit-lamp adapter for photography applications in ophthalmology. A slit-lamp consists of a high-intensity light source, used with a biomicroscope, that can be focused to shine light into the eye for examination of the anterior and posterior segments in order to diagnose many conditions, like macular degeneration, cataracts, corneal injuries, and a detached retina.

3D printed adapter fixed on eyepiece to refine the sizing.

Many people have smartphones these days, and they are being paired more often with 3D printing for diagnostic and imaging purposes, especially in the offices of eye doctors.

“Smartphone photography in ophthalmology has a wide variety of uses including examination with or without other examination tools such as slit lamp or condensing lenses,” the researchers wrote. “Smartphones can be used for fundus photography,^[2],[3],[4] slit-lamp photography,^[5] microscope-free anterior segment photography,^[6] gonioscopy,^[7] and more.^[5]“

3D printed adapters can help make these tasks more efficient, as they are a quick, low-cost option. Custom adapters are built for just one smartphone design and slit lamp, while universal adapters can be adjusted to fit many designs. There are pros and cons for each option, which is why these researchers chose to “combine the advantages of both approaches” for their 3D printed smartphone slit-lamp adapter.

Two copies of the blink 3D printed slit-lamp adapter (in gray and black ABS material) fixed to universal smartphone holders.

“It is built upon a commercially available part used in selfie sticks and tripods which is used to hold the phone,” they explained. “The rest of the adapter is designed and 3D printed to enable attaching the mobile with that holder to the selected eyepiece.”

Smartphone fixed on the Blink adapter and placed on slit-lamp eyepiece.

The goal was to make a design that complements different slit-lamps and automatically fits the microscope eyepiece that slides into the adapter; gravity, plus the weight of the smartphone, will keep it in place. Then all of you have to do is place the phone’s camera against the eyepiece. The team named their creation Blink, for its “ease of use and quick adjustment like in a blink of an eye.”

After they chose their target slit-lamp microscope, the researchers used Vernier calipers to measure the eyepiece, and used the dimensions to create a CAD model of the adapter in Tinkercad. They refined the model using SketchUp, and prepared it for printing with Repetier software. The adapter was then 3D printed out of ABS material on a Rostock MAX v2 3D printer from SeeMeCNC.

Measurements of slit-lamp eyepiece being taken with digital Vernier calipers.

The 3D printed adapter was then fixed to the universal smartphone holder, and finally the fitting was “tested and refined to account for manufacturing tolerances.” Once the smartphone was placed in the holder, the device was attached to the slit-lamp’s eyepiece for easy imaging.

“The blink 3D-printed smartphone slit-lamp adapter was successfully designed, modeled, 3D-printed, and tested,” the researchers wrote. “Each type of slit-lamp eyepiece required a small modification in the 3D design based on measurements. Good-quality images could be captured in diffuse, slit, retro, and cobalt-blue illumination.”

The time it took to remove and modify the device was only seconds, which makes the 3D printed adapter very useful in slit-lamp photography.

“More units can be easily made by printing the same CAD file and fixing it to the universal smartphone holding bracket,” the researchers noted.

Additionally, the team confirmed that they could image the fundus – the part of the eyeball opposite the pupil – using a 90D lens.

“Our article describes the process of designing and building a smartphone slit-lamp adapter to solve the problem of slit-lamp photography,” the researchers concluded. “The cost of 3D printing a small part such as the adapter described here is small and can be done at a 3D printing shop which is available in all major cities in India, Egypt, and many other countries. Most of the work involved is in designing the CAD model according to measurements and physical constraints.

“Development of this type of innovation from idea to virtual design to hardware does not need much time or money – only an innovative mind and the drive to learn these new techniques.”

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

The post 3D Printing in Ophthalmology: Smartphone Slit-Lamp Adapter for Diagnostics appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

US Air Force produces on-demand surgical retractor using 3D printing

A research team from the US Air Force (UAF) has successfully produced a surgical retractor using 3D printing. The medical instrument, created a desktop 3D printer, is designed to be used in logistically challenging hostile environments where it is not possible to restock medical supplies using conventional methods. It has been produced as a proof […]

PLA: The Effects of Annealing & Autoclaving on Mechanical Behavior of Desktop FDM Parts

Researchers from the University of California delve into a very important area of 3D printing for the medical field, experimenting with how sterilization processes affect materials. They released their findings in the recently published ‘Identifying a commercially-available 3D printing process that minimizes model distortion after annealing and autoclaving and the effect of steam sterilization on mechanical strength.’

