User:Edpeterson919/ENES-100/Project 2

Week 1
Printed test object out on the Makerbot. Tutorial for that:

Design
 * Have what you want to make already planned out, preferably on paper. Get down the dimensions and any specific details.
 * Make the object using Google Sketchup or 3Dtin
 * Google Sketchup needs an add-on to convert the design to .stl files
 * For 3Dtin, just click export and download as a .stl file
 * Give it a name you will recognize

Makerware
 * Open the .stl file using Makerware. This should automatically happen when you double click the .stl file if Makerware is already downloaded on the computer
 * Inspet the design for any flaws, especially if Google Sketchup was used. If there is a problem with the design and you used Google Sketchup, the add-on probably had a bug in it. You can keep downloading the add-on from different sites until one works
 * After you are satisfied with your design, save it onto a SD card as an x3g file

Print
 * Put the SD card in the 3D printer and select your file for printing

Week 2
I have been tasked with designing an inner structure. An idea I came up with is to make a ball and hollow ball cut in half connected by a cylinder. They looked like this.

After printing two out using the Makerbot, the pieces were too brittle and the cupped end was not closed enough to hold onto the ball end. Also, the cylinder in the middle broke off of the ball-shaped ends.

Week 3
Using the Geometry builder in 3D Tin, I made a new design. This one included slots in the hollow cupped end, which would allow that end to bend giving away to the ball end that would be inserted into it. I got this idea when we presented and asked for opinions from the audience. This new design was also made bigger so that it would be sturdier. After printing, the ball ends still broke off of the middle cylinder, but the slots allowing the cupped end to flex open worked really well. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3A3d_tin_geometry_builder.png

Week 4
The next design made has sloped ends for sturdier connection between the ball and the sphere parts. After designing and printing this new prototype out, the connections still failed. I looks like the Makerbot prints it out hollow, leaving weak connections. Jovy suggested to use the geometry builder, so perhaps the Makerbot will read it as a solid object. After getting most of the way through the design, 3D Tin crashed, without letting me save what I already made. 3D Tin is difficult to use on designs that are precise and specific. From now on I will start using Autodesk or Google Sketchup.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFirst_design_of_Joint.png