How to 3D Print Something
Step One: Design and Download
You can design your own creation using:
Tinkercad: a good, online program to get your feet wet. And it's free! Sign in with your Google account.
Inventor: a high-caliber, amazing, professional program. You can do anything with this sucker. But it costs money and has a steeper learning curve. Many high schools have subscriptions through Project Lead the Way and other engineering courses.
When you're done, save it or export it as an .stl file.
If you don't want to design something yourself, poke around Thingiverse. It's a collection of hundreds of thousands of designs that other people have created. With many of these designs, you can download the files, then import them into Tinkercad if you want to modify it a bit.
As you design and select your print job, you will want to watch out for overhanging pieces. The printer works by running one layer over another layer. So if there is an overhang, the printer may not have material to stick the next layer to. This make a sloppy mess. We can print with "fill material," but this will take you some time to chisel out and sand down. In the picture to the right, notice how there are little bits of material in the arches. We printed this with fill because we weren't sure if it would print well without it. Even with support, the arches were a close call. Some printers handle overhangs better than others.
Watching out for overhangs!
Step Two: Send it to Mr. Dixon
You've designed and tweaked or found your item. Make sure you have the .stl file. You might end up with a couple of .stl files, depending on the project. Once you have these .stl files, email them to sdixon@bownet.org. You might also want to send some dimensions with it, as the Makerbot software may do some odd things with scaling the project. And let him know what color you might like (not all colors may be available!).
We made this colorful anime character by changing filaments at various times during the print.
Mr. Dixon will then work the project in the Makerbot software. He will:
Check the scaling, make sure it's the right size.
Look at it to make sure it's printable (no overhangs, and not too complicated).
Flip, rotate, or arrange the pieces.
Save and export the file into a Makerbot file (so the printer can read the file). The file goes on a flashdrive which gets plugged into the printer.
Then it gets printed. We may wait until after school to print it, since the printer is pretty loud.
There is a bit more work. It prints on a "raft"--a little bit of loosely layered plastic to help it come off the plate. You'll need to detach the raft. Not always easy, and it may require some sanding.
Oh, the build plate is blue because there's a layer of painter's tape on there. That helps the plastic stick. Underneath is a sheet of glass. Sometimes we have to replace that tape.