materials and fabrication

Monday, April 9, 12

what material and fab technique should i use?

Part Size

Resolution

Material Properties (Mechanical, Thermal, Reactive, etc)

Part Geometry

Production Scale

Environment

Hand vs. Machine Control

Aesthetics

Cost

Monday, April 9, 12

overview

• Materials

• Digital Fabrication Techniques

• Analog Fabrication Techniques

• Finishing Techniques

• Scalability

Monday, April 9, 12

materials

Monday, April 9, 12

material selection

Polymers (thermoplastic vs. thermoset)

Metals (several alloy properties)

Ceramics (firing)

High-Performance (gore-tex, kevlar etc)

Composites (carbon fiber, honey comb, fiber glass...)

Natural Materials (textiles, paper, leather, etc)

GSD Material Library

http://www.matweb.com/

https://www.inventables.com/

http://www.thistothat.com/

http://www.onlinemetals.com/aluminumguide.cfm

Monday, April 9, 12

Monday, April 9, 12

digital fabrication

Monday, April 9, 12

lasercutting

Monday, April 9, 12

lasercutting

2D

Limit on thickness

Angled cuts

Tool offset

Most materials (due to fumes, melting, reflection etc)

Monday, April 9, 12

snap fit

Monday, April 9, 12

bendable

Monday, April 9, 12

t slots

Monday, April 9, 12

t slots

Monday, April 9, 12

3d printing

Lots of different techniques with different properties

Resolution

Material properties

Cost

Aesthetics

http://i.materialise.com/

http://www.shapeways.com/

Amit Zoran and Peter Schmitt

Monday, April 9, 12

fused-deposition modeling (fdm)

Monday, April 9, 12

stereolithography (sla)

Monday, April 9, 12

selective laser sintering (sls)

Monday, April 9, 12

3d printing

Monday, April 9, 12

cnc milling

Monday, April 9, 12

milling

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cnc turning

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suppliers

http://www.mcmaster.com/

http://www.onlinemetals.com/

http://www.sdp-si.com/web/html/products.htm

http://www.aliexpress.com/wholesale/wholesale-alibaba-express.html

http://www.jfreeman.com/

http://www.lessemf.com/

Monday, April 9, 12

analog fabrication

Monday, April 9, 12

tapping

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counter sinking

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sheet forming (bending)

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Monday, April 9, 12

casting

Monday, April 9, 12

injection molding

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protomold

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protomold

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vacuum forming

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finishing

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abrasive blasting

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anodizing

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powder coating

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veneering

Monday, April 9, 12

scalability

Dependent on how material, fabrication technique, assembly and labor come together.

Laser, waterjet cutting, milling - small to medium scale (very dependent on set-up)

3D Printing - small scale (cost and time are high, but labor is low)

Casting - medium scale (fast, although labor can be intense)

Injection Molding - gazillion scale (cheap, fast, little labor)

Monday, April 9, 12

Monday, April 9, 12