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3D PRINTING AT THE SERVICE OF EDUCATION
FINDING A 3D FILE ON THE INTERNET
DOWNLOADING A FILE FROM THINGIVERSE
TIP: TO OPTIMIZE THE PRINTING OF A SMALL OBJECT
3D PRINTING AT THE SERVICE OF EDUCATION
From theory... to practice: it’s the new direction that allows innovation in 3D production in education. Today 3D printing is an invaluable tool for education in technical schools, high schools, universities, and colleges who want to stimulate the creativity of their students. School projects are no longer just drawings or designs on paper. Whether it be to take a design brief from A to Z or to prototype a design, the interest in digital production is undeniable in various environments.
Because 3D printers are so easy to learn, they really favor the development of this teaching method: there are currently 3D printers for all types of projects, and for all levels of learning, from the small Fused Deposition Modeling 3D printer for schoolchildren to the industrial machines used in specialized higher institutes.
Slowly, around the world, schools are equipping themselves at a time when program reforms tend to encourage the learning of computer programming and robotics, from the earliest age. Increasingly in demand, there are not enough engineers and technicians. When faced with a growing demand on the job market: the digital skills of young graduates are valuable in the midst of this new industrial age, and there is no age too young to learn how to be an engineer... or just to be ingenious.
T-Rex Skeleton
By: MakerBot
3D printed on: Replicator 2
Source: MB Digital Store
© Samuel N. Bernier
5-Cylinder Radial Engine
By: MakerBot
3D printed on: Replicator 2
Source: Thingiverse
Thing: 52769
© Samuel N. Bernier
Human skull
By: le FabShop
3D printed on: Replicator 2
Source: Thingiverse
Thing: 441087
© Le FabShop
FINDING A 3D FILE ON THE INTERNET
There are millions of free 3D files to download on the internet. Using this resource could save you precious time. So before you embark on a long modeling project (an apple, a car, a famous architectural work, etc.), take the time to make sure the work hasn’t already been done by someone else. Here are a few platforms where you can find 3D files of all types.
THINGIVERSE
Thingiverse is a community created in 2008 by the founders of MakerBot. For a long time it was the most popular in the world of 3D printing but in 2012, the MakerBot’s shift from open source to proprietary design divided users. Although shared files on Thingiverse are usually made available under an open license, MakerBot shares some rights to the files published on its platform.
The name Thingiverse comes from the contraction of the English word “Thing” and “Universe.” Therefore, Thingiverse is a universe of “things” to produce by 3D printing. There are more than 3 million projects on Thingiverse, ranging from cufflinks to the Eiffel Tower. On Thingiverse, you can create collections, comment on a file’s quality, or make a variation or a “remix” of it, or even make a parametric model using the Customizer application.
Thingiverse also holds contests, with fantastic prizes and allows people from around the world to work together on a general interest project, like the Robohand project.
MAKERBOT DIGITAL STORE
If you have children (or grandchildren) and own a 3D MakerBot printer, the digital store is your friend. This addition to the MakerBot ecosystem was launched at the beginning of 2014. Unlike the Thingiverse platform, MakerBot sells original models, in X3G and MAKERBOT proprietary formats. The designs are created by MakerBot internal designers or by studios chosen by the company. Each file is set up and optimized in a way so that the user only has to start printing, without needing to ask questions. For now, the Digital Store houses collections of toys to customize as well as some more complex models such as a T-Rex dinosaur skeleton to put together. It’s a promising concept that is currently limited to users of MakerBot.
https://digitalstore.makerbot.com/
GRABCAD
This community of engineers has been gaining in popularity for a few years. Its vast high-level file bank is due to a network of users, often professionals, and their free downloads, as well as a very liberal usage policy. GrabCad’s competitive advantage is the ability to download projects in original (native) format, rather than simply in STL format. In fact, the website encourages its users to publish their files in different versions to allow anyone to reuse and edit them as they wish. An even more important detail is that GrabCad files are not optimized for additive manufacturing, so often these need to be optimized.
SKETCHUP 3D WAREHOUSE
This gigantic virtual object library was created at the time when SketchUp software still belonged to Google. Widely used by graphic designers during the creation of the 3D version of Google Earth, the Warehouse has an impressive number of files for architecture. If you want to make a model of your IKEA furniture, look no further, because it’s surely already there. All files in the 3D Warehouse are free and can be downloaded directly in SketchUp. It’s the perfect tool for architects and interior designers looking to speed up the creation of their 3D designs. However, you have to be careful because models created for graphic purposes cannot be printed directly, unless they meet the criteria for 3D printing. Fortunately, you’ll have no problem editing them in SketchUp.
http://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/
TURBOSQUID
This website is well-known among video game companies, architects, and others for its photorealistic 3D animation and design. Everything can be found there: people, cars, scenes, furniture, fruits and vegetables... The quality of the visuals is often breathtaking, but don’t get too excited. A large number of these files cost money, and not many of them follow the 3D printing rules we described earlier (such as watertightness), because they are optimized for digital (not physical) production. If you plan to purchase a model from TurboSquid, expect to spend some time with your own modeling software to prepare it for production. Don’t be surprised if some of them remain unusable despite your efforts.
