Sunday 20 November 2011

Wednesday Workshops

We welcome you to a practical 40 minute demonstration run during Wednesday lunchtimes. Our intention is to explore practical application of the use of technology within existing disciplines and contexts.

From now until the end of term, we will be trialing out these sessions to gauge interest and develop content for further workshops in the new year.

  • 23rd  November - Printmaking - Explore how, through the use of Vector and Raster graphics can create engravings onto sheet media, or create the stamps / presses for further use in the printmaking studio. In this session you will be shown  file creation and setup, and the types of typical outcomes that can be expected. 
  • 30th  November - Metal Embossing - Emboss onto sheet metal through the use of  laser engraving and traditional metalworking techniques and processes. Engrave complicated and geometric shapes and transfer them onto a range of sheet metals.
  • 7th December - Digital Terrain Modeling - A lot of traffic comes through to this page of the blog, so lets make some more content for future visitors! A selection of methods to create accurate or somewhat exaggerated landscape models, followed by a range of processes to realise these phisically in a range of materials, from laser cut card to milled foams and composites.
  • 14th December - Closing off the year with a session in pewter casting!  Learn how to make a mould using the laser cutter and create stunning metal casts in minutes. Used previously for coins, medals, jewellery and architectural representation. 

Spaces will be limited and will be a first come - first served approach. Sessions will start from 12:40 to 13:20 in the ground floor digital machine room!  I look forward to seeing you there as it should comprise of an interesting few weeks!

RhinoCAM in your studio!

Well after much moaning we looked into why RhinoCAM wasnt loading on your PCs in the studio - and it is installed but required locating by yourselves when you open Rhino for the first time. TBH I'm not sure if this is a local issue - so if you log into another machine another time, you will have to locate the plug in once again. 

So here goes: how to find and use RhinoCAM for the first time....


1 - Open Rhino ;)

2 -  From the tools menu select Options, then select plug ins from the list on the left. In this window, press the install button. [or type in 'plugin manager']

3 -  In the file name box type  
       “C:\Program Files (x86)\Rhinoceros 4.0\Plug-ins\RhinoCAM 2.0\RhinoCAM 2.0.rhp”
       [not including the quotes] and press Enter.

Enjoy your RhinoCAM :)

Boom - thanks to Nigel our lovely IT guy for the fix!

Friday 28 October 2011

Hi Guys!

We've had a few changes this past week, and that means a few changes to the way things are running as far as the lasers are concerned.

We Finally got the new PCs installed, that means several things for you guys!


  • Faster! 
    • Overall things should be smoother now we're running on 4GB of ram and a faster Core 2 Duo processor! Sending files should be a breaze and not take as long to appear in Trotec.
  • Better Looking!
    • Yes they're still HP PCs but at least tehy all look the same and have matching ketyboards and mice ;)
  • USB FUNCTIONALITY!
    • Yes that's right folks, no longer are you bound to using online storage (I still recommend it though!), Anti Virus has been installed and Auto Run has been disabled, so for you guys that means that you have to open 'my computer' or  'file open' in illustrator' to get to your files on USB sticks! :)
  • New version of Trotec Job Control has been installed. Again, this is a 64bit piece of software so will be taking full support of the new PCs. The software is new to me so ultimately we'll provide you new features as find them - initially however, you will notice they have implemented a timer feature - which gives you an estimated time of completion!!

New Filters in the Laser's Extraction units.
  • No more beeping
  • No more toxic fumes!
  • Better surface finish
  • No more toxic fumes!
If yuo notice continued beeping or visiable / smellable fumes contact a memebr of stff immediatly!

This leads me onto another big change - I'm going to get 'stricter' on the types of materials we can cut, in practive I think this will be a list of kknown materials we cannot cut!

So far we Have:
  • Styreen
    • Even though the new filters should get rid of the fumes, we aint gonna be cutting that no more! At all, EVER!
  • Vynal 
    • Any type, any thickness, any anything - no Vynal at all.
  • MDF 
    •  Ok some MDF we will cut, such as anything less than 6mm in thickness, any thicker and we wont be cutting it on the laser cutter. 
  • Will add more as we find them1 :)
A big change is ahead of us as far as booking laser time, the use of technician time, and inductions.

We're to pilot a system where by you can self booking laser cutters without having to email and wait for a reply! 

We have grown out of what (the great) Google Calendars can offer, as there is a general increase in numbers of users from a range of courses and skill bases. 

We have identified an online e booking resource which allows you to book time on any one laser cutter for up to 2.5 hrs at a time. You will have to create an account, which you can log into to access the laser cutters calenders and assuming that you have completed an induction you can get yourself on a laser cutter all by yourself!

