Ornithopter Print Parameter Optimization
This post summarizes the printing parameters that were used in the production of the original and final ornithopter designs. Both designs were created on the Ultimaker machine, and the following parameters were kept consistent between the two prints:
- Nozzle size: 0.4 mm.
- Layer height: 0.1 mm
- shell thickness: 1.2 mm
- Fill density : 20%,
- Travel speed: 120 mm/s
- Infill speed: 50 mm/s
- Inner shell speed: 40 mm/s
- Outer shell speed: 30 mm/s
- Top/bottom speed: 20 mm/s
- Minimal layer time: 5 sec
In both prints, support structure was minimal due to the horizontal orientation of each part on the build platform. However, a small amount of support was necessary to anchor the parts on to the platform.
The placement of the parts on the build platform was optimized for print time and material usage by varying the number of parts printed at one time. All parts in both designs were placed into Cura to determine their individual print time and material requirements. In a separate set-up, the parts were placed in multiples on the build platform in order to see the effect on cumulative build time and material usage. The resulting print parameters can be seen in Tables 1 through 4, and the part orientations are shown in Figures 1 through 3. In both designs, the total required amount of material weight was slightly reduced when multiple parts were printed at once. However, this was not necessary true for the print time. Note that the cumulative print time for the multiple part set-up for the original design was actually larger than it was for the individual part set-up. Nevertheless, printing individual parts would require additional set-up and part removal, which would likely compensate for the time saved during machine operation. The results of this analysis suggest that material can be saved by printing multiple parts at once, but the effects on overall print time depend on the part or parts that are being printed.
Original design
|
Table 1. Individual Part Print Parameters for the Original Design |
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|
Part |
Material Length (m) |
Material Weight (g) |
Print Time |
|
Right Wing |
0.34 |
3 |
20 min. |
|
Left Wing |
0.4 |
3 |
25 min |
|
Body |
0.46 |
4 |
29 min |
|
Total |
1.2 |
10 |
1hr. 14min. |
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Table 2. Multiple Part Print Parameters for the Original Design |
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|
Part Group |
Material Length (m) |
Material Weight (g) |
Print Time |
|
All Parts Together |
1.2 |
9 |
1hr. 18 min. |
Final Design
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Table 3. Individual Part Print Parameters for the Final Design |
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|
Part |
Material Length (m) |
Material Weight (g) |
Print Time |
|
Bat Wing Right |
0.85 |
7 |
1 hr. 9 min. |
|
Bat Wing Left |
0.87 |
7 |
1 hr. 10 min |
|
Body |
2.02 |
16 |
3 hrs. 5 min |
|
Crank Arm |
0.09 |
1 |
7 min. |
|
Front Body |
0.74 |
6 |
1 hr. 3 min. |
|
Tail |
0.37 |
3 |
29 min. |
|
Winder |
0.07 |
1 |
8 min. |
|
Total |
5.01 |
41 |
7 hrs. 11 min. |
|
Table 4. Multiple Part Print Parameters for the Final Design |
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|
Part Group |
Material Length (m) |
Material Weight (g) |
Print Time |
|
Both Wings |
1.43 |
11 |
2 hr. 7 min. |
|
Bodies and Tail |
3.12 |
25 |
4 hrs. 43 min. |
|
Crank and Winder |
0.16 |
1 |
18 min. |
|
Total |
4.71 |
37 |
7 hrs. 8 min. |
