Week 18: applications and implications
May 25 - 31
Assignment
- Propose a final project that integrates the range of units covered, answering:
- What will it do?
- Who's done what beforehand?
- What materials and components will be required?
- Where will they come from?
- How much will it cost?
- What parts and systems will be made?
- What processes will be used?
- What tasks need to be completed?
- What questions need to be answered?
- What is the schedule?
- How will it be evaluated?
- Projects can be separate or joint, but need to show individual mastery of the skills covered
- Where possible, you should make rather than buy the parts of your project
What will it do?
The project goal is to create a highly finished product in terms of look and design. It will provide an extension of features to an already exhisiting and popular product line of 3D printers known as the Ultimaker 2 and Ultimaker 2+. On the design front, it will follow the design language set by the product and attempt to seamlessly integrate into the product without any modifcations or impediments to the actual product itself. By doing so, it retains any warranty aspects to the product, thereby it allows institutions and individuals to gain this extended functionality without any risks.
Who's done what beforehand?
There have been various attempts to create an enclosure for the Ultimaker 2, but most fall a bit short in terms of functionality or design. A few examples of tops and doors can be found on the Ultimaker forums such as here and here. The other main method is a full case in which the 3D printer sits in such as this.
What materials and components will be required?
The construction of the enclosure is a mix of plastics and MDF with a veneer finish. For the functionality, a microcontroller with an input thermometer, LCD display, and 40mm computer fans.
Where will they come from?
Parts and materials can be locally sourced, however sources from China can be much cheaper if ordered in bulk.
How much will it cost?
- 1m x 60cm white ABS 5mm plastic sheet - $20
- 30cm x 35cm clear 5mm plastic sheet - $8
- 1m x 1.35m white veneered 5mm MDF - $18
- 4x 40mm computer silent fans - $20
- Satshakit - $5
- Adafruit RGB Backed LCD Screen- $14
- White PLA - $1
- Bolts and Fasteners - $25
- Misc. Electronic Parts - $10
- Total - $121
What parts and systems will be made?
The entirety of the enclosure and the hardware components minus the LCD screen and fans are made in the FabLab.
What processes will be used?
CNC Milling, laser cutting, 3D Printing, Electronics Design, Electronics Production, Input/Output Devices, and Embedded Programing are all used in the creation of this project.
What tasks need to be completed?
The only missing portion is the acrylic door and hinge mount. Additionally, I would like to expand the functionality of the hardware, so it can record and track machine on-time for maintainance schedules.
What materials and components will be required?
Some more 3D printed parts and a small acrylic sheet is needed for the door. The additional functionality would mainly be programming based.
Where will they come from?
The components are already available here in the lab, but they all could potentially be ordered from local sources.
What questions need to be answered?
The stability of the electronics would need to be checked. Also, additional tests are needed to be made on different materials during 3D printing, to find the right settings for the machine. ABS is the most problematic of the materials. So far, the tests have been pretty positive. The enclosure increases the air temperature, thereby reducing warping in the objects.
What is the schedule?
These next steps will be taken after the FabAcademy. The door itself would only take a few days. However, for the additional functionality, this would take more time as testing is needed.
How will it be evaluated?
Since this project is open source, the acceptance of the community is vital to the success of this project.
View the project workflow and steps on the project page.