RAPID PROTOTYPING - cdiunc · “Rapid prototyping” refers to a pre-manufacturing process that depends on many of the same computer techniques . Software tools enable designers

RAPID PROTOTYPING

June 2010

Center for Design Innovation2

Rapid Prototyping

CDI’s EMERGING RAPID PROTOTYPING CAPABILITY . . . . . . 4

THE PROCESS OF RAPID PROTOTYPING . . . . . . . . . 5

CDI’s 3D PRINTERS . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A GREETING FOR CITY VISITORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

BIOBOTZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

CARTOON ART . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

HAIR BEADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

ENDOSCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

A 3D LOGO RENDITION FOR CDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

CDI DESIGN SERVICES . . . . . . . 15

June 2010

©2010 Center for Design Innovation

Creative Commons License:

You are free to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work under the following conditions:

Attribution – You must attribute this work to Center for Design Innovation (with link):http://www .CenterforDesignInnovation .org/Services/Prototyping .php

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Waiver – Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder .

The following people have contributed time and information to produce this booklet:

Corey Bruse, Christine Hancock, Brian Lincoln, Elise Man, Richard Phillips, Melissa Ryon, Carol Strohecker


In 2003 a report by AngelouEconomics recommended accelerating the growth of creative industries as an economic development strategy for North Carolina’s Piedmont area . The report indicated that an emphasis on digital techniques for design could especially target the creation of certain high-paying, knowledge-economy jobs . Based on interviews and reviews of capacities in the business and academic communities, a second AngelouEconomics report in 2005 recommended two technology focus areas for the design center, in rapid prototyping and motion capture .

“Motion capture” refers to photographic and electronic means of tracking and digitally recording information about how things move . Specialized software enables showing these captured data visually . CDI is pursuing benefits of the resulting visualizations and animations for the health care, education, communication and entertainment industry sectors .

“Rapid prototyping” refers to a pre-manufacturing process that depends on many of the same computer techniques . Software tools enable designers to create digital models of objects such as medical devices and consumer products . We send these data files to 3D printers, which then output the modeled data as sculptural forms . The resulting forms are “draft” objects that professionals can use to test the designs and iteratively refine them . Ultimately we arrive at commercially viable solutions that are worth manufacturing in large quantities .

CDI’s rapid prototyping capability is evolving as we develop the staff and infrastructure

for the new interdisciplinary center . In response to the AngelouEconomics recommendations, the Board of Governors of the statewide University of North Carolina system established CDI in 2005, as a UNC multi-campus research center .

The UNC School of the Arts, Winston-Salem State University and Forsyth Technical Community College have joined forces, working with collaborators at other schools and throughout the regional community to realize the center’s goals . We aim to catalyze economic transformation through public-private partnerships, interdisciplinary research and education, and the development and use of advanced technologies .

In 2007 a small staff began operations at an interim facility in downtown Winston-Salem . We are developing research and education programs while upfitting to address the two key technology areas . Funding is in place to construct a permanent facility supporting this agenda .

View of a software model via the computer screen A working prototype printed in ABS plastic

View of a software model via the computer screen

CDI’s EMERGING RAPID PROTOTYPING CAPABILITY

5Rapid Prototyping • June 2010

A manufactured product requires a range of expertise in progressing from the initial concept, through increasingly refined realizations, to the marketable item . First the product must be designed, often beginning with a pencil sketch that the designers further develop through detailed drawings and then models in software, clay, cardboard or other materials . Only when criteria such as dimensions, fittings and handleability are resolved does it make sense to proceed with manufacturing .

CDI has begun equipping with scanners, 3D printers and other equipment to support the

various design phases and techniques . We are especially focusing on software modeling and assorted data outputs .

We use an iterative design method, creating successive draft objects to bring ideas closer to

reality and test their effectiveness . This iterative method is called “rapid” prototyping because we can quickly and cheaply generate rough solutions . Each in some way is close enough to a given feature of the intended object that we can focus on the feature, refine it and consider its relation to the entire form .

