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Blog #13

In the future I would like this course to have greater involvement in building parts outside of the RepRap printer parts. Although I understand that the device itself is meant to self-replicate, a lot of the class was spent making the printers rather than anything else. It has been a great learning experience, but I would like to see more focus on projects that use the RepRap printer as tool, rather than the project itself be the RepRap printer. It seemed like just as much time was spent repairing printers as they were actually working. If more emphasis was put on something like the print service rather than building a printer, I feel that it could put a good spin on the class. In the end, a 3D printer like the RepRap is a tool to be used to facilitate prototyping. If students are able to focus on this, their experience in the class can be improved.

Blog #12

If I had to choose between pursuing the dual extruder project or the filament recycler, I would choose to focus on the latter. I feel that the filament recycler, if made, could immediately prove useful to the RepRap class. In my experience, it is almost expected that a print will fail at least once before a useable part can be made. Over time, this produces many failed prints which are essentially wasted material. Having a filament recycler can immediately help the class keep costs down by being able to reuse this waste material. Although the colors would not be consistent after recycling, the material properties should still be sound.

Here is a link about a cheap filament recycler: [1]

The creator has even made his design available on thingiverse: [2]

The dual extruder merits include being able to produce dual tone prints or print parts with two different kinds of material. While a dual extruder enables our OHM printers to create a wider variety of parts, I don’t believe that the RepRap class would make as much use of it as we would the filament recycler.


Blog #11

From my experience working with our Open Hybrid Mendel printers, I feel like that there are some slight improvements that can be made to the design. Having had extensive experience during this semester making the extruder plates, I feel that there are some improvements that can be made to the extruder plate design and the way it attaches to the rest of the x-carriage. If you take a look at the design of the plate, you can see that there are holes that aren’t the same size and don’t lie along the same line (don’t share the same Y position). Although these changes are small, if the holes could be rearranged to line up and were changed to be the same size, it would make the manufacture of the plates much easier and faster. Another change that could be beneficial would be the design of the “x-180-z-bearing-plate_2off.” The part is not symmetrical and has an abundance of material on the left side as compared to the right. I am not entirely sure that this extra material is required for structural integrity. It is possible that this material could be removed to reduce print time and amount of material used.

The holes on the extruder plate do not line up. The holes are also not the same size diameter
This part is asymmetrical and it is possible that the extra material on the left can be removed

Blog #10

Since my #4 and #6 blogs were not chosen by my fellow classmates, I believe there are many areas where my blogs can be improved. Blogs that were chosen to be the best written sometimes shared similar traits that made them successful. Examples include but are not limited to: content, organization, opinions, research, and pictures. Some of the better blogs went beyond the assignment prompts, which also adds to their value. These are all ways that I can improve my future blogs in order to maximize XP points for the remainder of the semester. Since the content of my blogs are usually brief, one of the methods of improving my future blogs is to expand on my answers and also make sure to include my opinions and any new ideas I come up with that introduce a different perspective. Adding pictures to my blogs can also improve their attractiveness.


Blog #9

I think that a lot of the things Autodesk has been doing recently has been innovative and forward thinking. Offering up free software like ReCap Studio and ReCap Photo really does help push technology forward by enabling all sorts of users to produce 3D models. I have had some personal experience with laser scanning methods using a FARO laser scanning arm. One of the biggest advantages of using laser scanning techniques is the ability to produce very accurate 3D models using point cloud data. Some other applications include reverse engineering and quality control. Using photographs to produce 3D models is a much more accessible method. Although I do not have personal experience with this method, I would imagine it is not as accurate as laser scanning. However, one advantage that it holds over laser scanning would be the ability to create models of much bigger objects. Insight3d is an open source 3D modeling software that utilizes images. A demo on their website shows the software being used to model a house. Depending on the way that the software works, it may also be able to produce better 3D models of objects with reflective surfaces, which poses a problem for laser scanners.


Blog #8

Top Blog #4 Posts:

Mbilyk - This post has a good sense of logical organization. He breaks down his ideas and then goes further on to add details to his points.

MarkKeller22 - MarkKeller22's post (and blog in general) includes many pictures and links to topics in question. I can see that he also goes out of his way to research information further than the assignment requires.

Carina - Carina's post is very well organized and allows a reader to clearly see a table comparing the pros and cons of open-source and closed-source methods. She also has links to articles in question, allowing for easy reference.


Top Blog #6 Posts:

MarkKeller22 - This post, like the one for blog post #4 is also well organized and contains many pictures and links. He does a good job of summarizing the content of the articles and then further expanding upon them.

PwNzI - The blog post has quick links to reference the articles and then organizes the answers to questions very well. He brings interesting perspectives that align with my own in terms of integrating 3D printers into the ME cirriculum.

Carina - Carina's post is well organized and has links to the articles being referenced. Pictures also help make the blog post more attractive.