SKETCHFAB
SketchFab is a website for viewing 3D models with textures and environments. It acts as a support portfolio for several designers from different backgrounds and offers works that are sometimes breathtaking. Some models can be downloaded directly, however, you may have to make a request to the creator via his or her project page.
YOUMAGINE
This platform specializes in files dedicated to 3D printing and was created by Ultimaker as an alternative to Thingiverse. The community is smaller so there are fewer files, but all of them are trustworthy and original. There are a lot of talented Dutch designers featured there, like Michiel Cornelissen.
123D
In addition to being home to the best free software for beginners, the 123Dapp website hosts a 3D file sharing community, with files that were created using its various applications. You will find many incomplete or basic projects, but among them are rare gems. If you like monsters, be sure to take a tour of the 123D Sculpt+ gallery.
http://www.123dapp.com/gallery
PINSHAPE
Pinshape is a platform inspired by social media and has an online store. You’ll find both free files and some you have to pay for.
CULTS
The name “Cults” is a reverse anagram of St. Luc (St. Luke), the patron saint of artists and sculptors (and the letters S-T-L are also found in the name). This marketplace created in France allows designers to publish, and also sell their 3D files online. The community is young, promising, and focused on the quality of the projects offered, more than their quantity.
MYMINIFACTORY
Definately one of the best curated website to find cool 3D printable files. MyMiniFactory is filled with projects inspired by the Sci-Fi and Internet culture. Fans of Cosplay and action figures, this is the place for you. You can even sell your designs or be hired for a project.
https://www.myminifactory.com/
DOWNLOADING A FILE FROM THINGIVERSE
CHOOSING THE TYPE OF FILE:
The generic format for 3D printing is STL. If you want to make it simple, make sure that the design that you have chosen can be downloaded in this format. An OBJ format can work easily. If not, prepare for file conversion. Sometimes, a creator will put the native file used to create the model online: SKP (SketchUp), 3DM (Rhinoceros), MB, or MA for Maya, etc. If you use the same software as them, it will be easy for you to edit their model so you can make all the changes you want.
ALL THE SAME PASSION, BUT NOT ALL THE SAME TECHNIQUE:
An architect doesn’t use the same logic for design as an industrial designer who designs for manufacturing. On top of that, different software packages have different tools and options, and each package may have different ways of exporting similar objects. This means that the meshes that they create won’t be equivalent. So even if you design the same object in different packages, and export an STL from both of them, both results aren’t necessarily suitable for 3D printing (an open mesh, a non-manifold mesh, inadequate resolution, details, or scale, etc.). The best result will come from a software package designed for 3D printing. That said, some enthusiasts have been very successful at creating perfect files using software packages that weren’t designed with 3D printing or manufacturing in mind. When you’re looking for something to download and print, sometimes the easiest thing to do is read the comments from the community, if there are any, on the file’s download page.
THINKING ABOUT THE CONSTRAINTS LINKED TO YOUR 3D PRINTER
Everyone doesn’t necessarily have the same 3D printer as you: objects that are too large or projects designed for other technology and materials may not be right for you; an object that prints best in sintered nylon powder may depend on certain flexibility properties that you can’t get with PLA fused filament. Remember to make sure you can print the object on your machine by reading the descriptions or comments: and feel free to leave your own feedback and remarks. For the following tip, which explores these constraints, download the miniature Eiffel Tower:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:311002
To get good result with fused filament 3D printing, the melted plastic needs to cool down between layers. This can be done in many ways (slower nozzle travel, fan blowing on the extruded plastic... but there is one more trick. Rather than printing small objects one at a time, it’s better to print multiple copies of the model on the printing platform. It will give the plastic time to cool down between each layer. Let’s print the Eiffel Tower alone using ABS or PLA:
Random chunks of material form on your object when the plastic is too hot. Now, at the same speed and temperature, print the same piece in five copies on your platform.
The plastic stabilizes between each layer, and the nozzle continues to work on the other four objects before coming back to deposit the following layer.Here, the problem is a result of the fact that the Eiffel Tower is very thin at the top: printing a larger monument in one copy would not have the same results, because the layers would be more staggered and placed on top of each other less quickly.
Most FFF desktop printers allow you to change the extrusion speed and the movement of the extruder. Lower these speeds to prevent smears: this is another way to correct this problem. Be careful, however, to keep the temperature high enough to prevent clogs from forming in the nozzle.
3D printers equipped with a fan installed on the nozzle allow the layers of plastic to cool off better during printing, especially with the PLA that contracts during cooling. By contrast, ABS must be stabilized at a warm ambient temperature that doesn’t fluctuate to avoid warping between the layers.
For objects that have a low contact surface with the platform, it is better, on printers that allow it, to start the nozzle out closer to the platform: the first layer will adhere better and the piece will have less chance of falling. To adjust the platform height on printers with manual adjustment, you’ll need to “cheat” a little when you run through your manufacturer’s calibration process (such as using a piece of cardstock instead of paper when measuring the gap). For printers that have an automatic height adjustment, you’ll need to check the documentation for your printer to look for an option such as MakerBot’s “Z-Axis Offset” or Printrbot’s “Z offset.”