We can move quickly from pencil sketches to 2D computer images, 3D computer models, and outputs as sculptural forms . These outputs make use of inexpensive plaster and plastic materials . CDI’s rapid prototyping can generate digital designs, software models and outputs for consumer products, medical instruments, machine parts, furnishings, educational manipulatives, toys and memorabilia .

Printed in ABS plastic

THE PROCESS OF RAPID PROTOTYPING

Printed in ABS plastic


Currently CDI has two printers enabling outputs of small objects in plaster and plastic . The machines work by parsing successive “slices” through a digital software model and printing them as layers of the output . Gradually the layers build up to form the completed object .

You can see the printers in action at CDI or in this video:http://www .CenterforDesignInnovation .org/Services/

CDIsPrinters .php

Z Corporation Spectrum Z 510 color 3D printer

The Z Corp is a powder-based printer that can build parts up to 10”W x 14”D x 8”H, with a layer thickness of only 0 .0035” .

The printer uses a plaster-like powder, held together with a color-infused liquid binding agent . Full-color sculptural outputs result, at relatively high resolution .

Dimension SST 1200es 3D printer

The Dimension printer has a heat-tolerant build chamber capable of printing parts up to 10”W x 10”D x 12”H, with a layer thickness of 0 .01” .

The machine uses an ABS plastic material that is available in a variety of colors . The printing

CDI’s 3D PRINTERS


capability is monochrome, but separate parts can be printed in different colors and then assembled into complete multi-colored objects .

Printing times may vary depending on the size and complexity of the form and whether it is being output singly or with additional objects .

The print head on the Z Corp machine takes the same amount of time for one pass, regardless of the number of objects . However the Dimension printer draws out each object individually, so multiple outputs ganged as a single job increase the overall print time .

The pictured rendition of Nefertiti is 6 inches tall and outputs from the Z Corp machine in about two hours .

We can fit about six of these “Nef’s” in the chamber at once . No matter how many output simultaneously, the printing time is about two hours . The Z Corp print times depend on the height of the object, which correlates with the number of layers . A 6-inch Neff would take the same amount of time as a 6-inch sphere or a 6-inch BioBot (see page 9) .

The small interlocking cube shown below measures 1 .5 inches and prints in about an hour . The Dimension machine can output 30 at once, but then the print time increases to about 72 hours (three days) .

Gradually we will be augmenting CDI’s rapid prototyping capability with additional output devices, laser scanners, software and other tools to aid the design and realization processes .


As the Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce prepared to welcome executives from Wells Fargo, CDI collaborators worked to create a gift commemorating the event .

We located a digital file representing a stagecoach in 3-dimensional relief . By sending the file to the plastics printer and outputting two copies, we created parts to piece together, back-to-back, as a fully sculptural form .

However, mounting the resulting stagecoach in the display box was tricky . The wheels and tiny horses’ hooves made for extremely small points of contact .

A bit of crafts clay solved the problem by creating a stable base . The clay held the object firmly as we pressed and glued it into place . The result looks like the stagecoach is riding across North Carolina red clay soil!

The gift helped to communicate Winston-Salem’s progressive approach to economic development . The city’s exceptional educational institutions and sublime quality of life help to recruit and retain highly qualified employees . CDI can help to attract members of the “creative class” in particular, who value diverse cultural opportunities, continuous learning and community service .

Winston-Salem’s skyline is the next candidate image for this sort of memorabilia .

Collaborators: Jan Detter, Richard Phillips, Melissa Ryon, Carol Strohecker

A GREETING FOR CITY VISITORS


In 2008 the Intelligent Community Forum honored Winston-Salem as one of the Top 7 Intelligent Communities worldwide . This distinction recognizes outstanding infrastructure and programs shaping the “broadband economy .” The city leadership presented a visitor from ICF with a gift that represents innovative education in biotechnology .

