Second Class

On the second class of Prototypes III, we started presenting our rapid prototyping techniques that we were assigned to investigate. The first team were us with SLA. As we could explain it, is a very common technique nowadays in industry in which a 3D printer’s laser “prints” layer by layer your CAD file, exposing a photo sensible resin to UV rays, hardening it and producing a solid and three-dimensional model. The biggest disadvantage of using this method is that the dimensions are limited and that the machines that are necessary are really expensive (about 100,000 to 400,000 USD).

Some other things that I learn or that I was impressed:

• FDM is a very interesting process, but I am concerned about the wasted material because of the need of printing all the volume (including the holes which are going to be dissolved in water after printing).
• The team didn’t explain it this soluble plastic contaminate the water or if there is a way of making this process sustainable.
• LOM is the technique that impressed me the most because it doesn’t need any toxic polymer, just paper.
• It could be better if the rest of the paper can be reused or if you can put rolls of laminated metal or other recyclable materials.
• Open hardware it’s a very important movement between rapid prototyping users, in which they can modify the machines to improve them and then to share this changes to other users so everyone can have the modifications.
• I had never imagined the possibility of having a 3D printer by my own, I always pictured them as an extremely expensive and never reachable machine, and now I realize that for a small design business it can be affordable.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t come back after the break because of the design’s welcome meeting, but next week I will post the lesson I missed, which was about 3D scanning.

See u next week
JP