Archived Media
Monday, February 21, 2016
Designing for 3D Printing with Cosplay Artist Kirby Downey
Like all manufacturing processes, your design considerations of your products are made to fit in with the guidelines of that process. This helps getting a clean product without any technical issues. 3D printing is now fast becoming more a manufacturing process than a prototyping process, and with this in mind, there are a few simple guidelines to consider while designing for 3D printing.
My name is Kirby Downey. I’m a professional 3D designer, and an expert in designing for 3D printing. I specialize in prop recreation, replica models and mechanical designs. I will use the model of an Imperial AT-AT walker from Star Wars I modeled because, well, because it’s awesome! And it can show you the considerations that are needed when designing for 3D printing.
This Model consists of 34 parts, has 12 points of articulation, and is designed to be as easy to print as possible. Before I get all carried away with this, let’s start by outlining the Design Considerations needed to design for 3D printing. There are four basic considerations: Size, Orientation, Support free design, and Tolerance.
The first and most important is size. Your biggest limitation with 3D printing is size. Now this won’t restrict the size of your final model – you can cut that up into smaller pieces, but the size of your machine can limit the size of each piece. So the smaller your machine, the more pieces needed to complete your model. Remember the size of the machine you going to print on. This will allow you to judge scale and plan your cuts beforehand so you can design around those cuts.
The second consideration to keep in mind is orientation. This can help your model be structurally strong, support free, or even allow the details to show better. When printing you always want the largest surface area to be on the bed. The smaller the surface area the higher, the chance that the model will come off the print bed causing the print to fail. This can be frustrating as it’s a material waste and more importantly a time waste. Nothing more annoying than having a 12 hour print fail with an hour left to go because of orientation. Orientation can also affect support material as you can’t print on nothing. You need a structure to build on. Over hangs need support, but changing the orientations will remove support. The best example is this rod. If you print it upright, it can be snapped easier due to the layer adhesion. But print it on its side, and it’s structurally strong and cannot be snapped easily.
Thirdly, we shall look at Support free design. Support can be a designer’s best friend or worst nightmare. It helps your machine perform those great shapes, but can scar the surface. Some supports peel off but others are near impossible to remove. The best thing you can is design you model to print without support or with the least amount of support material. Now there are simple ways to have none to little support on you model if orientation doesn’t help. The first way is to add 45 degree chamfers. Anything 45 degrees or higher to the build plate will print support free. Any chamfer less will require support. With over hangs, debosses and embosses you can get away with a 0.5mm extrude or cut. The machine will not put support on this. This can allow you to add a lot of detail and writing where no support will be used. Nothing is worse than removing tiny bits of support from these tiny details.
Finally, the last consideration is tolerance. Now this is only a consideration if you wish to create moving parts and parts that fit into each other. The main rule I use is if you wish to have a tight fitting joint. Use a tolerance of 0.3mm between the two bodies. For loser, free moving fits use a tolerance of 0.5mm between the two bodies. This will allow your parts to move freely for joints or lids.
Now this may seem like a lot of information to take in. Let me ease you into it by taking you through my design process of my AT-AT so you can see where I made the necessary design considerations in this model to make it the best 3D printable model I could make.
To start my model I got some reference images together. This allowed me to get a good idea of what’s ahead. I found a very good blue print which will allow me get an orthographic view of both the front, left and back views.
Placing those with a scale, I positioned them with some extra planes to help me get an idea of where I was building. Then you start modelling. I chose to start on the body as this was the largest and I knew I might need some time with the different faces at different angles. Once I was happy with the basic body, note I kept them as three separate bodies, I began on the under charge and moved down the leg.
I used the back left leg as it was the straightest leg. I worked down the leg, adding more and more detail as I went. Remembering that the details should protrude more than 0.5mm from the body it’s attached to, I only modeled one leg as I planned to mirror the leg around to the other three joints to save time. When I got to each joint, I kept in mind that I wanted them to move so I kept a tolerance gap of 0.5mm between the bodies. I didn’t go too far with the joint yet as my focus now was to make the whole body, then focus on the joints.
Once the whole leg was complete I started on the body again. Starting from the back, I moved toward the front, adding in all the little details. This was challenging as the faces were not flat. I had to use a lot of surface work here, which I’m still fairly new to. Doing this helped me learn more about surface modelling. Once the body was complete the only thing left to do was the head.
