3D Printing

The next machine we learned, or rather refreshed our memory, on how to use was the 3D printers. The 3D printers are LulzBotz Minis and are pretty self-explanatory. Our assignment was to design something that could be used in your house on Fusion 360 and then 3D print it. I got the idea to do a toothpaste squeezer from https://all3dp.com/1/useful-cool-things-3d-print-ideas-3d-printer-projects-stuff/ and used the Thingiverse design as a model. It was printed in three parts and the Fusion file and STL for all of them are in the google drive folder above.

WORKFLOW for the 3D printers:

Make sure the 3D printer is on (flip switch on the front on)
Login into computer (User: Camps PW: Camps)
Download file from shared google drive folder (PW: Clshawks)
1. It should be an STL file
Open Cura
Click on "Load Model" and select your file
Modify object if needed
1. Make sure object is lying flat
2. Scale smaller to shorten printing time
Settings on the left-hand side should be:
1. Beginner, standard
2. Material should be set to "Polybright"
3. Check "Brim and support structures"
Go to control
1. Choose the right USB modem (Top = left Bottom = right)
2. Set temperature to 220°C and bed temperature to 60°C and click set
Prep the plate
1. Scrap the bed
2. Wipe bed with rubbing alcohol
3. Brush nozzel
Check to see if printer is ready
1. Use arrows to check that bed motors work
Press "extrude" (only after temp. reaches 220°C)
1. Keep extruding and brushing nozzle until PLA comes out straight
Hit "print"
1. Don't worry- the temperature will drop and go back up

DESIGNING toothpaste squeezer on Fusion 360:

For the main exterior component:

I first made a circle (c) that was 30 mm in diameter.

Using the "o" command, I created an offset of -3 mm so that a slightly smaller circle was sitting inside the original circle.

I created another offset, but this one was 10 mm in from the original circle, so that the diameter of this new circle was 10 mm.

I typed "l" to create a line. The first line I drew went from the center to the top of the circle. The second line made a 90° angle with the first line. The next two lines I drew were across from the 90° angle and made a "pie slice".

Next, I selected just the two section I wanted to extrude. I pressed "e" and type in 75 mm.

I then selected everything but the innermost circle and extruded them -3 mm (so that they extruded downward). The operation should be "join".

I extruded the same parts of the sketch that I did in the previous step (everything but the innermost circle) and extruded them 3 mm but changed the operation to "New body". I then moved this new body up 75 mm so that it rested on top. Using the "combine" function I joined the new body I had just created with the rest of the design.

For the interior component:

I began the same way as I did for the exterior component. I made a circle (c) with a diameter of 15 mm. I used the offset command to create a circle inside with a diameter of 10 mm and another circle with a diameter of 9 mm. I created 2 parallel lines inside the circles so that they cut off a section in the middle of the circles. See below.

Then, using extrude (e) I pulled out the two semicircles 83 mm. Next, I selected everything in my sketch beside the outer ring and extruded it -3 mm. For the next extrusions that I did, I selected everything in my sketch and extruded it 5 mm, but changed the operation to "new body" so that I could move it down 3 mm, underneath the inside cylinder. I kept everything selected and extruded it 2 mm and kept the operation as "new body" so that I could move it up 83 mm. For each of the last two extrusions, I used the combine function and joined the new bodies to the first body.

For the cap:

This was a pretty simple design. I made two concentric circles, one with a diameter of 10 mm and one with a diameter 9 mm. I extruded the outer ring by 8 mm and extruded everything down by 2 mm.

SUMMARY:

I felt challenged by this project and thought it was a great way to test my Fusion 360 capabilities and refresh my memory on using the LulzBots. I learned that although the final product is three dimensional, you have to start with a two dimensional sketch which can be pulled into 3D using the extrude command. I first began by trying to create the 3D design right out of the gate, but had trouble cutting out the parts that I needed to get rid of. Instead, I had to go about the entire design differently. Although it was a new way of thinking, I caught on pretty quick and figured out how to use the new technique on the other two parts.

I had to print the main exterior component again because the first time I printed it horizontally. This distorted the circular shape because when the PLA comes out, it's not completely solid. Gravity flattened out the tube, making it more oval-shaped, which messed up the dimensions of the inner hole. I also had to re-print the interior component again because the printer had some sort of malfunction and looked as though it wasn't extruding correctly. However, once I had both parts printed, they fit perfectly together. The inner diameter of the cap isn't quite large enough to fit around the end of the interior component, so if I were to print again, I would increase the diameter of it slightly. I would also increase the diameter of the part of the interior component that you use to roll the toothpaste tube to make it easier to grip. These would be easy fixes and could be done in 15 minutes. Here are pictures of my final product:

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