Blog #7

I really enjoy the concept of the 3Doodler because it brings 3D printing out of the realm of the technical and puts it in the hands of a wider audience. I think it is popular because it seems to be marketed to a crowd that is more on the artistic side of 3D printing. Aside from the recommendation that only those above the age of 12 should use the product, I feel that this is a tool easy enough to be used by children. I also think that a product like this could be a great addition to existing 3D printers as tools to make add-ons to printed parts or perform touch-up work.

Formlabs is currently being sued by 3D Systems for patent infringement. They are claiming that the Form 1 printer is infringing on their patented use of stereolithographic techniques. The capability of the Form 1 printer to be able to produce high resolution prints is fantastic and the market they were trying to pursue was great, but clearly they did not do enough patent research or they would have noticed that they are infringing on another company’s patented design.

I believe that Kickstarter is a great medium for crowd-sourcing. Asking for money from the public is not a new concept. Technically, begging for money can also be “crowd-sourcing.” Asking for donations for a cause is also “crowd-sourcing.” Kickstarter though, is the newest way that this can be done and puts a bit more structure into the act. Is it the future of crowd-source fundraising? Probably. One of the great benefits is that the entrepreneur does not have to spend loads of money on a start-up just to find out that it isn’t successful at all. With Kickstarter, you can much more clearly see whether or not your idea is going to be successful. It does, however, still pose issues for those companies like Formlabs which are directly being targeted by patent lawsuits, because they have received a large amount of money and publicity upfront. The article on The Baffler makes a good point that Kickstarter is still in its infancy and that it’s very possible that it will still lead to the established and wealthy being able to utilize Kickstarter to the fullest. Kickstarter will definitely have a long way to go before it clearly defines its stand in the crowd-sourcing world.


Blog #6

The NY Times article describes how 3D printing, a technology that was introduced not too long ago, is quickly becoming a part of daily life. The president mentioned 3D printing in the latest State of the Union address and the University of Virginia has been working with local grade schools to equip them with 3D printers in their classrooms. 3D printers are presenting themselves to be viable manufacturing methods in all kinds of industries. What this says to me is that, what we are learning hands on in EDSGN 497J is very up to date and relevant to the future of manufacturing. The fact that it receives President Obama's endorsement is a big deal. The article even mentions how the State of the Union address makes it sound as if everyone should already be familiar with this technology.

The idea of University of Virginia distributing 3D printers to grade school levels is forward thinking. By introducing these 3D printers to a younger audience, they are helping to engage younger students in a new but relevant technology. Their efforts to change their undergraduate ME program are also forward thinking. The article mentions that there is a wide range of students who learn better with abstract teaching and others that thrive using hands-on methods. What may be a flaw in this change, would be the shift to a much more hands-on approach in the classroom. They would need to make sure that they are not neglecting the students who understand better with abstract teaching. In my personal opinion, the introduction of these 3D printing teaching tools is a change for the better.

What we do at Penn State is already introducing 3D printing methods to undergraduate students. The printing service that we offer allows EDSGN 100 students to use 3D printers as a much more accessible method to produce prototypes for their designs. Unfortunately, the printers that we have are not robust enough to simply distribute to classes throughout the undergraduate program. Similarly, it would be even harder to distribute 3D printers to local grade schools and have it be an effective teaching method. The Open Hybrid Mendel design needs to come along further in user friendliness before we can begin to expand out further. The amount of troubleshooting necessary for operating these printers must be minimal before they become effective teaching tools.


Blog #5

None of my objects that I chose off thingiverse are particularly patentable. However, the cat space helmet may be copyrightable for its creativity. As for objects picked by other students in the class, it's possible that some of the models such as the Despicable Me minions may be copyrighted if they're based off actual figures already in existence. The shower head that one of the student's found, although not obviously patented, seems like it has the potential to be patented if the design is novel.

The first reason to consider licensing non-copyrightable files would be to allow yourself the flexibility to deal with future changes in copyright law. The article mentions there is little downside to licensing so long as the creator understands that granting a license doesn't allow him/her to control parts of the work that can't be copyrighted either way. I agree with the writer, that the second reason is the more important of the two: the cultural purpose. For example, going the route of Creative Commons license can help benefit the 3D printing community. It helps to encourage others in the 3D printing community to further develop the model or design and expand upon the creativity. In the case of the RepRap open source movement it allows us to credit those who originally created the parts for our OHM printers, but also allows us to improve upon existing designs.


Blog #4

I think what both Ivan Owen and Richard Van As are doing is incredible. Their Robohand design for the prosthetic hand they made for Liam seems amazingly capable for its cost. I believe that bringing their project into the open source environment is great. More people will be able to contribute to making prostheses for others.

