3D Printing

I've been following the 3d Printing market since 2014 after encountering my first FDM print. It was a rudimentary sculpt of Star Wars' Yoda, but the possibilities it unlocked astonished me.

When I began my mechanical engineering studies in 2015, I frequently did my homework in the industrial sciences building at Utah State University. The lab had two large 3d printing machines, a Fortus 250MC and an Objet 260 Connex3. My tabletop hobby club commissioned me to design the club logo on a small medallion. I created the STL in Fusion 360 and commissioned FDM prints from the computer lab staff. They provided me the FDM prints as I had ordered, but they also gave me a resin print of the same medallion to showcase the capabilities of resin printing technologies. The club and I were blown away by the quality of resin printers.


Fortus 250MC and Objet260 Connex3

Later on, a computer engineer friend of mine and I decided to make a mutual friend a birthday present using his consumer FDM printer. He was a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda series, so we found a Guardian Sword 3d file and some code for a raspberry pi to power LED lighting. The sword turned out to be a success despite the learning curve involved with brittle FDM prints and metal fasteners. 

Translucent printed shell with Raspberry Pi controlled LED lighting

In 2018, I began designing a DLP resin printer using a Texas Instruments DLP660TE micromirror device. It was a pet project where the objective was to duplicate SLA print quality at a fraction of the cost. It was surreal to see Anycubic's kickstarter in 2021 for their DLP printer featuring an inferior Texas Instruments micromirror.

Diagram of DLP project

By 2020, I realized that LCD printers the best option for the price to pursue my tabletop hobbies. My first resin printer was the Elegoo Mars. Since that time, I've purchased two additional printers, the Epax E-10 4k and the Elegoo Mars 3. I've been earning money doing printing commissions for coworkers and friends. When money was on the line, I quantified the true material costs of 3d printing and developed a deeper understanding of the manufacturing side of 3d printing.

In 2021, I lead the effort to establish 3d printing prototyping at Stadler US. It took many months to convince management that the printers were more than toys. However, between purchasing the printers in June 2021 and the end of the year, we had already saved close to $10,000 in prototyping expenses. 

3D Printing Projects:

Stadler Business Proposal - Rapid 3D Prototyping

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