Print Farm Automation for Open Source Hardware Enterprise
Project developed by Lucas Beutler, Simeon Richards
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Objective
The goal of this project is to automate the 3D printing process. It started when the OSHE was asked by the university to print hundreds of husky statues that took 8 hours each to print. Instead of having to remember to come into the lab every eight hours and start a new print, it would be much easier if the process was automatic. We want the robotic arm to know when the 3D print is complete, remove the finished print, and then tell the 3D printer to begin again.
Background
The goal of this project is to automate the 3D printing process. It started when the OSHE was asked by the university to print hundreds of husky statues that took 8 hours each to print. Instead of having to remember to come into the lab every eight hours and start a new print, it would be much easier if the process was automatic. We want the robotic arm to know when the 3D print is complete, remove the finished print, and then tell the 3D printer to begin again.
Problem Statement
The problem our team identified is how difficult it is to produce a large quantity of prints. More specifically, it is inefficient to require human intervention at the beginning and end of each print. If this problem were addressed, it would allow the operator to queue several prints, leave, and return when they are done to collect the whole batch.
Project Significance
Project Goals:
Future Goals: