3D printing
Mar. 1st, 2018 09:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mtbcEarlier this week I went to learn how to use a 3D printer at the library in Perth. I still have to schedule the induction but that can wait until other matters have settled. Initial investigation has already brought encouragement:
The concern that now seems most obvious to me is how well a PLA interior rear-view mirror clip for our Fiat Panda would survive repeatedly being in the sun on a hot day. I think that the library also offers printing with nylon which could be a far more suitable choice. Incidentally, they have a 3D scanner also.
Update: The Fiat Panda reached a premature end-of-life before I was able to schedule the induction.
- The printer is an Ultimaker 3 driven by Cura software that runs fine on my Void Linux laptop.
- Cura can import STL files that define surfaces simply by tesselating triangles. Given my background in computational geometry, those are something I can comfortably generate.
- As well as
printing
with PLA plastic the printer can also produce water-soluble structures with PVA to support overhangs mid-print. Cura can generate these supports. - The printer is available at trivially cheap rates for printing small items.
The concern that now seems most obvious to me is how well a PLA interior rear-view mirror clip for our Fiat Panda would survive repeatedly being in the sun on a hot day. I think that the library also offers printing with nylon which could be a far more suitable choice. Incidentally, they have a 3D scanner also.
Update: The Fiat Panda reached a premature end-of-life before I was able to schedule the induction.
