3D Printing Tolerance

The goal for this study was to determine a diametrical tolerance for powder printing with a ZCorp 450.

A range of piped delauney geometry was generated using grasshopper, beginning with .25 inches at its maximum and .01 inches at its minimum. In an attempt to glean at least a graphic reference from the experiment, the geometry was colorized on a standardized green-yellow-red spectrum and printed alongside standard vertical bar geometry with a matching color scheme.

At the conclusion of the experiment, it was determined that the ZCorp 450 begins to lose consistent print quality just beyond .0625 inches for freestanding linear geometry. The printed models and color bar were displayed on the top of the 3D printer as a reference to students using the machine.

Conducted at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Indiviudal applied research, 2014.

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Milled Material Transparency

These exercises are part of an ongoing study that focuses on the transparency of blue foam.

What is being tested is the filtration of light through CNC-milled foam. This information is then being fed into an exploratory triangulated mesh that attempts to communicate the potential for a transparent gradient condition of light filtration. In an attempt to establish a range of light quality that communicates these intentions, a range was first explored through a grid of holes with a controlled variety of depths. Arranged on a 10x10 grid, a broad range was established between material depths of .02 inches, at the lowest, and .75 inches at the highest. These depths signify the amount of material left after the mill, that is, the depth of the material that the light will shine through. Thus, this numerical range (.73 inches) is divided over the domain of 100 values, where each hole is milled to one of these values. These holes were milled out of a .95 inch foam block with a CNC router.

Conducted at Wentworth Institute of Technology. Indiviudal applied research, 2015.

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