Here we go!

 

One night, I was trying to type some notes out from one of my books, and I had a picture frame holder holding my textbook open. Every now and then the book would fold in on itself because, realistically its not made for books, it’s for picture frames. That is what gave me the thought to try my hand at figuring out how to 3D print something like this, a book holder, from a design in my head. For a while it has intrigued me, so I why not learn about it now?

I did some reading in a few articles from PCMag and 3dprinting.com and learned a lot. From what I am finding, 3D printing is a type of manufacturing called “additive manufacturing”. This is when a 3D model is created using an additive process where material is laid down in a specified pattern. This differs from “subtracting manufacturing”, where an object is created from a solid block of material by removing material from it. With additive manufacturing you can create intricate pieces using less material than traditional manufacturing methods. 3D printing is being used to make a lot of different items like, shoes, tools, furniture, gifts, and small retail items. It is also found in areas like Healthcare, Automotive, and even Construction, to create accurate miniature prototypes in the design process.

The most common type of 3D printing, which is what I will be looking into, is called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), also known as Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF). This is where a filament is fed into a heated extrusion nozzle, which is then guided by the machine to specifically lay it down in the pattern dictated by the 3D design that is inputted. Common materials used as filament are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and Polyethylene terephthalate glycol-modified (PETG). Each one has different properties to match the need of the product being printed.

What do I need to start this project? 3D printers need a file in an STL format (stereolithography), or OBJ files to print. These can be acquired from any CAD software or from some free open-source products, like Tinkercad or Blender. Other websites like Thingiverse, MakerWorld, and Instructables, have free 3D files already created by other users. I have decided to use Tinkercad, just because their website offers easy tutorials on how to use their software and create your design. I’m going to be playing with this software this week to hopefully have an STL file to print next week. I have never done any 3D design before, but I am up for the challenge!