i-Space: 3D Printer

3D Printing is the process of constructing a physical object from a digital 3D model, where the object is built by laying down the raw material layer by layer. This adding up of layers gives 3D printing its alternative name – additive manufacturing. The technology has penetrated widely across different sectors including manufacturing, construction, healthcare, art, heritage restoration, etc. 3D printing service is available at i-Space and below are some resources for you to know the basic workflow of 3D printing. 

 •  Create a 3D model

To begin, you need to have a 3D model first. You can either create one with 3D modeling software or 3D scanning tools. The following 3D modeling software is available at i-Space.

SketchUp Pro	Blender	3ds Max

There are also some free tools to create 3D models, such as SketchUp FREE, Tinkercad and Fusion 360. If you don't know how to create your own model, you may download one from free 3D model repositories such as Thingiverse and Grabcad Library. Most of their models are 3D printing ready and are provided under Creative Commons licenses or royalty-free license.

 •  Check & repair mesh errors on the model

For successful 3D printing, your model must be free from mesh errors like holes between meshes, intersecting / disconnected meshes, meshes with flipped normal, etc. These errors will give you unexpected printing result or the model cannot be printed at all. You can use the following free software to check & repair mesh errors.

Microsoft 3D Tools	Microsoft 3D Builder	MeshLab	Autodesk Meshmixer

Apart from fixing errors, these tools also help to optimise your model by:

• remeshing the 3D model to make slicing easier
• flattening the bottom of the model to achieve better platform adherence
• hollowing out solid shapes to reduce material use & printing time
• thickening thin parts & make them less easy to break

 •  3D printing

Next, you can import the error-free model into a slicer software* to generate printing instructions for a 3D printer. The instructions typically include printing speed, layer height, parameters for support structure & infill pattern. The instructions are then sent to the 3D printer to print the object layer by layer.

(* Most 3D printers come along with their own slicing software.)

 •  Post-processing

Most 3D printed objects require some sort of post-processing, at least, removing support structures. Depending on what type of 3D printer you used and your requirements on the surface quality, other post-processing may include:

• UV curing of material
• sanding / polishing the surface
• painting / electroplating

Modeling:

• SketchUp for 3D Printing: A Tutorial for Beginners
• Prepare your model for 3D Printing with Sketchup
• 3D Printing Tutorial: Blender
• Blender: How to Prepare Your Model for 3D Printing
• Tinkercad - Jumpstart
• Code your 3D designs with Tinkercad’s Codeblocks
• Fusion 360 for 3D Printing FDM Technology Workflow
• Fusion 360 Tutorial: Basics & Tips for 3D Printing

Model Checking & Repairing:

• How to Repair STL Files for 3D Printing
• What makes your 3D file non-printable

Post-processing:

• 3D Printing Post-Processing for FDM: 10 Easy Ways
• Guide to Post-Processing & Finishing SLA 3D Prints