Week 1 - Journal
Ideation
Tell us about your assignment's idea for this week. Why do you care about this idea? What inspired you? (Please include images or links to sources of inspiration)
the assignment this week was to get familiar with lab machines and software and to search online resources for files to fabricate that fulfill the requirements.
the 3d file format should be stl then we should import it in cura software to prepare it for printing by changing its parameters depending on the requirements ,the 3d printer and the filement used in fabrication and export it as a gcode file, the only limitation was fabrication time should not exceed 90 min.
For the laser cutting file, the downloaded file format should be dxf then imported in laserworks software prepare it then exported as rld file, the limitation was the sheet dim 30*50 cm.
the designs i choose was a duck and a monstera as these are one of my fav. animals and plants.
Tool Chain
Which software/machines/materials did you use in the assignment? Why?
Laser Cutting
laserwork v6 software
for preparing the files it import alot of formats but we mostly use dxf or ai, power and speed is modified then the file is exported as rld file which is the format the machine reads.
laser cutter mostly used with sheet shaped materials like acrylic, wood, paper and even fabrics.
in fab lab we will use plywood, mdf and acrylic and for this project i used plywood(3mm).
Morn MT3050D CO2 Laser Cutter.
Technical Specs
Working Area: 300mm x 500mm
Laser Power: 80 Watt
Max moving speed: 600mm/s.
3D Printing
ultimaker cura 5.2.1
for preparing files for printing it accept stl files it allow changing parameters as layer height, speed, bed and nozzle temperature and then export the file as a gcode
pla+ filament
PRUSA i3 MK2 3D Printer
Technical Specs
Build volume: 250mm wide, 210mm deep and 200 mm tall
Layer height: 0.05 – 0.35 mm
Nozzle Diameter: 0.4mm
Max hotend/heatbed temp.: 300 °C / 110 °C.
Design/Preparation Process
Explain the design and/or preparation process of your assignment. How did you use the tool or software to design and/or prepare your assignment before fabrication/implementation?
Media1.mp4the 3d design is a duckling downloaded as stl from GrabCad, then i imported it to cura software, changed some parameters:
machine: prusa i3 mk3
material: generic pla
printing temperature: 215°
bed temperature: 60°
infill:20%
layer height: 0.2mm
generate support everywhere
overhang angle 50°
plate adhesion skirt
support z distance 0.25mm ( it creates a gap between the body and the support so it is easily detached).
when sliced there was unnecessary supports so i put support blocker then sliced it again and exported as gcode.
Media2.mp4the laser cut file is downloaded as dxf from 3axis.co, imported in laserwork v6 then changed laser speed to 25 and power max and min to 65 then export it as rld file
Development/Implementation Process
Explain the development/implementation process of your assignment. How did you use the machine/tool to manufacture or implement the design of your assignment?
laser cutting steps:
make sure all the parameters is right and the file format is rld.
put the plywood sheet and fix it with tape.
open the machine and relocate the origin and check the focus.
download the rld file to the machine and frame it to make sure its dimensions and orientation is right and it fits in the sheet.
close the lid and start the machine.
3d printing steps:
make sure all the parameters is right and the file format is gcode.
make sure the bed is clean.
if you want to change the filament color preheat the nozzle then unload filament then select the color needed, cut the filament end to make it sharp (nearly 45 degree) then load the filament.
send the file to the card insert it slowly and wait until the machine read it
choose the file and start it.
watch the first 2 layers to make sure everything is ok.
Overcoming Challenges
What kinds of challenges or problems did you face while doing the assignment, tutorials, or exercises? How did you solve them? Did you ask for help from an instructor or peer? Please provide a link to the tutorial or article that you used to solve your problem (if any)
I prepared the laser file in laserwork v6 to cut it on Morn MT3050D CO2 Laser but then we had to use El Malky ML149 CO2 Laser Cutter(which was way cooler btw) so when we imported the dxf file to rdworks it appered as it was sketched (as shown) that was because i deleted another figure from the dxf file on autocad but something wrong happened, it seems like i exploded the figure or something, so there was 2 ways to fix that "thanks to bassant for sure" 1st to export the file as an ai file then connect the lines on ai 2nd to import the first file before edits and obviously we choose the 2nd one and finally all is good.
Final Project
How can you use the skills and knowledge that you've acquired this week in your final project?
the skills and knowledge i have acquired this week is actually the basics of 3d printing and laser cutting (files preparation and machine using )which is the way to make the constraction parts or the body of the final project so for sure we will use these skills.
WOW!
What is the coolest thing that you've learned this week? What is something that you will never forget from this week?
the coolest thing was dealing with 3d printers i have never 3d printed anything before and when i tried to do that at work i failed and i didn't even know the problem and I don't like to fail something and ignore it so one of the reasons why i entered the diploma in the first place so learning that was very cool and i will never forget that nether how i felt when the printing finished and i held my first 3d printed model( even if it's a duckling)
Weekly Digest [OPTIONAL]
Tell us about any other cool things that you've made this week: in the Hands-on activity, tutorial examples, exercises, or any other cool mini-project that you tried out aside from the assignment.
Media1.mp4i printed a small t-rex