This project explores different 3D printing processes, making two identical objects, one using an FDM printer (fused deposition modeling) and another using SLA printer (stereolithography).
I decided to print a hexagonal sphericon – a geometric solid made by revolving a hexagon, cutting it in half and rejoining the two pieces at a 90 degree turn. The continuous surface gives sphericons their ability to roll on smooth surfaces, even though it looks like they wouldn’t.
Because I knew the SLA printer would take longer, I first started printing on the Fortus 450mc SLA printer. The SLA process is more time consuming because this printer uses a dissolvable support filament that requires up to 24 hours of lye bath treatment. After seeing some of the example prints inside the wet lab, I chose a 0.14 mm layer height.
As I waited for my first print to dissolve in the lye bath, I started printing my second object at the OEDK Maker Bar. I was luck enough to catch a really cool transparent filament.
Coming back the next day, I was ready to finish my objects. Comparing both of the prints, I noticed a few differences. The Fortus filament seemed to be more sturdy, however, the color was grey-ish and washed out – I enjoyed the appearance of the transparent filament much better.
I used superglue to join the shape pieces together, then finished then with a coat of polyurethane spray. (The poly spray started to settle into ugly puddles, so I wiped off the excess spray about 2-5 min after application, while still leaving a shiny/glittery finish.)
My shapes were ready to roll!
Challenges:
In this assignment I struggles with realizing the limitation of the printers and the scalability of 3D models. In my first attempt to 3D print an object, I chose a design that was too intricate for the small size I was aiming for – this caused the shapes details to mush together. While I ultimately scrapped the project, I also experimented with using rafts and supports (to a disappointing ending leaving me with one un-usable shape)