Introduction to 3D Printing
Session 1 – 25/11/2023
Session 2 – 02/12/2023
1pm – 3pm
Cost: $50
In this workshop you’ll learn all the 3D printing basics needed to feel comfortable preparing and running your own 3D prints. The sessions cover the basics of 3D printing equipment, digital objects (.stl, .obj, .3mf), slicing software, preparing supports, the printing process, and post-processing of printed objects.
Workshop Format:
- 2 [1-hour] workshop sessions
- Print your own 3D model or file
- 2 open studio session [post-workshop] with personalized technical assistance
Limited to just 12 spots, so RSVP early to secure your place.
Objectives
- Learn what 3D printing options exists, how they work, and what differentiates them
- Explore the open-source world of 3D printing and the online communities hosting free 3D files
- Learn the digital pipeline that translates 3D files to machine [printer] code
- In-depth review of Slicing software, the intermediary translating digital objects to printable files
- Learn the different 3D printing materials, the advantages of each, and how to setup printers to use them
- Simplify the overwhelming abundance of options available when 3D printing – learn what settings, materials, and print styles are most relevant for your objects
- Understand what may cause printing failures and how to avoid them
- Explore post-processing techniques for 3D prints
- Receive technical assistance while slicing and post-processing your objects
- And lastly, you get to go home with your own 3D printed object
Session One
3D Printing Basics, Slicing, & Pipeline
- Types of 3D Printing
- FDM 3D printing, common printers and where to find them
- Anatomy of a 3D printer
- Types of 3D filament – PLA, PETG, BioPlastics, and more
- 3D File types (.obj, .stl, .3mf)
- Open-Source 3D community databases
- The printing pipeline – 3D files to gCode to tangible object
- Slicing software – PrusaSlicer
- Slicing Basics – layer heights, infill types, temperature, supports, and more
- Slicing strategies and print orientation
Open studio/lab time
- Our lab instructor can help you identify which slicing options you’ll need and how to prepare a file to print
- See the steps required to run a print as we run collectively run a demo print
Session Two
Setup, Printing, & Post-Printing
- Intermediary Slicing – custom speeds, new materials, and overhangs;
- Prepping a 3D Printer for use – bed cleaning, levelling, and changing filaments;
- Types of printer plates – smooth vs textured;
- Selecting your type of material – pros and cons;
- Printer settings – modifying equipment for new materials;
- Levelling – learn how to detect the right extrusion height or correct it;
- Learn how to identify why a print might fail and how to correct it;
- Tools – what you’ll need to post-process;
- Post-Processing a print – bed removal, support removal, and final touches;
Open studio/lab time
- Get personalized technical assistance for post-processing prints through removing supports and optionally sanding or polishing your objects.
Preperations
Before coming to the workshop we recommend downloading PrusaSlicer, which will be the demo slicer explored during the workshop and within our first open studio session.
If you don’t have your own 3D object in mind, we recommend exploring one of the vast open 3D object community databases for ones that are already print friendly. As part of the workshop, we’ll collectively browse these communities and go through all the potential printing avenues they offer – but if you would like to check some out before the workshop we recommend visiting Thingiverse and Printables.
Matthew Halpenny is an interdisciplinary media artist from Montréal who works between the boundaries of biology and technology. Their art practice critically examines how the digital media technologies we design and use are materially entangled with our global ecosystems. Within their artistic research, they use a variety of common and experimental digital fabrication methods, offering speculative design solutions that deconstruct existing barriers to accessibility through open-source designs and community-centric knowledge sharing. Their personal and collective art-research has been shown at Elektra (2019), ISEA (2020), Centre Pompidou (2021), Mutek (2021), Ars Electronica (2021), MTL Connecte (2022), Perte de Signal (2022), and Digital Ecologies (2022).
Jacqueline Beaumont is a bio-media artist, researcher, and designer exploring relationships between biotechnology, sex, nature/culture, and materialism. Her work enhances perception of the body, culture, media, and power. Her research explores the intersection of transgender health, fetishization, and material culture through trans-corpomateriality and feminist science studies.