3D printed models are currently changing the face of medicine in terms of patient-specific treatment, allowing for better diagnosis, education for patients and their families (and medical students), along with acting as pre-planning tools and surgical guides.

In relation to FDM 3D printing in medicine, the authors refer back to previous studies concluding that PLA was weakened by sterilization yet strengthened in annealing, explaining that the next viable step would be to find a 3D printing material that can withstand heat treatment and steam sterilization.

The team fabricated four 30 mm cubes as samples for the study, each featuring different infill—designed in Tinkercad and then 3D printed on a LulzBot Mini 3D printer.

Manufacturer temperature (°C) recommendations for FDM 3D printing materials

Samples were printed all at once, using 0.38 mm layer height and a 0.5 mm printhead nozzle. Materials tested included:

ColorFabb Woodfill
Dragons Metallic PLA in All That Glitters Gold
Essentium PLA in Gray
Maker Series PLA in Food Safe FDA OK Clear
Maker Series PLA in White HOT White
Proto-Pasta HTPLA in White
Raptor Series PLA in HD Vivid Blue

a) Infill geometries clockwise beginning from top-left: tetrahedral, triangles, grid, zig-zag and b) 3D printed cubes

Each sample was bathed in hot water, with the annealing treatment performed via an 800 W Strata Home sous vide circulating precision cooker.

“The cubes were removed from the hot water-bath and allowed to cool to room temperature without interference. The X, Y, and Z dimensions of the cubes were measured again to quantify deformation and calculate percent changes, a positive percent change indicating expansion and a negative percent change indicating shrinkage,” explained the researchers.

“In order to quantify distortion in either direction, we took the absolute value of these percentages. Subjective observations were noted such as spherical ‘balloon-like’ expansion. We also analyzed whether certain materials consistently expanded or contracted in every axes.”

Samples were then placed in autoclave sterilization pouches and deposited into a Tuttnauer 2540 M autoclave for 45 minutes at 134 °C and a pressure of 375 PSI. Afterward, the samples were cooled to room temperature and then examined for any signs of deformation.

a) Standard Army-Navy retractor and b) strength-optimized Army-Navy retractor designs in inches created in AutoDesk Fusion 360 obtained from Chen et al. c Retractor orientation on the build plate to eliminate need for support material

a) Standard retractors warping after hot water-bath annealing and b) after autoclaving. c) Strength-optimized retractor without intervention (right) and warping after hot water-bath annealing (left)

The material exhibiting the least amount of deformation was Essentium PLA Gray. The highest deformation was noted in Maker Series PLA White HOT White.

Quantifying absolute deformation in 30 mm cubes across 3D printing materials after annealing

“After hot water-bath annealing for 30 mm cubes, the infill that deformed the least was ‘grid,’ and the infill pattern that deformed the most was ‘zig-zag.’ After both annealing then autoclaving for 30 mm cubes, the material that deformed the least was Essentium PLA Gray. The material that deformed the most was Maker Series PLA White HOT White. After both annealing then autoclaving for 30 mm cubes, the infill pattern that deformed the least was ‘grid,’ and the infill pattern that deformed the most was ‘tetrahedral.’”

Quantifying absolute deformation in 30 mm cubes across 3D printing materials after annealing then autoclaving

Quantifying absolute deformation in 30 mm cubes across infill geometries after annealing then autoclaving

Maker Series PLA White HOT White was the only material noted to expand in every axis—despite the infill geometry or intervention. Every other material showed variances due to infill. Expansion after annealing usually seemed to suggest ‘direction of distortion’ after autoclaving.

“We acknowledge that dimensional changes and strength limitations may not be a challenge at a lower autoclave cycle, which would require further testing. We have also yet to understand the mechanical behavior of the 3D printed models in this study when they are subjected to multiple cycles of autoclaving and whether they will continue to undergo dimensional change. However, regardless of whether 3D printed PLA surgical instruments are determined to be single or multi-use, these instruments may still be valuable in fields such as aerospace medicine where space limitations exist, or in resource-limited situations where additional instruments are needed,” stated the researchers.

