Assembling and Testing the Cupcake CNC 3D Printer

3D Fabrication has Arrived

As part of an ongoing drive within the University of Oregon's Department of Art to press the boundaries of technology and art-making, a collaboration between areas has brought a new tool to campus...the Cupcake CNC 3D Printer. A joint effort between Brian Gillis (Ceramics), John Park (Digital Arts) and John Arndt (Product Design), the new 3D printer will be another tool that students will have access to in order to bring virtual design to a physical reality.

 

(fully assembled 3D printer)

The idea behind 3D printing technology is to build a digital form in a 3D modeling program, which is then processed into a number of topographical layers, and then those layers are created using a thermoplastic....built from the ground up. This tool offers students a whole new avenue in thinking about 3-dimensional space and using creative problem solving to build a desired object from scratch.

Though 3D printers have been around nearly a decade now, what is unique about the Cupcake CNC 3D printer is that it runs off of an opensource model (software and hardware parts lists available), the kit costs under $1000 and the "printing" medium is quite inexpensive. Amazingly, the kit shipped flat-packed and many of its parts were laser-cut from a couple sheets of wood (as show in this image):

(Digital Arts students Ryan Mowery and Adam Alexander partake in the assembly process. It took roughly 15 human hours to assemble the machine and required only four solder points.)

 "I think we're on the cusp of something big here," says UO Digital Arts instructor John Park. "Consider what a profound difference the inkjet printer made in the process and creation of image-making. Now we are on the forefront of the next iteration of that movement - going from virtual model making in 3D programs like SketchUp and Blender 3D, and getting a tangible object. This could have grand implications for sculptors, installation artists, product designs, ceramacists, and anyone else who can dream up the new emerging forms in their fields."

(Student/artist Chris Lau assembles the hardware face of the printer where 3 motor drivers and an Arduino-based motherboard control the device)

Another important feature of using an open platform like the Cupcake to do fabrication work is that those that assembled the kit better understand the underlying mechanism that drive the process. Instead of relying on a consumer model where user are captive the business model and intentional mystification of the technology, here we have makers who are also are knowers. 

(Ryan Mowery helps to assemble the X, Y platform that controls that majority of the movement of the build platform)

HOW IT WORKS

The creation process is relatively simple. Everything begins with a 3D model. The program is used to create this is fairly open...most notably you can use Blender 3D (open source 3D), SketchUp (google's free 3D platform) and Rhino 3D (fabrication tool of choice). Without getting into highly technical details, we create a 3D model (seen below).

(Test shape used for printer. Chess piece? Who knows. It was simply an exploration of interior shapes)

The 3D file gets exported to an STL file (another 3D format). It is then brought into a program called SkeinForge, which essentially breaks the model down into topographical layers and creates the necessary G-Code for the 3D printer to understand.

Next a program called GReplicator is fed that Gcode file and it gives the printer the operating instructions. The medium used is a plastic base, either ABS or PLA (corn based), and is heated then extruded out of a fine tip (similar to a print head).

(Printed shape, unfinished).

The 3D print (shown above) comes out a little raw. Luckily, ABS plastic can be sanded, drilled, tapped, coated, painted, etc. Below is the same model after a little sanding.

(Printed shape, after two levels of sanding - 120, then 220 grit)

Video of Printer in Action:

CupCake 3D Printer - UO Test Run from John park on Vimeo.

Who can Use it and Where is it Located?

The 3D printer is in its trial period right now and the faculty are determining what type of skill-sets are needed to operate the machine as well as how much use the machine can handle. Currently access to the machine will be by permission only. There will be a summer course taught by John Park that will address the modeling and fabrication skills necessary to use the printer (week 9, ARTD 408). Starting in the fall, access should be more open. The printer will be housed in the loft of the ceramics building at the North Site campus (north of Franklin BLVD).