3D Printing

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital STL file. It uses 3D digital models to create solid fixtures by printing layer upon layer of plastic material. 3D printing has been around since the mid 1980’s. It has only became practical in the past seven to 8 years as 3D printers have come down in price. 3D printers are good for rapid prototyping. Currently the University has four 3D printers available for use such as the MakerBot Replicator 2, two Sindoh 3DWOX, and the FlashForge Creator.

3D Printing Machines Available
The available mechanical engineering printers are located in the Metrology Lab (Room 123) inside the Gauss Johnson Engineering Lab. The sign up process to use these machines is based on a first come first serve basis. For more information on how to use these machines find a graduate student and/or go to the IEW office (GJ 113). Listed below are a few examples of graduate students that could be contacted.


 * Sarah Willis (Email: will9753@vandals.uidaho.edu; Office: GJ 113)


 * Melissa Bogert (Email: boge6398@vandals.uidaho.edu; Office: GJ 113))


 * Marshall Townsend (Email: town7125@vandals.uidaho.edu)

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Makerbot


Some characteristics of the Makerbot include: The MakerBot was purchased by the University of Idaho in 2012. This is the preferred printer to use for most cases due to its cheaper operating cost and ease of use. Tutorials on how to print using the MakerBot are below.
 * Build Volume - 11.6" x 7.6" x 6.5" (29.5cm x 19.5cm x 16.5cm)
 * Filament Material(s) - PLA
 * Printing Steps (MakerBot)
 * Part Design (MakerBot)
 * Code Generation (MakerBot)
 * Machine_Setup/Maintenance (MakerBot)
 * Post Print Processing

Sindoh 3DWOX
Sindoh Printer is 3D printer with a high quality based on friendly functions and easy to use for first timer user, with internal cameras and filament insulation and other advanced features.
 * Build Volume - 8.3" x 7.9" x 7.7" (210mm x 200mm x 195mm)
 * Filament Material(s) - PLA, ABS, ASA, PETG, etc. (Open Source Filaments)
 * Features (Sindoh)
 * Operation and Maintenance (Sindoh)
 * Trouble Shooting (Sindoh)

Mark 2 MarkForged
The characteristics of this printer include:


 * Easy to Use - Printing a part to be strong or flexible is is intuitive using the touchscreen interface.
 * Versatile - This printer can print 12.6" x 5.2" x 6" (320mm x 132mm x 154mm) parts.
 * Filament Material(s) - Onyx (plastic)
 * High-Strength Printing - Reinforcing your parts with composite fiber while 3D printing them, this printer achieves high strength, stiffness, and durability in its printed parts.
 * Range of Materials - In addition to printing Onyx, this printer is capable of printing Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass, and Kevlar.

Reasons Prints Fail
There are a variety of reasons why a part may fail. It is important to monitor the print regularly in order to catch potential failure. This section will list a few reasons why a part might fail and how the problem can be resolved.

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Extrusion Stops
One of the most common causes of a failed print is stuck filament. When the filament gets stuck, the extruder no longer has any material to work with, and will continue on printing nothing. It is hard to catch this before it happens without sitting and watching the entire print (which is a waste of time). If this happens, stop the print and ensure the filament is feeding in such that it will not catch on anything when you attempt the print again.

Clogged Nozzle
A clogged nozzle will make the printer unable to extrude more plastic. To check if the nozzle is clogged, go to the LCD menu and run the Load script in Utilities > Change Filament. If the plastic curls up toward the extruded, the nozzle is probably clogged and needs to be unclogged.

If the nozzle is clogged, you should probably ask a mentor to help you fix the issue, but here are the steps you can take to fix it.


 * 1) Unload filament from extruder.
 * 2) Turn off the MakerBot.
 * 3) Loosen the two bolts on the front of the extruder, unplug the motor, and pull the motor out.
 * 4) Turn on the Makerbot and heat the nozzle by running preheat or load filament script.
 * 5) When the nozzle is hot enough, take some filament and push it through the tube manually.
 * 6) When the filament begins to extrude, pull it out and cut the end off.
 * 7) Repeat ~3-4 times until the nozzle seems unclogged.
 * 8) Cancel the script that is heating the nozzle, let the nozzle cool, and shut off the MakerBot.
 * 9) Reassemble the extruder and start the MakerBot up again.
 * 10) Test. If the extruder works normally, you're done!

If this process doesn't work, wait until a mentor can come help you fix the problem.

Print Not Sticking to Build Plate
{| A print can fail if the base does not adhere properly to the base plate. There are a few things that can cause this:
 * 1) The base plate is not level. It could be possible that the base plate is not level. If the base plate isn't level your part may come out lopsided or won't stick properly. See Leveling Base Tray for instructions on how to level the base plate.
 * 2) Bubbles or Other Defects in Tape There is tape on the base plate in order to make maintaining the MakerBot easier. If there are any defects in the surface such as bubbles or significant wear, the part will have trouble sticking. See Maintaining Tape for more information.
 * 3) Complex Geometry Complex geometry on the bottom side of a part can cause issues with adhering to the base plate. Try simplifying the part geometry or adding a raft to avoid this issue.



Naming Convention for STL Files
For appropriate accounting, save your STL files in the following formats below. Make sure the print operator name is included because often the people signed in are not the ones that should be charged. This information is collected monthly from the printer and sent to Molly in the department (mollym@uidaho.edu). If there is confusion in charges contact her.

Class Project Example:

(Class, Student Name) "Project"



3D Printing Policy
The Mechanical Engineering Department maintains and furnishes 3D printers for sole use by faculty, staff, and students. The use of the printers shall be consistent with the purpose of the department, which includes facilitating research and learning. In accordance with these purposes, the department has developed policy and procedures for use of the printers:

1.	Administration. All projects (i.e. components) to be printed shall require permission from a faculty member. All projects must originate from U of I classroom, lab, or research. To clarify, personal projects are prohibited.

2.	Certain Uses Prohibited. Regardless of viewpoint, certain uses of the printers are prohibited and violate this Policy:

(a)	Printing any object that is unlawful, threatening, abusive, tortuous, obscene, and racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

(b)	Printing any object that is intended to physically harm, or attempt to harm, an animal or person in any way. This includes any type of weapon (e.q.knife, firearms, etc.) or parts of a weapon (e.g blade, gun trigger, etc)

(c)	Printing any object that infringes upon a patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any party unless consent from the rights-owner has been obtained; The Copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The deparment reserves the right to deny use of Printers if, in its judgement, use of the Printers would violate Copyright law.

(d)	Printing any object or any part of an object that is regulated. For example: Undetectable Firearms Act of 1998 which specifically bans plastic firearms.

3.	Usage Subject to Refusal or revocation. The Printers are provided to further the purposes of the department. In accordance with this policy, the department may refuse usage of the printers at any time. Failure to abide by this policy may result in revocation of the user’s printing privileges.