The figurine is a “BioBot,” the mind-child of Wake Forest University professor Jed Macosko and his students . A biophysicist, Jed studies protein molecules – motor proteins such as kinesin in particular . Some of these amazing “molecular machines” have a bipedal structure, so their intracellular movement looks remarkably like a human figure walking .

Jed sees an educational strategy in this phenomenon . He figures, if every 9-year-old can tell you the names of a dozen dinosaurs, why can’t they tell you the names of protein molecules? Jed and his students have set about creating cartoon characters and stuffed dolls representing these nano-structures .

The NC Biotechnology Center liked the idea and funded a collaborative project among Wake Forest, CDI and the Atkins Academic & Technology High School, for teens to create their own characters based on protein molecules .

Kinesin, dynein and myosin inspire the cartoon characters’ names and movements as they act like heroes, sing like rock stars and fall in love .

The students also created sculptural versions of the characters . CDI helped with the software modeling and output of these static forms . We used the plaster-based Z Corp machine to optimize resolution and color .

Collaborators: Corey Bruse, Dave Goliszek, Luke Helmer, T. Howerton, Jed Macosko, Dennis Nikolaidis, Richard Phillips, Melissa Ryon, A. Smith, Carol Strohecker, Thomas Tucker

BIOBOTZ


Early 2010 was an exciting time as the North Carolina Museum of Art prepared to re-open following renovations of the facility in Raleigh .

Meanwhile, Winston-Salem’s Out of Our Minds Animation Studios responded to the museum’s invitation to celebrate successes . This locally grown creative group is gaining increasing visibility worldwide, as one film festival after another features their animations .

CDI helped to prepare for the possibility of apermanent exhibit at the museum featuring one of the OOMAS characters . We made some refinements to the “SnailMail” software model in preparation for printing .

The software program highlighted areas where the printer may have encountered problems such as gaps, inverted polygons or areas that would be too small to print . We filled, thickened and otherwise improved the model as needed, so the program accepted the file and the printer generated the smooth parts . Collaborators then painted the parts and pieced them together to create the finished form .

Collaborators: Corey Bruse, Keith Hobgood, Rebecca Jones, Dennis Nikolaidis, Richard Phillips, Melissa Ryon, Carol Strohecker

CARTOON ART


The mother of three young daughters came up with a solution to the time-consuming process of adorning their hair . She was motivated not only because she has more than one daughter, but because they all like to style their hair with multiple braids, each of which is tipped with multiple beads!

In the design world we call this a “pain point”: there has got to be an alternative to tediously twisting the hair and finishing the braid bead-

by-bead . The difficulty prompted this inventive mom to think of using a triple-bead that clamps the hair, while giving it a colorful touch as well .

The design challenge is in the internal structure of the object . It needs a durable hinge that can withstand many repeat uses . It also needs a fine tooth structure to hold the hair securely over time, resisting the inevitable friction from the girl’s activities .

CDI’s Dimension printer cannot quite match the precision needed to represent the detail of this structure . However, the output was sufficient to prototype the idea as an accompaniment for the inventor’s patent application .

Collaborators: Cassandra Brunson, Corry Brunson, Corey Bruse, Richard Phillips, Melissa Ryon, Carol Strohecker

HAIR BEADS


The Center for Design Innovation and Optivia Medical collaborated to improve the design of a medical device through rapid prototyping . Doctors will be able to use the final endoscopic delivery system to treat patients with spinal and gynecological ailments .

The attending physician will be able to steer the endoscope inside the patient’s body while seeing exactly where the device is going . Upon arrival at the site in need of treatment, the device will be able to act as a channel for delivery of drugs or instrumentation .

The design of devices like this proceeds through an iterative process . Working in special

software, the designer can visualize and model each part in three dimensions . Then a 3D printer can translate and output the data by building up layers of plastic that result in the physical form .

