Additive Manufacturing On A Budget: Building A 3D Printer

Mikayla Drost

School Name

Governor's School for Science and Math

Grade Level

12th Grade

Presentation Topic

Engineering

Presentation Type

Mentored

Mentor

Mentor: Dr. Hattrick-Simpers; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina

Abstract

Additive manufacturing is the process by which three dimensional images are used to create an object by using a 3D printer to build it layer by layer. The question addressed in this research was whether a student with no prior knowledge in the field of additive manufacturing could build a working3D printer while maintaining a budget of less than $100. Two students were given six weeks to test this hypothesis. It was predicted that it would be possible to build the working printer, and the objective became to determine the steps in the process so that other students, tasked with the same project, would be able to succeed. The original two students did build a 3D printer for under $100 in a little longer than the original six week timeline of the project. While it was not as functional as anticipated, it did print a blob, and with more time and calibration it may be able to print better and bigger objects

Location

Owens G07

Start Date

4-16-2016 9:30 AM

COinS
 
Apr 16th, 9:30 AM

Additive Manufacturing On A Budget: Building A 3D Printer

Owens G07

Additive manufacturing is the process by which three dimensional images are used to create an object by using a 3D printer to build it layer by layer. The question addressed in this research was whether a student with no prior knowledge in the field of additive manufacturing could build a working3D printer while maintaining a budget of less than $100. Two students were given six weeks to test this hypothesis. It was predicted that it would be possible to build the working printer, and the objective became to determine the steps in the process so that other students, tasked with the same project, would be able to succeed. The original two students did build a 3D printer for under $100 in a little longer than the original six week timeline of the project. While it was not as functional as anticipated, it did print a blob, and with more time and calibration it may be able to print better and bigger objects