“This study is intended as a pre-clinical evaluation of the mechanical behavior of FDM 3D printing materials following hot water-bath annealing treatment and autoclave sterilization. For FDM 3D printed Army-Navy retractors, further sterilization and biocompatibility validation will be necessary for it to be applied clinically.”

What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts! Join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com.

[Source / Images: ‘Identifying a commercially-available 3D printing process that minimizes model distortion after annealing and autoclaving and the effect of steam sterilization on mechanical strength’]

The post PLA: The Effects of Annealing & Autoclaving on Mechanical Behavior of Desktop FDM Parts appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

The Shield of Achilles: Greek Students Enjoy Learning Program Integrating 3D Printing Studies & Classical Studies

Angelopoulos and E. Solomou have authored ‘The Shield of Achilles using 3D Technologies to Support Teaching Scenarios of Homeric Epics,’ describing a recent interdisciplinary school program centered around the Homer’s Iliad, and an Informatics class. This new method of teaching occurred at the 1st Junior High School of Vrilissia, Athens (2017-2018 school year) as students aged 13-14 of the B grade created a 3D design project called ‘Shield of Achilles.’

It is a pretty well-known fact within educational circles that the need to involve more children in STEM learning is great. Classical subjects need more attention these days too, along with new and innovative teaching methods for teachers. Both types of studies complement each other perfectly:

“Students interested in classical subjects do not use scientific thinking, computational thinking, practice and methodologies based on the understanding of STEM subjects,” said the authors. “Also, students with interest in STEM subjects are less interested in classical studies which lessens their chances of developing comprehensive knowledge and literacy on issues such as history, philosophy, languages, religions, etc.”

The new learning program looks toward the year 2030 as teachers combine STEM, social science, humanities, arts, and classical disciplines; and while students who follow STEM-related careers usually end up with myriad options later, such classes are historically lacking in female students as well as the overall popularity desired by educators and prospective employers who would like to see the pool of prospective young graduates expanding for ongoing needs in the workforce.

“Connecting STEM and Classical subjects (Informatics and Ancient Greek in our case) is vital in ensuring that the general knowledge sector will benefit of much needed new talent in its various fields, and that students think and act not only like scientists-experts in their field, but also as integrated personalities, weighing evidence to draw conclusions, and learning how to navigate the claims bombarding us in our everyday lives,” stated the authors.

Model of the Shield of Achilles made by students in Layer view

The “Shield of Achilles” program is meant to offer the following:

Create a ‘community of practice’ between the STEM and classical learning disciplines
Implement integrated models
Monitor acquisition of skills, student participation and performance, and enthusiasm level of students

For the Informatics class, the students were able to work on an Ultimaker 2+ 3D printer that had been donated to the school two years previously. Students also learned how to use both Tinkercad and Cura as they fabricated their own Achilles’ shield, encouraged to ‘freely express themselves and produce their own creation’ in 3D.

Upon completing a questionnaire at the end, students and teachers expressing having fun, although students would have liked ‘subjects to be taught in an interdisciplinary way together with IT and the support of 3D printing and designing technologies.’ They did, however, enjoy the cross-teaching approach integrating 3D design and printing. Students also expressed having a ‘positive view’ about Ancient Greek.

“Since the implementation of the program, it has been shown that students’ interest in both IT subject and the cognitive subject of Ancient Greek, was highly increased. In particular, enhancing interest was much greater for weak students in both Homer’s Iliad and IT,” concluded the authors.

“The use of three-dimensional technologies can make cognitive subjects more attractive to students, enhance the quality of teaching subjects, increase students’ interest in them and acquire skills [13] such as: problem solving, digital skills, teamwork, communication with my classmates, learn how to learn on my own, etc., skills that are necessary to improve the personality and education of the students.”

3D printing within educational systems around the world is playing a large role in how students shape their perception of STEM learning, and consequent careers in related fields. Teachers and students are often able to learn together regarding new technology, and classrooms are producing everything from prosthetics for animals to robotics, and far more.