In an early prototype of this endoscope, the release mechanism didn’t feel right, and it was difficult to understand how to fix the problem because the part was so small . It had several holes and bumps that complicated the texture, and the clear plastic made it hard to see what was going on .

By working in the more flexible medium of software, the designers were able to scale the part to twice its actual size . Then, by outputting

this larger model in white opaque plastic, they could see that the problem was not with their design but with the materials used to create the test parts .

Originally, they had facilitated movements of the parts that needed to engage by using dissimilar materials . Now they could see that the movements could work with parts made of the same material, if the catch and opening were a bit smaller .

Without the rapid prototyping capability, this discovery may not have been possible .

Collaborators: Richard Phillips, Melissa Ryon, Jack Snoke, Carol Strohecker

ENDOSCOPE



As Wildfire’s design for CDI’s logo evolved (see cover), the planar treatment of the textual forms invoked an optical illusion . Sometimes the planes appeared to shift, so that the apparent foreground and background planes seemed to trade places .

The effect prompted us to experiment with a three-dimensional rendition . The iterations are still in progress, but the results hint at possibilities for a promotional gift and further evolution of the logo .

Collaborators: Corey Bruse, Sadie Caplan, Christine Hancock,

Mariama Holman, Carol Strohecker

A 3D LOGO RENDITION FOR CDI


Existing output services have perfected the business model of receiving digital files via the Internet, printing the 3D software models, and returning the output objects via a service like FedEx . The keys to this model are a focus solely on output and a volume that can balance the relatively high cost of operation with customer expectations of low costs . Costs of such operations can be kept down based on the cheap materials and customers’ typical needs for frequent outputs .

As a design center, CDI’s focus is on designing and modeling the objects, with outputs being part of the overall process . Our goal is to incorporate the output phases within a larger iterative design process . We are addressing this goal through educational programs as well as evolving design services .

Subsequent versions of this booklet will publish a rate schedule acknowledging varying materials, levels of expertise and degrees of finish in design and output services we will soon offer .

Z Corporation Spectrum Z 510 3D PrinterBuild Speed: 2 layers per minuteBuild Size: 10” x 14” x 8”Layer Thickness: User selectable at the time of printing 0 .0035” - 0 .008”Material Options: High performance composite, elastomeric, direct castingResolution: 600 x 540 dpiNumber of Print Heads: 4Equipment Dimensions: 42” x 31” x 50”Equiment Weight: 450 lbs

Dimension SST 1200es 3D PrinterBuild Size: 10” x 10” x 12”Layer Thickness: 0 .01” or 0 .013”Material Options: ABS plastic in ivory, white, black, red, olive green, nectarine, fluorescent yellow, blue or grayEquipment Dimensions: 33” x 29” x 45”TBD - Listed dimensions do not seem to match actual equipmentEquipment Weight: 326 lbsPower Requirements: 110-120 VAC, 60 Hz, minimum 15A dedicated circut

HAAKE DL30-W45 Heating Open Bath Circulator Bath Volume: 30 to 42 LHeater Capacity 115V: 1 .2kWTemperature Accuracy: +/- 0 .01KWorking Temperature Range: 22 to 200° C

Epson Stylus Pro 9800 2D PrinterPrint Size: Maximum paper width - 44”Resolution: 2,880 x 1,440 dpiNumber of Print Heads: 8 ColorEquipment Dimensions: 67”W x 47”H x 26 .7”DEquipment Weight: 198 lbs

Dell Precision T7500Windows XP Professional operating systemX5550 Xeon CPU @ 2 .66GHz3 GB RAMNVIDIA Quadro FX 4800 video card1 .3 TB of RAID 1 hard disk space

CDI DESIGN SERVICES


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RAPID PROTOTYPING - cdiunc · “Rapid prototyping” refers to a pre-manufacturing process that depends on many of the same computer techniques . Software tools enable designers