The head was challenging due to the shapes and detail. I noticed the head is symmetric, so I decided to only model half of it. I find being lazy will always find the easy way to do something! I had the basic shape and I added a few more bodies which weren’t combined. I shaped them to make the general shape needed. (Yes, it’s a lot of shapes but bear with me.) I then combined all the bodies to make it one.
With time, more and more detail was added making it look better and better. When I moved onto the smaller details, which the head had the most of, I made sure no parts were thinner than 1.5 mm, as this can cause a problem with the printing process. This does detract slightly from what some details really should look like, but better to have a successful print than a bad one.
As I knew I was going to hollow out the body and make a detailed section view, I shelled the head before mirroring it so I could add the interior detail. Once I was happy with all the detail, I mirrored the head and quickly added the non-symmetric details.
While I worked on the details of the neck, I remembered to include a 0.3mm tolerance as I wanted the head to be a tight fit to the neck. Just means less glue is needed. Now the body is completed. Close to 2,500 features later, I focused on adding the internal detail to the main body.
I began separating all the individual bodies into their own files as for now I was only in a single part. This allowed me to build an assembly and get a feel for how I was going to assemble this, as well as some areas where I needed to make changes.
I opened the body part and begun adding in the piping, the lighting, the doorways, the speeders and the seats. I didn’t focus too much detail on the interiors as I want the eye to focus on the exterior detail. Once all the detail was complete I began working out how I’m going to cut this so it can fit in the printer and be printed with little to no support.
The legs were the easy part. Only part which needed cutting was the lower leg or shin. This had to split in half to allow it to clamp around the knee joins and the ankle joint. A drop of glue in the middle would hold it all in place and move freely. This will also give the shins a flat back to print on support free. The upper leg or thighs had detail on the back and front so I orientated it to print on the side. This is a good example of how orientation can affect your details. I finished the legs by putting a pin joint for the hips and the legs and also placed markings where the legs needed to be placed and which parts it should be paired with. For example, the back left leg parts had the initial BL. This completed the legs and they were ready to print.
The body was separated into 4 parts. Three parts for the main body and one for a panel. I cut them up so I could orientate them as seen in the image. I also made a 5.5mm hole through so I could slide a M5 threaded rod in it. I did this to both to align the parts while gluing and add some strength. I also removed the Seats to print separately as printing them in place would be nightmare for support. I also added groove joint to help align them correctly.
The neck was split into 2 parts, just to allow it to be printed on a flat surface. The head was split into 3. In the image, you can see I added a hole for a rod similar to in the body. Again, this helps with alignment and strength.
Everything was now ready to print. As I have done this so many times, I had no problems with printing and nothing had to be redesigned. This type of knowledge can only really be obtained by practice. But following these guidelines will help you avoid a lot of basic problems and strain right off the bat.
One of the reasons why I enjoy using SOLIDWORKS so much is when it comes to assembly. Because I have assembled it in SOLIDWORKS, and tested all the joints and mechanical moving parts, I knew what direction I needed to go in terms of building. Coupled with the precision dimensioning and the precision of the machine, all the parts fit and worked first go. There is no need for filing or reprinting. It just works.
As long as you keep these basic rules in the back of your mind while planning your build, along with making the model, you can easily make easy to print, successful objects straight out of your printer. It does take practice, but using these guidelines you are a step above everyone else. And remember, don’t say you have failed, unless you have tried to succeed in the first place.
For a full video of me assembling the AT-AT follow this link. To download the files follow this link.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Canada must sharpen its 3-D printing vision
Contributed to The Globe and Mail
Published
Last updated
Edward Burtynsky is an internationally renowned photographer and a co-founder of Think2Thing, a Toronto-based 3-D prototyping, modelling and design atelier.
The quest for the fabled Northwest Passage inspired nautical explorers of the 19th century, such as John Franklin, to look globally for innovative new paths for trade and economic growth. Similarly, a new wave of innovators are seeking to break ground in the areas of design and production and have found previously unimaginable opportunities through 3-D printing, allowing them to create anywhere and any time. How fitting that these new technologies have allowed us to link innovators across the centuries through perfectly replicating the bell of the recently recovered HMS Erebus, one of the Franklin Expedition’s two ships.
Three-dimensional technology itself is a wonder, producing digital scans of objects one layer at a time through “additive manufacturing.” It has the potential to transform virtually every economic sector – including automotive, aerospace, biomedical, information and communications technology, architecture, culture and design – and can ultimately change what we make, how we make it and where it is made. Industry leaders are looking into how it can and should be harnessed by Canadian businesses seeking to compete in the ever-changing global marketplace.
