Further 3D Printing Tests

After working with the Form 1 since the last update, I've obtained a better understanding of the capabilities of the printer in addition to many necessary printing design considerations.  In the meantime I've printed an array of objects pulled from the internet to do so.

Failed heartbox print due to drooping lids
and inability to open / rotate.

For example, I printed a popular 3D secret heartbox which is an object that works really well when printed using a standard FDM printer--easily opening up, rotating / transforming, etc.  However, things didn't work as smoothly when printed from resin using SLA.  One issue that is of concern is the fact that a small amount of resin can get trapped in the interior of the box as it's printing, added to the fact that after the object is printed, a viscous layer of resin is coating the build platform and part, creating a sticky mess that takes a large amount of rinsing in isopropyl alcohol to clean off.  This stickiness is a very large hindrance in the smooth / proper operation of printed rotating hinges.  Standard FDM prints from PLA plastic or ABS are smooth and dry so "built-in hinges" work very well--the opposite is true when printing from resin.  If the rotating hinge joint is able to be rinsed extremely well and fully-dried it may be possible to get smooth rotating action, but with complex models this may be completely impossible.  Therefore it seems like rotating joints will need to be printed in multiple pieces and assembled after the fact.

A fancy Möbius strip and a crystal.

Solid objects with decent (>9 mm² square solid) thickness print extremely well and are very rigid and strong.  However, thin objects are very soft and flexible when newly printed and are easily prone to being damaged until the "solvent-like" excess resin is washed away.

I tried printing a complex phone case but the results were disastrous as the object would delaminate in sections when printed directly onto the build platform without supports.  The printed parts adhere extremely strongly to the steel build platform as well and require massive amounts of force to remove, causing fragile parts to be easily damaged during removal--which is what happened when trying to peel the phone case off the build platform.  A second printing attempt was made using supports, however, the supports are still extremely strong in bulk and are not easily "peeled away" when the printed part is thin and fragile.  An exacto knife is likely necessary to cut delicate parts free from the supporting structures.

A friend made a request for a large "bracelet-sized" Möbius strip after seeing the miniature version above, so that part is currently being constructed at the moment.  Additionally, I've received requests for 3D printed wearable jewelry, so that is next on the agenda.  I have some ideas in mind which I'll be attempting to draw in CAD and prototyping shortly.

3D Printing - It Begins

Printing!

About a week after the Form 1 arrived, the printing resin was finally delivered.  This means it's time to actually start making things!!  Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to create a bunch of objects prior to the printer arriving, so I had to improvise and fetch some objects from Thingiverse, an opensource 3D printing design compendium.  However, the very first object I printed was in-fact an object I designed in a rush using CAD.  One of my Miku Nendoroid figure stands broke, so I saw fit to solve the problem with a little creative engineering.  Using digital calipers, I recorded the dimensions of the unbroken stand arm and replicated the piece using dimensional constraints in 3D CAD software.  I saved the model as an .stl file and loaded it into the Form 1's printing software (PreForm).

After generating support geometry (to prevent the model from collapsing or drooping as it's printed), the software automatically slices the model into individual layers (which are programmed pathways that the printer's laser traces or rasterizes during operation) which are then uploaded to the printer itself.  All that's left to do is press the "GO" button on the printer and away it goes!

Printed stand piece on the left, broken part center,
and unbroken reference on the right.

It's pretty awesome seeing the Form 1 in action as the laser rasterizes extremely fast.  After the laser completes a layer, the resin tank lowers and raises back into position which I presume is allow fresh resin to flow under the printed model in preparation for printing the next layer.

Newly printed stand works great!

The figure stand that I designed took about 40 minutes to print and surprisingly looks very similar to the stock piece.  The material properties aren't quite the same (the printed plastic isn't nearly as hard or durable) but visually the printed part looks great!

Printed owl with supports still attached.

Next I downloaded a nice looking owl model off Thingiverse, scaled down the size to a couple inches and sent it off to the printer.  5 hours later and the owl was finished.  The owl print also looks pretty fantastic and is completely smooth to the touch as well.  Small details in the model like the texture of the log are also preserved which is quite impressive.

Printed owl with supports removed.

Profile shot with flash.

So as it stands, I'm really pleased with the capabilities of the Form 1.  However, I really need to design more of my own parts and creations.  I'll be posting more 3D printing updates with this regard in the future so stay tuned!

