Major site overhaul: resources hub, content migration, new blog posts, forms
- Redesign /resources as sectioned hub with category pages - Migrate 645 Squarespace CDN images to local /images/content/ - Create 9 new news/blog posts with event photos - Fix blog post slugs (rename gibberish filenames) - Rename Design Blog to Design Blogs across site - Remove education page, replace with Platform in nav - Redesign rover repair request form with dynamic rover entries - Add school search combobox to contact, store, and repair forms - Extract shared KNOWN_SCHOOLS data - Make /rover-expansion-3d-printing dynamically pull from MDX - Add related resources sections to product pages - Fix homepage broken /quote links to /store - Store page: sample kit cards, inline quote builder, mailing list opt-in
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Tim Hadwen
@@ -7,15 +7,11 @@ excerpt: "Learn the fundamentals of 3D printing as a technology you can use in t
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featuredImage: "/images/resources/everything-to-know-about-3d-printing.jpeg"
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---
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This post is designed to be a taster at how 3D printers work, don’t work and how they can be used in the classroom. This is the written version of a Professional Development Webinar Micromelon Robotics ran for teachers in 2022. Check out the events page to find out if there are other events coming up you might want to tune in for.
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[
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Events Page
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](/events)
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This post is designed to be a taster at how 3D printers work, don’t work and how they can be used in the classroom. This is the written version of a Professional Development Webinar Micromelon Robotics ran for teachers in 2022. Check out the events page to find out if there are other events coming up you might want to tune in for.[Events Page](/events)
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### How Do 3D Printers Work?
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The term “3D printing” encompasses several different technologies with their own benefits and drawbacks. We will mainly be discussing the currently most accessible and affordable 3D printer technology known as FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling). However, due to technological improvements and pricing reductions, resin LCD printers are also becoming a mainstay among hobbyists and schools alike.
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@@ -69,11 +65,11 @@ The most significant advantage that 3D printers give us is quickly taking an ide
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The process of taking your idea to the 3D printer can be broken down into 3 distinct parts: Designing, Slicing and finally, Printing.
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For students we often need to repeat this cycle a few times and in order to save class time, filament and failed designs, we normally start with ideation and sketching. Basically we follow the engineering design process, meaning we do lots of thinking and sketching at the start, before jumping into software to build our models, finally to print and evaluate where we went wrong.
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**3D Modelling and Design**
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The image on the left is an example of a spinning top that does not conform to this rule. We can see that this model will be impossible to print as there are no flat portions that can be placed on the printer bed. The image on the right shows a version of a spinning top that conforms to this rule. The handle has been made specifically so the spinning top can be placed upside down and printed with support.
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#### *Rule: Try to minimise the number of features in your design that are not directly connected to something below it*
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The image on the left is of a bracket with an overhanging portion on each side. For this to be printed in its current orientation, it would require support material between the bottom and top surfaces, which could be challenging to remove and leave a bad surface finish. The image on the Right shows the same bracket with the overhanging portions filled in, making it significantly easier to print.
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#### *Rule: If you must have something sticking out from your design, try to keep it at an angle of more than 45 degrees to avoid the need for supports.*
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The image on the left is of a stopper meant to have an O-ring placed between the top and bottom ridges. For this to be printed in its current orientation, it would require support material between the bottom and top surfaces, leading to a reduced surface finish that could damage the O-ring. The image on the right is of the same stopper with a 45-degree angle added to the top surface. This now means that the stopper can be printed without the need for supports, ensuring a good surface finish.
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#### *Rule: Due to the printing process, curves look best when orientated in the x and y-axis.*
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The image on the left is of a design with a curved portion pointing upwards. Due to the way that 3D printers slice models for printing, this curve will end up being made of layers with a height equal to the selected layer height. This will cause the curve to become less defined and to look more like steps. To avoid this, you should design your parts to be orientated with significant curves on either the x or y-axis. This is because the resolution of the x and y axises significantly better than the layer height. This can be seen in the image to the right, where the component is laid on its side.
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**Slicing**
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Although 3D printers are fantastic pieces of technology that help us turn our designs into physical objects, they are still a complex piece of technology with many things that can go wrong. No matter how good the printer is, it is still susceptible to failure.
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Image Credit: Prusa Research a.s.
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@@ -147,152 +143,32 @@ Suppose your printer supports printing in multiple materials using multiple extr
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So, supports are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, we can print whatever we want, regardless of its features. On the other hand, we now need to contend with potentially extensive post-processing, longer print times and diminished surface finish.
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# 3D Printing in Industry
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3D printers have been highly influential in how engineers work worldwide. Gone are the days when complex prototypes must be set off to be manufactured over days or weeks. Industrial designers and engineers can design, analyse and refine quicker than ever before because the parts can be printed in house, evaluated, and decisions made without needing external partners. Even things as simple as TV remotes can be printed, felt in the designer’s hand and changes sometimes made within the same workday.
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Here at Micromelon, we have been using 3D printers to prototype our robots since 2017 and before that to help with Uni projects and other companies products. We used 3D printing to sell our first products, refine our designs and upgrade different parts of our robots based on direct customer feedback and prototyping. 3D printing enabled us to evaluate and refine before we were ready to order thousands of robot shells at a time.