[Source / Images: ‘The Shield of Achilles using 3D Technologies to Support Teaching Scenarios of Homeric Epics’]

The post The Shield of Achilles: Greek Students Enjoy Learning Program Integrating 3D Printing Studies & Classical Studies appeared first on 3DPrint.com | The Voice of 3D Printing / Additive Manufacturing.

Long Island Science Center receives $20,000 grant to create STEM 3D printing program

The Long Island Science Center (LISC), a STEAM Learning Museum located in New York, has received a $20,000 grant from the Long Island Community Foundation to provide a 3D Printing and Design Program for kids. The educational 3D printing scheme will be developed for disadvantaged children in the Riverhead and Riverside communities of New York. […]

GE Additive to bring 3D printing to over one million students

Award winning OEM GE Additive has announced that its Additive Education Program (AEP) will have given over one million students the opportunity to use 3D printing by 2020. The company expects a total of 2,001 schools and 1,296,500 students will have been reached since the programs launch. Bringing 3D printing into the classroom GE Additive, […]

3D Printing News Briefs: May 30, 2019

In today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, euspen plans to hold a Special Interest Group meeting in September centered around additive manufacturing, and an adjunct professor completed a comparison between a small SLS 3D printer and a large one. Moving on to interesting 3D printing projects, an artist teamed up with Mimaki to use full-color 3D printing to make a stage prop, a reddit user created an anti-cat button for an Xbox system, and an imgur user created a modular 3D printed fashion system.

euspen to Hold Special Interest Group Meeting on AM

The European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology (euspen) will be addressing the factors which are influencing an uptake of the use of additive manufacturing as a production technology at a Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting in September. The meeting, which will be co-hosted by the American Society of Precision Engineering (ASPE), will analyze the barriers to, and the opportunities for, the adoption of AM in production. It will be held from September 16-18 at the École Centrale de Nantes in France.

At the AM SIG meeting, issues that are, as euspen put it, “critical to the viability of AM as a production technology,” will be addressed. The co-chairs of the meeting are Professor Richard Leach from the University of Nottingham and Dr. John Taylor from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Local hosts and the organizing committee include Professor Alain Bernard from Centrale Nantes, Dr. David Bue Pedersen from the Technical University of Denmark, Professor Leach, and Dr. Taylor.

Comparison of Small and Large SLS 3D Printers

3D printers are often used in educational settings these days. Piotr Dudek, an adjunct professor at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Poland, runs a 3D printing lab at the school that both students and researchers frequent. While many technologies are used in the lab, SLS is the one that most interests Dudek, who decided to compare a big SLS system from EOS with the smaller Sinterit Lisa.

“We are using the big EOS SLS 3D printer for a long time and we wanted to compare it with Sinterit Lisa, check the possibilities of it. In SLS technology every detail matters. The temperature of the printing chamber, powder distribution system, heating or laser moving mechanism are very precise and important features. We wanted to test if Sinterit’s device is the valuable solution,” Dudek stated.

Larger 3D printers obviously have higher print volumes, but the down sides include difficult calibration, specialized training, and higher costs. In addition, it’s easy to mess up the calibration of a large 3D printer during transport. The Lisa 3D printer uses a gantry system, which comes pre-calibrated to save time, and it also uses less material, which means less money. The desktop printer is also much more student-friendly, making it the better choice for 3D printing labs like the one Professor Dudek runs.

Full-Color 3D Printed Stage Prop

A few months ago, 3DPrint.com heard from 3D printing specialist and Post Digital Artist Taketo Kobayashi, from the Ultra Modelers community, about an art exhibit in Japan that he helped organize which featured colorful, 3D printed works created on the Mimaki 3DUJ-553 full-color 3D printer. Recently, he reached out to us again with news of his latest Mimaki Engineering collaboration – a stage prop for the Japanese artist Saori Kanda, who performed with techno/trance band Shpongle at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.

“It is a artwork,” Kobayashi told 3DPrint.com, “but also a utilization of full color 3D printing to entertainment field.”

The “Shpongle Mask,” which took 28 hours to print and mixed in Asian details, was worn onstage by Kanda as she performed her painting live with the band.

3D Printed Anti-Cat Xbox Button

reddit user Mbiggz was getting sick of their cat turning off the touch-sensitive button on the Xbox console while it was in use, which I can understand, having two cats of my own. So Mbiggz came up with the perfect solution – a 3D printed cover for the button. The design can be found on the maker’s Tinkercad account, as Mbiggz originally made the design for a Digital 3D class.

