This week we needed to design and 3D print a small object that could not be made subtractively. We also needed to try 3D scanning something.
I'm interested in making something textile-related for my final project and have always been curious about 3D printed fabric. I decided to make a couple links of chain mail that you could easily scale up into a larger piece.
I looked at different 3D-printed textiles and patterns like this one from NASA. Most of them involved chainmail-like pieces that linked together.
I decided to try making a very small interlocked section of chainmail. Normally the process of making chainmail involves piecing together each individual loop.
With 3D printing, I could design a smaill section of chainmail that was already looped together. However, my first print in the ZCorp was a failure. I think I oriented the links in a way that they would break very easily coming out of the printer. It looks like they sheared in a way that meant they printed in a vertical rather than horizontal orientation. I'll have to try again and check the orientation of the object. I'd also like to try this in the Sudoh 3D printers. I think FDM might be more suitable for my design.
As part of the scanning assignment, I attempted to use the scanner to scan a computer mouse. However, the mouse itself was made of multiple finishes, which the scanner found difficult to pick up as the same object
I then tried to hang an object of a single material finish to see if the scanner would pick it up better. This didn't work because the scanner couldn't seem to pick up the bright white material in the light.
From these tests, it seemed like the scanner needed a single, matte finish object contrasted against a simple background. I then tried a wooden form on butcher paper, which turned out a lot better than my previous attempts. If I were to ever scan something again, I'd make sure there was a clear textural, uncluttered division between the object being scanned and the backdrop. The 3D scanner was a lot less helpful than I expected. I can see the novelty in scanning and printing things that are finely featured or not really buildable in CAD, but it still feels more gimicky than actually useful.
