User:Gmy5011
Graham Young
Bio
As of now, I am in my 5th year at Penn State studying mechanical engineering.
Blog Post - 9/30/2014
I am currently working on the yellow and green printer with Michael Orner.
Progress
Up to this point, Mike and I have fixed the hot-tip carriage, the Arduino support mounts, the X,Y, and Z wiring. We have added also added X,Y, and Z end stops, and the carriage spacer.
We have done multiple test runs, in order to make sure the end-stops work and the printers home position is calibrated. During the prining of a test run, our cork insulator broke due to too much force from the dispenser. The insulator/spacer has now been replaced with a sturdier spacer made of acrylic.
We believe by 10/02/2014 that we will be ready to print a test piece to make sure our printer is working correctly. By 10/07/2014 that our printer will be up and running.
My Thoughts
As of now, I feel like I have really learned a lot about multiple components of the RepRap 3D printers. I have learned about the Arduino controller, the carriage, the hot-tip, the motors, the motor mounts, and the end-stops. I have also learned a great deal of different types of 3D printers, such as selective heat sintering, selective laser sintering, direct metal laser sintering, and extrusion deposition. I have also learned about the many applications of 3D printing. For example, rapid prototyping, mass customization parts, manufacturing of complex parts, automobile manufacturing, and different medical field applications.
Blog Post - 10/14/2014
Progress
Up to this point, Mike and I have completed the maintenance of the yellow and green printer. We have now started work on the Brown & Blue printer. As of 10/14/14, we have unclogged the extruder for this printer. We now have to reassemble the extruder mount. We plan to have this completed no later than 10/21/14.
What's Next
After this is complete, we will test the printer, in order to determine its functionality.
After the completion of the Brown & Blue printer, Mike and I will either start maintenance on another printer or start construction of a brand new printer. As of now, I feel that it would be an awesome learning experience to build an entire printer from scratch.
