Spring 2018 3DoT Hexy: 3D Print Times
By: Raymundo Lopez-Santiago (Mission,Systems, and Testing)
Verified by: Eduardo De La Cruz (Project Manager and Manufacturing Engineer)
Approved by: Miguel Garcia (Quality Assurance)
Update: 04/17/18
After the first protype, the design was changed accordingly to fix issues identified from testing the robot (under stress). The new design has been sent to Ridwan and we are currently waiting for a response. A new table with the 3D print times will be updated later.
Introduction
This blog post covers the overall 3D print time for parts used in the 3DoT Hexy robot. Eduardo De La Cruz (Project Manager/Manufacturing Engineer) has made a sketch and model for 3DoT Hexy in Solidworks. A preliminary 3D print time for 3DoT Hexy is determined using a 3D Print quote from the Long Beach Makers Society and Ridwan. The quote is for using PLA/ABS material. In Fig.1, print times for each part are shown as well as the total print time for all parts using the Long Beach Makers Society’s quote. In Fig.2, print times for each part are shown as well as the total print time for all parts using Ridwan’s quote. As defined in the core level 2 requirements, 3D printing time shall not exceed the 6-hour limit. Each part should also not exceed a 2-hour limit of printing. At this moment we are planning to 3D print most of the parts needed in the project. We are not including any PCB housing in this print time estimate. The total print time estimated from the Long Beach Makers Society quote with the current design is 6.8 hours which exceeds the total 3D print 6-hour limit requirement. Only one part exceeds the 2-hour limit of 3D printing requirement per part and that is the bottom plate. Our initial plan to tackle both these issues was to pursue an alternative design to reduce the print time for the bottom plate and to manufacture the top plate using laser cutting instead of 3D printing which will reduce our total print time to 4.8 hours. After requesting a quote from Ridwan, we no longer needed to change our project design since the total 3D print times quoted for this project reduced to 5 hours which meets the total 3D print requirement limit. This quote also states that the 2-hour limit of 3D printing requirement per part is not exceeded.
Related requirements:
Level 1 Requirements:
C-11:
For quick production of the prototype, the preliminary project shall be restricted to six hours of total printing time with a two hour limit for each single print.
Level 2 Requirements
L2-5:
The robot shall use 3D printed chassis and legs. This follows from the project level requirement about using 3D printed parts.
L2-5a:
The robot shall use PLA or ABS filament in the fabrication of the chassis and legs. This will minimize the mass of the robot, while at the same time being strong enough to hold its weight.
Fig.1: 3D print time estimate based on Long Beach Makers Society’s quote
Fig.2: 3D print time estimate based on Ridwan’s quote
Conclusion
To further get ahead on this project, we went ahead and used the 3D printing services from the Long Beach Makers Society for our prototype due to Ridwan taking longer to respond with the 3D print quote. We plan on using Ridwan’s 3D printing services for our final project print.
References