Scaling New Heights

At the summit of Mt. Little Si

Summer in Seattle has been going pretty well so far, the other weekend ago I went hiking with some friends. We scaled the summit of Mt. Little Si, peering over the edge of the massive 1576 foot (480 m) peak to catch a nice view of the Snoqualmie Valley.  All jokes aside, it was a fun and leisurely hike with some nice sights along the way.  Maybe Mt. Si is next on the hiking agenda, although Mt. Si is a bit of a step up being about 3x taller than Little Si...

Scary drops

In other news, I've made quite a few posts on topics related to 3D printing so it's no surprise that I've been following the market and technology.  Anyway, last year a new 3D printing start-up (MIT associated) called FormLabs unveiled their amazing product, the Form 1, through KickStarter (raising about 3 million dollars in the process).  I was swept off my feet when I saw it--an ultra-high resolution consumer-level desktop 3D printer using stereo-lithographic (SLA) technology.  What makes this printer so amazing is the SLA process.  Instead of melting and fusing plastic coils, the Form 1 uses an ultraviolet laser to "draw" patterns in a tub of liquid resin, the energy from the UV laser causes the resin to photo-polymerize and harden at every position that the laser draws onto.  Therefore, each layer is capable of slightly "blending" each adjacent layer in generating a near-seamless printed product with very little necessary clean-up.  

Realizing that this could be a "game-changing" piece of hardware, I backed the project on KickStarter nearly a year ago.  Fast-forward to now, and I finally have the Form 1 sitting on my desktop, and it's a beautiful piece of technology.  However, that's all it is right now as I haven't booted up the printer because I'm still waiting for the resin to arrive which will be in about a week.  Until then, I'm looking forward to making my first print which I'll be sure to discuss in a future update.  

Seattle Mini Maker Faire 2013

A weekend or two ago I attended the Seattle Mini Maker Faire which was pretty exciting having never attended a Maker event prior.  The term Maker Faire comes from the inventors of the "Make" concept, that being Make Magazine.  Make Magazine is a really cool publication that basically features homebrew / DIY projects typically using creative programmable electronics, lights, and more.  Therefore, a "Maker" would be someone that enjoys "making stuff" or working on projects that involve building or putting together things.  

There are two main Maker Faires in the US, one in NYC and the other in San Francisco.  Like all things "Make" the Mini Maker Faire in Seattle is an independently operated / community-driven event put together through the efforts of a large number of people.  

I like making stuff and have a lot of plans for projects / products in the near future so I figured it would be a great opportunity to attend the Mini Maker Faire to see what some other people are working on and to potentially get some new ideas for future projects.  

First impressions were that the event is really small (hence Mini right?).  If you aren't spending a significant time at each booth, or aren't participating in some little craft workshop, the whole event can be perused through in an hour or two at best.  Desktop 3D printing was a major theme at the Faire, although all the 3D printers at the event were fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers, meaning they all operated by extruding spools of plastic through a heated nozzle to print 3D objects.  While I'm not really a fan of these kinds of 3D printers, it's always cool to see them in action and see what kind of creations people are printing.  

There were a couple highlights of the event which particularly stood out to me.  The first was a fancy multi-axis computer-controlled robotic video slider thing which I can't recall who developed.  However, after talking with the creators they mentioned that they're putting the package together for KickStarter with kits being marketed in the neighborhood of $5-6000.  While that's probably a bargain for aspiring indie filmakers, it's not something that really interested me after hearing the cost.

The other display piece which I really liked was the Magnician's Aquarium, a spectacular magnetic field audio visualization exhibit.  Basically, a set of magnetic coils are suspended within the aquarium and a (soapy) water suspension of nickel particles are added.  An audio signal is amplified (pumped current) and then fed through the coils which generates a magnetic field.  The nickel particles react to the magnetic fields around the coils and "dance" to the music played.  I was told the signal running through the coils is inverted every 5 seconds as well to keep things more visually dynamic and exciting.  This project is pretty brilliant and has a lot of potential as a commercial unit.  I'd like to make a miniaturized version of my own but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find the time to do so. :(

Spring Gardens

We're well into Spring, and Summer is even beginning to encroach Seattle.  The days are at long-last, long and mostly nice.  My family recently came up to visit from AZ and I met up with them for a couple days near Birch Bay.  Strangely enough much of the time was spent around various types of flowers, vegetation, and nature.  Tulip season was at its end but we visited the tulip farms anyway, specifically, the RoozenGaarde--which pays homage to the Netherlands (known for tulips among other things).