New users will still be required to contact me to arrange an induction. If you feel a need to have a technician support you at the beginning of your slot, you can do so by requesting their time, again, using the same online form.

Hopefully the move will be smooth and pain free, but lets assume there will be issues sent to test us from all angles!!

Well, one wall of text later! I think its going to be OK!

ED!

Wednesday 26 October 2011

Here be prints

As promised, the results of yesterdays digitising and printing. I guess better pics will  happen eventually.

Solid surfaces

Polygon Inset

With Meshsmooth 
modifier

Microscribe Digitising arm

I had a chance while Paul from Modelmaking want looking to steal his microscribe digitising arm!

I had previously made a shape upstairs using the spot welder, with the intention  of using this magical device to input the geometry directly into Rhino in order to further edit it, and include it into visualisation and 3D models for milling / printing. 

Basic Rhino knowledge is required, but shapes can be plotted out almost straight away and / or exported to other software packages for further editing and manipulation. In the following series of images you can see the initial shape, the interaction of the arm with the object, and a set of screen shots taken of the outcomes.

I left the printer running overnight to realise some of the forms for us, so i'll follow up this post with pics of those!


The spot welded object





Typical setup

accurate placement of points taken from the model


physical and digital model can be seen

Wireframe build from simple 2D lines

Shape replicated using 3 / 4 sided surfaces

Surfaces turned into a low res mesh and offset / solidified

Point cloud data joined with interpolated curves

Curves used to create 3 / 4 sided surfaces 

The mesh imported to 3DSMax, with polygons inset

Inset mesh, offset and solidified

Mesh smooth modifier made it transform dramatically


The three meshes i sent to print

From setup to hitting the print button, took a couple of hours. The technology lends itself to being accessible from either a reverse engineering perspective, as as in this case a simpler and more tactile way of creating digital data which can be further manipulated in software environments.

The plans for these models will be further exploration of form once printed, and added to with soft materials such as clay, and harder denser materials such as styreen metals. From here, the process can start over again being re digitised, manipulated, rendered and critiqued. 

See you on the other side ;)









Rhino CAM

Video uploaded, no audio so make sure you have your notes handy!

PDF to follow soon, let me know how you get on with this video to help shape future tutorials.

Ed


Untitled from warderoid on Vimeo.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Axon 2

Axon is the name of the software that we use to prepare 3D models for use on the Bits from Bytes range of 3D printers, the 'RapMan 3.1' and the 'BFB 3000'.

The software is simple enough for new users to get around but it does offer a few more advanced settings when you want to go a little further and try out some new things. 

The function of the software is to 'slice' the 3D model and generate both a fill structure and the outer peramiter of the model, the resulting code (called Gcode) is then read by the machine in the form of linear coordinates and settings required to print the model.

 

We start by opening the software. The interface is simple, with a Toolbar and Ribbon along the top, coordinates on the left, and the main window in the center.


When you first open the software, we have to assign the type of machine we are running. Open the settigns Tab, and under machine type, choose either Rapman 3.1 or BFB 3000 depending on the machine you choose.

This drop down window lets you choose the amount of extruders the machine has. The rapman 3.1 has 1 (but can be upgraded to 2 ), and the BFB 3000 has up to 3! So check your machine to see how many it has and choose the appropriate number.


Materials: the list is extensive, and i'm sure there are more materials out there than are on the list. The common types are ABS (white) and / or PLA (clear).

Check to see what materials are available, or specify which material you want to use for your job from the list.


Hit OK ;)


Back in the home tab, you will now notice the graphic has changed for the type of 'bed' the machine has, also the build area will be specific to the machine. The most top left icon on the ribbon is 'open', press this and select the .STL file that you intend to print. 


Select the Build Gcode icon from the ribbon, this opens a dialog box which allows you to configure your print settings. 

 Leave the build style to 'default'

Layer thickness:

  0.125 is a very fine surface finish 
 0.25 is a standard default layering
0.5 is a courser / thicker layering

The layer thickness also has an impact on the length of time the print will take to complete - a finer layer will take longer than the 0.25, and the 0.5 will be quicker than both the first two. A typical print will use 0.25, but feel free to have a play with these settings. 

Raft Material: As we currently only have 1 extruder, it has to be set as the same material as our model will be built from. A raft is built to help the model adhear to the printing surface, and to help alievate warp with larger ABS prints. PLA typically doesn't warp, but there is no 'no raft' option with the current version of Axon 2 (Version 2 Beta 1).

