James Floyd Kelly
Build Your Own 3D Printer and Print Your Own 3D Objects
Contents at a Glance
IntroductionThe Big Question—What Is a 3D Printer?
Find Yourself a 3D Printer
Assembly Assistance for the Printrbot Simple
Configuring the Software
First Print with the Simple
Free 3D Modeling Software
Creating a 3D Model with TinkerCad
More 3D Modeling Tools
Further Explorations
Alternatives to the Printrbot Simple
Where Do I Go from Here?
Appendix A 3D Printer and Modeling ResourcesIndex
 |
| 3D Printing: Build Your Own 3D Printer and Print Your Own 3D Objects |
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Book Details
Price
|
2.00 USD |
|---|---|
Pages
| 229 p |
File Size
|
26,962 KB |
File Type
|
PDF format |
ISBN-13
ISBN-10 | 978-0-7897-5235-2 0-7897-5235-2 |
Copyright
| 2014 by Pearson Education, Inc |
James Floyd Kelly is a technology writer with degrees in English and Industrial
Engineering. James has written on a wide variety of topics, including
programming for kids, LEGO robotics, open-source software, and building 3D
printers. James is a DIYer—a tinkerer and a maker who enjoys learning new
skills whenever possible. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and two
young boys.
Acknowledgments
I read a book on writing once that said the life of a writer is a solitary one. That
statement might be true for novelists, but for technology writers it’s completely
unfounded. I’m fortunate to have a lot of folks to talk with and share ideas, and
many of them are directly responsible for making certain my books look good
and are as error-free as possible. My colleagues at Pearson continue to make
writing about technology enjoyable, and I’d like to thank Rick Kughen for
taking the most basic of ideas (“It’s a book about 3D printing, but written for
beginners who might not even know what a 3D printer is...”) and letting me run
with it. Along the way, I’ve had a great support staff of editors that include
William Abner, Barbara Hacha, and Mandie Frank. Just turn back a few pages
and take a look at all the names of the people involved in making this book a
reality—if you like what you read, please take a moment and email them a note
of thanks.
In 2012 I had the good fortune of backing a 3D printer designed by Brook
Drumm and sold through his company, Printrbot. Printrbot continues to grow,
and Brook has been so generous in providing me with technical assistance,
hardware, software, and just plain moral support. Jeremy Gallegos is a Printrbot
employee who was always available to me, and I’d like to thank him for the
phone calls and email support as I built the 3D printer used in this book. Both
Brook and Jeremy were amazing resources to have, and I cannot recommend
Printrbot’s products enough. (I’m now up to two models of Printrbot 3D
printers.)
Finally, I have to thank my wife, Ashley, and my two boys. I do this with every
book I write, but the sincerity behind my thanking all three of them for their
support only increases with each finished writing project.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 The Big Question—What Is 3D Printing?
What Is a 3D Printer?
Say Hello to Plastic!
Solid to Liquid
A Different Type of Motor
3D Objects Require Three Axes
A Few Other Items
Chapter 2 Find Yourself a 3D Printer
3D Printer Options to Consider
Initial Cost
Ease of Assembly and Tech Support
Operating System Compatibility
Cost and Type of Filament
Resolution/Nozzle Diameter
Print Bed Size and Leveling
Do Your Homework
Chapter 3 Assembly Assistance for the Printrbot Simple
Printrbot Simple Assembly Part I
Early Assembly Observations
Midway Through Assembly Observations
End of Assembly Observations
Connecting All Wires
Finishing Thoughts
Chapter 4 Configuring the Software
Types of 3D Printing Software
Downloading the Repetier Software
Repetier Settings
Slic3r
Chapter 5 First Print with the Simple
Downloading an STL
Connecting the Simple to Repetier
Get the Hot End Up to Proper Temperature
Slice Your Object into Layers
Home the Hot End
Print!
Upgrades!
Chapter 6 Free 3D Modeling Software
Tinkercad
Examining Tinkercad
Wrapping Up Tinkercad
Chapter 7 Creating a 3D Model with Tinkercad
Hello World
Printing a Sketch or Simple Image
Chapter 8 More 3D Modeling Tools
123D Family of Apps
123D Design
123D Creature
123D Sculpt
123D Make
123D Catch
Having Fun
Chapter 9 Further Explorations
Go Bake Some Cookies
Don’t Forget the Youngest 3D Fans
Around the House
Showing Off
OpenSCAD
Chapter 10 Alternatives to the Printrbot Simple
Build Your Own 3D Printer
Consider 3D Printer Kits
Kickstarter and 3D Printers
Print-It-for-You Services
CNC and Laser Cutters
Scanning Objects
Chapter 11 Where Do I Go From Here?
CNC Machine
Laser Cutter
Plasma Cutter
The Workshop of the Future
Appendix A 3D Printer and Modeling Resources
Index
Chapter 1 The Big Question—What Is 3D Printing?
