Overview

Do you have a need to create a three-dimensional object or interest in learning more about 3D printing?  Through a collaboration with OADS’ Office of Technology and Innovation, we maintain and run a MakerBot 3D Printer. To print your object, we will need a 3D model in specific file formats (STL, OBJ, or THING).

How to request 3D Printing Service

Via the IIU Service Desk. We have the printer, filament, and software to turn 3D plots in STL, OBJ, or THING formats into printer-plans.

Printer Type 

A MakerBot Replicator 2X that can print 3D models out of extruded ABS or PLA filament (plastic).  

The lab has tools to import 3D objects saved to STL, OBJ, THING, or .makerbot formats into print plans which are later exported to the X3G print plan. The MakerBot itself expects X3G or GCode formats.

How big can we make things?

The maximum printing area is 9.7" x 6"x 6.1" (L x W x H).

Resources

There are lot of software out there for creating 3D models, called CAD (Computer Aided Design) software. All of the software listed below, and most other CAD software have the ability to export .obj and .stl formats. There is also a website maintained by MakerBot, Thingiverse, where the community uploads their 3D models of various things for anyone to use.

Popular CAD software:

How does it print? 

The MakerBot basically prints in small slices, you can attempt pretty much any complicated shape so long as it can be described in a 3D shape that the software can turn into travel and print paths.  It's like the old CAD plotters that can draw a 0.1mm bead of plastic which can be steadily built up into a third dimension.

What types of things can I print?

The MakerBot seems to do best when making models with smooth surfaces, smooth surfaces with holes, or mildly textured surfaces (the 3D printer would do great with a Geodesic dome or a raised-releif map/globe.  Not so well with protein-attached viruses)

Models with lots and lots of little dangle-ey bits generate lots of printing errors as said dangle-ey bits detach and become little wrecking balls as the extruder moves around. We saw this when we attempted to print a 3D Flu Virus with lots of surface proteins.  We recommend printing a virus shell with different shaped holes, and separately printing the proteins with stubs to fit in the appropriate holes.

Models with complicated latticework without lots of surface area require lots of support and can be too delicate to clean up without snapping.  We saw this when we tried printing RNA-bound-to-protein models to fit inside the 3D flu virus.

That all being said, the most fantastic models are usually many many small, non-complicated things that can be fit together to make a big, complex moving thing.  With a MakerBot, you have the capacity to make all the parts.

How many colors and what materials?

The printer can print two colors at time, and you can switch filaments mid-printing (slows printing time). We have have the following colors:

  • matte white (ABS)
  • glossy black (ABS)
  • glossy red (PLA)
  • transparent (PLA)

The MakerBot can print with ABS (Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) plastic filament, PLA (poly lactic acid) plastic filament, and dissolvable filament. Both PLA and ABS come in a wide variety of colors. PLA and ABS both have strength and weaknesses and which filament to use largely depends on the end use for the object. 

The IIU Lab has had most success with ABS filament. There are couple of benefits to ABS: ABS is a harder plastic, so 3D prints using this filament are harder to break; the melting point of ABS is higher than PLA so it does well in high temperature environments. The disadvantages of ABS plastic: ABS is an oil-based plastic and releases a chemical when melting which produces the odor of burning plastic; it is more likely to shrink a bit after initial extrusion (making the model want to pull away from the forming tray unless you take steps to prevent it).

The IIU Lab is having mixed success with PLA filament. There are couple of benefits to PLA: It's made out plant material which makes it biodegradable and produce a sweet smell when melting; it can print to a higher level of detail and is smoother and glossier than ABS. There are disadvantages to PLA filament as well: it has a lower melting point, and thus, 3D printed objects with PLA cannot withstand a high temperature environment; it has more friction when hot and tends to jam much more easily.


Flu virus post-printingFlu virus model after cleaning

Model of a flu virus post-printing and after cleaning.

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