The closed source apparatus, while having the potential of working better and more reliably would cost tremendous amounts of money over an open source apparatus. The benefit of an open source project such as Robohand can have more contributors than perhaps a small team working on a closed source project. Not only this, but the lower cost of a project like Robohand will make prostheses more easily available for those who may not be able to afford other prosthetic options.

As the State College RepRap group, we can help by contributing to their fundraising effort. Additionally we can also contribute to the project by helping to model 3D parts for these people. We could also start a similar movement locally to help others in our community.


Blog #3

I feel like the idea of 3D printing buildings is definitely promising. It can certainly help create decent quality and low-cost housing for many people. It will take much more advancement to be able to build an entire building using the 3D printing technology, but I feel that the 3D printing method can definitely excel when being used to print structural components such as the concrete shown in the video. The idea that there will be nearly no wasted materials is also quite promising.

When it comes to printing living 3D tissue, I think this would be a huge advancement even greater than applications in Civil Engineering. Being able to print 3D tissue can greatly help the research development of medicines and perhaps even further human development. Maybe when we develop methods of 3D printing organs, we can further extend the expected human lifespan.

I like the idea of printing meat. It sounds fantastic. Printing chocolate is interesting as well. The allure of building the perfect steak is pretty fascinating. For $300,000 though, the technology is still far from being realistic. However, I think that even after meat can be easily printed it will not entirely replace the market for real meat.

The idea of 3D printing clothes is neat. I think the best part about it would be printing clothes that match your exact body size with the push of a button. If 3D printing became popular in the realm of fashion, it would also be much easier for other people, not just designers, to come up with their own unique fashion designs.

One of the more interesting stories that I've heard recently is the idea of using a 3D printer to produce firearms. It's extremely controversial because it allows anybody to be able to get their hands on weapon designs and simply print out their own, but at the same time the idea is extremely fascinating.


Blog #2

"Mother of all Demos"

In the first part of this video, I see that features of a text editor are being showcased. Functions like copy/paste and save/load. In a way, I am not very impressed because these are features that I have grown up expecting as a given when it comes to computing. At the same time, I am also impressed because even the IPhone/IPod, a modern device, did not even have a simple copy/paste function for a long period of time, whereas this function was clearly developed as early as the 1960's. If I was in the audience at the time watching this demonstration, I am not sure whether or not I would have recognized the importance of this work. At the time, it would've been more convenient to simply write by hand any "statements" or shopping lists. I may have very well dismissed this work as not showing any real use. However, if there were features shown such as password encryption or perhaps being able to save these statements onto external media, I would have immediately been able to understand its importance.

Professor Richard Doyle: Open Source Futures

When the professor mentions the "Mother of all Demos" video, he said that the people at the times were very impressed by what was being showcased. Apparently people at the time were absolutely mind-blown by this personal computer.

When he refers to the open source movement, he promotes the idea of sharing knowledge and open science. It helps us advance technology faster. He also brings up a good point that sometimes the process of acquiring intellectual property rights is many times a huge block in progressing technology. This is why the RepRap open source movement is a great way to progress the 3D printing technology. The way that information is shared online freely on the wiki is probably the best way to share this knowledge.


Blog #1

Part A:

After browsing thingiverse I found the following designs which I think are the most useful, artistic, pointless, funny and scary:

1. Useful: Measuring Cup http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:36980

This measure cup can be used to measure liquids up to 2 cups. It’s a useful kitchen tool that can be used in everyday life, as long as it is printed without leaks.

2. Artistic/Beautiful: Nautilus Gears http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27233

The spiral design combined with its ability to actually function like gears makes this especially intriguing. It’s certainly not very useful, but it’s nice to watch.

3. Pointless/Useless: Finger Plate http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:24601

When would I ever need a tiny plate on my finger to hold food? Never.

4. Funny/Weird: Cat Space Helmet http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:38652

If I had a cat, I would definitely print this for my cat to wear. I can’t pass up the opportunity to have my cat space-ready.

5. Scary/Strange: Occulus http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:42028

It’s a one-eyed monster creature. Shouldn’t have a problem scaring small children.

Part B:

I am a tinkerer to some extent. Many times I try to fix my electronics on my own if something goes wrong. I also have family members and friends who I would consider to be tinkerers as well. I personally believe that the DIY tinkerer attitude should be preserved. What big corporations are doing to stifle this is wrong and without people who tinker, I feel that the country will fall behind in terms of innovation.

As for David Kelly, his design theory is unique. It’s definitely unorthodox combining the talents of a huge variety of disciplines when creating designs, but I can certainly see why it would be helpful. His concept of observing how people behave and making designs that help the user is not new, but it is definitely a necessary component for design success. When I saw that he too was working on a 3D printer project, it gave me further reassurance that 3D printing is the next big thing. His idea of bringing people of different backgrounds together in order to create synergy is perfectly applicable to the open source environment. The Rep Rap open source printing movement embodies this idea of collaboration from all sorts of people.