What Is a 3D Printer?
Say Hello to Plastic!
Solid to Liquid
A Different Type of Motor
3D Objects Require Three Axes
A Few Other Items
Chapter 2 Find Yourself a 3D Printer
3D Printer Options to Consider
Initial Cost
Ease of Assembly and Tech Support
Operating System Compatibility
Cost and Type of Filament
Resolution/Nozzle Diameter
Print Bed Size and Leveling
Do Your Homework
Chapter 3 Assembly Assistance for the Printrbot Simple
Printrbot Simple Assembly Part I
Early Assembly Observations
Midway Through Assembly Observations
End of Assembly Observations
Connecting All Wires
Finishing Thoughts
Chapter 4 Configuring the Software
Types of 3D Printing Software
Downloading the Repetier Software
Repetier Settings
Slic3r
Chapter 5 First Print with the Simple
Downloading an STL
Connecting the Simple to Repetier
Get the Hot End Up to Proper Temperature
Slice Your Object into Layers
Home the Hot End
Print!
Upgrades!
Chapter 6 Free 3D Modeling Software
Tinkercad
Examining Tinkercad
Wrapping Up Tinkercad
Chapter 7 Creating a 3D Model with Tinkercad
Hello World
Printing a Sketch or Simple Image
Chapter 8 More 3D Modeling Tools
123D Family of Apps
123D Design
123D Creature
123D Sculpt
123D Make
123D Catch
Having Fun
Chapter 9 Further Explorations
Go Bake Some Cookies
Don’t Forget the Youngest 3D Fans
Around the House
Showing Off
OpenSCAD
Chapter 10 Alternatives to the Printrbot Simple
Build Your Own 3D Printer
Consider 3D Printer Kits
Kickstarter and 3D Printers
Print-It-for-You Services
CNC and Laser Cutters
Scanning Objects
Chapter 11 Where Do I Go From Here?
CNC Machine
Laser Cutter
Plasma Cutter
The Workshop of the Future
Appendix A 3D Printer and Modeling Resources
Index
Book Screen
Introduction: Welcome to 3D Printing!
I’d like to welcome you to the world of 3D printing. If you’re already familiar
with 3D printers, how they work, and what you can do with them—well, feel
free to skip ahead. I won’t mind.
3D printing is exactly what it sounds like—printing something that can be
picked up, held in your hands, and played with. It’s 3D, meaning it’s not flat like
a piece of paper. It’s printing because the 3D object doesn’t just magically
appear; it must be “printed” by a special device called a 3D printer.
All of this and much more is explained in Chapter 1, “The Big Question—What
Is a 3D Printer?”—and with photos! So, if your interest is piqued and you want
to learn more, feel free to skip ahead right now to Chapter 1. Again, I won’t
mind.
You probably want to know a bit more about 3D printing. Maybe you’re a little
nervous that it sounds a bit too technical, or too difficult. You’ll be happy to
learn that there are kids doing this 3D printing thing. Young kids. How young?
My oldest boy is six, and he’s learning much of what you’ll learn in this book
and he’s having a blast. I’ve even heard of much younger kids designing and
printing out fun little objects with a 3D printer.
What kinds of objects can 3D printer owners print? I’ve seen a range of objects
from the simple to the advanced. Buttons, game tokens, and money clips are
easy to design and print and are great examples of small, simple objects that can
be made in plastic. But on the advanced side, I’ve seen a 2’ tall Eiffel Tower, a
life-size human skull, a set of working gears that were inserted into a robot to
make it go faster, and even a camera shell that holds film and takes real pictures.
(If you just can’t wait to see what people are printing with 3D printers, point
your web browser to www.thingiverse.com and spend a few minutes browsing
around this library of free object files that users can download and print on their
3D printers.)
There’s really no need to be intimidated by 3D printing. Yes, this is a technology
book, but I promise that I’ve written it for a nontechnical audience.
As you get a few more chapters deeper into the book, you’ll discover that I’ve
pulled back the complicated and strange workings of this thing called 3D
printing. I even picked a special 3D printer to use with this book. It’s called The
Simple. How cool is that? It’s a small 3D printer that you can build from an
inexpensive kit. But you don’t have to buy it or any other 3D printer right now.
Read the book to see what’s involved; read my notes on building a 3D printer
from a kit and testing it, and see how I created my own 3D bobbles for printing.
When you’re done with the book, I hope you’ll find that the 3D printing hobby
isn’t scary or intimidating. As a matter of fact, I hope you’ll be looking at 3D
printers, comparing them and trying to figure out which model will work best for
your needs.
So turn the page, start learning a bit more about what 3D printing is, how it is
done, and what hardware and software is involved. If you decide that you want
to give 3D printing a try, I can make you one more promise—you are going to
have so much fun.
See you in Chapter 1!