We also spent a day trip going to Canada, specifically Victoria, B.C. and saw some nice sights while driving around.  We stopped at a small lavender farm full of a wide range of random animals; bees, ducks, geese, peacocks, dogs, chickens, rabbits, and a pony.  A lot of these small farms appear to be fairly self-sufficient, producing all sorts of food-stocks and natural products.

A million bees

Goslings

Lavender farms

However, the primary purpose of the trip to Victoria was to visit the world renown Butchart Gardens.  I didn't really know what to expect from the gardens or really what they were exactly.  Were they some kind of national park or what?  I don't know.  Nevertheless, after visiting the gardens I discovered that the gardens were something of a life-long "project" created by the Butchart family following their success and prosperity within the cement industry in the early 1900s.  The whole story reminds me of the projects built by the great magnates and barons of the same era; such as the Vanderbilt's mansions, and William Randolph Hearst's amazing castle in California.  Butchart Gardens are essentially the remaining vestige of the family name, having become a national historic site in Canada and floral gallery to the general public.  

The gardens were pretty amazing and meticulously maintained--almost to the point of wastefulness.  The floral displays are constantly uprooted, rotated, and replaced as they begin to decay, such that fresh blossoms are eternally on display.  It's seemingly unnatural for such a perfect display to be in existence but the gardens are for show in a manner similar to the façade created by Disneyland in which a spotless and perfect impression is generated with the help of major hidden 'behind-the-scenes' undertaking.  The experience is worth it though, having never seen anything like the Butchart Gardens before--the grounds are something like a paradise.  It's just a shame that at the end of the day you have to return to your car and go home.  

Butchart gardens has both a Spring and Summer display.  It would be nice to go back and visit another time to see the difference in the Summer display.  

Sakuracon 2013

Evening dance party

The month began with one convention, with a few days in the middle, and concluded with another convention--that being Sakuracon.  This marks a one year anniversary since the last cosplay montage video I posted prior to everything in my life undergoing a huge change (moving to Germany, etc.).  A return to normality hasn't quite yet been achieved, but it's getting close.  This year, being without any video stabilization equipment, I decided to make an attempt at being "Mr. Photographer."  However, I don't really consider myself to be a photographer but instead just a GWC (guy with camera--minus the negative connotation).  This year I just wanted to relax and leisurely take-in the Sakuracon experience, without any obligations, snapping pictures here and there, while letting spontaneity take over.

Haruna Luna X Eir Aoi

Sakuracon is a pretty unique convention in that many Japanese artists, singers, and industry members attend every year.  Sakuracon seems to have the most non-English speaking attendees I've ever encountered at an Anime convention.  I actually found the Japanese performers Eir Aoi and Haruna Luna just nonchalantly walking around the convention site with translators in tow.  At the time I didn't know who they were but it was interesting to see them being treated as "normal" people (amid having some level of niche fame) in that they're weren't recognizable or really known by anyone on this side of the pond.

"Japonese" Hot dogs

The weather during the convention was perfect for another year in a row.  I ate a "Japanese" hot dog, which I half-expected to be a normal hot dog slathered in corn and mayonnaise but in reality came in a variety of Asian-themed varieties.  I ordered a "Matsuri," it was pretty good.

Lux

Lux X Garen

Lux X Garen

Asuna

I bumped into a few more "up-and-coming" local cosplayers and did a couple impromptu "mini-shoots."  The first is RikkuGrape from Portland, Oregon.

Ahri

Ahri

And the second is Caitastrophic Cosplay, also from Portland.

D3

K'

Ganondorf X Zelda

Much of my time at Sakuracon was spent just casually taking in the sights.  I've been experimenting with some interesting photo editing style--incorporating atmospheric surreal complementary color grading and different unique ways to frame images.  I believe in a minimalist's philosophy of "less-is-more" when it comes to design.  The surreal color blended photos make me a bit conflicted as they pretty much go against that philosophy.  However, by comparison, the unedited photos lack a certain level of desirable "punchiness" which is my justification for making these edits.  Regardless, it's all done to learn and tryout new design techniques and ideas.

All-in-all, this year's Sakuracon was good as usual.  I noticed a marked decrease in the number of Hatsune Miku cosplays (is her legacy finally beginning to fade?) that were in attendance.  This year by comparison, the convention could be described as SAOkuraCon (Sword Art Online being the dominant IP).  Here's to another year in the interim!  And the rest of my photos:

Garen

Tira

MikuDonalds

Slenderman on stilts

Sejuani, there's a guy in that fur suit oven.

Gundam

Yoko

Vanquish

Mokujin

Zant