New Design Completed

Our new design for the MakerBot was completed today. There are a few modifications that include a larger space for the base so there is more room and you can access the wires easier. The triangular part on the top is meant to hold the spool so the plastic can feed down to the extruder.

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Code Merging Coming Soon

Today we fixed and added parts to our webpage which is on it's way to being completed and soon will be ready for Java code.Also our rough drafts for our final presentations were due today and some of the group members worked on completing that.

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Continued Testing in SCC

Today we tested the tall simple part while overclocking the processor. Its results were a few degrees better than both the commercial part we are testing against and the earlier version of our simple part.
We also put together the PowerPoint for our final presentation on June 14.

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MakerBot Printing

Here is a quick video of the beginning of the whistle being printed on the MakerBot. We were not able to finish the print, but the extruder is running well and we will be able to print out more parts soon!

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Progress

The 3D printing group has been making huge strides in recent weeks. After much trouble shooting the Maker-Bot is finally printing in the classroom! While this is a huge milestone, there are still problems to be solved. The printer can produce small parts well, but when a larger part is printed it cannot fully print. We tried to print a whistle of about two inches by two inches but halfway through the whistle detached from build platform and was unable to continue printing. We think the problem is the massive heat of the build platform. It is necessary that it be heated so that the part can be removed after printing, but it is becoming so hot part way through printing that the bottom of the part is peeling off. To resolve this problem we are looking into changing the code so that the build platform does not heat until after the part has printed. Other accomplishments are the completion of the new frame. While we have not replaced the old frame, it is completed and connected. The buzzer to alert users the part is in the works as well, along with a new platform made with metal flashing instead of plastic to improve longevity.

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Tall Part, Part 2

Our tall part is more that twice as tall as the other simple part, and also made of aluminum; It is pictured above. After this new part is tested a few times, we will move on to other modifications to our design. In addition to testing the tall part, our group is looking into rotomolding as a potential way to produce our product after we determine what our final design will be.

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