Hello,
We have been busy making alterations to Bucky these past few weeks. The following three blog posts will discuss the different designs we used and changes made for each version.
First Bucky Prototype (Bucky V1)
Printing Parameters (Ultimaker 3):
Print Material – PLA
Support Material – PVA
Layer Height – 0.1 mm
Infill Density – 25%
Number of Shells – 1
Joint Gap – 0.2 mm
The first prototype used ball and socket joints for the head, arms, and torso. The gaps between the joints were modeled at 0.2 mm. The slice of the original Bucky prototype is shown below. For this version the ball of the joint was on the body, with the arms, head, and torso containing the socket.
Figure 1: Internal slice of Bucky V1
The total print time was approximately 11 hours with mixed final results. Bucky’s head was the only joint that was fully functioning with the other joints being fused to the torso. We realized after the print that we need to add a gap at the interface of the appendage and the body, not just around the actual joint.
Figure 2: Finished Bucky prototype
The print quality was very good. Since soluble support was used on the back of the part, no surface finishing was required. Over 3 meters of soluble support was used which took an entire day to fully dissolve in water. This turned out to be the longest step in production. We advise using warm water to speed up the process.
For the next print we will add an offset from the torso so the arms and legs do not fuse together.
Team Bucky