Milestone 2: Mid-point Class Review

1. Adapt the 3D printer Ender and connect it to Stepdance and Teensy

We worked on adapting the Ender machine with Emily. We used what we learned from the analog slider about crimping and electronics. We do not need an encoder to control the Z axis and the extrusion system; that is the most important conclusion of this step.

2. First idea for the syringe holder

After talking with the instructors, we defined that the final design is to place the syringe beside the stepper motor.

1. We decided to use the same system Jennifer showed: a stepper motor moving the system up and down with a lead screw.
2. We evaluated the two designs Alejandro proposed and selected the one where the stepper motor is mounted on top of the metal plate.
3. We tested the weight of the whole lead screw motion system on the plate to see if it could resist. It performed very well.
4. We figured out how we are going to hold the screw motion system, but we still need to solve how we are going to hold the syringe.

3. 3D printing v1

We designed the first motor holder piece using Fusion. We printed it and noted some issues, so we need to iterate. With Alejandro’s help we changed the design and printed again.

4. 3D printing v2

The result was more resistent than before and now we are able to mount the stepper motor. We still have some problems with the model so we need to model and print again.

Challenges and proposals

Syringe

Since we do not have the syringe yet, we decided to buy one. That way we can try a cardboard mockup before modeling.

Syringe holder

We are considering to use threaded insert to join the syringe.

Joystick control

Since we need to adapt the joystick to receive two encoder signals, we decided to use keyboard arrows first as a preliminary step.

Pictures and video

Milestone 3: Peer Review

We had the meeting with Team Fish. First they showed us their work and next steps, and then we presented ours. Our suggestions to them were related mostly with the UI and presets. Regarding our work, they told us that the joystick is a good idea because it is more intuitive to control the machine. They also suggested paying special attention to the syringe and the non-linear extrusion that it generates due to its mechanism. Finally, they recommended trying as soon as possible with frosting cake to observe the behaviour of the whole system — material, machine head, syringe, and control — all together.