Innovation in the 3-D printing space relies on the best in art, engineering and design – all strengths in ample evidence here in Canada. As Canadian manufacturing faces an uncertain future in a world of increasingly globalized and intensely competitive supply chains, 3-D printing has the potential to leverage our country’s competitive advantages. When combining our nation’s talent pool with progressive innovation ecosystems, a skilled manufacturing work force, and great university researchers – such as those from Ryerson’s Advanced Manufacturing, Design and 3D Printing Lab – Canada can be at the forefront of this 3-D printing revolution.
As a fine art photographer, I may be an odd champion of the virtues and potential of 3-D printing. But in many respects, 3-D printing is essentially Photography 3.0. From film to digital to three-dimensional form, photography’s capacity to capture moments, objects and places has expanded exponentially, opening up exciting new vistas for the future of this genre.
Yet, 3-D printing’s potential goes far beyond simply moving photography to the next level. According to a 2013 study by Deloitte, 3-D printing is projected to have a greater impact on the world over the next 20 years than all of the innovations of the industrial revolution combined. Already, 3-D printing is being used by industrial designers and artists to produce visualizations and prototypes hitherto unimaginable. In manufacturing, Boeing has adopted 3-D printers for more than 200 parts on 10 different types of aircraft. NASA has tested 3-D printers in space to print tools and spare parts on the International Space Station. In France, a violinist has produced the “3Dvarius,” the first fully playable 3-D-printed violin.
3-D technology is also enabling businesses to shift away from traditional practices, such as mass production to manufacturing on demand. Given the growing consensus that our country’s economy needs to become less reliant on sectors that are at the mercy of global demand cycles, it could well be that 3-D printing technology will become Canada’s 21st-century version of the Northwest Passage – opening new opportunities worldwide.
However, a world-class 3-D printing and imaging “cluster” in Canada will not happen without a strategy, capital and resources to support entrepreneurship, research and adoption in this nascent field. With a new Liberal majority government expressing interest in making an investment toward innovation to allow traditional Canadian industries to become more competitive and successful, we need to ensure that investment in 3-D technology adoption is a part of the Canadian innovation agenda.
It is important to remember that as fascinating as new technologies such as 3-D printing are, if they are not actually used, there is no innovation. Our national strategy must recognize that innovation is not just about creating technologies, products and services, but also about promoting their adoption to drive innovation, productivity and growth. If anything, the need to innovate is even more pronounced today. As so-called “disruptive innovations” sweep across the competitive landscape, separating winners from losers, the question becomes whether Canada will be a disrupting early adoptor or a disrupted late follower.
Meanwhile, the 3-D replica of the Erebus bell, on display since last January at the Royal Ontario Museum, is a powerful reminder of the spirit of innovation and adventure that inspired Sir John Franklin and his men. Let it ring again to usher in a new age of Canadian design and manufacturing innovation.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Guy creates handheld railgun with a 3D-printer
An ambitious maker has built a partly 3D-printed railgun that can fire aluminum or graphite projectiles at over 250 meters per second (560 mph). No, this isn’t Quake, but it’s no janky, all-plastic gun, either. The “handheld” weapon houses six capacitors that weigh 20 pounds and deliver over 1,800 joules of energy per shot. And it indeed works just like a full-sized railgun, using parallel electrodes to fire an “armature” bullet. The creator, David Wirth, added an Arduino Uno R3 to monitor charging levels, temperature and other factors, and tweaked the rails after he noticed “plasma damage.”
The resulting design was complex enough that he even made a 3D CAD drawing that would do DARPA proud (above). The test shots with graphite and aluminum projectiles were far less lethal than a regular gun, as you can see in the videos below. Nevertheless, the aluminum “bullet” still put a half-inch dent in the steel-backed plywood target, and the graphite projectile “probably just vaporized,” according to the Wirth.
WXPR-1 Test 3 – Highspeed (YouTube Video)
Friday, September 11, 2015
Canadian doctor uses 3D printing to help with Gaza’s medical supplies shortage
Dr. Tarek Loubani has created a stethoscope using 3D printing
By Ainsley Smith | Good News
Dr. Tarek Loubani poses with 3D printed stethoscope around his neck in Gaza City in this Sept. 7, 2015 photo. (Khalil …
Loubani is an emergency medicine doctor from London, Ont., and first got the idea for creating the cost effective stethoscope after he spent time helping at the main hospital in Shifa, Gaza City, while a war between Israel and Palestinian militants took place in 2012.
