What is 3D Printing ?

        3D Printing is a process whereby physical, three-dimensional objects are created by a machine, known as a 3D printer, using designs created in CAD.

History

Growth & Development

There are six unique technologies predominantly used in 3D printing.

1. Stereolithography (SL)
2. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
3. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)
4. 3 Dimensional Printing (3DP)
5. Polyjet
6. Polyjet Matrix

Fused Deposition  Modelling

Type: Extrusion  Visible layer lines 
Material: PLA, ABS

Selective Laser Sintering

Type: Powder melted with LASER,  Requires post processing 

Material: Nylon, metal

Powder Binding

Type: Binder jetting
Full color fragile
Material: Talcum powder

Stereo Lithography

Type: LASER cured resin  High resolution, Fragile 

Material: Resin

Polyjet

Type: UV cured photopolymer  High resolution, Multi material 

Material: UV cured  photopolymer

Laminated Object Manufacturing

Type: UV cured photopolymer  High resolution
Material: Plastic, paper and metal
laminates

Lets discuss some popularly used 3D printing technologies

Fused deposition modeling

• Stl file of the design is fed into the printer.
• Raw material is heated up to its melting point in the extrusion head.
• Model or part is produced by extruding thermoplastic used.
• The part is created layer by layer – Additive Manufacturing.
• Material layers hardens immediately after extrusion from the nozzle.
• The finished product is removed easily.
  

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

• The technique that uses a laser as the power source to sinter powdered  material.
• Laser automatically points in space defined by a 3D model and binds the  material together to create a solid structure.
• A recoater  blade is used to move new powder over the build platform.
• The technology fuses metal powder into a solid part by melting it locally  using the focused laser beam.

PolyJet Printing

        It works by jetting photopolymer materials in ultra-thin layers onto a build  platform. Each photopolymer layer is cured by UV light immediately after it is jetted,  producing fully cured models that can be handled and used immediately, without post-  curing. The gel-like support material, designed to support complicated geometries, is  subsequently removed by water jetting.

Materials used

PLA (Polylactic Acid):

        It is a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester derived  from renewable resources, such as corn starch, tapioca roots, chips or  starch, or sugarcane. In 2010, PLA had the second highest consumption  volume of any bioplastic of the world.

ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene):

        It combines the strength and rigidity of acrylonitrile and styrene  polymers with the toughness of polybutadiene rubber. It is considered  superior for its hardness, gloss, toughness, and electrical insulation  properties.

LAYWOOD:

Laywood is a wood based filament that can be used in most desktop  3D printers. The wood filament prints easily, similar to PLA, and has a  wood smell when printing. This filament comes in a 0.25kg coil and has a  cherry wood color.

Other materials…

• PRO series PLA: They are commercially used PLA material which are a higher  grade of the same.
• PRO series ABS: These are commercially available ABS material.
• LAYBRICK: These are materials with grey contrast which resembles as a brick.
• PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate)
• Poly Carbonate (PC), etc.

Parts of 3D Printer

Stepper Motors

To control the movement of extruder in x,y,z  directions based on the G-codes.

Inductive Sensor

These are the sensors used for automatic bed  levelling.

Microcontroller

        Microcontroller is used to guide the STEPPER MOTORES and to control  the process

Shafts

To hold and move the extruder by sliding through.

SYNCHRO BELT :

To move the extruder in x,y,z directions based on the feed from  the stepper motor.

Temperature Indicators

To indicate the temperature of the material(s) used for the printing.

Hope this article make you to understand the gear concept better. Please checkout our other posts too. Thank You.

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What is GEAR ?

        A Gear is a wheel with teeth that meshes together with other gears and is usually made of metal or plastic. Gears are used in various areas from the Bicycle till the Bulldozers.

        Gears are used to change the speed, torque and direction of a power source.

        Gears are available in various sizes and types. Depending on the usage, the gears are chosen to work where one gear may work better than another.

        Mechanical engineers use gears when designing machines such as bicycles, elevators and automobiles in order to increase the speed of a device, or its ability to pull or lift heavy objects.

