There are many types of 3D printing. PRINTAMATICS uses Fused
Deposition Modeling (FDM) type printing, where a nozzle slowly ejects
a very thin layer of semi-fluid filament and deposits it onto a flat
board. A computer-control arm moves the nozzle so that its deposit
mimics the shape of the bottom most layer of an object. After the
first layer is completed, it then ejects another thin layer right
above the first layer, to copy the shape of the next layer in the
design. The layers of filament fuse together, and after repeating the
process several times, a solid object is formed that you can pick up
and use! An 3D printable object must be created through a
Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) software. A common file format which
contains CAD created objects is an STL file (that ends with .stl).
The material of the 3D-printed object is equivalent to the filament
material used. We use polylactic acid (PLA) filament, which is a
derivative of sugarcane.
Check out the CAD library of the websites below. These are safe 3D CAD communities that offer free CAD files for you to donwload and use. Search up the item you want to download and see if its available! Only STL files can be submitted for this website for printing.
I use the Qidi-Tech X-One 2 printer and my print resolution is from
0.15mm to 0.05mm. I can print projects as large as 15 x 15 x 15
centimeters or 5.9 x 5.9 x 5.9 inches. I use PLA as my filament for
all my projects to avoid noxious fumes when working with ABS. PLA
filament comes in many colors and is biodegradable and rigit. I am
looking to add as many colors as possible for a complete library of
possibilities.
PLA (polylactic acid) is a material derived from sugarcane, which
makes it non-toxic and biodegradable. The material itself is safe to
use and play, although it is not recommended to directly ingest PLA.
Do not use PLA to create kitchen utensils as it is very difficult to
get food particles out of the crevices of PLA-based 3D prints.
At room temperature PLA is a solid, sturdy material. PLA begins to lose rigidity once its temperature exceeds 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and it will melt at temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not put PLA near open flames.
3D printing is intrinsically porous, so any 3D prints made from PLA
will not be water-proof. However a special treatment can be applied
to 3D prints using epoxy resin to make it waterproof. If you would
like to have a water-proofed 3D print please specify this in the
additional-instructions and/or send us an email. Not all designs are
suitable for waterproofing.
The printing process depends on the quality of the print. In general,
printing 30 grams (1 ounce) of PLA takes about 3 hours on the lowest
quality setting. Higher quality of the same weight can take upwards
of 6 hours.