“Adhesive goes on the back part (it is labeled in the print). I’m a newcomer in terms of this so it’s not perfect,” Mbiggz wrote on Tinkercad. “Also, the door doesn’t open all the way, so you can fix it so that it does if you want to (even though it doesn’t really matter, there’s not really a need for it to open it all the way).”

3D Printed Modular Fashion System

hunter62610, a young imgur user, designed and 3D printed a Lego-like modular fabric system, which was featured in his school’s fashion show. He made two dresses that are made with a 3D printed prototype fabric pattern called Escher, which was designed to be “put together and taken apart” hundreds of times. It took him just two weeks to make the material, which the two young ladies who modeled the dresses said was fairly comfortable.

“The idea of the system is that theoretically, one could buy a fashion catalog filled with designs, and say 5000 links. Once could make every clothing item in the catalog, based on there needs. Perhaps that’s a pipe dream, but it’s a fun idea,” hunters62610 wrote.

“The Escher system is quite versatile. Each link acts like a free flowing Equilateral triangle, and has a male and female ball joint on each side. Every individual link is theoretically compatible with every other link. Special links are stored in the middle of this pouch that are really 3 merged links with a screw hole. If needed, these links can be used as elastic tie down points or buttons, if you screw in the buttons i made.”

A Makerbot Replicator Plus was used to print the fabric links in unique, small panels.

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

Meet the Fifth Grade 3D Designers of Trojan’s Tinker

Joining Creativity and Technology in Early Education

At Southeast of Saline Elementary school in Kansas, art and technology teacher Kinsy McVay challenged the students in his 5th grade art class to design and market their own 3D printed creations. “I believe that 3D printing is a great combination of my two interests that gives students a real-world application for their creativity,” Mr. McVay said.

Last year, Mr. McVay gave his students the opportunity to make their own custom fidget spinners and market them at school. After attending workshops about student entrepreneurship, Mr. McVay decided to take this idea to the next level and teach the students to create and market an object to the world outside of school and family by making their 3D printed designs available for purchase from their very own Shapeways online store, “Trojans Tinker”.

“I think knowing that anyone could order your design is really cool because we are only in the 5th grade and they could be talking about my design all the way in Canada.” said Kelli, a student in Mr. McVay’s class who designed a keychain.

The class decided that 50% of the profits from their shop would go to their classrooms and the other 50% would go to cancer research.

Exploring Inspiration and New Skills

The students followed tutorials and learned how to use Tinkercad to model their designs. “I feel that using Tinkercad was pretty easy. I liked that I could follow a lesson that would teach me how to do a certain thing.” said Charlotte, another student.

Mr. McVay left it up to the students to chose their final designs, as well as five materials available through Shapeways, and over the course of a few months they prototyped and refined their designs using the school’s 3D printers. The students then made posters and a video commercial to market their website and their Shapeways shop.

The Southeast of Saline students created a wide range of designs including keychains, plaques with positive messages like “Be Yourself” and small statues that include a Space Needle and a Roman Cathedral. They were inspired by their interests, friends and family, as well as causes dear to them.

“I was inspired to make my product for the kids that are getting bullied every day at school,” said Jackson, who designed a “Stop Bullying” keychain.

The Students’ Take on their Adventure into 3D Printing

The students will have a chance to examine their experience in order to provide feedback to next year’s 5th grade class. “My favorite part about 3D printing was just learning how to design things,” said Madison, who designed the Roman Cathedral. “Before we even started this project I had always thought 3D printing was cool. But then I actually had a chance to try it. I ended up picking a really hard lesson, but I still had a lot of fun.”

When asked what advice they would give to future students, many agreed that it was important to take one’s time but mainly to enjoy the process. Suttyn, who designed a cactus, said “It can be hard at times but it is a really fun thing to learn to do and getting to create whatever you want is really cool too.”

The students encourage anyone visiting their Shapeways shop to email them a quick hello so they can see how many people their shop has reached. Stop by the Trojans Tinker page to see these ambitious 5th graders’ designs!

The post Meet the Fifth Grade 3D Designers of Trojan’s Tinker appeared first on Shapeways Magazine.