Types of Gears

        Gears are found in various types and size but the important number is how many teeth are in gears.

        Simplest and widely used gear type is Spur Gear.

        There are other type of Gears also used for different purposes around us, they are

Worm Gear

Bevel Gear

Rack and Pinion Gear

What is Pulley ?

        Pulley is a wheel with a grave carved around its circumference in which a rope or belt is placed to drive the wheel.

Pulleys are used for various applications including

• Elevator
• Cranes
• Automobiles

GEAR RATIO

        A Gear Ratio is the ratio between the Driver gear ( the one being connected with motor ) and Driven gear (the one connected with the driver gear ).

Gear ratios are expressed as fractions and can be written in different ways.

Eg. 1 to 3 (or) 1/3 (or) 1:3

Always remember that the driven gear will turn in the opposite direction of the driver gear.

· Number of Teeth on Driven Gear / Number of Teeth on Driver Gear.

· Size of the Driver Pulley / Size of the Driven Pulley.

VELOCITY RATIO (VR)

    Velocity is a measure of how fast something moves in a particular direction. When calculating for velocity or speed, it is best to have a ratio in which the driver gear is larger than the driven gear.

For maximum we should always have a larger driver gear/pulley paired with a smaller driven pulley.

Eg. Bicycle

TORQUE OF GEAR

        Torque is a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate. The gear ratio expresses the ratio of the output torque to the input torque.

        Thus, we can multiply the torque supplied at the motor shaft (the input) by the gear ratio to find the torque at the wheel axle (the output). Transmitting power through a series of gears can also affect rotational speed.

If we take gear image as an example, the Gear Ratio is 3:1 or 3/1. If the driver turns at 60 RPM then the driven gear must turn at

6 Nm x 3

Torque = 18 Nm

Note : Small Gears driving large gears increase torque.

 

Hope this article make you to understand the gear concept better. Please checkout our other posts too. Thank You.

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What are Drones ?

        Drones have been around for many years, they are used for several different purposes and can be very helpful in many areas. However, drones have become much more popular in recent times, and their application has increased rapidly in various fields. Before we get to this, let’s answer the main question: “What is a drone and how we can define it?”.

        The word “drone” has several different meanings, and it originates from the old English word drān, drǣn, which means ‘male bee’ . When talking about a drone as an electric device, we are thinking of a missile or a remote-controlled pilotless aircraft.

So, What is a Drone ?

        “An unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond the line of sight”.
        Another frequently used definition is : “Drone is any unmanned aircraft or ship that is guided remotely”.

Growth & Development

    No doubt, drones are among the most advanced devices in today’s aeronautics, electronics and robotics alike. In the following text, you will find out more about the drones, how they work, what their main features are, their applications in a variety of fields, types of drones, and the future of drones.

How do drones work and what are their main features?

        Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are made from different light composite materials in order to increase maneuverability while flying and reduce weight.

        They can be equipped with a variety of additional equipment, including cameras, GPS guided missiles, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), navigation systems, sensors, and various other drone software and hardware.

Main areas of applications

• Search and rescue
• Security
• Inspections
• Surveillance
• Science & research
• Aerial photography & video
• Surveying & GIS (mapping)
• Unmanned cargo system

    In addition to these main areas of application, drones are also used in engineering, construction and pre-construction work, aviation, maritime, marketing, real estate (both residential and commercial), insurance, utilities, mining, meteorology, education, and more.

The Future of Drones

        Nowadays, drones are extremely popular and they have countless applications. However, in the future, they are going to continue getting better and better, so they will have even more applications. Even today, drones are used for transporting goods to remote locations, for surveillance and much more. In the future, we can expect to see drones that can do this much faster and more efficiently. Perhaps we will see some uses for drones that we could not even imagine today.

        As you can see, the types of drones and their many applications today and into the future almost seems limitless.
        As drones continue to develop, their usage and functions certainly will as well. We do not know for sure what the future holds, but it is definitely a fascinating topic.
So if you have a keen interest in technology, it is well worth it to stay up to date on the world of drones.

Hope this article is helpful. Kindly checkout other posts too. Thank you.

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