January - 2015

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3D Printer Demonstration Amazes, Educates FCTS Students

Friction Welding & Cold Spray Additive Techniques

Testing friction welding some 3D prints with a Dremel today! Great method for quickly assembling parts without glue. A more advanced technology called Cold Spray has incredible value in space construction. Essentially similar to Friction Welding, micro particles are accelerated to supersonic speeds where they collide with objects to be joined. On Earth we need Helium or energy expensive vacuums and particle accelerators to accomplish this. In space it should be much simpler.

3D Printed Carport?

3D Printed Carport?

So for some time I've been wanting to build a very large format 3D printer out of a shipping container, that would use recycled PET plastic (milk jugs & soda bottles) and fillers like wood powder, glass & carbon fiber, nano-cellulose, etc., for use in composite construction. Proving a market has been part of the challenge. Lean Launchpad teaches that we need to test a market premise using what's available before investing further. So instead of building the container printer,

3D Printed Edible MineCraft Figures

3D Printed Edible MineCraft Figures

...so here's a concept that was introduced Friday during a High School AP Accounting Course. A group of students when tasked with writing a business plan chose to open a Candy Store as their project. While examining their plan, I suggested 3D printed candy as a possible opportunity, specifically a kiosk where customers could design & create edible MineCraft figures out of sugar, licorice or other confections. It would obviously be a niche product, so in order to test the mark

Filament Extruder...

Thanks Filastruder! Onward to producing new materials! What if we could use this process to recycle clean plastic waste materials in space? Things like food, containers, plastic wrapping, mylar pouches, etc. If Space Station resupply missions were properly planned, a percentage of materials could be shredded, heated and extruded into valuable filament, providing supplies for future 3D printing needs.

Transparent Paddle Boards

Transparent Paddle Boards

...progress on the transparent paddle board. Note the scale, the production board will be over 10 feet long. The large solar panel on this new version can generate approximately 6 volts. Enough power to light some LED strings and a small motor. Because this project holds many similarities with those used for aircraft wing manufacture, it should be possible to scale to a 3d printed airplane with a 160" wingspan in the near future. Any RC enthusiasts?

...catching up on work!

...catching up on work!

...trying to catch up on work and stay healthy. Let's see...yesterday I never made it to the gym but instead managed to: 1) Finish the electronics on the Filament Extruder. Just about ready for delivery and will test next week. 2) Printed demo models of a medical device component I was contracted for in December. 3) Began printing a 2 foot version of my Transparent Paddle Board prototype. 4) Replaced a stepper motor assembly in the D4X. 5) Began work on the plastic shredder.

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