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A great example of this taken to the extremes is with NASA. In 2014, NASA sent the first 3D printer, the ReFabricator, to the International Space Station, which was an FDM printer using very similar technology to what we have in classrooms today. This printer enables designers on earth to design tools and parts required for the ISS to be printed in space and used. It was also the first 3D printer to break down old prints and reuse the material to create new parts.
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Finally, 3D printers have allowed people to make entire businesses based on customisation and designing parts for their hobbies. Whether it’s someone adding a cup holder to their own car or creating custom cup holders for a whole range of vehicles, 3D printing has given people the ability to customise anything and everything. Where usually you’d need a large market to sell a product, with 3D printing, you can design the part, print, and sell only a few, and it can still be worthwhile. A whole industry on Etsy and other online marketplaces has been created based on this premise. If the thing you need doesn’t exist, thousands of people who 3D model and print for a living are willing to design a part just for you.
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So that is a crash course on 3D Printing. There is lots of content we purposely didn’t include in this blog post because it could honestly be a whole book. Things like which 3D Printers are best for classrooms, where I download models from, how I store my filament and how do I manage 30 or more students all wanting to print their new design at once are all great questions and ones that are best handled in a video call or meeting with some of our 3D printing experts at Micromelon. If this is you feel free to reach out via our contact form and we’ll be more than happy to support you on your 3D Printing journey.
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So that is a crash course on 3D Printing. There is lots of content we purposely didn’t include in this blog post because it could honestly be a whole book. Things like which 3D Printers are best for classrooms, where I download models from, how I store my filament and how do I manage 30 or more students all wanting to print their new design at once are all great questions and ones that are best handled in a video call or meeting with some of our 3D printing experts at Micromelon. If this is you feel free to reach out via our contact form and we’ll be more than happy to support you on your 3D Printing journey.[Contact Us!](/contact)
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[
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Contact Us!
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](/contact)
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# Say Hi to Makerhero!
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From filament, to repairs and spare parts. Micromelon has spent the last 6 years working with schools, businesses and individuals to repair, maintain and print great things. We run 3D printing training and webinars to the public focused around using 3D printers safely around students at schools, robotics clubs and at home.
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We also own MakerHero, our very own 3D printing filament and parts brand.
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[
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Buy Makerhero Filament and Parts
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](https://makerhero.com.au)
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### Related Posts
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Resources
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[
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](/resources/creating-a-sumo-unit)
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[All](/resources?category=All)
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[Creating A Sumo Unit For Your Digital Technologies Class](/resources/creating-a-sumo-unit)
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[All](/resources?category=All)
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How to run a sumo unit in your digital technologies classroom.
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[Read More →](/resources/creating-a-sumo-unit)
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[All](/resources?category=All)
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[
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](/resources/ultrasonic-sensor)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Guides](/resources?category=Guides)
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[The Ultrasonic Sensor](/resources/ultrasonic-sensor)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Guides](/resources?category=Guides)
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Learn all about the ultrasonic sensor!
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[Read More →](/resources/ultrasonic-sensor)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Guides](/resources?category=Guides)
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[
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](/resources/year-7-digital-tech-at-st-peters)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Customer Stories](/resources?category=Customer+Stories)
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[Case Study: Year 7 Digital Tech at St Peters Lutheran College](/resources/year-7-digital-tech-at-st-peters)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Customer Stories](/resources?category=Customer+Stories)
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See how Meg Foley at St Peters conducted a challenge for their Year 7s using Micromelon.
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[Read More →](/resources/year-7-digital-tech-at-st-peters)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Customer Stories](/resources?category=Customer+Stories)
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[
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](/resources/robot-simulator)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Getting Started](/resources?category=Getting+Started)
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[Getting Started With The Robot Simulator](/resources/robot-simulator)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Getting Started](/resources?category=Getting+Started)
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How to get started with the Micromelon Robot Simulator.
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[Read More →](/resources/robot-simulator)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Getting Started](/resources?category=Getting+Started)
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[
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](/resources/getting-started-with-the-micromelon-rover)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Getting Started](/resources?category=Getting+Started)
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[Getting Started With The Micromelon Rover](/resources/getting-started-with-the-micromelon-rover)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Getting Started](/resources?category=Getting+Started)
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Crash course on basic rover function, how and what to program and starter activities to attempt.
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[Read More →](/resources/getting-started-with-the-micromelon-rover)
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[All](/resources?category=All), [Getting Started](/resources?category=Getting+Started)
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[
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](/resources/prison-escape)
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[Activities](/resources?category=Activities), [All](/resources?category=All)
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[Activity: Prison Escape](/resources/prison-escape)
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[Activities](/resources?category=Activities), [All](/resources?category=All)
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Learn branching and iteration using the colour sensors and motors.
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[Read More →](/resources/prison-escape)
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[Activities](/resources?category=Activities), [All](/resources?category=All)
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We also own MakerHero, our very own 3D printing filament and parts brand.[Buy Makerhero Filament and Parts](https://makerhero.com.au)
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