Support Material: If your model has overhangs of 60 degrees or less, or has to bridge large spans (EG Doorways) then support material may be required. This automatically creates a scaffolding strcture around your model. It can print with the same material, but this isn't reccomended. This process is more suited to a machine with multipul extruders, with the primary part being printed in ABS, and the support in PLA. Again, feel free to experiment with these and find a solution out for yourself. 

Part Material: This will be defined as the same material that we chose in the printer configuration tab.

Fill Density: Determins how solid you want your object. This will be dependent on the project and its geometries, and the function of the part once its been printed. I'd suggest to start at 10% and adjust it from there.

Fill Pattern: there are 4 to choose from, and the most left hand side is the newest provided by Axon. Its quick and efficient, granted, it doesnt look as cool as the hexagons, but the structure of the prints are very good with this infill. Using this will also speed up the print whilst using as little filiament as nessesary.

Speed: Default is set as 1, this will produce a tidy print.  For small or complicated geometries it may be required to be slowed to 0.5. For a quicker print, it can be set to 1.5 or 2. Use 3 if your really want a quick outcome and the quality doesnt matter too much. This setting has knock on effects with the extruder motor, gearing and print head as they all work together to create the perfect print! ;)



Thin Wall: Activate thin wall to have the machine print one peramiter loop opposed to the default 3, this is quicker but your model can take a hit on rigidiity. 

Advanced Settings: Extra skins; again, this sets the amount of paremeter loops per layer, the default I think is 3, click the thin walls button and the result is 0. For really rigid parts, set to 3, 4 or 5!

Number of surfaces: This is the amount of surfaces on the base and top of the model, depending on the geometry ths can be set frrom 1 to 3, or 4 or 5! The type of model and your requirements will determin the amount of layers.


Once the data is set, hit the build button! now the software is slicing, infilling and getting your model ready for printing. 


Once done (this could take some time, so grab yourself a 10 mins away from the pc, have a stretch) it gives you an estimated printing time, cost of material and overall weight. Take  a note of these as once you click the screen they will disapear forever!


Once you click it, you get the toolpath of your model. Select the view tab, and deselect the 'view all layers' button. This will then allow you to use the Z slide on the right hand side to check each layer and view the tool path for the job. 


Move the angle of the viewport to get a better angle to the toolpath. if you zoom in you will notice the renders are rough - but this isn't an indication of the final print. 


Finally, reselct the home tab, and choose the save build gcode button (dont hit the build gcode button again!) Save to somewhere safe and then transfer it to the SD card used by the printer. Give the file a practical and sensible name (your name / project name etc).

Happy Printing :)

Wednesday 12 October 2011

CNC Queue

To alleviate some of the confusion of getting on the CNC mill that we encountered last year, a list has been taped onto the side of the machine.

Its really quite simple - get your work ready for milling, add your name to the list and wait your turn!

Simply thinking of using the mill for your project doesn't grant you use of the machine when you want it!!

The process goes something like this:

Get 2D / 2D data ready

Run the job through Rhino CAM

Get the simulation animation checked

Put the posted gcode file onto the PC next to the mill

Source and prep your material

Add your name to the list

Wait your turn!

Don't forget that several courses use the CNC mill to realise their work, so it may take a while for your turn to come around.

Any one job can take a long time to complete, let alone a list full of them! We can only run the machine 8 hours per day, so carefully consider your time and the direction of your project before using the mill.

Thursday 29 September 2011

laser process tutorial

Have fun with this handy tutorial!



Start with a circle, choose a heavy stroke!





Click and drag whilst holding the alt key to duplicate, press the shift key to allign anchor point to anchor point.

Press Ctrl + D to duplicate the command, and make an array of 8 x 8.




Outline the stroke via the edit tab > path > outline stroke.



Window >  Pathfinder > merge

This joins all those individual shapes together!




Give the artwork a black fill





Ungroup the artwork and release the cliping mask, the artwork has two layers - choose one and move it to the right. Increase the size of the artboard if nessesary.



Ok - this image has it all!

All black data will engrave

All red data will mark

All blue data will cut

Cyan will cut




Black circles, blue outline



Black infils, blue outline



Blue strokes, cyan outline



Red srokes, blue outline



The four together - look how happy they are!



Speedy 300 firing its red laser at the card below




overview of the process



Hot close up action!



Might need a better camera!

Paneling tools




It starts with a surface!



Using the plug in Paneling tools for Rhino 4, it is possible to create repeat patterns over solids, surfaces or 2D planes.



There are several pre defined shapes to sample.



Or it is possible to create your own.



More please!