Anyone here into 3D printing or have experience with taking an idea and making it reality? I don't own my own printer, but have access to one and think it would be neat to have some Hokie-themed swag around -- a hokie bird, a horse on a treadmill, etc. I just don't have any experience with any CAD programs to do that and am looking for some direction. I tried reaching out to some DREAMS lab students that I collaborated with while I was around on campus, but nobody wanted to take the time to make the CAD model for a horse on a treadmill.
Also and this is more of a general statement, 3d printing is cool. I really think that, as engineering improves to get both speed and resolution gains and as material chemistry improves to offer a wider toolbox of available materials, that 3D printing will change the world.
Comments
which kind of printer do you have access to? FDM printers routinely underwhelm with their print quality for anything cool. Also, you have a high failure rate for models not created with the printer's limitations in mind (like with large overhangs, etc). Once you get to SLS printers, the quality is high, but so is the cost. Remember that build sizes are typically very small (maybe 8"x8"x8"). That tends put a crimp on some ideas as well.
Look on sites like grabCAD or Thingiverse to looks for CAD models. It's a lot simpler to download someone else's painstakingly modeled object rather than reinventing the horse on a treadmill.
I am familiar with Thingiverse and grabCAD -- just haven't found a horse on a treadmill file floating around. Build sizes are fine, I'm looking for lil things to give out as gifts or to put on the ole work desk.
I've got access to varying techniques, but it would likely be FDM or SLS. I have experience with uSLA that yielded cubic cm max.
So, this is my first comment. I've been reading TKP for quite some time now and love the community, but have resisted joining because the girlfriend already gets mad at me at times for spending too much time looking at VT football stuff. Saw this thread and finally had to make a comment haha.
I moved to San Francisco by way of Cincinnati a couple of months ago and have been interviewing for jobs. I've had a few interviews with a company called Carbon, which was founded by Dr. Joseph DeSimone, who has a PhD in chemistry from VT. Company is super cool. This doesn't directly help you out hokie07ME, but it's awesome nonetheless!
Company link: www.carbon3d.com
TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/joe_desimone_what_if_3d_printing_was_25x_faster
wow, that video on their homepage just made my stomach turn. So many catch-phrases crammed into a one minute video. So many flashing images and questions left unanswered...
Hahaha yeah the video is very Bay Area. There was an alumni event there hosted by VT College of Science and Dean Sally Morton. I got to see the tech up close and it's really cool - especially for someone who understands this stuff at a very macro level, not micro...ISE, I'm a fake engineer :)
I'm familiar with Carbon and know a few employees there. My adviser at VT did grad school with Joe DeSimone. They made a lot of noise with the CLIP technology and the accompanying Science paper and TED talk, and there's cool things going on there. I threw in an application there when I was finishing up my degree but ended up taking another job closer to home before that process ran its course. Welcome to TKP and good luck to you on the job search, the chemicals/chemistry/materials industry is in a weird place right now.
(Edited for typos)
We just got our first 3D printer to do some prototyping at my job. Just a relatively cheap Makerbot.
HP is ahead of most companies with their Multi Jet Fusion. Super expensive solution but much more reliable than the consumer grade 3D printers.
I like the 3D Hokie Swag Idea, problem is that you will either need to paint the plastic afterwards or have a machine that mixes filament colors to get something that looks good enough to sell. If you are just looking for desk trinkets in one color all you need is a 3D model and you can take it to a number of small businesses that will make it for you.
Just got an Anycubic Photon Resin printer and want to start tinkering with it.
Any update on this? I wanted to try and print a 1/12 scale Hokie Bird to put alongside some of my Hokie football customs. Didn't know if anyone already had a head start on a 3d model/sculpt.
holy gravedig batman, i think this was the first thread i ever posted on TKP
edit: the DREAMS lab in VT mechanical engineering dept has STL/CAD files of hokie birds, maybe reach out to Prof Chris Williams or one of his students. when my group worked with them, they often printed hokie birds for neat publication images (example) and for youtube (link)
I work at a physical product development consultancy for a living. I would echo most of the above advice.
It will be tough to find someone to model a full horse--it would take forever--but you may be able to download a model of a horse and a model of a treadmill and put them together. It actually wouldn't take very long to model a decent looking treadmill. If you find a CAD model of a horse, I may be able to do the rest (time permitting)
Shapeways is a way to give everyone access to 3D printing. Check them out if you haven't heard of it. We use them for prototypes for clients that don't want to pay for speed or higher quality. Their SLS and MJF parts typically turn out good enough.
Also Carbon is very cool. No idea it was from a VT grad. We used their printer for a prototype earlier this year. It seems like there is still a learning curve for those running the machines, but they are working toward some awesome stuff.
EDIT: didn't realize the date on this thread. Did you ever make progress on this project?
nope, and no more ez access to the same 3D printers now and busy with work and life, but shapeways is pretty neat!