The redesign and optimization of the dumbbell slider resulted in the print in Figure 1. The original model had a small dumbbell diameter that easily broke, so this version was fortified by increasing diameters by roughly two times.
Time was not a major consideration for the printing of this part, because it would be done overnight. Thus the print speed was set to 50mm/s. Strength was not considered critical, so to conserve filament, an infill density of 20% was used. Using support structures was the primary concern for printing this part, because there are overhangs and a part nested within the body of another part. The water soluble filament PVA was used in supplement to the PLA body. Supports were placed everywhere an overhang existed, with a prime tower size of 20mm.
As of March 27th, the soluble supports are still attached to the dumbbell slider. Once these are removed, the functionality of the part can be critiqued, and further modifications and optimizations can be made if needed.
Table 1. Dumbbell side infill density effect on print parameters (without considering support)
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
2.16m |
2.26m |
2.87m |
3.84m |
|
Print Speed |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
4h 05min |
4h 09min |
4h 31min |
7h 30min |
Table 2. Button side infill density effect on print parameters.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
1.72 m |
1.8 m |
2.17 m |
2.82 m |
|
Print Speed |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
6.5 hours |
6.5 hours |
6.8 hours |
8.75 hours |
Table 3. Exoskeleton infill density effect on print parameters.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
2.08 m |
2.11 m |
2.26 m |
2.48 m |
|
Print Speed |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
14.4 hours |
14.4 hours |
14.5 hours |
15.5 hours |
Table 4. Flat side infill density effect on printing parameters.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
1.71 m |
1.81 m |
2.41 m |
3.40 m |
|
Print Speed |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
3 hours |
3.1 hours |
3.4 hours |
6.25 hours |
Table 5. Textured side infill density effect on printing parameters.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
1.47 m |
1.54 m |
1.93 m |
2.55 m |
|
Print Speed |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
70 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
3 hours |
3 hours |
3.25 hours |
5 hours |
Table 6. Joystick side infill density effect on printing parameters.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
1.79 m |
1.9 m |
2.51 m |
3.52 m |
|
Print Speed |
60 mm/s |
60 mm/s |
60 mm/s |
60 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
4.1 hours |
4.1 hours |
4.5 hours |
7.9 hours |
Table 7. Rollerball side infill density effect on printing parameters.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
1.80 m |
1.94 m |
2.71 m |
3.97 m |
|
Print Speed |
60 mm/s |
60 mm/s |
60 mm/s |
60 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
6.6 hours |
6.75 hours |
7.25 hours |
11.5 hours |
Pen holder side
The infill was chosen to 20% as that seemed reasonable without loss of print time.
|
Infill Density |
15% |
20% |
50% |
100% |
|
Material Usage |
1.47m |
1.53m |
2.83m |
2.33m |
|
Print Speed |
55 mm/s |
55 mm/s |
55 mm/s |
55 mm/s |
|
Print Time |
2h 41min |
2h 43min |
2h 56min |
4h 24min |
The fist time we tested, the fins didn’t come out right. This was because they were not getting enough support. So we just slowed down the print speed. Also we used ABS as that what the printer contained.Reducing the speed helped in generating proper fins..
We also changed that layer height from 0.2mm to 0.1mm to further increase the print time and reduce the model inaccuracies due to slicing. We suspect thus would have been the cause of the bad print.