As the war continued for eight days, wounded Palestinians flooded into the hospital and doctors were limited to the supplies they had on hand, working with only two stethoscopes, The Associated Press reports.
Shortly after he returned back to Canada, Loubani was playing with his nephew’s toy stethoscope and he noticed that a functioning stethoscope’s ear tube might not need to be made from stainless steel and perhaps there was a cheaper alternative available.
After years of research, designing and testing, Loubani’s plastic prototype was born.
Loubani’s stethoscope is the latest of many devices developed as part of the Glia Project, which is aimed at bringing lower-priced medical supplies to the Gaza Strip and other regions that are low in medical resources.
Dr. Jonathan Dreyer, research director of emergency medicine at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario, has used the Gila stethoscope on many of his patients an he said that it is a “high quality instrument.”
“I have used it on many of my patients in the emergency department and can attest to the fidelity of the sound,” he said.
Loubani is now introducing his stethoscope to doctors in Gaza, but it is challenging as doctors in the region don’t typically use stethoscopes. He hopes that the low cost and practicality of the instrument will encourage doctors in improvised areas to seriously consider using it.
“I’m very happy that patients in Gaza and patients all around the world can now, with these stethoscopes, receive the best care possible,” Loubani said.
Loubani’s stethoscope can be made for the low cost of $2.50, which is much cheaper than top-of-the-line stethoscopes that cost $200 or more.
Friday, August 28, 2015
“It’s amazing and I love the colours! I’m going to use it for as many things as I can!”
A little girl got the surprise of her life when she opened a box containing a 3D-printed arm, allowing her to use both of her arms for the very first time.
Isabella Jenkins from Bristol, England, was given a pink and purple arm by volunteers at e-NABLE, a nonprofit group that pairs those in need of a 3D-printed hand with people eager to build one.
The eight-year-old girl’s arm was made by Stephen Davies, a tester and producer who happens to have his own 3D-printed arm, e-NABLE reports.
“It’s amazing and I love the colours!” Isabella told e-NABLE. “I’m going to use it for as many things as I can!”
Davies traveled from Wales to personally deliver the 3D-printed arm to his first recipient. He posted the sweet Isabella’s reaction on YouTube.
In the video, Isabella is seen tearing the box open and beaming when she realizes what’s inside. She immediately tries it on and starts to wiggle her fingers before picking up a figurine on the windowsill.
“I will be buzzing for weeks just from Isabella’s smile,” Davies wrote in his blog. “Truly nectar for the soul.”
And according to her father, no one in the world has a 3D-printed arm that’s quite as advanced as Isabella’s. “It’s produced through the state of art 3D printing and features everything from carbon fibre to loom bands believe or not!” Her father, Matthew, wrote on Facebook .
Matthew also mentions that Isabella’s arm isn’t quite a prosthetic, as it relies on the use of muscles “previously un-relied upon.”
“It’s aim is to boost confidence and take away awkward unwanted situations and questions and replace them with ‘how cool is that’ remarks, which it certainly has so far,” her father wrote.
Right after Isabella received her gift, she “proudly strutted” around a local supermarket store “wanting the world to see it.”
The world is now your oyster, Isabella!
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
“Insane Batman Cosplay for ‘Arkhan Origins’!”
By Jordan Zakarin | Yahoo Movies – Tue, 23 Jun, 2015 8:05 PM EDT
Julian Checkley as Batman (Facebook/Kamil Krawczak)
This new Batman cosplay is so good, it’s scary. Seriously, the costume’s got working flamethrowers.
The hyper-realistic Dark Knight armor above (and below) is the masterwork of Julian Checkley, an Irish effects specialist and cosplay legend who has long been known for his Star Wars cosplay. Several years ago, he made a very impressive Bane costume inspired by Christopher Nolan’s film The Dark Knight Rises, but this new cosplay is actually inspired by the video game Batman: Arkham Origins.
The costume is incredibly realistic, with folding Batarangs, sharp gauntlets, thick chest armor, and, once again, a working flamethrower. It was made by 3D printer over the course of a month, which is both impressive and scary, because we’re getting to the point that absolutely anyone can make working superhero technology in their own homes.
Click over to his studio’s Facebook page for a closer look at this costume, including some of the highly dangerous looking gear, like the Batarangs below.
(Order 66 Creatures and Effects/Facebook)