Session 4

Session 4

The primary focus of session 4 was preparing a drawing for the 3D printer. Going into this session the students were very excited. By the end of the session they were relieved that they were done. The process for ensuring that an image is ready for 3D printing is not as easy as preparing an image for 2D printing. We used Replicator G 0040 as our G code generator (in essence the CAM software).

The drawings, which had been saved as STL files are loaded into Replicator G. The drawings then need to be positioned, oriented and (if need be scaled). We covered all of these functions as well as setting up the print quality and ALL of the things that can be set for a 3D print. It was a bit overwhelming at time for some students but many of them fired off great questions about how certain functions work. They also asked leading questions that showed they were thinking ahead about possible capabilities and limitations of the printer.

After the G code is generated we looked at the tens of thousands of code commands that make up each object. The students were shown how to set the waiting position of the printer. They also learned how to manipulate the temperatures of the extruder and build platform.

By the end of class the students had prepared their G code for use in the 3D printer.

Next session we will begin laying out the shape and design of the students airframes. There will be a lot of measuring, reading diagrams and transferring measurements.