Puzzle Cube For 3D Metal Printer Tolerance
Puzzle Cube For 3D Metal Printer Tolerance
Embedded Files
I created a puzzle cube as one of my first experiences using Solidworks, and it turned into a project about assessing the tolerance of the Desktop Metal Studio System metal 3D printer in our lab, and I gave a presentation about my findings at a Solidworks User Group gathering our school hosted.
I created a puzzle cube as one of my first experiences using Solidworks, and it turned into a project about assessing the tolerance of the Desktop Metal Studio System metal 3D printer in our lab, and I gave a presentation about my findings at a Solidworks User Group gathering our school hosted.
I started this project with lots of revisions of plastic puzzle cubes, working to get the tolerance just right so they would hold together but not get stuck. I don't have pictures of these plastic cubes, but I think they were a great way for me to get to know the printers in our labs, and how different printers could influence what the build in tolerance needed to be for certain parts.
After getting my puzzle cube dialed in with plastic filaments, I decided it would be cool to see how the tolerances compared to those of the metal printer, using the same STL files for both prints. The reason I was so curious is because the parts printed by the Desktop Metal Studio System have to go through a post print sintering process, which shrinks the parts by approximately 20%. I wanted to see how this post processing affected accuracy and precision.
I was pleased when the puzzle cube tolerances visually appeared to match my previous prints in plastic. I decided to take it a step further by cross referencing the real dimensions of the cube with the dimensions of my Solidworks part models.
I was pleased when the puzzle cube tolerances visually appeared to match my previous prints in plastic. I decided to take it a step further by cross referencing the real dimensions of the cube with the dimensions of my Solidworks part models.
The presentation above is the one that I presented to the Solidworks User Group that identifies my findings after measuring the tolerances. In summary, I decided to compare the real part measurements to the STL file measurements (which were not always the same as the Solidworks part file measurements), and my limited data set indicated that the metal printed parts tended to be 0.3 millimeters bigger than their STL file counterparts .
The presentation above is the one that I presented to the Solidworks User Group that identifies my findings after measuring the tolerances. In summary, I decided to compare the real part measurements to the STL file measurements (which were not always the same as the Solidworks part file measurements), and my limited data set indicated that the metal printed parts tended to be 0.3 millimeters bigger than their STL file counterparts .
This project helped me become a lot more familiar with the nuances and capabilities of our printers, and it showed me how significantly different manufacturing processes can influence the outcome of a part. Even across 3D printers, I have to consider which printer I am using in some instances while I am designing a part. I think I learned a good lesson early on.
This project helped me become a lot more familiar with the nuances and capabilities of our printers, and it showed me how significantly different manufacturing processes can influence the outcome of a part. Even across 3D printers, I have to consider which printer I am using in some instances while I am designing a part. I think I learned a good lesson early on.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse