Mar. 27, 2015 | By Simon
Ever since he launched his $1,500 Mini Metal Maker 3d printer on Indiegogo, David Hartkop has enabled new possibilities for Makers that want to explore new additive manufacturing terrain. In Hartkop’s case, this involves 3D printing metal-infused clay filaments that can be placed in a kiln post-printing to reveal just the metal material in a finished object. In essence, it’s a low-cost solution for those that want to create metal-based versions of what would normally be plastic 3D prints using the Fused Deposition Modeling method of 3D printing.
While 3D printing metal trinkets and static objects is one thing, the ability to 3D print functional metal objects that are generally made through more traditional manufacturing methods such as die casting is pretty impressive. To demonstrate how this is done, Hartkop recently 3D printed himself a pair of bronze scissors using his Mini Metal Maker 3D printer.
The idea to print scissors first came to Hartkop after he realized just how easy it would be to print functional tools rather than simple ornamental objects on the Mini Metal Maker. With the goal of using BRONZclay3D - which is chemically very similar to the ancient 'bronze age' bronze used to make coins and statues and swords - he began his project by further analyzing the angle and assembly relationships in his wife’s embroidery scissors.
Once he had established a final design direction, Hartkop modeled the scissors using Lightwave. To keep things easy, he opted for a totally symmetrical design so that he just needed to simply print two of the same object and screw them together at the fulcrum.
Once he had established that the 3D model looked as he intended, he ran it through the popular Slic3r open source slicing program. Previously, Hartkop used the program during the development of his Mini Metal Maker.
Once the file was prepared for 3D printing, the file was then sent to the Mini Metal Maker and was printed with a .25mm layer height in 15 layers.
“I used Printrun AKA Pronterface as the printer's controller host, which communicates with a modified version of the Sprinter firmware inside the Mini Metal Maker,” Hartkop told 3ders.org.
“The print took 42 minutes per scissor, though I was being rather conservative with speed. I selected a 22 gauge extrusion nozzle for the task, which allows for a line width of right around 0.28 mm. Printing the scissors used about 15 grams of clay. One of our standard cartridges holds 50 grams, so it was possible to print a pair along with a couple smaller items on with the same setup.”
Once the part was finished printing, it was set aside overnight to dry. To clean up the surfaces, Hartkop used similar processes that are used in ceramic design - such as using liquid clay slip - to finalize any imperfections.
After the final 3D printed object was cleaned up, it was then fired in an electric kiln with a ramp of 250-degrees per hour for a 2 hour hold 1550. At this stage, it becomes quite clear just how much influence traditional ceramic processes have in creating metal prints with the Mini Metal Maker. Once the parts were finished being fired, Hartkop heat treated them with a blowtorch before quenching them in water.
Similar to other ceramic materials, metal clay shrinks when fired due to a loss of moisture. While the shrinking is predictable, these factors should be considered if specific dimensions are necessary for a final part. For example, the bronze scissors started with a maximum dimension of 84mm when wet, 83.25mm when dry, and 76.85mm once fired. To compensate for shrinkage, Hartkop scaled up the original 3D printed file by the inverse of the shrinkage factor so that they would land at their target size once fired.
Finally, to finish the now-metal scissors, Hartkop polished them with steel wool in order to bring out the metallic shine through the printed surface texture. He then sharpened the blades with an 80 grit sanding wheel and then followed that with a jeweler’s file. To place and size the screw, he used a drill press.
Considering the amount of objects that can be created with an FDM 3D printer, the possibilities that can be created out of metal - such as these bronze scissors - on a Mini Metal Maker seems nearly-limitless.
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To find out more about the Mini Metal Maker and Harktop, head over to the Mini Metal Maker homepage.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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